Hello All!
I just joined the forum today as a guy new to the sailing world. I caught the bug 1-2 years ago due to stumbling upon a YouTube video of Sam Holmes doing a solo trip from LA to HI on his 23 footer, and then watching a butt load of other sailing VLOGs since that time. After doing quite a bit of research, I decided that I would buy a sailboat on the Great Lakes (near where I grew up and still visit with some frequency) and try to fly out there for a weekend about once a month to try to get both myself and the boat squared away to do some cruising around the lakes. Eventually I think I'll take her down to explore the islands and maybe both coasts of the US; but initially I'm going to focus on learning my vessel really well and building some skill on how to use her well. By the way, she is a 1986 model called "R Sanctuary" and she is located down in the Gibraltar, MI area. I live in Colorado Springs, and I'm going back to MI next weekend to work/play on her if I don't die of anticipation waiting for Saturday to get here.
I have a question for any experts on the topic: How concerned should I be of several inches of water that have accumulated in the bilge while she has been setting on the hard for approx two years? I know that I'll need to track down how it got in and deal with doing some re-sealing, but I'm asking more about if it's been pooled in the bilge for months or even over a year, is it likely to have caused any issues from being pooled there? The previous owner had a stroke and isn't really able to speak any more, and his son wasn't knowledgeable enough to make sure that the pump was on auto and functioning.
Maybe one or two more questions: My main goal for next weekend is going to be to get the diesel fired up. I'm thinking the best plan will probably be to siphon out any existing fuel and replace it with fresh, then to replace the filters and bleed all the air out to the injection pump and then to crack the injection lines at the injectors and hope to get fresh fuel there and cross my fingers that when I tighten them that she finds life. Sound right?
If everything goes really well next weekend, I'll have her taken off the cradle and try to motor her up to a slip near the north end of Lake St Clair. If there are any folks local to that area, how long would you expect it to take to go against the current for that distance? It seems like one long day might be enough, right?
Thanks,
Robert
I just joined the forum today as a guy new to the sailing world. I caught the bug 1-2 years ago due to stumbling upon a YouTube video of Sam Holmes doing a solo trip from LA to HI on his 23 footer, and then watching a butt load of other sailing VLOGs since that time. After doing quite a bit of research, I decided that I would buy a sailboat on the Great Lakes (near where I grew up and still visit with some frequency) and try to fly out there for a weekend about once a month to try to get both myself and the boat squared away to do some cruising around the lakes. Eventually I think I'll take her down to explore the islands and maybe both coasts of the US; but initially I'm going to focus on learning my vessel really well and building some skill on how to use her well. By the way, she is a 1986 model called "R Sanctuary" and she is located down in the Gibraltar, MI area. I live in Colorado Springs, and I'm going back to MI next weekend to work/play on her if I don't die of anticipation waiting for Saturday to get here.
I have a question for any experts on the topic: How concerned should I be of several inches of water that have accumulated in the bilge while she has been setting on the hard for approx two years? I know that I'll need to track down how it got in and deal with doing some re-sealing, but I'm asking more about if it's been pooled in the bilge for months or even over a year, is it likely to have caused any issues from being pooled there? The previous owner had a stroke and isn't really able to speak any more, and his son wasn't knowledgeable enough to make sure that the pump was on auto and functioning.
Maybe one or two more questions: My main goal for next weekend is going to be to get the diesel fired up. I'm thinking the best plan will probably be to siphon out any existing fuel and replace it with fresh, then to replace the filters and bleed all the air out to the injection pump and then to crack the injection lines at the injectors and hope to get fresh fuel there and cross my fingers that when I tighten them that she finds life. Sound right?
If everything goes really well next weekend, I'll have her taken off the cradle and try to motor her up to a slip near the north end of Lake St Clair. If there are any folks local to that area, how long would you expect it to take to go against the current for that distance? It seems like one long day might be enough, right?
Thanks,
Robert