Just a Quiet Day

No sailing today...

I hung out around the boat though.  Funny how just been around the boat or working on the boat can still make me feel better.  I tied up some electrical work and then with the help of my daughter I managed to get the name attached to the boat.  For the story on how the name came about and other considerations, then read my post Coming Up With a Name

After that, not much work got done.  More of a play around day.

 Some Rum.


















Some Beer.

Hanging with friends and family.

I have a question though.  I can't figure it out.  It's not a fishing rod holder though.  If someone could tell me what this is I'd appreciate it.  All I know is it looks like it can hold something shallow and it swivels around but won't turn upside down.

What is it?

Daggerboard Painting

I received the new daggerboard Friday but didn't get a chance to begin work until Monday night.  With the boat staying in the water, I needed to put some anti-fouling paint on it to prevent marine growth.  The board is 69.5" long.  I figured getting the bottom 3' covered in paint would be a good start.  I routinely leave anywhere from 6" - 12" of board protruding when I navigate the canals.  That plus the 18" draft still leaves me an additional 6" of paint should I do something silly like not raise the board high enough.




 Taped off at the 3 foot mark, I used a half full 5 gallon bucket of paint to weigh down one end while I worked on the other. I sanded with 220 grit sandpaper to rough it up so that the paint would adhere better.  Next time I would go a bit courser next time, maybe 180 grit.

A 1/3rd of a quart was enough to put two coats on.  I would have liked to do another coat but it was already getting late by the time I got the second coat on.  The board had to be ready for transport Tuesday and installation on Wednesday.  The hydrocoat was previously for the rest of the boat.  I'll get to see which lasts longer and works better.

The completed project along with a Captain & Coke reward.

Pulling the Dagger Board and Installing Some Toys

Saturday 20 June 2015

All work and no play today.  First I had to take apart the mast and lower it (again).  It’s the only way to get to the dagger board slot.  Pulled out the old dagger board to assess the damage.  I’m thinking this thing is beyond my capability at the moment.  Still, me and Keith throw out a few ideas as to how I might try rebuilding it.  Regardless, I’ll post pics of it on the MacGregor forum and solicit their advice when I get home.

Second project of the day was to install my Garmin 547xs chart plotter/gps.  It’s truly the first time I have ever drilled a hole in my boat.  The install itself was relatively painless.  I have an old junky depth finder that never gave a reading when I needed one; it would just read “- -“.  I left the unit installed on the pedestal for now as I don’t have any way to cover the hole.  I did use the power wire from it to wire into the new gps and noticed what appeared to be a rat’s nest of wiring.  One of the wires looks like something from a lamp cord.  I see a future re-wiring project coming up sometime.  In the meantime, reusing the same circuit allows me to keep everything on the same fuse.  I don’t have any spares, so along with rewiring everything, I’ll also be installing another fuse panel.  Everything lights up and the gps pinpoints me within 30 seconds. 

Project three was my new solar panel installation.  I have shore power available on the boat and my batteries recharge whenever I’m connected.  However Keith has been so kind as to give me free dockage that I certainly don’t want to mooch power from him as well.  So for Father’s Day my wife let me buy a 100 watt solar kit from Amazon.

I choose the sliding hatch to place the panel.  I know some folks think that the boom and sails get in the way but I disagree with them.  When docked, even though the panel isn’t getting hit at 100%, there’s enough to keep the batteries completely topped off for my weekly excursions.  While sailing, I seem to be turning one way or another all the time so it seems like there’s always sunlight on my cabin top.  I guess if I ever get some kind of enclosure, I’ll have to move the panel.  For now, it’s a good spot.

The install again went smoothly.  I mounted the controller unit outside of the battery compartment, just below the bottom step.  Keeps it out of the way but allows me to monitor the status.  A 7/8 whole was drilled to allow the cabling to pass thru to the batteries.  The panel cabling was zip tied to the back of the stair rail, along the cabin roof using 3M Commander strips, and finally through a small hole on the lip of the hatchboard.  The panel itself was mounted to the sliding hatch using a 1/8^th bit with a ¼” long screw set in 5200.  I’ll get to see if there are any leaks next week.