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tdrown

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Everything posted by tdrown

  1. I went sailing yesterday with some friends for (probably) one last time.
  2. It's been a while since I last posted here, but it's been a while since I've done any major work to my boat besides the obligatory sanding and painting. I've been going to school in Philadelphia for the past three years and racing for my school's sailing team in 420s and FJs (one-design sailing dinghies). My parents have moved across the country so I no longer have an convenient and simple place to store and work on the boat and I only have about half the tools I had to build the boat. The boat is currently in the backyard of a relative of a family-friend and it's about an hour-and-a-half away from Philadelphia and not very near any Lake. For those reasons, plus the fact that I've got so many other projects going on, I've decided it's time to sell the boat. I am going to sail her for one last time this weekend, to get some good sailing photographs and for old-times sake. I've put together this photo album of the best photos from the past 4 years and the construction: http://picasaweb.google.com/cruisingsailor/GailJean I will probably be listing the boat on eBay, any suggestions, ideas, etc.? I haven't lost the boat building bug, I have a One Sheet Skiff that is serving time as a book case and I am almost finished with a stitch-and-glue dory that I have been on-and-off working on since high school. -tsd
  3. I've got a Minn Kota #35 too. A few weeks ago I went to Annapolis with my boat, and the boat launch was a few miles up the Spa Creek, which is narrow and nearly windless (at least it was that day). The motor did fine but I found it to be excruciatingly slow. This also may have to do with my battery. On the way back after I went through the drawbridge (which was where the wind stopped and the motoring started), I switched to my other battery and vastly improved my speed. Still not that fast, I am pondering getting a gas outboard so my auxillary power is not teathered to my lighting.
  4. I was reading a catalog for Gill (British maker of foul weather gear for sailors) and they described sailing as 'like standing in a cold shower ripping up 10 pound notes'. I would try a independant marine store. They might have some used blocks at cheaper prices. It's worked for me.
  5. I am taking the day off tomorrow to work on my boats. The weekender is going on a 3 day cruise on the Chesapeake bay next week. The dory I am building needs to get out of the garage that its in and I will be adding another coat of primer after sanding the hull.
  6. Thanks guys for all the advice. It's all installed now. I did consider installing it myself but buying and shipping the equipment would be just as expensive as it was. U-HAUL comes with a lifetime warrenty that protects against damage, theft, corrosion, et cetera. As for a frontward hitch, I do have an emergancy tow hook on the front of my car. I suppose if I were really desperate I could attach a chain to that to pull out the boat and trailer. The lights on the trailer that I have are actually imersable and I haven't needed to do this at all. The only problem I've had is when one broke after my old man knocked a chunk of ice off the tarp that was covering the boat on to it, shattering the plastic light fixture.
  7. Spring came for us in the east in late January, I think it was in the 50's and 60's for nearly two weeks and up to 70 one day. Now it's winter again although it's supposed to get warmer the end of this week.
  8. wow, thanks. That makes a lot of sense. I'll definately use that. I should be getting the hitch installed this week. A U-Haul in South Jersey wanted $296 but I negociated down to $275 for parts, labor, wiring.
  9. Thanks for all the quick advise. the ramps is going to give me problems then. I would, but I'd be up the creek without a paddle if they carded me. I'm not 21 till May.
  10. 185 bhp and 263 Nm of torque, it's got a turbocharger. The thing only weighs 3,060 pounds itself, but apparently it can tow up to 3,500. It's going to be *fun* getting the boat in and out of the water with a manual transmission in this thing.
  11. Soon my Weekender will be losing its Winter and Summertime storage (my folks are moving to Texas) and I will have limited access to a vehicle with a trailer hitch. The Weekender is moving to dry storage in the parking lot of a lake somewhere between Allentown in Philadelphia in May. What I'm wondering is has anyone weighed their Weekender with the trailer? I realize that my overbuilt toe rail, hatch, and batteries will probably make mine a little heavier than most, but my cedar mast might take some off comparatively. I can get a hitch that can tow up to 3,500 pounds on my 1994 Saab which only has a 2 liter engine. Has anyone here had experiance with towing boats with smaller cars? How do they fair?
  12. tdrown

    Green

    Forest Green with a beige deck and varnished oak brightwork. That ended up as my final choice. I think I also was considering blue or red as a hull color. Forest Green was a prudent choice for a beautiful and traditional looking craft.
  13. Still sailing. I was about to take the Weekender out for the second time this year two weeks ago. It was a lot of fun to actually sail with wind. Except for the small issue with weatherhelm and rudder failure that required me to steer with my leg off the transome and my foot pressing against the rudder to keep it straight (there was some slack in the line that I apparently didn't take care of). I want to go out at least another time before I finally call it a season.
  14. 1. Online is the only place I've found them. I'm told certain Home Depots carry them, but not around me. http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=white+tarps&hl=en&lr=&c2coff=1&tab=ff&oi=froogler ^--- the first few responses are multiple white tarps, hence the high price. 2. Hardware Stores normally carry brass grommet kits
  15. It wasn't actually that frustrating, I'm used to making stupid mistakes and having no wind at that lake. The most frustrating part were that certain passengers were inclined to nagging. I'm pretty confident that I will be able to take the boat out a few more times this season. I have a friend who lives near me down here in Philadelphia that's been itching to go sailing on my boat and he has a trailer hitch. Of course we still have to go all the way to Allentown to get the boat.
  16. Yesterday, after helping my folks reseal their driveway in Allentown I enticed them to go sailing with me that Afternoon at Lake Nockamixon (the closest lake of size). It didn't hurt that the boat was already hitched and off the driveway. It has been over a year since I last sailed my Weekender. I went off to college and have only been able to get back to Allentown a few times. Those few times were normally holidays or trips that consisted of working on the boat. So since a year ago I have added, fixed, or broke the following: -Tyvek Sails -Bilge Pump, drain box, and auto float switch -not-sure-if-it-really-works VHF radio and antennae -navigation lights -xenon cabin lights -retattached steering -took apart and reglued rudderbox -ladder rungs on the stays -motor mount -trolling motor -boom gallows -seat-hatch gutter-like drain -roof routed jib sheets -anchor light -compass About 3/4 of the way down there we heard a scratching sound like we were dragging something. We were. The trolling motor fell off its mount and it the motor was running. I examined the damage, the plastic propeller got roughed up a little. I put the trolling motor in the cockpit (I couldn't put it anywhere else, the wires attached it to the boat, I am going to change it so it has a plug). We get to the lake and I raise the mast. One I inspect everything I find that the forestay's eyebolt is missing its nut. I look everywhere on my boat for the sames sized nut but can't find any that weren't being used for something important. Luckily I have two forestays and the foremost one would not be flying any sails on it that day, so I used the nut from it to hold down the eyebolt. We back the boat into the water and tie her up to the dock. There's barely any wind at the lake, much less than 5 knots all afternoon. Great weather for trying out the new trolling motor. I raise the sails at dock and spinned the boat around and jump on. I fire up the trolling motor as we drift away from the dock. Full speed ahead! The trolling motor was frustratingly inadequate. We were drifting backwards. We almost hit the dock we were trying to get away from. I knew that the motor wasn't going to make us a speedboat, and I knew that 4 people on this boat wasn't going to make it any faster, but I expected to at least go forwards. Then, for some reason, I put the motor in reverse. We started moving in the right direction! Not only had I made the motor mount too thin for the motor thus allowing it to fall off in transit, I also installed the motor to have reverse polarity. Opps! I really can't comment on the Tyvek sails yet, the very slight breeze moved us very slowly and I didn't really see the sails fill with wind. These sails were made to the right dimensions (unlike my last pair), so the boom actually did not rest on the deck like it used to. I still have a leak in the forepeak. I don't know where water is coming in but I think it is from the stem or the keel. I thought I fixed the leak by putting epoxy and varnish over the 3plied stem's front, but apparently it hasn't worked or I am wrong in the source of the leak. -Tyler Drown I'll post pictures as soon as they are sent to me.
  17. Look's great! A CVS disposable video camera? As in it's sold at CVS the drug store? Do you mail it somewhere, plug it in to your computer, or how exactly does that work?
  18. Agreed sorry merrimange, I forgot you already built one, I posted that thinkning you hadn't.
  19. Don't let that be an excuse, I was 17 when I started my weekender. If you keep on it (which is key, I have a small and simple stitch-and-glue dory that I started well maybe two years ago and isn't finished), the Weekender can be built in a matter of a few months. The Weekender is a simple boat with fairly easy to follow plans, it doesn't require too too much patience, there will always be plenty of small jobs that you can get finished in a few hours or less. Just make lists and make it a habit to work on it. You'll probably find building the hull the quickest, easiest, and most rewarding part of building the weekender. Depending on your materials, it's normally a few hundred dollars to get there.
  20. tdrown

    Peak halyard

    I have mine coming off the block up on the mast to a block that is shackled to my stbd chainplate then to a cleat near the cockpit on the deck. I've had not problem with it and the line is not in the way because it basically in the same place as the two shrouds. It's easy, it works, and you can hoist it from the mast, because I'm going to be there anyway hoisting the throat.
  21. Congradulations! Steering can be very tricky. You'll be happy you added those deck plates. I added one and it made hooking up the steering so much easier. I also have a bigger hole for the rudder box's tiller to go through the transom so when I take my stern-light off I can stick my hand through that way too. For where the steering line goes around the wheel shaft, I think there was a knot in the plans to stop if from sliping. I tied one there at least. I would follow Russ's advice and run the line through the pipe like the typical setup and tie a knot in the first loop. It's alright, the first time I went sailing with my boat in the wind I didn't realize that the rope running through the rudder can be used to actually hold down the rudder, so I had to keep an eye on it and go up on the transom and push it down when it floated up with my foot. This all happened in a crowded mooring. :oops: If you are going to keep the electrical system and add on to it, you might want to get a battery switch instead of disconnecting it every time.
  22. I've had a similar problems with my stays, not while sailing though. This stuff does turn orange and sun rots. After you strip the bottom and run it around the thimble the best thing would be to splice it. I can't offer any advice on splicing though, that's something I still need to figure out.
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