Checklist (Almost) Complete

With the first warm weekend arriving in Cincinnati I decided to try and knock out the remaining items on my Launch 2007 checklist. The list included adding new halyards, sanding and varnishing the rudder/tiller, making new bunks for the trailer, replacing the wheels, patching some cracks and chips in the hull, washing the sails (again) and of course, registering boat and trailer.

I decided to start with registration, which was relatively easy. The only problem is I decided to register them both in Kentucky (where we currently live), which requires a title for the trailer (have they seen my trailer?). Fortunately Kentucky doesn't require trailers to be registered so I am free to transport it sans-plate. However I will be registering the boat in Ohio next year because that is where I'll be doing most of my sailing.

After registering the boat I headed to Strictly Sail with my best buddy Chris. Fortunately for us they were holding an open house where all purchases were 20% off! (They also had big discounts on boats, but I'm not quite ready for that Mac 26 X/M yet). We picked up varnish, halyard ropes and sail cleaner. Ill get back to these in a few...

Ever since I determined that the trailer bunks needed to be replaced I debated on which way to go. The original bunks were carpeted 2x4"s with the boat resting on the 2" side of the boards. This was causing some harsh pressure points on the hull and I could see the fiberglass beginning to pucker. The first option involved a similar setup using bolster (swivel) brackets and padded 2x4"s, only this time the boat would rest on the 4" part of the boards. The other was a hull-splined, form-fitting bunk technique posted by Shorty Pen. I thought this was a neat idea, and went with this approach. So we took a trip to Home Depot to buy pressure-treated lumber, indoor/outdoor carpet and bolts to fasten to the trailer.

Back at the homestead, we removed the boat from its trailer and laid it upside down in the yard. We balanced and leveled the boat and then placed the board on the hull. For the tracing of the hull shape, I changed my method a bit from Shorty. I saw an episode of Shipshape TV where they traced the curve of a transom using a disk instead of the block that Shorty used. Fortunately I had a 16mm film reel that I used for decorating my office that worked perfectly!

After cutting the shape out we padded the curve using foam pipe insulation to give the boat an extra amount of cushion. Then we added the carpet. We fastened it down using indoor/outdoor carpet glue and carpet tacks. We then set it aside to dry. While we had the boat upside down, we decided to wash and wax the bottom as well as patch any cracks or chips in the hull.

While we worked, I decided to go ahead and clean my nasty sails using Starbrite Sail and Canvas Cleaner. The instructions say to mix with water and let soak for 24 hours. Guess we'll see tomorrow...


Now you may think I get royalties from these companies for pluging all of these products, but I don't! I just want to promote those companies that have given me good service and to help anyone who is going through the same process find quality, affordable resources. With that in mind may I recommend The Trailer Parts Superstore. They have everything at a price you can't beat and delivery is superfast! I ordered the new wheels from them and 3 days later I had them at my doorstep!

With the sun going down and out muscles sore, Chris and I call it a day and decide to finish the job tomorrow.



The next morning we place the bunk on the trailer, which took some engineering. The trailer that Shorty had for his Holder 12 had its trailer tongue bolted to the underside of the frame, mine fastened to the top. By adding some wood blocks and brackets we were able to fasten it onto the trailer, but I thing we may have to do some additional reinforcing as well as adding some support for the back of the boat. Then with a large about of sweat and muscle we hoisted 300+ lbs of boat back onto the trailer. It sat pretty well, but the trailer tounge is bent slightly and makes the boat appear as if its sitting crooked. If I decide to keep the boat for a long time I may sell this trailer and buy a newer one.

With the boat back on its trailer we cleaned and polished the boat using Bass Pro Boat Wash, Megular's Boat Polish and good ol' 3M Black Streak Remover. While some light orange spots remain from rust stains, most of them and other stains were removed, including some scuffing on the gunwhale where the boat had been stored upside down on its shrouds. I may have to try some rust remover to get the rest of them, but overall I am VERY pleased with how the boat looks.


24 hours later, I remove the sails from their bath, hosed them off and hung them to dry, and wow... That's all I can say... Now, if you don't remember what the sails looked like before, look at my "Boat Survey 1" posting from November 06. The jib is almost good as new! The main, while still stained in some areas, is a VAST improvement. Another Starbrite treatment and those stains might disappear! So if your sails are the slightest bit dirty or stained, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS STUFF!!! I tried scrubbing with soap, lime juice and salt, oxyclean, and NOTHING worked as well! Let this also be a lesson to you: PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOUR SAILS!!!!


Now it's time for a shower and sleep. Happy sailing!

Spring is Just Around The Corner...

A sign of spring coming.. the masts start popping up! After being snowed and iced in for over 2 weeks I decided to take advantage of the first "decent" weekend to try out the new shrouds and speader that Strictly Sail made for me. I dragged the mast, boom and sails from my basement and Chris and I attached the shrouds to the mast. After some minor adjustments and sore fingers from attaching clevis pin rings the mast was up!

Her mast is 20'3" and is an impresive sight when it's up (It stood taller than the house), and aside from some cleaning is ready for the 2007 season! While we had the mast up I decided to put on the sails to see if there was anything missing. The jib halyard was broken (add another item to the list) so we only raised the mainsail. It's halyard is in sorry shape and will be replaced as well.

As Chris and I raised the sail, we were overcome with the stench of animal urine. Apparently sometime in its deep, dark past a cat (or maybe a raccoon) decided to pee on the mainsail. While the sail doesn't appear to be stained, it would make for an interesting downwind run! Fortunately I haven't gotten around to washing the sails yet so I'm hoping that it should kill the smell. If not a new main will be in order!

The days are getting warmer so in the next few weeks you can expect to see a lot of activity. For now I will continue to read my Sail Magazines and dream of 70+ degrees. Sip a pina colada, fade to black.

The woes of being a midwest sailor

Enough said... see you in warmer weather.

Boat Survey 2

I actually did this survey shortly after I got her home, but this is the first chance I'be had to put it online.

With the Lockley now in the yard and 24/7 access I am able to fully survey the boat and figure out what needs to happen to her between now and spring. Overall, the boat is in amazing shape and won't take too much to get her ready.

The stays were a mess of metal spaghetti when we went to move the boat. All were kinked badly. In addition, one of the spreaders (which the shrouds were threaded through) was broken at the point were it attached to the mast via a clevis pin. On closer inspection the chainplate on the port side is bent inward. I am thinking that something either struck the rigging or the boat was rigged improperly, causing the broken spreader and bend chainplate.
Fortunately, the damage was isolated to those 2 areas (mast is straight and there's no cracking in the fiberglass in that area. Since I have never done any metal work and the fact that I don't want to get beamed on the head by a falling mast, I took the stays and spreaders to Strictly Sail. They will fabricate a new spreader and will also make new stays for the boat.


The trailer still needs some work. The bunks do not support the boat properly (in fact, before leaving Georgetown I noticed a small stress crack in the gelcoat about where the bunk hits it). The bunks are carpet 2x4"s set upright and held on via a bracket an U-bolts (the boat sits on the 2" part, creating "pressure points"). I will be replacing these in one of two ways: using the same method only orient the boards so the boat sits on the 4" part or use a contoured board similar to the technique used by Shorty Pen. In addition, the bunks wil be raised to accomodate the centerboard. Speaking of the centerboard, it will be sanded and painted to ready her for the water.

As well as the bunks, the trailer will also receive new tires and rims (how the hell did we get to Covington on these?!?!), winch, safety chains, coupler and finally a new coat of paint. The wires will also be properly fed into the trailer tongue.


Finally, a good bath and LOTS of black streak remover! (Chris gave me a bottle of this stuff, and it's a must-have). The blog will probably not be updated in a while as we wait for winter to take its leave. Come warmer weather there will be lots of stuff to share so come back then!

-Joe Out

PS- I just won a 1.2 HP outboard on ebay! Aside from needing a little bit of paint it seems to work fine!

Happy New Year!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!


What better place to sit and welcome in 2007... in the cockpit of my boat! With the warmer days we have been experiencing I have done an extended survey of her condition. I will upload pictures and tell you what I found.

My buddy Chris and I went to the Cincinnati Travel Sport and Boat Show last weekend to see some of the new stuff coming out on the water this year. While I was there I met up with some folks from the Cowan Lake Sailing Association. It looks like Cowan lake may end up being the "berth place" of our Surprise. Plus it gives us a chance to socialize with local sailors.

Looks like winter is coming this week (highs in the 30s, lows in the teens) so I will be spending some time indoors working on my other project: a new bathroom! But sailing won't be far from my mind! Nothing like a little Jimmy Buffett on the old iPod to take away the winter blues!

She's Home!

Finally!! Since that Sunday evening in October when I was told I was a boat owner I have been dying to get my new girl home. This past Friday it happened!! After weeks of talk, prep and dreaming she now sits in the backyard.

It started about 11am Friday morning. My good friend Chris (without whom I could NOT have done this) and I left for Georgetown. The order of business for today was to replace and pack the bearings on the trailer, bolt the trailer frame back together, get the lights to work, load the boat onto the trailer and, if daylight permitted, get her home. Armed with a makeshift toolkit, a print-out on trailer maintenance from Shipshape Boating, and a lot of will-power we arrived at my uncle's house at noon. The plan was to stop off at his place and pick up the keys (he had planned on being out that day) and proceed to the storage area near Russellville. Fortunately for us, my uncle was there and offered to help. He knew how to properly replace and pack bearings, and was able to complete it in half the time it would have taken us to complete.

*** From here on out, the pictures are fuzzy. I forgot my camera, but Chris had his phone***

We started with the rear section of the trailer which contained the wheels, axle and bunks. We removed the wheels, the hubs and the old bearings. As you might expect on a boat that was last registered in 1990 the bearings were shot. A trip to Auto Zone resulted in new bearings and races, Bearing Buddies , and a ratchet strap. After a quick bite from BK, Fred proceeded to pack and replace the bearings. In the meantime, Chris struggled to put a new 1 7/8" ball on his receiver. With new bearings in place, we placed the hubs back onto the trailer. The tires were in sorry shape. Dry rot was setting in, and I was a bit weary of the trip back to Covington (1 hour drive-all highway). However Fred seemed confident that they'd get us there, so we decided to chance it.

After much struggle with hand wrenches (my apologies to Chris and Fred) the trailer was back together. About that time, Chris gave up on replacing the 2" ball on his car with the new 1 7/8" so off we went again. This time, we went to Seip's in downtown Georgetown to pick up a new receiver and lighting kit. When we got back, we were having problems feeding the new wiring through the tongue. As daylight was running short, we decided to zip-tie the wires to the outside frame until they could be properly fed.

Finally, the time that we were dreading had come. Time to get 360 lbs of boat out of the barn, past a incompacitated Chevy Blazer and onto our freshly assembled trailer. The first time we tried to move her was a bit of a struggle, so we faced the task with much trepidation. Fortunately we were able to get a good grip and were able to move it on without too much trouble, and in no time we were ready to hit the road!

Chris and I started the long drive back to Covington, keeping a watchful eye on those nasty tires. We got to the house around 7:30, and after moving a panel of our privacy fence we slipped the boat into her new home. Now, the real work can start! But first, a well deserved rest after a long day. Happy Thanksgiving!

Boat Survey 1

This weekend marks the first time I've seen my boat since she was given to me. She is currently sitting in a storage barn near Georgetown, OH (approx 1 hour from where I live). Her hull is in great shape, but as you might expect for a boat that hasn't been sailed in 10 years she's a bit dirty. Nothing a litle rubbing compound and elbow grease wouldn't fix (you know I've never understood that phrase?). Unfortunately I was so excited to see her that I forgot to take any pictures of her hull.

Her trailer currently sits in two pieces: The axle, wheels and bunks and the tounge. The pieces are attached via U-Bolts which were completely rusted. My uncle cut the bolts using a saw with the intention of buying new u-bolts and putting it back together. He got halfway there (buying new u-bolts a few weeks before). Not a big deal. One of the tires is dryrotted, but my uncle was able to secure a new wheel and tire. Check. However, one of the bearings is about to go and should either be repacked or replaced. Since the boat hasn't moved since the 80s I vote new bearings all the way around. I also need to add a wiring kit from Wally-World to complete the deal. Otherwise trailer is in great shape.

Her rigging seems to be fine. May need new shrouds. There's also a few stains on the mast and boom, but should clean right off. Will definitely need some new lines for the running rigging.

Our plan is to try and move her on either the 25 (weekend after Thanksgiving) or December 1st. In the meantime I thought it best to take her sails home and see what I was in for.

Yikes! Look at that nasty sail bag!!! We're going to try and let it soak in a bath of hot water and Oxyclean... otherwise it looks as if I'll be adding a new sailbag to my shopping list.

As with may boats left to sit, her bag was thrown into the storage compartment in the bow. Inside, her jib! I was frightened to death to see what waited inside...
Hmmm.. not nearly as bad as I thought! A few dirt spots, but surprisingly no mildew! No tears, no holes. Sail looks good for its age. Now...onto the mainsail...

Unfortunately, the main has lived for the past several years wrapped tightly around the boom. Hmmm... looks like the main didn't fair as well. Large dirt spots which may be stained. The top batten is broken and will need to be replaced. The orange stripe at the top of the port side has been bleached by the sun :-( However, still no mildew and no tears! We may be able to live with these sails at least a couple of seasons if not longer. For now both sails will be placed indoors and await springtime when I can wash them and hang them off their mast to dry.

While I was at it I grabbed the tiller and rudder. Definitely in need of some sandpaper and polyurethane. Kirsten has volunteered to make this her winter project!

Next weekend is the Strictly Sail Annual Garage Sale. I'm going to try and do some shopping there and at least get a new sailbag! I am also going to spend this week trying to figure out exactly where to put the boat for the winter. I want to have her closer so I can work on her on weekends.

-Joe out.