That's a good idea, a lot easier to access. I'll have to try that-Heavy or not, I'll bet you can beat a lot of boats you "shouldn't" be able to.
I wouldn't be without an adjustable backstay. I have the CD setup you linked to, except I run the tackle upside down, relative to their illustration. I find the control line easier to reach and operate that way.
Sailing and restoring #9874
- Thread starter AaronD
- Start date
Stern Vents
As many others have done, I moved our fuel tank to the cockpit, wanting to keep fuel vapors out of the cabin. I know a few people have added full sealed-and-vented compartments, but that seemed way above my fiberglass skills. With the fuel outside, the stern cowl vents aren't needed and they were one of the (several) places leaking water into our coffin. I could have just glassed them over, but the outcome seemed likely to exceed even my capacity for ugly.
So, I replaced one with a stainless mushroom vent and the other with a deck fill. The vent sheds rain and gives us just a little airflow; it can be closed off completely from above if necessary (that's on my heavy-weather checklist). I've thought of adding a small fan underneath (a 12v CPU fan small computer power-supply fan would probably work, and they're cheap, so I could replace them when they corrode in salt air). But that's been a very low priority.
The deck fill seems like a strange thing to use back there, but I couldn't find a screw-out access plate that would fit the space (https://www.westmarine.com/buy/sea-dog--4-7-16-screw-out-deck-plate--17341777?recordNum=16 was the closest I found, but 5-3/4" is still too wide). I cut off the narrowest end of the deck fill, leaving an opening wide enough to get my electric outboard connectors through, if we ever need them.
The mushroom vent opening is slightly larger than the original cowl, so I cut out the deck to fit. Dremeled out rotten core and sealed with thickened epoxy. The deck fill is smaller, so I covered the top and bottom with 1/8" fiberglass, filled with a scrap of foam, and drilled a smaller opening. The flange of the fill covers my messy repair nicely. Just don't stick the pump-out hose in there
Cost: $73
Vetus PORTOS1 Vent: $55
Forespar Waste Deck Fill: $18
As many others have done, I moved our fuel tank to the cockpit, wanting to keep fuel vapors out of the cabin. I know a few people have added full sealed-and-vented compartments, but that seemed way above my fiberglass skills. With the fuel outside, the stern cowl vents aren't needed and they were one of the (several) places leaking water into our coffin. I could have just glassed them over, but the outcome seemed likely to exceed even my capacity for ugly.
So, I replaced one with a stainless mushroom vent and the other with a deck fill. The vent sheds rain and gives us just a little airflow; it can be closed off completely from above if necessary (that's on my heavy-weather checklist). I've thought of adding a small fan underneath (a 12v CPU fan small computer power-supply fan would probably work, and they're cheap, so I could replace them when they corrode in salt air). But that's been a very low priority.
The deck fill seems like a strange thing to use back there, but I couldn't find a screw-out access plate that would fit the space (https://www.westmarine.com/buy/sea-dog--4-7-16-screw-out-deck-plate--17341777?recordNum=16 was the closest I found, but 5-3/4" is still too wide). I cut off the narrowest end of the deck fill, leaving an opening wide enough to get my electric outboard connectors through, if we ever need them.
The mushroom vent opening is slightly larger than the original cowl, so I cut out the deck to fit. Dremeled out rotten core and sealed with thickened epoxy. The deck fill is smaller, so I covered the top and bottom with 1/8" fiberglass, filled with a scrap of foam, and drilled a smaller opening. The flange of the fill covers my messy repair nicely. Just don't stick the pump-out hose in there
Cost: $73
Vetus PORTOS1 Vent: $55
Forespar Waste Deck Fill: $18
Thanks. Yes, everyone who's done that one can commiserate.
Many curses for some PO. There might or might not still be a small figurine of said PO somewhere with pins sticking out of it.
In the spirit of @AndreInPortland's post of a Hood pic (https://forums.sailboatowners.com/i...g-avalon-1984-c-22-12640.197072/#post-1550534), I'll post poor photographic proof that Rainer came out for us the other day (taken in Dana Passage or Case Inlet). And Breezy, happily swinging to a mooring ball at Hope Island (our first time overnight on a mooring ball - 22 feet is really small if the kids are arguing!)
Thanks, Andre! We had a good trip (and no, the kids didn't fight the whole time, but we confirmed our previous experience that a dock really expands a small boat, especially if there are other kids around).
We usually only rig and splash once per season, so we don't really practice enough to get really smooth. But we do seem to be getting faster we went from the parking lot to our slip in about 2 hours, and that included raising the mast twice, as I managed to sky a halyard (surprisingly, I hadn't ever done that before...) Another 30 minutes or so in the slip to get the jib on the furler; mount the bowsprit; (I can mount it on the trailer, but I think it would hit the riser bar when floating off, so I do this on the water); rig the Code 0, etc.
The breeze was really light, so we did more motoring than I'd prefer, but I think we convinced our (passionate environmentalist) son that burning ~2.5 gallons of gas probably won't materially increase global temperatures. And we did get in some nice time with the Code 0 - it continues to do its job in light winds.
The new mainsail, backstay adjuster, and outhaul seem to be working as designed, although we didn't see enough wind to really give them a workout. The new bimini design is a definite improvement; I still have some more tweaking to come, and I'll post pictures when we have a final design tested.
A couple more pictures, including Breezy at the Jarrell Cove dock (dinghy and kayaks scattered behind her). And my son chatting with a friendly seal:
Small boat to the San Juans (Pt 1)
I’m slow on sorting pictures. I finally got around to looking at a few (from way back in August!), and here’s a quick summary of our end-of-summer-break trip: 2 weeks in the San Juans. This was at the continued urging of the younger crew members (8 and 11), who really want to see a pod of southern resident orcas. We didn't see any residents, but we did get to watch a pod of Biggs orcas.
First, the Ugly: I.e., the aftermath. Here’s the cabin when we arrived home, and the driveway a few minutes later. In short, 4 people x 14 days x 22 feet = complete #$&#*%#$ chaos.
2.5 months later, I’m still not sure that all of that has found its way back into proper storage...
Now, the good: We drove up to Olympia, where we normally keep her moored. We spent a couple nights there, including a visit to the cat sanctuary on Harstine Island (wildfelids.org). Everyone agreed that the Snow Leopard was a big hit; they’re critically endangered, so this might be our only chance to ever see one.
We pulled the boat, trailered up to Anacortes (through Seattle traffic), splashed again at a county park, and motored over to Skyline Marina. A very long day, but highlighted by a feeding Humpback - we only saw a dorsal fin, but they’re long, and distinctive enough that we were confident in the ID.
The next morning, we crossed Rosario Straight. I was nervous about the crossing, but on that particular day, it turned out to be very smooth sailing (literally - we got to raise sails for a bit). With the help of my 8-year-old navigator, of course.
We spent 3 nights at James Island State Park. We planned for a couple, but weather moved in (rain and a small-craft warning in the straights). We elected to hunker down for an extra night and try to stay dry. Our Habitent looks funky, but it sure helps. Like having 2 rooms instead of one!
We trekked up to the shelter onshore to cook crepes. We even managed a campfire. No mean feat, when everything is dripping, and your wood supply is limited to whatever floated in on the last high tide… Protip (from my wife’s days as a summer-camp counselor): The outhouse’s hand sanitizer is alcohol-based jelly, and makes a great fire starter!
A kind dock neighbor gave us a deck of cards (we’d had a deck and a cribbage board in Breezy for years, but with small kids, we found we never used them. Apparently I’d removed them, just as our kids got old enough to benefit from such entertainment).
To be continued...
I’m slow on sorting pictures. I finally got around to looking at a few (from way back in August!), and here’s a quick summary of our end-of-summer-break trip: 2 weeks in the San Juans. This was at the continued urging of the younger crew members (8 and 11), who really want to see a pod of southern resident orcas. We didn't see any residents, but we did get to watch a pod of Biggs orcas.
First, the Ugly: I.e., the aftermath. Here’s the cabin when we arrived home, and the driveway a few minutes later. In short, 4 people x 14 days x 22 feet = complete #$&#*%#$ chaos.
2.5 months later, I’m still not sure that all of that has found its way back into proper storage...
Now, the good: We drove up to Olympia, where we normally keep her moored. We spent a couple nights there, including a visit to the cat sanctuary on Harstine Island (wildfelids.org). Everyone agreed that the Snow Leopard was a big hit; they’re critically endangered, so this might be our only chance to ever see one.
We pulled the boat, trailered up to Anacortes (through Seattle traffic), splashed again at a county park, and motored over to Skyline Marina. A very long day, but highlighted by a feeding Humpback - we only saw a dorsal fin, but they’re long, and distinctive enough that we were confident in the ID.
The next morning, we crossed Rosario Straight. I was nervous about the crossing, but on that particular day, it turned out to be very smooth sailing (literally - we got to raise sails for a bit). With the help of my 8-year-old navigator, of course.
We spent 3 nights at James Island State Park. We planned for a couple, but weather moved in (rain and a small-craft warning in the straights). We elected to hunker down for an extra night and try to stay dry. Our Habitent looks funky, but it sure helps. Like having 2 rooms instead of one!
We trekked up to the shelter onshore to cook crepes. We even managed a campfire. No mean feat, when everything is dripping, and your wood supply is limited to whatever floated in on the last high tide… Protip (from my wife’s days as a summer-camp counselor): The outhouse’s hand sanitizer is alcohol-based jelly, and makes a great fire starter!
A kind dock neighbor gave us a deck of cards (we’d had a deck and a cribbage board in Breezy for years, but with small kids, we found we never used them. Apparently I’d removed them, just as our kids got old enough to benefit from such entertainment).
To be continued...
Small boat to the San Juans (Pt 2 of 2)
Our next stop was Friday Harbor, also for 3 nights. Just a few minutes after we docked, while I was tidying up lines, a gentleman walking past asked, “You wouldn’t by chance be Aaron, would you?” It turned out to be @Stu Jackson. We also met @Ken Cross and his admiral that night. Thanks to them for a pleasant evening and lots of helpful advice! Nice to run into formerly-online-only acquaintances.
We took a whale-watching trip and a trolley tour around San Juan Island - the crew approved wholeheartedly. And the kids joined a sleepover at the Whale Museum, while the parents sampled a flight of rosé at a local cafe. And it should be noted that it’s amazing how much room there is in a 22-footer with only 2 aboard for a night!
The Washington State Parks include many marine-only or mixed-use parks. We spent a couple nights in Reid Harbor on Stuart Island, including a hike out to the Turn Point lighthouse (very fun!).
One night on Jones Island (watch for raccoons!), and one at Lopez Islander Resort (the pool is both a hit with the kids and an easy way to get us all smelling a little less ‘nautical’). The tide was low at Lopez, so they put us out on the deeper-water ‘sailboat’ dock. Apparently I missed getting a picture of 22-foot Breezy sitting between the 45+ footers.
For our last night out, we finally ticked off an accomplishment that we (strangely) hadn’t ever done before: Our first night at anchor!
We’d anchored for lunch a few times and picked up a mooring ball before, but hadn’t anchored overnight. After a stop for ice cream at the store on Shaw Island and an hour or so meandering around Orcas Landing (a quick motor across the passage from Shaw), we anchored in Blind Bay. The anchorage was already pretty full, including many larger vessels that I assume were on all-chain rodes. With a combination chain+rope rode, we’d need longer scope; anchoring in the middle of the pack might mean swinging into an adjacent vessel. So we looked for shallow water where we could keep the scope shorter. I hoped for 10 feet or so, but eventually settled for 20, as that was as close to shore as I dared venture.
As expected for a first night at anchor, I didn’t sleep a lot. The anchor alarm woke me once (we didn’t get it centered quite right, and I should have allowed a larger radius), and I woke on my own a few other times, sticking my head out to check on our surroundings. I needn’t have worried - our Manson Supreme held perfectly, and we woke up right where we expected to be.
Unfortunately, when we woke, we couldn’t even see the whole anchorage. We got our first taste of the traditional San Juans ‘fogust’ on our final morning. It lifted just a bit as we ate breakfast, and we decided to head out. We were grateful for the AIS on our iPads (thanks to Navionics for adding that feature this year!) Nice to know where the ferries are before you see them. We also noted that in the fog, the ferry captains announce their intentions over the VHF. So if you find yourself in the area without AIS, be sure to listen to your radio.
Headed back, Rosario was a little rougher than on our trip over. Nothing too terrible, except that my son somehow chose the confluence of Thatcher Pass and Rosario to use - and break - the porta-potty. No pictures of this event - you’ll have to use your imagination. My wife helming (somewhat nervously) through choppy waters. And the skipper down below, trying to seal the mess with saran-wrap and duct tape. Just glad it was the last day… another night aboard would have been a smelly one (thankfully, I think it’s all fixed now and ready for next season, and all the crew are firmly directed to treat the flush handle gently…)
The county park where we’d splashed lost part of its dock in a storm a season or two ago. We knew we’d be arriving at low tide, and that the remaining dock wouldn’t even reach the water. So we planned to drop my wife off, have her kayak to shore, and drive the truck to meet us at a marina with a hoist. But, as we were pulling up to the park, we saw another sailboat pulling out - on the sandy ramp, without the benefit of a dock. We decided that if they could do it, we’d give it a try. I rowed to shore with my daughter in the dinghy (towing the 2 orange kayaks, to get them out of the way, and to make the entire display a little more entertaining for the onshore observers). I backed the trailer down the ramp, my wife motored up within a few yards with our son on the bow; he threw me a line, and it worked! I pulled her onto the trailer, and low-range 4WD crawled out of the sand without a hitch. That saved us 2-3 hours of motoring, waiting for a hoist, etc.
The tow back home was smooth, but really long. Very thankful for the use of a friend’s GMC 2500; our 40-year-old trailer’s master brake cylinder seems to be failing, so I was sure glad for a heavy vehicle up front. But that meant I wasn’t comfortable letting my wife take a turn, so I was very happy to pull into the driveway (and the mess in the first picture waited until morning).
Our next stop was Friday Harbor, also for 3 nights. Just a few minutes after we docked, while I was tidying up lines, a gentleman walking past asked, “You wouldn’t by chance be Aaron, would you?” It turned out to be @Stu Jackson. We also met @Ken Cross and his admiral that night. Thanks to them for a pleasant evening and lots of helpful advice! Nice to run into formerly-online-only acquaintances.
We took a whale-watching trip and a trolley tour around San Juan Island - the crew approved wholeheartedly. And the kids joined a sleepover at the Whale Museum, while the parents sampled a flight of rosé at a local cafe. And it should be noted that it’s amazing how much room there is in a 22-footer with only 2 aboard for a night!
The Washington State Parks include many marine-only or mixed-use parks. We spent a couple nights in Reid Harbor on Stuart Island, including a hike out to the Turn Point lighthouse (very fun!).
One night on Jones Island (watch for raccoons!), and one at Lopez Islander Resort (the pool is both a hit with the kids and an easy way to get us all smelling a little less ‘nautical’). The tide was low at Lopez, so they put us out on the deeper-water ‘sailboat’ dock. Apparently I missed getting a picture of 22-foot Breezy sitting between the 45+ footers.
For our last night out, we finally ticked off an accomplishment that we (strangely) hadn’t ever done before: Our first night at anchor!
We’d anchored for lunch a few times and picked up a mooring ball before, but hadn’t anchored overnight. After a stop for ice cream at the store on Shaw Island and an hour or so meandering around Orcas Landing (a quick motor across the passage from Shaw), we anchored in Blind Bay. The anchorage was already pretty full, including many larger vessels that I assume were on all-chain rodes. With a combination chain+rope rode, we’d need longer scope; anchoring in the middle of the pack might mean swinging into an adjacent vessel. So we looked for shallow water where we could keep the scope shorter. I hoped for 10 feet or so, but eventually settled for 20, as that was as close to shore as I dared venture.
As expected for a first night at anchor, I didn’t sleep a lot. The anchor alarm woke me once (we didn’t get it centered quite right, and I should have allowed a larger radius), and I woke on my own a few other times, sticking my head out to check on our surroundings. I needn’t have worried - our Manson Supreme held perfectly, and we woke up right where we expected to be.
Unfortunately, when we woke, we couldn’t even see the whole anchorage. We got our first taste of the traditional San Juans ‘fogust’ on our final morning. It lifted just a bit as we ate breakfast, and we decided to head out. We were grateful for the AIS on our iPads (thanks to Navionics for adding that feature this year!) Nice to know where the ferries are before you see them. We also noted that in the fog, the ferry captains announce their intentions over the VHF. So if you find yourself in the area without AIS, be sure to listen to your radio.
Headed back, Rosario was a little rougher than on our trip over. Nothing too terrible, except that my son somehow chose the confluence of Thatcher Pass and Rosario to use - and break - the porta-potty. No pictures of this event - you’ll have to use your imagination. My wife helming (somewhat nervously) through choppy waters. And the skipper down below, trying to seal the mess with saran-wrap and duct tape. Just glad it was the last day… another night aboard would have been a smelly one (thankfully, I think it’s all fixed now and ready for next season, and all the crew are firmly directed to treat the flush handle gently…)
The county park where we’d splashed lost part of its dock in a storm a season or two ago. We knew we’d be arriving at low tide, and that the remaining dock wouldn’t even reach the water. So we planned to drop my wife off, have her kayak to shore, and drive the truck to meet us at a marina with a hoist. But, as we were pulling up to the park, we saw another sailboat pulling out - on the sandy ramp, without the benefit of a dock. We decided that if they could do it, we’d give it a try. I rowed to shore with my daughter in the dinghy (towing the 2 orange kayaks, to get them out of the way, and to make the entire display a little more entertaining for the onshore observers). I backed the trailer down the ramp, my wife motored up within a few yards with our son on the bow; he threw me a line, and it worked! I pulled her onto the trailer, and low-range 4WD crawled out of the sand without a hitch. That saved us 2-3 hours of motoring, waiting for a hoist, etc.
The tow back home was smooth, but really long. Very thankful for the use of a friend’s GMC 2500; our 40-year-old trailer’s master brake cylinder seems to be failing, so I was sure glad for a heavy vehicle up front. But that meant I wasn’t comfortable letting my wife take a turn, so I was very happy to pull into the driveway (and the mess in the first picture waited until morning
).Great trip with the family - I'm sure your kids will remember it for their whole lives. What kind of anchor alarm are you using?
I just used the 'Anchor' app on my iPhone. I played with it at home a bit, and it seems to work as desired. I can plug my phone in next to my head up in the V-berth (running the GPS all night would drain the battery). I think we didn't set it exactly when I dropped anchor, so the center-point was off (setting the anchor point on the phone is my daughter's job, but we don't have that very well practiced yet).
But don't take my rookie advice as anything meaningful. One night at anchor is a small sample size
Clutches and deck organizers
Another project from a couple years ago - Lewmar D1 clutches and Spinlock T38 organizers. This was a present for my kids. They're my assistants when raising and lowering sails, and they often couldn't get the lines in and out of the original jam cleats. When I was replacing everything, I decided to go for triples, so we could get a many lines as possible aligned in one place. The Spinlock organizers seemed like a lot of bang for the buck; the clutches aren't cheap, but I watched for a good sale and decided I could swing it. They're spec'd for 6-8mm line; we use 1/4" (6mm) lines for pretty much everything, and I've had no problems with them slipping thus far.
Thus far, I've just left the grab rails off. We normally go forward over the cabin top anyway (following our jacklines). Perhaps eventually I'll follow @CloudDiver's lead and build up mounting points on the rain-gutter rim.
One caveat: When I first mounted the organizers, I used too much butyl tape ("too much butyl tape" - I didn't think that was a thing!) Over time, some of it squeezed its way into the sheaves and bound them up. I had to pull them off, clean with mineral spirits, and re-mount with a little less butyl.
My kids love the clutches; one evening as we were dropping the sails, my (then) 6-year-old daughter said "We're like a well-oiled machine!"
For that, I'll write off the time and expense and count that project as a success.
Cost: ~$400
Spinlock T-38 clutches: 2 at $45 each
Lewmar D1 triple clutches: 2 at $148 each
Hardware: ~$10
Time: 5 hours
Another project from a couple years ago - Lewmar D1 clutches and Spinlock T38 organizers. This was a present for my kids. They're my assistants when raising and lowering sails, and they often couldn't get the lines in and out of the original jam cleats. When I was replacing everything, I decided to go for triples, so we could get a many lines as possible aligned in one place. The Spinlock organizers seemed like a lot of bang for the buck; the clutches aren't cheap, but I watched for a good sale and decided I could swing it. They're spec'd for 6-8mm line; we use 1/4" (6mm) lines for pretty much everything, and I've had no problems with them slipping thus far.
Thus far, I've just left the grab rails off. We normally go forward over the cabin top anyway (following our jacklines). Perhaps eventually I'll follow @CloudDiver's lead and build up mounting points on the rain-gutter rim.
One caveat: When I first mounted the organizers, I used too much butyl tape ("too much butyl tape" - I didn't think that was a thing!) Over time, some of it squeezed its way into the sheaves and bound them up. I had to pull them off, clean with mineral spirits, and re-mount with a little less butyl.
My kids love the clutches; one evening as we were dropping the sails, my (then) 6-year-old daughter said "We're like a well-oiled machine!"
For that, I'll write off the time and expense and count that project as a success.
Cost: ~$400
Spinlock T-38 clutches: 2 at $45 each
Lewmar D1 triple clutches: 2 at $148 each
Hardware: ~$10
Time: 5 hours
Looks great - I'm going to go that way myself in the next year. Right now, it looks like Defender has the best deal on the Lewmar clutches.
@Hardhead - Don't forget to check our hosts here at SBO: Lewmar D1 Rope Clutch. Their prices look pretty good. And if you have some time to wait, you might also watch eBay - I've seen some good deals pop up there.
Cockpit Lazarette Latches
As we all know, it's important to keep our lazarettes latched when sailing (see Knockdown in a C22 for more discussion). My factory latches weren't working very well; I looked around and ended up with these latches from McMaster-Carr:
1794a54. They're rated for 400 lbs, which should be enough to keep the lockers closed.
They latch securely, even if I forget to clip in a carabiner, and can be padlocked if needed (I don't bother very often, but it's nice to be able to). I added small backing plates of 1/8" FRP on the inside of the locker and lid, so even with only a couple small screws, I think they're pretty solid. If you're looking for replacement latches, these are worth a look.
Cost: ~$20
Time: ~2 hours (I messed up the alignment a couple times...)
As we all know, it's important to keep our lazarettes latched when sailing (see Knockdown in a C22 for more discussion). My factory latches weren't working very well; I looked around and ended up with these latches from McMaster-Carr:
1794a54. They're rated for 400 lbs, which should be enough to keep the lockers closed.
They latch securely, even if I forget to clip in a carabiner, and can be padlocked if needed (I don't bother very often, but it's nice to be able to). I added small backing plates of 1/8" FRP on the inside of the locker and lid, so even with only a couple small screws, I think they're pretty solid. If you're looking for replacement latches, these are worth a look.
Cost: ~$20
Time: ~2 hours (I messed up the alignment a couple times...)
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Marinebeam LED Navigation Lights
The 35 year old OEM light fixtures were unsurprisingly weak and unreliable. And the bow rebuild / anchor roller project necessitated moving the bow light fixture - with a big anchor on a roller, the deck-mounted light would be hidden from most angles.
Marinebeam makes replacement bulbs for lots of light fixtures. That saves energy, but the least reliable part of most lights is the bulb attachment - the original fixtures aren't anywhere close to waterproof, so it seemed likely that the electrical connection would always be flaky. Marinebeam also makes beautiful, permanently sealed LED units (since LEDs last essentially forever, you don't need a way to open them up and replace the bulb. Thus, no seals to wear out or crack).
Also, the all-in-one fixtures are USCG certified, whereas a replacement bulb wouldn't be (even if it's just as bright). As discussed in various other threads, the certification wouldn't ever matter - until it did. In the event of a collision, when the lawyers are sorting out blame, it would be nice to show that you had USCG certified lights in place.
They're about $100 each, so I didn't do them all the same year, but over time, I replaced all of our lights with these fixtures.
Bow light: I raised it its original position on the deck up onto the bow pulpit, on a bracket I fabricated from Starboard and a couple U-bolts. This gets it up above the anchor where there's less hardware obscuring the light. The MarineBeam fixture has a nice long wire that routed through the pulpit to electrical connections in the cabin.
Stern light: I mounted it on the starboard transom next to the swim ladder. I actually thought about this more than I probably should have. I couldn't find a convenient location that would be visible through the full 120 degrees, and never blocked by the rudder, swim ladder, outboard, etc. This seemed like a reasonable compromise.
Anchor light: I bought the version with a photocell, which seems like a really sensible idea. But I found that (especially on a trailerable boat) I wanted to be able to test the light any time, and not have to wait for dark (e.g. while rigging, before we make it much harder to troubleshoot). So I taped over the photocell. I guess I could have gone for the simpler version and saved $10.
Steaming / deck light: This fixture is designed for a slightly wider mast, so I added a bracket made from black Starboard. Fortuitously, the curve of the mast almost exactly matches that of the end of my bench sander, which made it easier to shape it to the mast. Maybe someday I'll have a 3D printer or a CNC mill for projects like this.
I tried these through-deck connectors, and I can't recommend them.
The screw connections seem designed for wire much too small for marine use (most sources seem to recommend a minimum of 16 AWG). And maybe it's just my ham-handed attempts to tighten it without stripping the little set-screws, but the connections were always flaky. After reading @thinwater's recommendations, I rewired with a standard trailer connector. A little grease or heat-shrink to keep the connections dry (we generally keep her in a slip during the season, so it's a once-a-year task to seal it).
Notes and pictures at:
Deck to mast electrical connection
Deck to mast electrical connection
We also carry a couple battery-operated nav lights, for a dinghy and for backup. For a couple seasons, before I did the steaming light, I would strap the white light to the mast as high as I could reach. It's nicer now to just flip a switch.
Cost: ~$500
Time: ~10 hours
The 35 year old OEM light fixtures were unsurprisingly weak and unreliable. And the bow rebuild / anchor roller project necessitated moving the bow light fixture - with a big anchor on a roller, the deck-mounted light would be hidden from most angles.
Marinebeam makes replacement bulbs for lots of light fixtures. That saves energy, but the least reliable part of most lights is the bulb attachment - the original fixtures aren't anywhere close to waterproof, so it seemed likely that the electrical connection would always be flaky. Marinebeam also makes beautiful, permanently sealed LED units (since LEDs last essentially forever, you don't need a way to open them up and replace the bulb. Thus, no seals to wear out or crack).
Also, the all-in-one fixtures are USCG certified, whereas a replacement bulb wouldn't be (even if it's just as bright). As discussed in various other threads, the certification wouldn't ever matter - until it did. In the event of a collision, when the lawyers are sorting out blame, it would be nice to show that you had USCG certified lights in place.
They're about $100 each, so I didn't do them all the same year, but over time, I replaced all of our lights with these fixtures.
Bow light: I raised it its original position on the deck up onto the bow pulpit, on a bracket I fabricated from Starboard and a couple U-bolts. This gets it up above the anchor where there's less hardware obscuring the light. The MarineBeam fixture has a nice long wire that routed through the pulpit to electrical connections in the cabin.
Stern light: I mounted it on the starboard transom next to the swim ladder. I actually thought about this more than I probably should have. I couldn't find a convenient location that would be visible through the full 120 degrees, and never blocked by the rudder, swim ladder, outboard, etc. This seemed like a reasonable compromise.
Anchor light: I bought the version with a photocell, which seems like a really sensible idea. But I found that (especially on a trailerable boat) I wanted to be able to test the light any time, and not have to wait for dark (e.g. while rigging, before we make it much harder to troubleshoot). So I taped over the photocell. I guess I could have gone for the simpler version and saved $10.
Steaming / deck light: This fixture is designed for a slightly wider mast, so I added a bracket made from black Starboard. Fortuitously, the curve of the mast almost exactly matches that of the end of my bench sander, which made it easier to shape it to the mast. Maybe someday I'll have a 3D printer or a CNC mill for projects like this.
I tried these through-deck connectors, and I can't recommend them.
The screw connections seem designed for wire much too small for marine use (most sources seem to recommend a minimum of 16 AWG). And maybe it's just my ham-handed attempts to tighten it without stripping the little set-screws, but the connections were always flaky. After reading @thinwater's recommendations, I rewired with a standard trailer connector. A little grease or heat-shrink to keep the connections dry (we generally keep her in a slip during the season, so it's a once-a-year task to seal it).
Notes and pictures at:
Deck to mast electrical connection
Deck to mast electrical connection
We also carry a couple battery-operated nav lights, for a dinghy and for backup. For a couple seasons, before I did the steaming light, I would strap the white light to the mast as high as I could reach. It's nicer now to just flip a switch.
Cost: ~$500
Time: ~10 hours
Last edited:
Sacrificing a Yoga Block to save some Brain Cells
There’s probably no convenient place to put the chainplate nuts in a small boat, and our C-22’s are no exception. The forward nuts are particularly bad. My son and I usually sleep in the V-berth; far too many times, I've awoken in the night, sat up suddenly, and smashed my head into a large (and very solid) nut. I decided that I couldn’t afford to lose any more brain cells that way (having precious few to start with). We tried tennis balls, etc. But they seemed to fall off and disappear all too often. I want to inspect the chainplates for leaks, so I didn’t want to cover the nuts permanently.
Here’s what I ended up with:
I cut up a foam yoga block into pads for each chainplate nut, and stuck them in place with velcro (so they’re easy to pull off for pre-season inspections). The yoga-block foam is dense enough to cut with regular power tools. A couple cuts chipped, but even one block left plenty of extra to try again. You can see that the hole saw didn’t cut entirely cleanly, but I’ll trade some cosmetics for the brain cells. I beveled the edges on the router table and drilled with a hole saw. One caveat: my sticky-backed velcro was strong enough (the velcro part) that it wanted to peel off the foam pad when I pulled the blocks off. I epoxied the velcro to the foam pad, and it worked great through last season.
Cost: $11.49 (for a 2-pack of yoga blocks)
Time: 1 hour
There’s probably no convenient place to put the chainplate nuts in a small boat, and our C-22’s are no exception. The forward nuts are particularly bad. My son and I usually sleep in the V-berth; far too many times, I've awoken in the night, sat up suddenly, and smashed my head into a large (and very solid) nut. I decided that I couldn’t afford to lose any more brain cells that way (having precious few to start with). We tried tennis balls, etc. But they seemed to fall off and disappear all too often. I want to inspect the chainplates for leaks, so I didn’t want to cover the nuts permanently.
Here’s what I ended up with:
I cut up a foam yoga block into pads for each chainplate nut, and stuck them in place with velcro (so they’re easy to pull off for pre-season inspections). The yoga-block foam is dense enough to cut with regular power tools. A couple cuts chipped, but even one block left plenty of extra to try again. You can see that the hole saw didn’t cut entirely cleanly, but I’ll trade some cosmetics for the brain cells. I beveled the edges on the router table and drilled with a hole saw. One caveat: my sticky-backed velcro was strong enough (the velcro part) that it wanted to peel off the foam pad when I pulled the blocks off. I epoxied the velcro to the foam pad, and it worked great through last season.
Cost: $11.49 (for a 2-pack of yoga blocks)
Time: 1 hour
Staying Dry - Jacklines
I don't like swimming. And I'm not very good at it (I suspect those two facts are highly correlated). I had swimming lessons as a kid, and I seem to recall a time when I would swim by choice, but that's pretty much ancient history now. The kids occasionally manage to drag me into the pool, but I'm usually much happier watching from a dry vantage point.
My wife is a former lifeguard, and my kids (thankfully) seem to have inherited her skills. But even they would prefer to not to unexpectedly mix their sailing and swimming. So, needless to say, I want all of us to stay on the boat.
Our C-22 came without stanchions and lifelines. I'm guessing a previous owner stripped them off for racing at some point in the now-distant past. For awhile, replacing them was on my list of safety projects. But after a little more consideration and a lot of reading, I decided to go another route.
Lifelines might seem a crucial safety item, and I'm convinced they can be - on a larger boat. I think that 24-30" double lifelines (possibly with netting) would provide an important protection, and they seem very useful and convenient on the larger vessels I've visited (my sister says their 32-footer's lifelines and netting may not have saved anyone a trip overboard, but they've saved several boat hooks and other dropped tools). But on our C-22:
--18-inch lifelines are rather low - I'm 6'0", which isn't exceptionally tall, and even to me they seem more of a tripping hazard than a protection (and a way to guarantee landing in the water head-first).
--Our kids love to ride on the bow, right up by the bow pulpit. But to clear the jib, C-22 lifelines taper down to the deck behind the pulpit - just where they might be needed most for the kids.
--The C-22 side decks are narrow at best - my wider shoes won't even fit between the toe rail and the cabin top. Stanchion bases take up nearly that entire width, and lifelines angle across the side deck, making it nearly impossible to walk outside the shrouds. So we skipped the lifelines and trust to jacklines and harnesses instead. I ran 2 sets of jacklines.
Cockpit: The first set is a pair on both sides of the cockpit. One end is right at the companionway, so we can clip in before leaving the cabin.
They're long enough to allow access to the whole cockpit, yet low enough to hold a falling crew member above water (well, at least head and chest above water, which was my goal). I used rock anchors for the aft end (see Bolt Hangers--A Strong Point For Small Dollars - thanks for the suggestion, @thinwater). The hangers stick out a bit, but they're near our fuel tank, so not a heavily traveled area likely to skin too many knees. For the forward end I used Holt folding padeyes (BAINBRIDGE Folding Padeye, Single Ring | West Marine). They're not spec'd to quite the same strength as Wichard's, but for this application, they shouldn't ever see the huge shock load of a 5-8 foot fall from on-deck down into the water. It's much more likely that someone might lean over the side and slip, but that puts them near the end of their tether already and results in a fall of only a foot or two.
Centerline:
The second (and more important) set runs from anchors on the bulkhead to a single padeye on the bow - for these, I used Wichard padeyes, rated for a 4000 lb safe working load (backed up by substantial backing plates of G10 fiberglass). This routing means that to stay clipped in, we have to go over the cabin top instead of along the side deck (or clip and unclip around the shrouds, which is a royal pain even with double tethers). But with such narrow decks, I'm just fine with going over the top. It keeps everybody closer to the centerline, and (again) the centerline jacklines should hold a crew member head-and-shoulders above the water, even on a boat with only around 2 feet of freeboard (it would cut it pretty close on the low side, especially with any bow wave going, so I'm careful to use the short tether if for some reason I need to work on the low side).
Both sets of jacklines are made from 1" tubular climbing webbing (plenty strong, and cheap at REI or other rock climbing vendors). If you're good with a sewing machine, you could bar-tack the webbing, and it would look cleaner than my water knots. But after decades of climbing, I trust a good water knot, and I don't trust my sewing ability. So I went with the knots.
Tethers: We elected to go ahead and use the regular Kong ISAF tethers (single for the kids and double for the adults). There are good arguments for omitting the quick-release snap shackle (see some of @thinwater's thoughts). I decided that sailing a monohull, which does have a bow wave on the low side, made the quick-release a better bet for us. And for the kids, who can't carry knives yet, there might come a time when I want to release them really fast. So, at least at the moment, we have snap shackles. But you might decide otherwise.
So, the rules on Breezy are:
--Any time we have sails up, kids are harnessed and tethered (they've gotten pretty quick at donning their harnesses over their PFDs).
--Motoring is (usually) more predictable - we're unlikely to heel suddenly. So the rules are relaxed slightly. Kids wear PFDs in the cockpit. If they want to ride on deck, they add harnesses+tethers.
We adults wear our PFDs religiously as well; we usually clip in on deck if there's any significant wave action. We don't normally in the cockpit, but have when the weather or sea state was rough (and would if we ever do a night passage).
My boat, my rules. Feel free to disagree (and I might revise my rules in response to good counterarguments). Our rules are already relaxing a bit as the kids grow up; we'll see how it evolves over time. Mostly, I want to be sure they stay onboard so as to continue said growing-up!
Cost (as best I can recall or find in receipts):
--Rock anchors: $8
--Pad eyes: ~140
--Hardware: ~$25
--$235 for 4 tethers (2x single-ended for the kids, and 2x double-ended for parents)
--Kids harnesses: Inherited from cousins who outgrew them
Resources:
--AAC: Start with 20 Things I Have Learned About Person Overboard Prevention and the various links from there. AAC has done a lot of good thinking about tethers and jackline systems. We don't go offshore, so don't have the same weather issues to think about, but I think kids can be almost as unpredictable as storms.
--Drew Frye / @thinwater: Linked above, and repeated here. Also see A Rant About Jacklines and Tethers. Follow the links from those to his other posts about jacklines and tethers.http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/search?q=tethers
I don't like swimming. And I'm not very good at it (I suspect those two facts are highly correlated). I had swimming lessons as a kid, and I seem to recall a time when I would swim by choice, but that's pretty much ancient history now. The kids occasionally manage to drag me into the pool, but I'm usually much happier watching from a dry vantage point.
My wife is a former lifeguard, and my kids (thankfully) seem to have inherited her skills. But even they would prefer to not to unexpectedly mix their sailing and swimming. So, needless to say, I want all of us to stay on the boat.
Our C-22 came without stanchions and lifelines. I'm guessing a previous owner stripped them off for racing at some point in the now-distant past. For awhile, replacing them was on my list of safety projects. But after a little more consideration and a lot of reading, I decided to go another route.
Lifelines might seem a crucial safety item, and I'm convinced they can be - on a larger boat. I think that 24-30" double lifelines (possibly with netting) would provide an important protection, and they seem very useful and convenient on the larger vessels I've visited (my sister says their 32-footer's lifelines and netting may not have saved anyone a trip overboard, but they've saved several boat hooks and other dropped tools). But on our C-22:
--18-inch lifelines are rather low - I'm 6'0", which isn't exceptionally tall, and even to me they seem more of a tripping hazard than a protection (and a way to guarantee landing in the water head-first).
--Our kids love to ride on the bow, right up by the bow pulpit. But to clear the jib, C-22 lifelines taper down to the deck behind the pulpit - just where they might be needed most for the kids.
--The C-22 side decks are narrow at best - my wider shoes won't even fit between the toe rail and the cabin top. Stanchion bases take up nearly that entire width, and lifelines angle across the side deck, making it nearly impossible to walk outside the shrouds. So we skipped the lifelines and trust to jacklines and harnesses instead. I ran 2 sets of jacklines.
Cockpit: The first set is a pair on both sides of the cockpit. One end is right at the companionway, so we can clip in before leaving the cabin.
They're long enough to allow access to the whole cockpit, yet low enough to hold a falling crew member above water (well, at least head and chest above water, which was my goal). I used rock anchors for the aft end (see Bolt Hangers--A Strong Point For Small Dollars - thanks for the suggestion, @thinwater). The hangers stick out a bit, but they're near our fuel tank, so not a heavily traveled area likely to skin too many knees. For the forward end I used Holt folding padeyes (BAINBRIDGE Folding Padeye, Single Ring | West Marine). They're not spec'd to quite the same strength as Wichard's, but for this application, they shouldn't ever see the huge shock load of a 5-8 foot fall from on-deck down into the water. It's much more likely that someone might lean over the side and slip, but that puts them near the end of their tether already and results in a fall of only a foot or two.
Centerline:
The second (and more important) set runs from anchors on the bulkhead to a single padeye on the bow - for these, I used Wichard padeyes, rated for a 4000 lb safe working load (backed up by substantial backing plates of G10 fiberglass). This routing means that to stay clipped in, we have to go over the cabin top instead of along the side deck (or clip and unclip around the shrouds, which is a royal pain even with double tethers). But with such narrow decks, I'm just fine with going over the top. It keeps everybody closer to the centerline, and (again) the centerline jacklines should hold a crew member head-and-shoulders above the water, even on a boat with only around 2 feet of freeboard (it would cut it pretty close on the low side, especially with any bow wave going, so I'm careful to use the short tether if for some reason I need to work on the low side).
Both sets of jacklines are made from 1" tubular climbing webbing (plenty strong, and cheap at REI or other rock climbing vendors). If you're good with a sewing machine, you could bar-tack the webbing, and it would look cleaner than my water knots. But after decades of climbing, I trust a good water knot, and I don't trust my sewing ability. So I went with the knots.
Tethers: We elected to go ahead and use the regular Kong ISAF tethers (single for the kids and double for the adults). There are good arguments for omitting the quick-release snap shackle (see some of @thinwater's thoughts). I decided that sailing a monohull, which does have a bow wave on the low side, made the quick-release a better bet for us. And for the kids, who can't carry knives yet, there might come a time when I want to release them really fast. So, at least at the moment, we have snap shackles. But you might decide otherwise.
So, the rules on Breezy are:
--Any time we have sails up, kids are harnessed and tethered (they've gotten pretty quick at donning their harnesses over their PFDs).
--Motoring is (usually) more predictable - we're unlikely to heel suddenly. So the rules are relaxed slightly. Kids wear PFDs in the cockpit. If they want to ride on deck, they add harnesses+tethers.
We adults wear our PFDs religiously as well; we usually clip in on deck if there's any significant wave action. We don't normally in the cockpit, but have when the weather or sea state was rough (and would if we ever do a night passage).
My boat, my rules. Feel free to disagree (and I might revise my rules in response to good counterarguments). Our rules are already relaxing a bit as the kids grow up; we'll see how it evolves over time. Mostly, I want to be sure they stay onboard so as to continue said growing-up!
Cost (as best I can recall or find in receipts):
--Rock anchors: $8
--Pad eyes: ~140
--Hardware: ~$25
--$235 for 4 tethers (2x single-ended for the kids, and 2x double-ended for parents)
--Kids harnesses: Inherited from cousins who outgrew them
Resources:
--AAC: Start with 20 Things I Have Learned About Person Overboard Prevention and the various links from there. AAC has done a lot of good thinking about tethers and jackline systems. We don't go offshore, so don't have the same weather issues to think about, but I think kids can be almost as unpredictable as storms.
--Drew Frye / @thinwater: Linked above, and repeated here. Also see A Rant About Jacklines and Tethers. Follow the links from those to his other posts about jacklines and tethers.http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/search?q=tethers
Rock anchor on starboard transom
To anchor the Lifesling and the dinghy tow line (freeing up the stern cleat for its intended usage). Thanks to @thinwater for the suggestion of using stainless rock anchors (~$4/ea) in places where a folding pad eye isn't needed.
Cost: $4
Finally, a cheap project.
To anchor the Lifesling and the dinghy tow line (freeing up the stern cleat for its intended usage). Thanks to @thinwater for the suggestion of using stainless rock anchors (~$4/ea) in places where a folding pad eye isn't needed.
Cost: $4
Finally, a cheap project.