Andy B

Here is the product I'm lusting after (the triple on the right). Port Townsend Foundry said this item is sized for 1/2 lines or bigger, so probably too much for the 3/16 lines for the halyard, snotter, and downhaul. However, they say they are a factory, not a store, so they are happy t cast me something. This model is $98, I'm not sure how much the smaller one would be.

@Don Silsbe Thanks, Don. Interesting it has that much wear. I suspect hard wood might not wear as much, but then again maybe all the friction is going to the rope. Right now I have a request in to Port Townsend Foundry for a bronze triple fairlead. Pricey (I think it will be around $180 for two), but it looks awesome! If not I'll build one out of wood, but perhaps have a SS insert.

Looks awesome! Hundreds of miles of lake sailing with thousands of small coves to retreat to!

In an article on Small Craft Advisor, the EP Carry manufacturer (note: different that E-propulsion, which makes the Spirit electric outboard) announced that it can be for bigger boats now. It was originally for boats up to 12 feet, though one of the Off Center Harbor guys uses it for his Caledonia Yawl. The whole motor is designed differently with a very large, 2-blade propulsion. It's lighter than most of the other motors, and cheaper. From what I can see, the difference in the "new" update is that (1) the motor can take 24v or 36 v batteries, instead of the standard 12v, and they updated the software accordingly. So the actual unit is the same, instead of using the built-in 12v battery they now accommodate larger, unattached batteries. This would be interesting, as the weight of the motor, with battery, was 21 pounds. If it gets much less without the battery, that would be really easy to take on and off the transom, even daysailing. It sure would be nice to not have an outboard to catch the mizzen sheet and look ugly when sailing. The specs say for boats up to 19 feet and 1,000 pounds. That would exclude my CS-20, which lists common sailing weight (gear and people) of 1,300. But I've emailed EP Carry to see what they say. https://www.electricpaddle.com/index.html

so if I'm understanding, if you did it again, you wouldn't epoxy the decks even if they are plywood? Because either way you have to keep the varnish up, and the epoxy isn't helping with that?

Thanks all. I was assuming there was epoxy there, and if so was going to paint, for the reasons stated by Don (having to remove or deal with the epoxy layer, now uneven at best, before varnishing). However, starting to think there is bare wood there, I may scrape all the varnish and go with varnish over bare wood. Keep in mind this is the deck, which on my boat is going to see water maybe 10 times per year. It is shaded the rest of the year. I like the heat gun idea. If I am scraping off all varnish, I will finish bright, no varnish. If there is a layer of epoxy under there, I will recoat and paint over it. I can't start this work until after Halloween, so I am really hoping to find a warm-ish garage I can work in over the winter. If not it's going to be a lot of work in the spring!

I am gradually schooling myself on restoring and replacing finishes, and I have a question: was it standard practice to epoxy the deck if you were not going to paint? My boat was built 20 years ago if that makes a difference. The fuller story is the entire topsides (hull, deck, interior) is finished bright. The hull finish remains in decent condition; there are lots of peeling spots on the deck. I had assumed the entire boat was epoxy coated; however, in an Off Center Harbor video they mentioned that they don't recommend an epoxy coat for most regular varnish conditions. Thus I now suspect the deck was likely not coated with epoxy before being varnished. If so, that might influence me to varnish instead of painting, which would involve epoxy work and then painting. Is there any way to tell whether there is epoxy under the varnish? And if the deck was not epoxied, and the hull above the waterline is also varnished, does that mean the hull was not coated with epoxy? Is that bad? Sorry for all the newbie questions, but I'm learning that the first step in restoring this is figuring out what I have.

Peter, that’s exactly what I am thinking of. Looks good!

I'm coming up with my project list for the winter--mostly deck refinishing and hardware. What do you think of wood fairleads for the main lines (halyard, snotter, downhaul)? Something like this, only made of wood, and epoxied to the deck>

What model sounder do you hide?

Wow Don, thanks for the offer! My parents snowbird some seasons, I may send you a message in the future! Yeah, the Messabout in October just doesn't work for my schedule. The kids are back in school and I save my "only me" vacation time for my guys ski trip. It would be invaluable to walk around and see the different rigging options everyone uses!

I agree. I'm not great shakes with paper and compass, but I can use them in a pinch. And, as mentioned above, I think they are great for keeping on a course even when day sailing. One of my proudest dad moments was having a 13 year old son get us from bouy to bouy, about 12 miles, using only paper and compass.

Don, are you salvaging the current rudder, just replacing the tiller? How did you get the tiller off? And is that the old tiller that you are modifying, or did you build a new one? As you know, this is a bit down my project list.

Centerboard Issues! First, I noticed that one of the bolts securing the padeyes for the raising and lower mechanisms was loose (explanation: On the part of the centerboard that sticks up as a lever to raise and lower, there are padeyes on both sides for blocks; on mine, these are on opposite sides of the lever so two bolts, each going completely through the lever, are used to hold the padeyes). I had a pliers on board and went to tighten it, and the bolt broke off. I removed the bolt at home. I am thinking this is an area of high loads, so my plan is to drill out a larger hole, fill with epoxy, and then drill a new bolt hole. While I'm at it I might as well do this for the hole for the other bolt holding the padeye. I don't know if this is overkill--I know epoxy gives waterproofing, which might have been the culprit, though I doubt it in this area of the boat. Does expoxy give better holding power here? Second issue. The centerboard is wiggly, meaning you can move it back and forth when it is up. It also vibrates as certain speeds and points of sail. However, when you lower it, it does stick a bit. Then, under sail, it is very difficult to raise up. I learned this as I was experimenting with raising the board a bit on a broad reach. I think, but I'm not certain, that the board was tight because the slackness side to side lets the board get wedges on a slight diagonal as the boat is being pushed sideways. Does this make sense as a cause? And is there any danger here, seeing that it has been this way since the initial build 20 years ago?

Thanks, Don, glad to provide inspiration! I really, really, appreciate all the technical building questions and posts here (and goodness knows I have a lots of questions and will continue to have them!), but we need the "look at these boats sailing" posts, too! I can also report that these boats come with a "make Dad swim" feature. Simply go to the foredeck, hang your towel on the overhang of the sprit, and then jump in the water. Next, after your swim, begin to enter the boat via the aft ladder. This will make your Dad hustle to the front sprit to get your towel to reduce the amount of water you are bringing into the boat. At this point, your old, clumsy Dad will grab the sprit for balance as he reaches to get the towel, bringing the sail abeam to the wind, causing the boat to heel and the sprit to start pushing Dad off the deck. You can help by leaning to the side while on the ladder. At this point Dad will have no choice but to jump in the water!