except for the clean up.
Drove down to the lake today, about 2 hours later than planned. Took a couple things to the truck, rearranged others to move weight to the back, then took the boom/main off and stowed them below. The Admiral wasn't there yet but there wasn't anyone else prepping to pull so I motored over to the dock at the ramp to wait. Removed the solar panel then pulled the truck around to the ramp. Deborah and our oldest granddaughter showed up (with dinner!) about then. Scarfed it down then we got the trailer ready to pull the boat. Emily (granddaughter) changed into a swimsuit so she could go in the water and connect the strap and tighten it up. Our first attempt to pull the boat was off just a bit. I've got to redo the keel guides as it missed the skid and a bolt end put a gouge in the back of the keel. Refloated, Deborah adjusted the position slightly, then we pulled it out again. Got it! Did a quick and dirty brush down to get the worst of the algae/slime off.
The VC-17m still looks good but it sure can't cope with the crap that grows at the end of the season. Considering we were still getting over 6 knots pretty regularly I can't complain. The rudder was the worst, probably 70% covered in the goop.
The bracket I had added to the trailer to raise the strap, so it pulls up instead of down, worked great! I still had to pull the boat forward with the come along but only about an inch; not 2-3 inches like in the past. I'm thinking that if I'd had Emily give the handle one more half turn I might not have even had to do that.
We pulled over to the mast crane after we got the boat in position and the trailer hooked back up to the truck. Dropping the mast went surprisingly well considering the sun had gone down and it was getting dark. The only mishap came as we started letting the mast down. I'm not sure exactly what happened but somehow we managed to hit the deck flood and knock the bulb out. Never had that happen before. Luckily I had the hatch closed and the sunbrella cover was on it, so most of the glass ended up there. I got the mast secured, the girls pulled the windex off, and we finally hit the road between 8:30 and 9:00.
The trip home was much smoother than in the past, literally. I had new shocks put in the truck this spring and boy do they make a difference. Not nearly as much bouncy bouncy as I used to get. The truck also doesn't work nearly as hard to pull Verboten as it does the travel trailer. Gonna have to get a bigger truck for that I think. :shock:
Some smart ass kid hopped on the back of the trailer as I was slowing for a speed bump here in the mfg home park. There were about 10 of them milling around in the street as I came around the corner. One of his buddies was smart enough to tell him to get off even as I was slamming on the brakes. I was only going about 5 mph but the dumbass could have been seriously injured if he'd slipped or missed the cross bar.
Left everything in the boat/truck except my wallet and phone. Tomorrow will be cleaning day, then I'll have to start thinking about a new tarp and redesign a frame that won't hold the rain & snow like the current one does.
Drove down to the lake today, about 2 hours later than planned. Took a couple things to the truck, rearranged others to move weight to the back, then took the boom/main off and stowed them below. The Admiral wasn't there yet but there wasn't anyone else prepping to pull so I motored over to the dock at the ramp to wait. Removed the solar panel then pulled the truck around to the ramp. Deborah and our oldest granddaughter showed up (with dinner!) about then. Scarfed it down then we got the trailer ready to pull the boat. Emily (granddaughter) changed into a swimsuit so she could go in the water and connect the strap and tighten it up. Our first attempt to pull the boat was off just a bit. I've got to redo the keel guides as it missed the skid and a bolt end put a gouge in the back of the keel. Refloated, Deborah adjusted the position slightly, then we pulled it out again. Got it! Did a quick and dirty brush down to get the worst of the algae/slime off.
The VC-17m still looks good but it sure can't cope with the crap that grows at the end of the season. Considering we were still getting over 6 knots pretty regularly I can't complain. The rudder was the worst, probably 70% covered in the goop.
The bracket I had added to the trailer to raise the strap, so it pulls up instead of down, worked great! I still had to pull the boat forward with the come along but only about an inch; not 2-3 inches like in the past. I'm thinking that if I'd had Emily give the handle one more half turn I might not have even had to do that.
We pulled over to the mast crane after we got the boat in position and the trailer hooked back up to the truck. Dropping the mast went surprisingly well considering the sun had gone down and it was getting dark. The only mishap came as we started letting the mast down. I'm not sure exactly what happened but somehow we managed to hit the deck flood and knock the bulb out. Never had that happen before. Luckily I had the hatch closed and the sunbrella cover was on it, so most of the glass ended up there. I got the mast secured, the girls pulled the windex off, and we finally hit the road between 8:30 and 9:00.
The trip home was much smoother than in the past, literally. I had new shocks put in the truck this spring and boy do they make a difference. Not nearly as much bouncy bouncy as I used to get. The truck also doesn't work nearly as hard to pull Verboten as it does the travel trailer. Gonna have to get a bigger truck for that I think. :shock:
Some smart ass kid hopped on the back of the trailer as I was slowing for a speed bump here in the mfg home park. There were about 10 of them milling around in the street as I came around the corner. One of his buddies was smart enough to tell him to get off even as I was slamming on the brakes. I was only going about 5 mph but the dumbass could have been seriously injured if he'd slipped or missed the cross bar.
Left everything in the boat/truck except my wallet and phone. Tomorrow will be cleaning day, then I'll have to start thinking about a new tarp and redesign a frame that won't hold the rain & snow like the current one does.
