Heaven or Hell?

[myerssl]

Well, it is official, I have bought my first sailboat. I bought a Helms 24 circa 1984. Overall I thinks it willl be a grand adventure, but I need to get it into the water.

Today, I had the moter checked out (1985 yamaha 9.9 4 stroke) and the cylinders had 150 psi, so it is just a basic tune up and it willl be good to go. Sails are in great shape, (mainsale, jib, genoa). And based on the fact that the boat has never seen salt I'm excited to launch this baby the first week of January 2009.

As I go forward, I'll ask a lot of questions because I have a limited amount of experience sailing (have my masters license but have not played with blow boats). I'm sure some of the questions will raise an eyebrow or two, but I guarantee I'll only ask it once in the learning process.

BTW, the name of the boat is going to be Tres Generaciones (Three Generations). One of the reasons I'm buying the boat is to get my father and daughters involved in boating/sailing. It seems apropriate to name it based on the three generations of involvement.

If it is ok with everyone, I'lll use this thread to log the process of getting the boat in the water. Any feedback willl always be welcome.

Steve

 

[Ross]

Steve, Congratulations on a new boat and a good plan. Which Cedar point are you near? there must be a hundred or more.

 

[myerssl]

North Carolina

I work on the Dive Charters (Discovery Diving) out of Beaufort on the weekends and live in Swansboro, NC.

Real world occupation is CTO for Onslow County Schools.

 

[Ed Schenck]

North Carolina, right Steve? Right across the ICW from Emerald Isle. And not too far from my boat up near Havelock. Where will you dock and sail the Helms?

 

[sailingdog]

Congrats, and look forward to seeing photos.. you're gonna post photos of the new boat, right???

 

[JungleJetJock]

When you launch her I think it only fitting to christen her with Tres Generaciones tequila. It's very good stuff.

 

[myerssl]

I'll either be docking her at Discovery Diving in Beaufort, or bring her down to Cedar Point. Leaning towards Cedar Point even though the inlet is a little tighter.

As far as the name is concerned, you are right!! I used to work in Mexico and Tres Generaciones was my favorite. That's why we decided to name it three generations in spanish

 

[BobM]

Congratulations. I strongly suggest you begin making lists. Lists of things that need to get fixed, as well as lists of things you need to take with you to do something, unless you have the luxury of having your boat in the driveway. If I don't make a list I always forget something...hopefully not the ladder if she is on the hard!

 

[ITMaster]

That Tequilla is too good to bust over the bow and let roll into the water. If you do, let me know so I can attend and figure out a way to catch all of it. That would just be a terrible waste to let it go undrinked (sic) into the drink

 

[Ross]

That Tequilla is too good to bust over the bow and let roll into the water. If you do, let me know so I can attend and figure out a way to catch all of it. That would just be a terrible waste to let it go undrinked (sic) into the drink

It will be alright if you filter it through your kidneys first.

 

[Roger (Ninette Manitoba)]

Spare an ounce for the bow; king neptune understands!

 

[CalebD]

Congrats Steve!
I looked at a couple of Helms 24s on the internet and it seems as though some have a centerboard and others have a fixed keel. Which hull configuration does yours have?
Should I also assume that you got a trailer with this boat? Having a trailer can cut down significantly on some of the costs of owning a 'blow' boat.

 

[myerssl]

Nope, have a fixed keel (4' 2" draft). I am going to keep it in a slip at Cedar Point for $200 a month and it is right next to the ICW and Bogue Inlet.

So far, I have taken the motor to the shop and had the compression checked (150 psi on each cylinder) and replaced seals and the impeller. Should be ready to pick up this weekend. Gel Coated a couple of minor blemishes and am scheduling the painting of the hull for the week after Xmas.

Other major items I will be working on this weekend is checking the batteries, and doing a good scrubbing inside and out (got some daughters to help with this). I will also be looking at installing a new compass and gps/sounder on the boat. I'm not sure what brand of gps/sounder will be the best for me (looking at the $350 price range) but I dive a lot and would like to accurately locate the wrecks to drop anchor. Any help on this would be appreciated.

Once the boat is painted, it should be ready for the water. We (my Dad, and my daughter) plan on taking the boat down from Oriental through the ICW to Beaufort. From there we will decide whether or not to go along the coast or the ICW to Cedar Point.

That's the plan, now comes the devil in the details

 

[OldCat]

Congrats. Have fun!

Hell is absolute zero and hard water - 0degF like we here had yesterday is close enough! If the water is liquid, it is Heaven.

OC

 

[Marty A]

Looks like a nice boat, and you've got it for good reasons, man. Have fun and enjoy the time with your family. You're always welcome to ask questions and look for solutions!

FWIW, I've found that having a boat close to home and easy to get out is always preferable to price. The whole point is to be able to go out for an easy sail without dealing with a long haul to/from the marina. It sounds like maybe you made that tradeoff yourself and I hope it works for you.

For me, getting out on the boat shuts down the rest of the world for a bit - I can have the MOST stressful day, but 30 minutes after slipping the lines it's gone.

Again, best of luck with your new adventure!

Marty

 

[Rich (P303)]

Congrats on your new adventure!

You have the navigation and seamanship down.. so your all set with the hard part. All that is left is to figure out what all those "ropes" do!

A little pull here... a little ease out there.

It will be fun! Enjoy.

 

[myerssl]

Interesting week for the adventure. Got several things done and still have a few to go.

First got the title and registration taken care of and was a no brainer. Just had to make a copy of the hull id, apparently when the boat was registered they mis-wrote the ID Number (first three characters were wrong).

Did a full inventory of the equipment on board and with the exception of a depth finder, I am good to go.

Took the motor in for an inspection (had not been run for 5 years), that is where the problems began. The engine started right up, good compression, but the seals were bad and the lower unit basically disintegrated when pulling it apart. The engine was built in 1984 and by the time we found the parts and the labor to fix the problems it was going to run $500 - $600 to repair. Decided to find a newer kicker motor and am picking it up this week. It is a 2001 Yamaha 9.9 HT long shaft and is in great shape. Cost is $800. The difference is negligilble considering I'm getting an engine in good shape that is 18 years newer.

I'm rebuilding the holes for the mast step. It looked like the screws were pulled out by accident when the mast was taken down. So I've followed the instructions from some previous posts and have drilled out the inside of the holes and cleaned them out with acetone. I'l let them dry out completely before filling with epoxy and after that touch up with gel coat. First time doing this, but it has been fairly straight forward and it looks like it will be as strong as the original.

Daughters tore into the cabin today and have the majority of it cleaned up and looking pretty good. They will be cleaning the cushions inside and then cleaning/re-oiling the teak next week.

Still planning on a launch 1/17/08 with my dad and daughters. No major setbacks yet.

We changed the location for the slip though, got a great deal on a deep water slip in Beaufort (30 minutes away) and at least for the first couple of months it will give me a little more experience before I tackle the shallow waters of Swansboro.

Thanks for all of the support and advice!

 

[sailingdog]

Sounds like you're headed in the right direction. Keep us posted.

 

[myerssl]

It's been a while but I thought I would give an update on the progress of the boat. Over the last three weeks the following has been accomplished:

1) The MOTOR as mentioned before the original was not worth fixing, so I found another motor on Craigslist for $600. However, when I got the engine it was locked up so I had to remove the plugs (one was frozen in the block) and turn the engine a couple of times manually. Once the engine started up, it was smoking like crazy and oil was dripping down the shaft on both sides. I said to hell with it and got my money back and just bit the bullet and bought a new Suzuki 9.9 High Thrust from www.newoutboards.com . That way I will have peace of mind and a three year warranty.
2) Replaced the batteries and re-wired a lot of the electronics. Used safety boat cable instead of the hodge podge of wiring that was used in the past.
3) Installed a depth finder (hated to put a 2" hole in the bulkhead, but it looks pretty good below the compass). Not sure if it will work yet because I could not test it on land, but installed the in-hull transponder using johnny wax based on the recomendations of the board
4) My dad was worried about navigation so he bought a Garmin 440s and it will be coming this week. When I get the GPS/Fishfinder I'll decide whether or not to do a transom mount or another in-hull mount for the transducer. Opinions are always welcome.
5) Fixed the mast step plate and also rebuilt the base using epoxy to fill in the old holes. Mounted the plate yesterday.
6) Did a good scrubbing/cleaning of the cabin and hull and it is looking like a boat that wants to be in the water!!
7) Cleaned and ariated all of the cushions and the musty smell is gone.
8) Fixed hand pumps for the head sink and unclogged all sink lines and scuppers. Water flows freely now

Things to do include:
1) Bottom paint - scheduled for next week
2) Create an additional battery well for the starter battery. Once that is done I plan on using padeyes and bungies to strap the batteries in place for additional insurance.
3) Would like to clean/oil the teak on the outside.

Splashing the boat on the 17th and all three generations are excited, (by the way that reminds me I've got to pick up a bottle of Tres Generaciones.

Thanks for all of the support and I'll send pictures when we launch!

 

[Ron20324]

It's a good plan, but I don't think i'd use bungees to hold the batteries. Rope, web maybe.