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Interested in a boat for 2018 TransPac

BobJ said:
You reminded me that I have this Brookhouse mux. The digital display was an option and can be plugged into the mux to help diagnose issues. I ended up not using it and now Rags is almost entirely NMEA 2000. Will sell for a modest contribution to the boat kitty.
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I have that same unit, it works quite well but you may have to pay some attention to signal levels and possibly not connect all the ground wires from signal sources... although it is very possible that some problems I had (and solved) were really due to noncompliant hardware from other manufacturers. If you monitor with NavMonPC you don't need the display, there are debug screens to see raw data from all ports.
 
Steevee said:
Gel coat? That boat has been painted. Don't even worry about it. Maybe just brush on a couple layers of 2 part epoxy on the rail ding, sand it and paint it. The scuff on the hull...leave it alone unless you plan painting the whole boat. Go sailing.
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Ah ... I guess I've learned something here ... How did you come to the conclusion the hull was painted?
 
todd22123 said:
RE: #5, there are two different places to look for cracks. At the boat to stubby and at the stubby to keel. Small cracks on the outside are not necessarily a problem. The amount of flexing of keel when shook suspended in a hoist is impressive. Quite a bit of flexing can be normal. I put a few marks on your photo where to look for cracks developing and expanding. I had a keel problem, so I have seen these. My boat actually developed a leak, since repaired. The cracks that you would see from the inside are easily visible. You have a few small cracks, marked on the photo. If it doesn't leak after a hard sail in some steep chop, it will probably be fine. I guess the previous owner may have epoxied the keel bolts to prevent water going down and around the bolts. This is not standard, but I can imagine why someone would think to do that.

View attachment 2172
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I found a few photos from when my boat was hauled to repair the keel. The boat had to be urgently hauled after developing a leak while sailing across the SF Bar for a few hours in 25 knot winds. No history of grounding, although I am not the original owner. Boat did spend a few years in Vermont where it was hauled out of the freezing lake in the winter and prepped for winter storage with antifreeze. First photo shows the leading edge of the keel. The staining is bilge water running out and drying after hauling the boat.
photo 1.JPG

The next photo is the trailing edge of the keel.
photo 2.JPG

The next photo shows cracking looking down into stubby toward the top of the keel. The cracking seen is mostly separation of secondary bonds of tabbing to hold floors into the stubby. These prevent the keel from flexing excessively.
photo 1.JPG

If the keel flexes too much, cracks can get bigger, leading to more flexing, and so on. This was repaired, most likely stronger than original, at Svendsen's. I got the sense from conversations with yard professionals, a surveyor, and a naval architect that this type of problem is more commonly seen in boats with a small keel foot print on the hull combined with a bulb. I speculate that this would be much less common in Olson 30, and clearly the cracks you see are nothing like this.
 
Oh, scary pictures! I'll keep an eye on my cracks. One guy at the yard said I should free the keel bolts/nuts from the resin because stainless steel could rust in an environment that is oxygen free. I'm on the fence.

Small update: I did putter around the harbor! A few fun things that happened: I forgot to open the fuel line so the engine was dying; when I hoisted the boat out of the water I forgot to bring the trailer! It felt good feeling stupid again; I'm back into learning mode.

I got to try the autopilot and docking. I need to try sculling, i.e. rowing with the rudder.

I did a quick rinse of the deck, I discovered corrosion in the nav table charging station. And the EPIRB tested OK.

Maybe next time if wind is very light I'll hoist the sails.
 
Pogs suggested I take it over to Blue Pelican, which I can do next Sunday.

So best offer by next Saturday night (that's not "too" modest). A buck or two is too modest :) I paid $350 for it, but that was five years ago.

BobsailsSF at Yahoo
 
All kidding aside, what are you going to ask for it at Blue Pelican?

BobJ said:
Pogs suggested I take it over to Blue Pelican, which I can do next Sunday.

So best offer by next Saturday night (that's not "too" modest). A buck or two is too modest :) I paid $350 for it, but that was five years ago.

BobsailsSF at Yahoo
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Going back to the keel bolt photo and the epoxy. First I'd ask the previous owner about the epoxy - why it was sloshed on around the nuts. So far as I know, that's not how to keep them snugged down. Second, it appears there's corrosion at the base of the two nearest bolts - globs of reddish-brown stuff - maybe under the epoxy? And about that strange bolt on the right - it looks like it's been screwed on top of another bolt? There's something between its bottom and the fiberglass. While you're asking, ask about it.

Yes, stainless "corrodes" in oxygen-starved areas. Like aluminum or bronze, stainless steel oxidizes, but in an oxygen atmosphere this oxidation stops after a thin layer forms. The French love unpainted aluminum boats and the Coast Guard has stopped painting its aluminum hulled cutters. Looks ugly, but works. Look for rust streaks emanating from stainless fittings like stanchion bases, deck fittings, places like that on boats in the marina or yard. Periodically those fittings need to be removed, bolts, etc. replaced, and then rebedded. WM sells a cleaner to get the rust stains out - after you've taken care of the cause.

A friend just hauled his older boat for the annual bottom job; the keel wobbled badly. The yard discovered the stainless keel bolts had corroded to the point of being just "threads" - the bottom job turned into a keel bolt replacement job. There's not much oxygen where keel bolts live. That boat is signed up for the BAMA Farallones Race in March. It will be comforting to know the keel will probably stay on.
 
I found a survey on the USB drive I got from the previous owner. It says this about the keel, in March 2016:

The keel showed no evidence of major grounding but the keel to hull joined was noted fractured on its after section.
The keel’s trailing edge is in need of repair. Numerous dings and scrapes are noted. The keel to hull join on the after upper section is crazed. Monitor for possible developments. Repair as needed.

I guess then ... it's been like that for a while ... I'll monitor going forward ... no mention of keel bolts/nuts in the survey though.
 
Oh, and it felt good to go sailing again: I picked up a Merit 25 at the school and sailed the Redwood channel for a couple hours. Very satisfying!
 
Sweet. Some of my earliest sailing, 25 years ago or so, was crewing on a Merit 25 in regattas on a big man-made lake north of Phoenix. Loved sailing on that boat. And it kind of got me pointed in this direction. I found the Bay area's Merit 25 fleet info on line, and read Paul Kamen's description of sailing Twilight Zone in the 1986 SHTP. I've been captivated by the idea of single handing to Hawaii ever since.
 
I wonder if a checklist exist. Like all the steps needed to get ready. Lots to do and I imagine a year can go by fast.
 
WBChristie said:
All kidding aside, what are you going to ask for it at Blue Pelican?
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Since it's in new condition, half of my cost = $175. Their consignment fee is 40-50% depending on the value.

So I'd take $100 for it, plus shipping (shipping is probably less than ten bucks). If you send me an e-mail I'll describe it in more detail. Brookhouse did some custom programming on it.
 
OlyJeff said:
I wonder if a checklist exist. Like all the steps needed to get ready. Lots to do and I imagine a year can go by fast.
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A generic check list applicable to everyone could be extracted pretty easily, I think, from the 2016 RRC. I don't know when the 2018 RRC will post, but I wouldn't think it would require too many changes to the check list.

Anything more than that would be pretty boat-specific. I'm happy to send mine, if you want, but it is entirely specific to my boat (Valiant 32) and the level of equipment she came with (SSB, Pactor modem, Monitor wind vane, hydraulic below deck auto pilot, solar panels, masthead LED tri-color). While I didn't have to acquire any of that, big parts of my check list involve the setting up and learning the SSB stuff, installing and learning the Monitor wind vane, etc.
 
OlyJeff said:
I wonder if a checklist exist. Like all the steps needed to get ready. Lots to do and I imagine a year can go by fast.
Click to expand...

Download the SHTP2016 Racing Rules and Conditions. Check off every sentence that you have accomplished. Add a task for every sentence you need to accomplish with its due date and estimated cost into a spread sheet. Estimate a schedule for each task to be finished at least by the due date. Add races and other test sails to the schedule. Identify a "critical path". Prioritize. Order long lead time parts and pullouts. Search for stuff at Blue Pelican and the Boat Show. This is your life for the foreseeable future. Get busy.
 
Prepping for LongPac 2017 will get you ready for 2018 , and serve as your qualifier. Even if you don't make the prep deadline, or you DNC or DNF the race you will still be solidly oriented on what is involved. The Longpac MEL was in a tabular form that you might find a little easier to follow, the substance was the same.


Longpac docs are here: https://www.jibeset.net/JACKY000.php?RG=T005953377
 
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AZ Sailor said:
A generic check list applicable to everyone could be extracted pretty easily, I think, from the 2016 RRC. I don't know when the 2018 RRC will post, but I wouldn't think it would require too many changes to the check list.

Anything more than that would be pretty boat-specific. I'm happy to send mine, if you want, but it is entirely specific to my boat (Valiant 32) and the level of equipment she came with (SSB, Pactor modem, Monitor wind vane, hydraulic below deck auto pilot, solar panels, masthead LED tri-color). While I didn't have to acquire any of that, big parts of my check list involve the setting up and learning the SSB stuff, installing and learning the Monitor wind vane, etc.
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That's funny. This quote could describe me as well. Exactly the same equipment. Just a different boat.
 
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pogen said:
Prepping for LongPac 2017 will get you ready for 2018 , and serve as your qualifier. Even if you don't make the prep deadline, or you DNC or DNF the race you will still be solidly oriented on what is involved. The Longpac MEL was in a tabular form that you might find a little easier to follow, the substance was the same.


Longpac docs are here: https://www.jibeset.net/JACKY000.php?RG=T005953377
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The qualifier is more difficult for me as I'm in WA state.
 
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