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Surprise!

After a windy delivery from Berkeley, Surprise! is back in her slip. Thanks to Philpott for coming along to make sure we didn't scratch up the new paint!

Julio, Cole, Ruben, Dave and the rest of Cree's team at Berkeley Marine Center did a wonderful job. Thanks also to Ryan of Rogue Rigging for fitting in a rig inspection.


June 8 Stbd.JPG
 
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To refrigerate, or not to refrigerate: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of melting ice,
Or to take arms against spoiling provisions,
And by opposing, preserve them? To freeze: to merely refrigerate;
No more; and by refrigerate to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That poor food is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To freeze, to merely refrigerate;
To refrigerate: perchance to freeze: ay, there's the rub...

From Ham(let) and cheese

Icebox.JPG
 
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Hi Bob,
Though I haven't used it recently, we used to have good luck with dry ice supplementing regular ice and the box staying cold for 9-10 days if it wasn't opened but 2-3 times/day and had a drain valve in the bottom.

Sailing WILDFLOWER New Zealand non-stop to Hono without refrigeration, I was able to keep fresh food including apples, oranges, eggs, onions, cabbage, raisins, carrots, and potatoes. After 32 days at sea in the tropics, arriving at Hawaii YC, I was fortuitously allowed to tie up with a bow line to the ice machine. ~skip
 
(Edited to add my response to Skip.) In my current laid-back, less competitive mindset I'm wanting a more hospitable boat, with flatware and stuff. It's common for one or more of my E-dock mates to come by near the end of the day to say Hi. Many times I've had to say "Come on aboard. I have nothing to offer you but thanks for coming by." So I envision having something cold on hand when this happens. As long as it doesn't weigh too much!
____________________________________________________

Danny Harris is RYC's wonderful, relatively new harbormaster. Danny came to RYC from a long-time job at Swedish Marine, where he installed boat refrigeration systems.

He came aboard Surprise! a while back and we discussed the options. Of course my first question was "What would it weigh?" Once a racer...
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And here I'm contemplating removing my refrigeration on my new to ae38 along with a bunch of other systems. This thread was definitely somewhat responsible for the choice and I'm grateful for it as a reference!!
 
rand24us: Searching threads, I see that the AE38 is (at least) the second Schumacher-designed boat you've owned. It's a bit larger than the last one you posted about!

Did you decide to keep the refrigeration?
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This is not exciting but we're here at the moment...

It's been well over two years since we originally posted about not blowing up Surprise! while cooking, propane monitors and the like. I'm happy to report that Surprise! has survived and the sniffer is now installed. Dave Pressley (yep, E Dock) suggested I not install the sniffer right by the stove because it might go off too easily, so I mounted it in a cabinet just below. Propane is heavier than air and the hose comes in down there, so I think it's in a good spot. The gauge is just high enough off the cabin sole that it shouldn't get kicked - we'll see. By mounting the sensor and the gauge near each other, I avoided using the mile-long extension cable that came with the unit.

I also installed a CO monitor by the quarter berth. I should probably install one more in the forward cabin since they recommend having one in each sleeping compartment. Here's the propane monitor:

Propane Sniffer A.JPG Propane Sniffer B.JPG

I'm still appreciating Hector's work refinishing the cabin sole - it was especially bad in front of the galley - but I see I have some more brightwork to freshen up!
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After tracking down the teak, I'm finally making boxes to hide the backs of the instruments. They say the hardest part of woodworking is getting the finish right - no kidding! I thought the teak pieces might match the wood in the cabin, but when I applied the first coat of varnish they were way too dark. So I sanded them back to bare wood and scrubbed in some wood bleach (oxalic acid in hot water) 4-5 times. I'm still not there! In the photo, the piece on the left is the untreated wood.

Suggestions welcome - I only pretend to know what I'm doing.

Boxes3.jpg
 
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Hi Bob, LD here. I'm not an expert by any means but there are a couple of things to consider. First, the age of the original wood. Older boats often have wood that's basically rain forest timber (even veneers) as opposed to plantation wood. I've seen newer teak that has very different color (and grain) than much older teak. Secondly, it's likely that the original wood has been sun bleached over the years. It's totally up to you whether refinishing the entire cabin and staining the old teak to match the new would be worth it (wouldn't be to me!). Like I said, not an expert so hopefully someone else has a more optimistic suggestion!

PS: Rob says you might try thinning the varnish by 50% for a lighter look. OR use a synthetic like Cetol or Semco in the right shade (maybe clear?). Since it's inside, you might even be able to get away with poly in clear to keep it as light as possible.
 
Hi LD. The aft face of the cabin trunk, where I'm installing the boxes, is teak-veneered plywood. The material I bought to make the boxes is solid teak - so you're right on with your suggestion. You're also right that I'll not be refinishing the entire cabin to match the new boxes. I'm obsessing a bit over my new ride but not THAT much!

As Rob suggested, I'll thin the varnish when I re-apply the first coat. But I'll hit the dark areas of the new pieces with more bleach first since it seems to be working.

It's great to hear from you guys!
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It's time to meet with our favorite marine textile engineer, maybe in Drake's Bay. I'm thinking about soft covers for the winch motors/gearboxes, with some padding inside for occasional encounters with noggins.

I installed the instrument covers yesterday. Here's the before and after:

Stbd Before.JPG Stbd After.JPG Port Before.JPG Port After.JPG
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It's time to meet with our favorite marine textile engineer, maybe in Drake's Bay. I'm thinking about soft covers for the winch motors/gearboxes, with some padding inside for occasional encounters with noggins.
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It's been awhile since I've made padded underbelly winch covers, so I remember the results but I don't remember the process. I'll be happy to raft-up in Drakes Bay for a look. Maybe I'll even bring some patterning paper to play paper dolls while you cook dinner for us!!
 
They're each 6-1/2" wide, 12-1/2" long and about 4-1/2" deep (top to bottom).

As to cooking dinner for us, you're taking your life into your hands. I'm told Dave may try to catch a fish on the way up so he has something to eat, and I'm supposed to bring something called wasabi.

True story: A former GF made me an apron (this was about 1982) that said "Specialties of the House: Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Frozen Fish Patties." I married Connie instead because she could cook.
 
As to cooking dinner for us, you're taking your life into your hands. I'm told Dave may try to catch a fish on the way up so he has something to eat, and I'm supposed to bring something called wasabi.

True story: A former GF made me an apron (this was about 1982) that said "Specialties of the House: Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Frozen Fish Patties." I married Connie instead because she could cook.

Sounds great! I'll bring the pickled ginger

True story: I use my house smoke detector as a cooking timer.
 
True story: I use my house smoke detector as a cooking timer.

Makes perfect sense!

There's some back-channeling going on about this. I speculated that you aren't a vegetarian because you drink beer and Sailor Jerry's. So maybe I'll clean up the little Weber camping grill and do hamburgers on the fantail.

And Dave must not read the forum - he hasn't cancelled yet.
 
Synthia, has Bob mentioned that his stove won't start and he has no utensils? It's true, though, that his cabinetry is lovely.
 
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