Splashing Adventure

Jan 14, 2014
225
Newport Newport 28 Fair Haven, NY
Well that was an adventure! I finally got to launch my Newport 28 yesterday. The beginning of the day, light breeze with a couple little gusts, but nice and sunny, and great to put the boat in the water. First thing we saw was there was an older transducer thru-hull, with a plug in it. Started seeping just a little after it hit the water. A little extra crank down on the backing nut and the seep stopped. Didn't see anything else, but not exactly something you want on the back of your mind when you are about to undergo what was to come: By the time we came to leave, the sun was finding it's way under clouds, the wind was picking up, and some pretty good 4'+ swells, if not more. Oh, and I had to move it from the place it was launched, 13 miles away to my marina. With an outboard that I had only just recently gotten to run for ten minutes at home..straight into the wind.






My initial thoughts on the boat: It handled the weather just fine, as far as seaworthiness goes. The little 9.9 Mercury, God Bless it, never skipped a beat the entire trip. Took probably 3 1/2 gallons of gas, maybe 4? But we probably averaged a little under 4 knots into the wind most of the trip. A high thrust prop is definitely in order. The other issue is that I don't think whoever put the kicker bracket on, thought too far ahead. From what I can tell, it's as low as it'll go, and the prop is just inches under the surface, even as an extra long shaft. We had a good bit of out of water action for the first half hour of the trip until we got to where the waves had started to spread out ever slightly, and subside just enough that we could angle and keep ourselves submerged. Considering I don't expect to be in weather like that again, I'll leave it as it is, other than a prop swap, until after this season and I'll pull the bracket, and find a better solution or mounting position for it. It's an older Garelick Eez-In or whatever it's called. Also motor-related, if anyone has any idea how the steering lock works on a Merc 9.9 circa 1988, I'd love to know. I found ONE screw that looks like it MIGHT be it? But I didn't have a blade big enough for leverage to try. Because reverse with a prop that's kicking up darn near to the surface, and unable to turn, in a boat of that displacement... yeah, that's not fun. And it doesn't have the initial thrust to make any headway to turn. So maneuvering is something that has to be well thought out. Not the boat's fault, but something I have to deal with.

The rigging on this thing is something to get used to. I'm about to go delving back through all the threads and pictures on these, to see if it's normal, or something someone did, etc. For example, we have a split backstay, with a hanging hook - basically a little mini topping-lift hook for the boom. Ok, that's easy enough. However, I ALSO have a hanging cable from the masthead that I originally thought was the topping lift, however the end just has a block on it. Perhaps at one point, someone had used that with something attached to the end of the boom as a lift, and now it's just.. there? So for now it's just basically tied off back along with the topping lift hook to stay out of the way. The Main sheet is a 5:1, but it's run completely different than the boats I've been used to - in that it looks like it goes up, through a fair lead, then back to a cam cleat on the cabin top. There's also a winch there, though I can't imagine using a winch along with it but maybe? Just new to me.

We hit a thunderstorm and short rain squall two miles from Fair Haven, But after that, we managed to hit the channel into Little Sodus Bay shortly before the sun disappeared completely. Found my slip, and made the turn in, and be darned, didn't even ram the dock. Did I mention that my last boat was half the displacement, and was very easy to manhandle to a stop in my slip? This one, not so much. Again, I attribute a lot of that to the outboard, the prop, and the depth to which it doesn't sit at. I did notice that if I really ramp the revs in Reverse, I actually do get a prop-walk effect that pulls the stern to port, which might come in handy, but then again, if I could turn the stupid outboard, that takes half the problems away.

I do love the boat, and looking forward to getting things in better shape. I'm almost tempted to go back up this weekend and do some more little odd jobs, get some things clean, pull my tools out now that they aren't needed, and so on. But at the same time, I've made the drive up and back three times in the last week (a little under 3 hours each way). There's one more weekend before I head to Newport, so I might just have to flip a coin.

 
Sep 15, 2013
707
Catalina 270 Baltimore
That certainly is a good old boat. Are you planning on reviving the inboard at a future date? If not and you don't care about the resale value you could pull out the propshaft and glass over the hole. You may get a little bit more speed out of her.
 
Jan 14, 2014
225
Newport Newport 28 Fair Haven, NY
The original A4 is long gone. I've converted the engine compartment into my house battery bank. The shaft is still there, but it's locked up and down behind the keel for now. I originally was going to pull and glass it but the weather never cooperated. I guess if I ever got way ambitious, I could go electric, but seems a hassle compared to value.
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,039
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
Reminds me of my first delivery of a boat I bought. I paid the dude cash got on the boat and left. I just got out of the harbor and I picked up a sheet of plastic which fouled the prop and stalled the engine. We weren’t clear of the inlet yet and some weathet was coming in. The engine had a lock on it so we had to go find the keys which there were 10 or in number and a rusty mess. Somehow my crew got the right key and had the engine off to clear the prop seconds before the thunderstorm hit. We got the engine going and clawed off a now lee shore until we could turn east, get the mainsail up and turn downwind. We endured a nasty t-storm but after a while the sky cleared and we had some fine sailing on my new boat for a couple of hours.
New boat deliveries are always like that. Lesson learned is to take experienced crew with you. I was too overwhelmed by the whole thing to make good decisions. My crew did much better.
 
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Jan 14, 2014
225
Newport Newport 28 Fair Haven, NY
I had weathered a little worse conditions out there on my last boat, but that was an Excalibur 26 with half the displacement so we bounced around quite good that time. My real concern was just the motor. First, because I didn't know how well it was going to go, and if it was going to knock out at any time, and two, with the times the prop would clear the water, we'd lose a little momentum and get blown a little off. But overall it was pretty good. I'm pleased in how it went, and I do think I'll go back up this weekend, if for nothing else to get some other projects done now that it's in the water and things like the mast and boom are out of the way. I'm a little nervous about pulling it in and out myself just yet, but it might be worth a go since as of now, there's no other boats in that pier so I have a margin of error. Guess we'll see when it gets here!
 

MitchK

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Sep 22, 2017
102
Capital Yachts Newport 28 Burbank, WA
CharlzO,
good to see you got her in the water and safely back to your dock. I have been meaning to respond to your previous post in regards to the sheaves, but been a bit busy. Anyway She looks great. I'll be glad when I get all the "little" things done. Nothing major, except re-stepping the mast. Just everything takes time. I have a new main sail due in in a couple of weeks, so I need to get the mast back up. As for the cable from the mast head, that is indeed your topping lift. A 1/4" line is secured to the boom, goes up to the small block on the cable, back down to the boom and through a cheek block to a cleat. I have attached a picture of how mine is configured.

My main sheet is 6:1 (I think), and definitely rigged strange to me. Anyway, it runs forward to a block at the base of the gooseneck, then down to a turning block on the halyard plate to the starboard to a deck block then back to the winch and cleat. When the wind is up, you will need the winch. My 1982 N28 has Lewmar #7 winches on the cabin top (three). I have also included a picture of that setup too. I do not know if any of my running rigging is factory, I know the halyards have been changed to all line, but it seems to work fine. I will be installing all new blocks on the main sheet when I put the boom back on. The block sheaves have seen better days. Anyway, I hope the pictures help. A lot of info can be found in the manual if you have access to one.

Mitch
 

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Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
That is a pretty boat. It looks like you will have a great time with her. I like the idea of electric inboard. If you are going to have the batteries anyhow, the motor is lighter than a gas or diesel engine and no fumes or noise. However, outboards are simple.
I was thinking your masthead block could have been for lazy jacks, but then MitchK posted. Dragonfly has a backstay clip for the boom similar to what you described.
Good sailing.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 

MitchK

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Sep 22, 2017
102
Capital Yachts Newport 28 Burbank, WA
In regards to the topping lift, according to the manual the upper portion of the topping lift was a d 1/8" stainless cable ~28ft long. Mine had been replaced with a 1/4" line. When I took the mast down, one end was tied to the mast cap, and the other end tied to the small block. I plan on splicing in a pair of eyes with thimbles to make it look a bit cleaner.
 
Jan 14, 2014
225
Newport Newport 28 Fair Haven, NY
Ok, that does make a little more sense. I imagine the hook from the backstay is more for extended hangings, up out of the way then. That does make sense how it's run though, so that's good to know. My main doesn't have the extra couple steps, I don't have the block on the gooseneck or a deck plate (which I'll add next year for sure). You can barely make it out in my dock side picture, but mine comes off the foremost block of the three, down to an spring block, and back from there. Granted, most people aren't going to be trying to crawl back and forth under the boom on the cabin top to trip over it, so as long as it's functional for now, I'm good with it. Now that she's rigged up, I'm going up tomorrow to do some more cleaning and such, so I can take a lot more pictures of things I might question.

Had to order a couple more stanchions since there were only two to be found, and debating on what type of lifeline to go with. Add to that Defender has a Raymarine 4DVS fishfinder on closeout for 89 bucks which will work as a cheap depth sounder for the time being, and I'm spending money wisely today lol.