ThistleCap

Congratulations, Ray. You've done a great thing for your son, and glad you enjoyed it as well. Check out the ASTA (American Sail Training Association) catalog. There are a lot of other training vessels out there you both would enjoy as well, different types, different locations.

I understand the idea was to make the trailer ride easier by making the tire softer by underinflation, and with a lighter boat, stresses may not be as critical. However, there are a couple things that should be kept in mind and included in the equation. The maximum load and recommended maximum cold inflation of the tire gives the designed tread wear and load carrying capacity the tire is engineered for. As the air pressure decreases, the load carrying ability of the tire decreases as well, thus the importance of frequently checking inflation levels. Reducing tire pressure also does other undesireable things---it increases tread wear, it changes handling characteristics, it makes the tire run hotter, and it stresses the sidewalls. The combination of any of these factors along with the natural aging of the rubber can result in shorter tire life and increased likelihood of tire failure or blowout.

I found Wes Kisting's construction blog for his Core Sound 20 very well done---both informative and enjoyable. Daily I follow the Log of Spartina, a sailing blog done by Steve Earley covering his projects aboard his home-built John Welsford Pathfinder. Both take you along step-by-step and share their experiences almost like you're there. I've read all the periodic updates of Charlie Jones' construction of Pilgrim, but can anyone steer me to a sailing or construction blog for the Princess 22? I'd really enjoy the greater detail of almost being there. If there isn't one, perhaps one of the P-22 builder/sailors would start one.

I just listed trailer parts under classified forum. Parts are off a new 6000 lbs. trailer that was upgraded by replacing everything from the frame down---axles, springs, hubs, wheels, tires, with a contact phone number at the end. Trailer was never in water and run only 1700 miles. Parts are all like new.

Parts are off trailer upgraded for heavier capacity. These are parts for a 6000 lb. rated trailer. Trailer was new and never in water, salt or fresh, and was used only 1700 miles, so all parts like new, AND ALL PRICES 50% OFF. I will be leaving Oklahoma for a run to the Chesapeake Bay on or about 29 March. Anyone along that route can meet me and get their items free of shipping costs. AXLES 2 X 2

I'm really surprised there hasn't been more response to this issue. If I can't solve a couple problems with my current boat, asking Graham about the possibility of a 24 with some changes would be my first consideration. Being in the middle of the country, to make sailing worth the distance I need to travel to reach the coast, I cruise for 6 weeks at a time. While the absence of a galley may not be critical for a vacation of a week or two, proper provisions for meals and heating on a long cruise become more important. My thought was basically putting the 26 interior in a 24 ft. boat. This would keep weight and cost down, improve accommodations, and eliminate the need for a larger and heavier trailer. If I was going to sail with a lot of people and needed cockpit room, I'd probably just do a CS20, but on a cruising boat, especially if single-handing, the cockpit is only for steering and being able to stretch the legs while resting against the after cabin face with a book or a cup of coffee. Other than having some room for lines, deck gear, extra ground tackle and fenders in seat lockers, the rest of the cockpit area is waste. Especially if having to sit out foul weather, the interior takes on much more importance. My thoughts were to move the cabin aft to the mizzen tabernackle, or even have the tabernackle part of the face or even built into the bulkhead. The companionway would have to go more off center. The larger cabin face area would allow an "L" galley. That's just my reaction to the question. Anyone else?

Is anyone building? We need pictures---lots and lots of pictures. Inside, outside, topside, underside. I'm especially devoted to the Princess, but any of them. Pictures. If you've launched and are among the lucky to be sailing, pictures, pictures, pictures!!!

Thank you, Bud, I appreciate that. I'm really indebted for the information I've received, and am looking at discussing some trailer upgrades with the mechanic tomorrow---bigger bearings/axles/brakes on the second axle. I even doubled the size of my fire extinguisher. I had just grabbed the 2.5 lb. extinguisher and put it in the truck because I had it on hand. I had put a new 5 lb'er in the boat already. The few short seconds you get out of a small extinguisher just wouldn't have done the job if the fire and heat had gotten a bigger jump on me, so now the truck, boat, car, and kitchen all have 5 pounders now.

http://www.championtrailers.com/techsup.html#technical_support Mike, If you haven't seen it, Champion has a good technical section. One problem they pointed out as a possible cause of my trouble was my disconnecting procedure when I drop the trailer. They say forward pulling pressure must be exerted on the tongue before disconnecting. Failing to do this may leave the cylinder partially compressed and the push rod partially extended and exposed to the weather. Any resulting corrosion has lead to the brakes failing to release, or the discs sticking to the rotor hard enough to require disassembly of the brakes to get them loose. When the shop pulls everything apart I may learn more, but this seems like a good bet. File under---Too soon old; too late smart.

Here

Bud, I'm with you on all that, but my question would be why they didn't release. I did have a caliper freeze 'on' on the right front wheel of our car one time. So, the question remains how to prevent it. The idea about U-Haul is interesting. I'll check that out. My other question would be about adjustment. Trying to insure ahead of time that they were properly adjusted, I called both Continental and the manufacturer of the brakes to learn what I could. They said disc brakes can't be adjusted. The only maintenance they pointed to was making sure there was red Locktite on the brake mounting bolts, and that the calipers are replaced when worn, but no information on what defines 'worn'. According to them, only drum brakes can be adjusted. Is there reason to think I got bad information? Since I'm still on the uphill side of the trailer learning curve, it will definitely go to the best shop I can find, but I'll see if I can watch over the repairman's shoulder to see what I can learn.

It's a 25 ft. Dufour 1800. Total weight with trailer and cruising gear is 6100 lbs. The Continental trailer was new in 2000, ran only about 200 miles, moving from the marina to home and back when I wanted to do more than routine maintenance, then 1200 miles when we moved from the East Coast to Oklahoma. It's been blocked up with the wheels off while we did home construction, about 3 years.

Well, this is embarrassing, but it could have been a lot worse. While an experienced sailor, I'm a trailering newbie, and could use some insight to this problem. I know the base problem is the trailer (like anything else) suffers from sitting idle for several years. Eventhough I tried to check all the systems, there are always things never truely tested until put back on line in normal use. Something was obviously causing the brakes to drag and build heat. I had run the trailer around town several times to check it out, and hadn't seen any problem. The bearings had been serviced, the surge brakes seemed fine, no wheel heating. Today, however, by the time I had only gone 12 miles, the wheels had already heated enough to blow the seal in the right wheel. I heard a pop and looked in the mirror to see a puff of blue smoke. I immediately pulled to the side. The right wheel was on fire and grease was boiling out of the hub. The fire extinguisher shot the flames out, but the grease continued to dribble out of the bearings for some time. The left wheel had also blown the inner seal. The other two wheels on the axle without the brakes were cool, so I don't know if it's seized calipers or a seized surge rod holding pressure on the brake cylinder. I waited an hour for them to cool, pumped some more grease in the bearings, and started back home. The fire had burned the brake line off, so I had no brakes now, which points more to the surge actuator rather than the calipers. The bearings now run cool. So, now I need to have the brakes checked out, the bearings checked, seals replaced and bearings repacked, and new brake lines run, and get the fire extinguisher recharged. The only bright side in the whole scenario is that it happened right away and not while I was on the Atlanta beltway. While I'm guessing, does anyone have insight into the real problem? Thanks. Jim

No idea really. He was getting to the point Princess would have been too big a job for him. We later moved from the area and lost contact.

I was both surprised and happy to see Princess and Joe Richards on the site. It is an enjoyable book. I'm happy to say I had the opportunity to get to know Joe at his art loft and home near Leipsic, Delaware. Princess was still sitting in his front yard at the time. After reading the book, I went looking for him, and just went up and knocked on the door unannounced. His welcome was warm and sincere, and I returned a few more times just to sit and talk boats. Jim