Pulled the boat today

[SycloneDriver]

It's been a good last coupe of weeks. I sold the San Juan 23 to club member, Jeff, a few weeks ago. Helped the new owner step the mast and launch the boat, almost without incident. When Jeff pulled his old boat he hit a power line and blacked out the marina, he should have ask for help.

Now that my trailer was free I decided to pull my San Juan 7.7m today. I called in a few favors and had plenty of help at the marina. We had a few small snags but all in all it went well. We even had 3 fishermen stop to help us move the boat forward on the trailer, they usually cuss at us. We cleaned out fridge and stored the boat at the marina then called it a day.

I hate that I won't get to sail for several months but I dred having the boat in a frozen lake. We had a boat sink last year after the lake thawed. It had two damage through hulls and no insurance. It cost the owner more to have the boat raised than he paid for the boat. I have insurance but I sleep better with the boat on the trailer in the winter. It also gives me a chance to clean the bottom and work on the outboard.

Sorry for rambling.

 

[Alec]

Sounds to me like you made the logical choice......

 

[SycloneDriver]

me too

Alec, I agree. It was the logical choice. I just hope this is a short winter.

I thought about bringing the boat home but dealing with the mast on this boat is not an easy task. This mast is heavier and longer than my other boat. It's time to replace the wind vane and pull the old instrument cable out of the mast, I'm tired of all the racket it makes at anchor. Time to call in another favor.

 

[Amos Cape]

Re: me too

We had to pull in Sept. because of low water so we are looking at moving to the Oologah Lake next year if we don't get water soon. I would like to know what the height is of the main bridge if you know. It looks like a great place to sail.

 

[SycloneDriver]

bridge = no sail zone

Amos,

I don't know what the bridge height is but that area is very shallow. We don't sail north of Goose Island. Honeymoon cove is as far north as most sailboats venture. I did see a Catalina 25 the ventured in the shallow water near the bridge. They had the crew rescued from the boat when they got stuck in the mud. The next day the boat washed up on the rocks at the bridge, I drove past it on my way to work. It had a big hole in the side. I don't usually even take my jetskis ( i mean my high speed dinghies ) that far north.

The club members at Oologha are really great people. Hope to see you sometime.

 

[SycloneDriver]

Cannot clean or paint bottom at the marina!

I pulled the boat for the winter so I could sleep better at night and do some maintance, but the marina says NO. The marina cannot allow me to even clean the growth from the bottom of my boat. The EPA considers the growth toxic waste. So now I'm gonna have to drop the mast and bring the boat home just for a cleaning and a coat of vc17. The mast on my SJ7.7 is much more difficult to work with than my JS23. I think I'll get out the welder and add some type of crane to the front of the trailer.

I don't blame the marina, I just really don't want to unstep the mast.

 

[Sail123]

Hitting a power line could easily have killed someone, lucky no one got hurt, or worse.

 

[Stu Jackson]

The EPA considers the growth toxic waste.

Pretty odd, since what's grown there is from the water itself. Some silly rules, eh?

Is it a reservoir?

 

[SycloneDriver]

Gary, about the power line. I din't know why Jeff didn't get some help, I think he is a bit of a loaner. He is lucky he wasn't killed and his boat seems undamaged.

Stu, about the reservoir. I don't know if they pull drinking water from the lake. It is odd that I can't up the algae back in the lake. The guys at the marina told me that I can clean the boat in the lake but after I pull it I can't.

I started preping the boat for transport last night. I still have to pull the jib and fold and store the sails but I'm almost ready to drop the mast. Should finish preping tonight and drop the mast Saturday.

 

[JohnS]

I pulled the boat for the winter so I could sleep better at night and do some maintance, but the marina says NO. The marina cannot allow me to even clean the growth from the bottom of my boat. The EPA considers the growth toxic waste. So now I'm gonna have to drop the mast and bring the boat home just for a cleaning and a coat of vc17. The mast on my SJ7.7 is much more difficult to work with than my JS23. I think I'll get out the welder and add some type of crane to the front of the trailer.

I don't blame the marina, I just really don't want to unstep the mast.

Sounds like a load of bull from the Marina owner. Yeah, the EPA is making it a pain in the ass for people to work on their boats, And i'm sure the many regulations are confusing and possibly open to interpretation, but I seriously doubt they consider the growth toxic waste. Paint chips, yes, but just scraping off growth when a boat's still wet after being pulled from the water?

 

[SycloneDriver]

John, I agree. I thought as long as I didn't remove any paint they would be fine it. My boat has hard paint (vc17) on it and would not leave any paint chips. The marina guys did say that the EPA regs have changed and that they are going to have to install a bath tub type thing as a wash station.

 

[SycloneDriver]

forget about using the trailer winch 2 drop mast

The mast is down. The boat is home . The bottom is 90% clean. The bottom needs a light sanding & a final cleaning, then paint. I plan to put the boat back in the water in March. I hope the next 2 months go fast.

When I dropped the mast I tied a line to the spinaker halyard and hooked it to a truck then we released the forestay and backed up the truck. Worked like a charm, much better than using the trailer winch. I had plenty of help too.