Help. Being a newbie wanting to jump into sailing I bought a Vagabond 17. It looked good. The sails are newish, no big holes, no rust. Then I brought her home and was just prepping to take her to the lake and noticed I can see asphalt through where the keel winch cable goes through the boat. I’m fairy certain if I put her on the water it will sink like this. Can I fix it? Is it fixable? What is missing? Or, am I overreacting? (Research indicates there should be some kind of “turning ball?” “Hose” and ”pin”???). I would love guidance on what steps to take. Thank you.
Vagabond 17 Keel winch “hole” looks to street.
- Thread starter SavraF
- Start date
@Leeward Rail might be able to answer this one...
But in all seriousness I am 100% certain that hole's top is above the water line. Go inside the boat and make sure there is a tube or hose that runs to another hole out the bottom of your boat.
But in all seriousness I am 100% certain that hole's top is above the water line. Go inside the boat and make sure there is a tube or hose that runs to another hole out the bottom of your boat.
As @rgranger says, there is a hose or rigid tube that runs between that hole and outer hull of the boat. The winch cable goes through it.
Think about it. The keel is outside the boat and winch is inside. Cable has to get outside somehow.
The top of the tube/hose is above waterline so that water will not come into the boat.
Just make sure the hose/tube has no cracks or leaks. If it's a hose, make sure it has 2 stainless steel hose clamps on each end.
The photo shows cracks around where the top of the tube/hose enters the cockpit. That might mean that when it rains or lake water gets in the cockpit, it may be leaking into the cabin (this is a separate problem from the actual tube/hose leaking)
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Yes... if you are talking about the pin the cable rides over so that it does not saw through your keel trunk. I don't know your boat but I have owned two 21' and one 22 in the past with similar systems. Here is a diagram of the Macgregor 21. I have drawn the keel cable in with red...
The area where I drew a circle should have a bushing (metal tube) with a bolt going through the keel trunk. The cable rides over the bushing and does not saw into the keel trunk at that bend point.
That is the thing. It doesn’t appear to have a rigid tube that I can see. I just see right to the pavement. There doesn’t appear to be an access hatch for me to check on the tube either. The area around the cable through the boat is fiberglass.
I do appreciate the advice and the laughter for my question. I have overlooked ”small” things in buying “toys” before and ended up with a huge problem on my hands that I just ended up spending time fixing rather than enjoying my new toy. This boat seems in such great shape I may be looking for possible problems.
I owned a Vagabond 17 for a few years and it's normal to see earth through the winch cable hole on the hard. it won't "sink" because the static water line is below that point. however if you have lots of weight onboard you may get some minor splash up through that hole. on mine, I shoved a piece of foam down in the hole which prevented most of that splash. the V-17 is a great boat for it's size BTW. I was very happy with mine except for the small cabin space and it handles like a much larger boat. a very solid performer.
Normal. You can usually see all the way down the tube. (some call the tube a "volcano")
It IS probably a fibreglass tube all the way down to the bottom. Based on the photo, it looks like there is a bolt in fitting at the top where the tube meets the floor of the cockpit.
Hopefully @RussC has advice about that cracking around the top where the cable enters the tube.
If you could let the keel down a long way, you could see up the tube, but that would be difficult on a trailer.
No laughter at your question.. that was aimed at @rgranger.
We have all been there. I changed sailboats last fall, and have spent the spring/summer fixing a bunch of urgent things that I didn't expect to. The previous owners, either didn't know enough to see the problems, or simply ignored them. The boat was a good price, and was in active use, so I didn't inspect it as well as I should have when I bought it.
Every boat needs constant maintenance. The ability to spot and fix boat problems takes time to learn. You never stop learning with sailboats. That is one of the fun things about them. You not only learn for the future, but it lets you learn every little detail about your boat.
If there is a quiet boat ramp nearby, you could easily just launch the boat for a minute. Good for practice, and you will then know if the tube leaks water inside the hull. (A small amount of water coming up the tube into the cockpit is normal. What you don't want is water inside the hull) Easy enough to pull the boat and trailer back out if it does leak. I am guessing it is fine. If it leaks... pull it back out...
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Light travels in both directions....
so I'm guessing that if you can see pavement from the cockpit, you should be able to see the cockpit from the pavement. Can you slide your arm underneath and snap a few pics with your phone. That might show you what you need to feel safe.
If I may - I have another question. I noticed on You Tube someone with a Vagabond 17 that has a Boom Vang. Mine does not seem to have one. Can I sail her without it or should I figure out a Boom Vang.