questions: knot meter, hull liner, compass, thru-hulls

Oct 30, 2019
34
Greetings,
First I'd like to say what a tremendous help these posts are,
especially for a novice like myself. I would be lost without your
help. My wayward Vega is getting the first attention she has seen in
about 10 years. I plan to get the deck and hull ready for paint
before I begin the cabin reassembly. Needless to say, there are many
issues:
1) I am considering removing the knot meter (glass is broken) as well
as the plastic thru-hull on the port side behind the water tank and
glass over the holes. I figure my handheld GPS will give me the same
type of info. and I like the idea of fewer thru-hulls. Is there any
reason to replace it with the same type?
2) The interior has been removed aft of the mast bulkhead. The hull
liner was removed and the interior painted. What is the purpose of
the liner? Should I replace it?
3) The compass was scavenged at some point and I would like to replace
it eventhough the gps will give this info. also. Does anyone know of
a drop-in replacement for the type of compass found on a '75 Vega?
What features should I look for?
4) One of my fears is that I do all this work and then on launch day
I discover that one or more of the thru-hulls are leaking. I can't get
any information from the previous owners. Is there any way to check
the thru-hulls so that I can replace them now if necessary?
5) I had to drill the keel dran plug and use a screw extractor to get
it out. Any ideas on where to get a new plug? I did not damage the
threads, so the plug is all I need.
I feel a little guilty posting this many questions at once. But, it's
really only the tip of the iceberg.
Cheers,
Rob
 
Oct 31, 2019
562
Hi Rob

I'm only answering Nr. 4 (through hull fittings.)
Yes! replace them all- it doesn't cost much but gives you a piece of
mind. Though
DON'T replace them with plastic ones!
And since you're replacing the through hulls, replace all the hoses as well!
Wilhelm V-257Rob Cheshire wrote:
 
Nov 8, 2001
1,818
Hi Rob

The VAGB have a stock of the keel drain plugs at £5 each plus postage. Contact
:

steve@...

Kind Regards

Steve Birch Vega "Southern Comfort" V1703

At 03:12 06/12/02 +0000, you wrote:
 
Feb 6, 2011
253
Your question 1 & 3 could probably start a flame war in some groups. The safe answer, is that you should always consider the possibility that the GPS could die at any moment. So you should, at a minimum, be able to determine boat speed, direction, and time, to do basic ded. reckoning. How strongly you feel about this, probably has a lot to do with how and where you use your boat. I sailed my 19 footer for 13 years out of Solomons, Md area and traveled as far north as Baltimore Inner Harbor and as far south as Norfolk, Va. I never used GPS or Loran or any kind of position fixing system. I navigated/piloted using only a compass, a knotstick (West Marine), and good charts. However, this is easy to do in the Chesapeake Bay, since land is never very far away, and there are lots of navigation markers to aid piloting with all the shipping traffic here. If I were to venture (and I hope to do so soon), offshore, I would definitely want to have some non-electronic method of determining boat speed and direction. However, I would definitely want a GPS as well and a sextant.

If you are a inland waters kind of person, and you see the knot meter as being rarely used, and you really want to get rid of it, then you might consider keeping a knotstick on board for emergency purposes. It worked well for me and seemed surprisingly accurate.

Chris
V-2933
Chesapeake Bay, USA
 
Oct 31, 2019
70
When replacing thru hull valves as for "full flow ball valves" there is no restriction inside the actual ball valve thus will not tend to plug ups so easily and also allow for full flow thru valve. May cost a $1 more but worth it. jorgen-next boat Albin
 
Apr 30, 2000
197
Rob: I have a Sumlog knot meter (no cable or spinner) that I took out of my
1971 Vega. I don't know if this is what you're needing or if someone else
wants it, but I don't have a use for it. Bill Bach