Prepping my Seafarer 24

[Godot]

UPDATE:

Nothing happens fast.  It's been a busy, cold winter so far, so I haven't spent much time on the boat.  I'm going there this afternoon, though.  My questions regarding upgrading to something a little more spacious have been resolved.  It ain't gonna happen. At least for awhile as it looks like I have far, far less equity in my rental property (that I was planning to sell) than expected.  So that lets me move on with move-aboard modifications without reservation.  It's nice when things clarify themselves. :)

The housing market being what it is, it looks like my time frame for moving aboard full time has been pushed back to at least late summer.  This will give me a workshop for longer than I would have otherwise, and will allow me to move aboard in stages (weekend, few days a week, most days, full time).  A great advantage for figuring things out such as what do I really need aboard, as well as giving me a place to retreat to out of the sawdust if I have to make physical changes, not to mention a huge storage area.

So, nothing has been happening except the spinning of the wheels in my head.  And they are spinning faster and faster.

Signing off... I've got a boat to check on.

[Godot]

I'm not preparing for the Scoot at the moment; but I'm still keeping an eye on the list...

The rig:

• Pull mast and inspect.  Done.  Looks good.
• Re-wire VHF antenna.   Done.  I also installed a new PVC conduit in the mast for all the wires which has REALLY quieted things down.
• Change to all rope halyards (I'm annoyed by the wire/rope splice). Done.  It works great and is more pleasant to use.
• Probably replace stays, shrouds and hardware (I suspect they are as old as the boat).  Done, done, and done.  Old wire looked fine, turnbuckles didn't.  Replaced the whole set just to be sure.
• Install spreader boots on ends of spreaders.  Done.
• Repair "steaming" light.  Installed new steaming/deck light.  The steaming light is LED.
• Possibly add masthead LED navigation lights.  Won bid for new masthead tricolor on ebay ... they sent the wrong part.  By the time the right light arrived the mast was back up.  Oh, well.  It was only a nice to have anyhow.
• Re-step and tune.  Done.  I went to tune the mast myself and found I couldn't make it vertical before running out of wire on the starboard shrouds.  i was unhappy and complained to my rigger who looked at it himself.  It turns out the mast wasn't crooked at all; but the boat has some permanent heel to it.  Rigger did the tuning for free after checking it out, which is just as well.
• Acquire a genoa and storm jib.  Lucked into a storm jib

The deck:

• Repair damaged bow pulpit. Done. Could probably use some more attention; but it is drastically better than it was.
• Possibly add additional stanchions (on the fordeck there is about seven or eight feet between the last stanchion and the bow pulpit; in this dangerous area, an additional stanchion may provide peace of mind). I don't think I'm gonna bother
• Possibly replace stanchions with taller, double wire stanchions (right now the single wire height is just about knee level; just right to overbalance the skipper if standing and send him swimming, or role him under the line if crawling.  Bad height all around). When I replaced the lifeline, I lowered the attachment at the pulpit. This allows for more security while sitting on the foredeck.  Replacing stanchions became very low priority.
• Possibly install stern pulpit (a little extra security, although I've never felt threatened while in the cockpit.  It would also provide a place to install solar panels or something.  If money allows we may see).
• Replace lifelines (30+ years old?). Done. Replaced with Amsteel instead of stainless.  Looks good.
• Replace forehatch.  (IMPORTANT!). Done.  I built a new wooden hatch which looked really spiffy in my basement.  When I installed it on Godot, however, it just didn't look right.  The hatch looks traditional.  The boat doesn't.  It reminds me of the time I saw a really HUGE biker riding a really SMALL motorcycle.  Odd.  I did take it sailing in some nasty weather and had waves brake on the foredeck and no water made it inside, even without the gasketing I haven't installed yet, so it will probably stay.  At least for a while.
• Possibly add dodger  (I really want this, but time and money will be the determining factors).
• Build a bridge deck.
• Change the hatch boards from 1/2" to 3/4" and provide barrel bolts to lock them in place. I think I'm going to leave them as 1/2"
• Replace windows (currently they leak. I have the lexan on-hand, just need to find the time). The lexan wasn't quite long enough, so I bought some 3/8" Plexiglass and installed that.  It looks much, much better.
• Install additional cockpit drains.
• Install latches to lock the lockers closed (in case of knockdown).
• Install autopilot (I would prefer a vane, but the trip is only 650 miles & carrying extra batteries would probably be cheaper).  Done.  And it works great.  Yippee!
• Possibly work up an emergency rudder that can clamp onto the outboard motor bracket (I believe I read that a couple of folks on Jester lost their rudders.  I used to think this was over thinking things, but maybe not.  We'll see.  I think it would be fairly cheap and easy to work something up that would clamp to the outboard bracket).
• Install a cockpit mounted manual bilge pump.
• Install jack lines and hard points.

Interior:

• Get some type of gimbaled stove (a seaswing or equivalent?).
• Build lee boards or cloths for both the starboard quarter berth (oddly, it is not as secure as you would think on the Seafarer) and the port settee. I am taking the quarterberth out of contention as a sleeping place.  
• Add batteries and strongly secure.  I now have two Wal~Mart special group 27 deep cycle batteries.  Maybe not the best; but the price is right.  220 amp/hrs for $120.  Took the boat out for a week, used the autopilot extensively, and when I got home plugged it into the charger which barely flickered.  I think it will work.  I had them wedged into place with a cooler and some other junk, so i still need to properly secure them.
• Install a cabin manual bilge pump.
• Install a couple of red LED lights to protect night vision.  Installed one red/white combo light over the dinette.  Works great, and the price wasn't bad, even at West Marine.  I'm glad to see the LED prices are coming down.  I think i will install another over the galley and one over the head.
• Figure out some way to keep the lockers closed in the event of a knockdown.
• Possibly install AIS and/or CARD. With the advent of "hi-def" RADARs, I don't think CARD is a legitimate contender anymore.  AIS will be likely should my plans once again include offshore travel.
• Connect GPS to DSC VHF and possibly to AIS.

Hull:

• Scrape, sand, inspect, and paint. Done. No blisters. No major damage.
• Glass over defunct head thru hull.

For what it's worth, I still have my house (stupid housing market); so I haven't moved aboard, yet.  Probably just as well.

[Frank]

You've been busy  grog to ya   ;D

[Godot]

It's a process.  Although I might need to revamp the list to be more appropriate to my existing situation.  I've been working on lots of things that aren't on the list.

Boat, finally, launches this week. :)

[s/v Faith]

Nice work Adam.

  I would get underway on Faith right now, sure would like to work though the list though.  Man, that rig has been up there since 1964... sure would like to give it some love.

[Jim_ME]

Adam, Appreciate your sharing the process--the list of issues, options, decisions and thinking behind them.

Good luck with the launch--and with dealing with the house.

[Godot]

It's a new year, and the boat is still being worked on. Last year instead of working on the list, I mostly just went sailing. It had been a long time since I had a year with this much time on the water, and it felt good. This year I'm back to the list for a couple reasons... 1) I'm planning on sailing to Martha's Vineyard in a few weeks. I expect to be offshore (50ish miles, I'm guessing) for maybe three days. Time and weather will tell. 2) Due to my own laziness, I now need to get my mainsail repaired. As long as it's in the shop, I may as well work on my other issues.

Soooo, so far this year I am revisiting some issues I had marked as closed previously.

My forehatch experiment was a success. Except I made it out of cheap Home Depot "white wood" since it was intended as just a prototype. I never got around to making a replacement out of teak or mahagony or something decent, so it started to dry rot away. Bummer. Instead of just rebuilding it to the same plan (which, while quite functional, just never looked right on my boat) I bought a manufactured offshore rated hatch (the brand escapes me). I am having to do some modifications to make the durn thing fit; but so far it is looking good.

Also, previously checked off repair to the bow pulpit had to be un-checked off. Stupid Boat Owner Syndrome (SBOS) kicked in and I made a quick, but decidedly inadequate, repair. It seems much better now. Time will tell.

The previously rebuilt hatchboards had a feature that I thought was pretty useful...a louvered vent. Sadly, wasn't as water resistant as I had hoped, so I'm in the process of re-doing it.

I really should rebuild the cockpit seat hatches. They are sort of Okay; but they are deteriorating. They need to be fixed.

Happily, something is actually complete...CROSS OFF as COMPLETE the task of securing the batteries. I built a new shelf, and they are sitting happily secured under the cockpit right now. This has worked out very, very well. At least until it is time to top off the water (which it is now). That part is a drag.

I'm in the process of installing an anchor roller for a new Bruce style anchor. What is odd about this anchor is that it seems so much smaller than my previous danforth clone of a similar weight (16 pounds).  I'm beginning to regret not going for the 22 pounder; but everything I've been reading suggests that 16 is enough. We'll see. I still have the Danforth as a second, and a Fortress as a third, so there are options out there should I need them. In any case, mounting the anchor roller is a fair amount of work due to the design of the boat. I think I've got it licked, though, and should have it installed in the next week or two. I think this is going to really make my anchor handling easier. I'm looking forward to trying it out.

The quarter berth is going back into contention as a place to sleep, if for no other reason than it is the easiest bunk to set up for use underway.  I don't have good cushions for it; but I do have a cushion from a lawnchair that looks like it will work. It's not terribly thick, and will likely be rather uncomfortable; but that will just keep me from sleeping through a scheduled 360 degree horizon scan (every 15 minutes or so, I guess).  At least, that's what I'm telling myself.

[ntica]

read trough your "do list" = eye opener for me (I have things to do)
any pic's on your boat, would be nice to see?! And keep it up!

[David_Old_Jersey]

I understand the going back to "completed" things well  ::)

On the 1/4 berth bunk cushion thing - what about getting a piece of foam and simply putting inside an old sleeping bag? Could stitch the top closed or simply punch in some poppers or eyelets (and lace up) - I like sewing with a hammer! Won't be a perfect fit - but does not need to be.

[Godot]

I can do photos.

I hope everyone has decent bandwidth...


s/v Godot, shortly after purchase


Here I am lounging, early on in the ongoing refit process. You can see the bulkhead shelves behind me. I was not a fan of these...


...so I built a new cabinet. I am very satisfied with how this project came out. The location of the VHF being forward in the cabin, and a few feet away from the companionway was an experiment. With the wireless WHAM mics, it works out pretty well. If I were to do it again, though, I'd grab a VHF that uses WIRED command mics.


Here you see the storage cubby I installed behind the dinette, and the expanded wooden storage area below in the middle section of the dinette. These both worked out quite well. The extra storage is very welcome, and it makes the dinette the best place in the boat to snooze, even when the table is not dropped to turn it into a so called "double."


A shot of the bow area. Notice the funky brackets that the bow pulpit is attached to...this was the result of the prior owner attempting to work around some hurricane damage. It worked. Sorta. The raised mounting bad was pretty much destroyed by having the pulpit torn off.


A somewhat better view.


So I tried a couple ways to fix it. FIRST, I just screwed it to the deck aft of the raised pad. This worked for a little while; but wasn't nearly strong enough. I should have known. You may be able to see all the putty I have slathered around the mount in order to minimize the water below decks (click for a bigger image). You can ALSO see the beginning of my more permanent repair. I laminated up some fiberglass and epoxy disks, approximately 1/8" thick, and bonded it to the top of the raised mounting pad. This seems to have greatly improved the strength, and while I don't have a photo showing it, the pulpit is much more secure now that it is mounted where is belongs. A win. I think. Time will tell, of course.

You can also see my Amsteel lifelines, including a rather decent eye splice, thank you very much. I am very happy using rope instead of wire. It's easier and more pleasant to work with. It looks nicer (to my eye, anyhow), feels nicer (to my touch), is somewhat cheaper, and just generally makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. It does require periodic tightening for a couple weeks until it gets fully stretched out; but that hasn't been much of a problem.


The original forehatch (after having the solar vent ripped off by the jib sheet).


My wooden, homemade, prototype forehatch. Sadly, I can't find a photo at the moment when she looks really fine. I cheaped out and used Helmsman Spar Urethane and it didn't hold up long. The cheap wood I built the hatch out of didn't last long either once the varnish was compromised.


So I built a filler piece to put in the forehatch opening, in order to size it to fit the new hatch I bought...


In the end it will all fit together something like this

There are missing photos. There is paint in reality where you don't see it here. Some projects I never photographed. Others just look like poop. But this gives you a general idea of some (a small percentage, actually) of the work I've done. This ain't a Tehani quality refit, for sure. But, for the most part, I am satisfied with my progress.  Still, there is a lot of work left to do.

[Jim_ME]

While reading your description of your projects, I was also thinking that it would be good to see some photos. Glad that you posted them--they show what you had to deal with, what you've done, and are doing so well.
Good luck with the projects ahead.

[ntica]

Thanks for photos, great to see the work you've done. Looking fine! I Use the Wire as a life line, I use roping at first, but my safetyline hook wouldn't slide clean on it.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Just curious as to what that round (stainless steel?) fitting is.............just aft of the (old) pulpit fitting - have same on the Starboard side.

Some sort of vent?

[CharlieJ]

Looks like running lights to me. Used to have those. Replaced with this-

Mounted UNDER bow pulpit. totally out of the way, and the mast foot rests on there when trailering the boat.

[Godot]

Just curious as to what that round (stainless steel?) fitting is.............just aft of the (old) pulpit fitting - have same on the Starboard side.

Some sort of vent?

Charlie is right, it's a nav light. And it will soon be replaced with an LED bi-color that I intend on mounting up on the pulpit. Save electricity, get it a little higher for better visibility, and keep it out of the way of stray sheets or dropped sails (which pretty much defeat the purpose of a nav light when they drop in front). Oh yeah, and to avoid the occasional burn when working the foredeck (darn, but those little incandescents get hot).

[Tim]

Another option for getting Nav lights off the foredeck, what I did on the Typhoon and what I am doing on the Ariel. Aqua signal 33's LED in front of the cowling attached to the cabin side;

[Godot]

Another option for getting Nav lights off the foredeck, what I did on the Typhoon and what I am doing on the Ariel. Aqua signal 33's LED in front of the cowling attached to the cabin side;

I actually considered that. Certainly wiring would be easier. However, I'm still up in the air with whether or not I'm keeping Godot past this season or upsizing a bit. If I do keep her, I figure there is at least a possibility I will be getting a monster genny (given the summer wind around here, I could use it), and I was concerned about obstructing the light. As well, my cabin sides aren't exactly vertical, and I wasn't sure how that would affect things. 

Grog for a good idea, though.

[Tim]

Adam, the original lights for the Ariel were mounted there so I assume that it would be OK. It seems at though at some angle the lights may be obscured sometimes no matter the sail. I have a matching stern light that I use with a wedge on the stern.

[Godot]

Looks like running lights to me. Used to have those. Replaced with this-

Mounted UNDER bow pulpit. totally out of the way, and the mast foot rests on there when trailering the boat.

That's entirely too nice. But close to what I've been considering (although it never occurred to me to mount it underneath...I was going to mount a board ABOVE.  Food for thought).

The nav light I just ordered from Amazon (Attwood LED 2-Mile Deck Mount Navigation Bow Light, Stainless Steel):
. $37.29.  Prices sure have come down. :) I think I can probably mount it on a small platform on top of the pulpit far enough forward of the headstay to keep out of the way.

[Godot]

Further work...

I replaced, finally, the forward tube on the bow pulpit that was knocked out during a hurricane before I bought Godot. It's not a perfect job; but I figured out a pretty decent method with my limited tool set to get the tube installed. It really stiffens up the pulpit and makes me feel better.

I installed the LED nav lights. Man, are they BRIGHT! And they should save quite a few electrons. Good stuff. I built a little plywood platform that was bolted to the top of the pulpit. I eventually may make a nicer job of this; but it is working fine in the interim.

The Vetus forehatch is just about ready to be fully bolted down. It is looking mighty fine, if I do say so myself. Sadly, with the hatch closed it overhangs, slightly, the raised hatch mounting lip (what the HECK is that thing called again?). If it snags the jib sheet I may need to further work on it. I have some ideas; but will hopefully be able to hold off until the next haul...

The anchor roller and anchor are in place. It is a Lewmar Claw 16.5 (basically a Bruce anchor).  It looks kinda small (it is a bit lighter than my knock-off Danforth 18, but looks tiny in comparison) and I'm beginning to think I should have gone with the 22 pounder instead (I almost did; but the anchor roller for the 22 was much more expensive). We'll see... I have 150 feet of new 1/2" braided anchor line (found quite inexpensively at Cheaper Than Dirt...if it works out well I may get another spool); but I need to pick up some 1/4" G3 chain (30' maybe...I mark my rode in fathoms so putting the rope/chain splice at the five fathom mark seems convenient) and splice it on. This is an upgrade from the 3/8" line, 3/16" chain I have been using. 180 total feet would allow me to anchor in around 20' of water at 7:1 ratio (4' freeboard at the bow), or a little better than 30' at 5:1. I may double that; but I think for my immediate plans it would be overkill. I can always attach my old rode if I need extra length.

New cockpit seats are 3/4 built. Actually, they are all the way built. I'm just not quite done with the finish work on them.

Drop boards are almost done as well.

I installed a new waterproof plug on the deck for my new LED anchor light (Pure White Lulu Kaukaua 15 LED Light WITH Photosensor - NO PLUG). Great light, btw.

I finished sealing up an old, unused instrument hole and got the first coat of paint on it.  Looks much nicer.

I connected the GPS to the DSC VHF. And I programmed in my MMSI number. And the weather alert numbers. And my buddies MMSI number. Heck, we may be the only people actually trying to use the DSC feature (although even we will likely defer to cellular if we are in a coverage area once the novelty wears off).

I reinstalled the transducer for the depth sounder to a new location. I'll see if it works any better here. I think the depth sounder instrument head has a loose connection in it, so it may need to be replaced anyhow.

I installed a new water deck fill on the starboard side of the boat, and will soon move the tank fill line to that instead of the port deck fill which is uncomfortably close to the head pump out.

The bellows on my aging (at least ten years old) Thetford porta-pot has failed. Instead of trying to just order the bellows, I put in an order for a brand new (MSD style) Sealand SANIPOTTIE 965MSD). It was time. I was holding off on this purchase as I was trying to figure out a way to shoe-horn in a composting head. There just isn't enough room.  Ah, well.

On the electronics front I've been playing with my brand new Spot Connect.  Coolness, as it actually allows me to send very short (24 characters, I think) text messages by interfacing with my Android via bluetooth. I've also been playing with using an old laptop along with OpenCPN as a chart plotter. Also cool; although I'm not sure I can afford the electrons to run it non-stop, and really have no place to safely mount it anyhow. My rickety old Garmin GPSMAP 162 is still working fine; although I'm afraid its' lifespan is coming to an end as the connector in the back works, but has seen better days and will likely fail completely before too long. Maybe I can buy a replacement part (it's hard to justify spending much money on something this old)? My android cell phone also works fairly well (small screen) as a backup gps/chartplotter/anchor watch/weather forecast/tide table/everything else system; although, sadly, the Active Captain website doesn't work well on it.

I just got the motor running again. This darned thing had me worried. Happily it was 90% operator error. Easily solved when I finally stopped to think about it for awhile.

Holy cow, I've been busier than I thought! I probably forgot one or two things, as well. But I'm in a hurry at the moment. This weekend I depart Baltimore for a trip to Martha's Vineyard. It's time to stretch Godot's legs a bit.  :)