Deck hardware, simplify?

[s/v Faith]

So Faith is getting some much needed attention.  I have been cruising aboard Emerald Tide for two seasons now, and Faith has been sitting... Waiting.

Her bright work is pretty bad, working on that.  The topsides and deck I painted with bright sides one part poly has peeled and looks terrible (that paint is junk, I do not recommend it... My prep was very good, it just does not hold up in the sun!).

Anyway, as I remove the paint I see that I have both the original cleats for the main sheets, I still have the smaller cleats for the chute, and pad eyes for the turning blocks for the chute....  I removed the Turing blocks and and removing all the associated hardware for the spin...  I removed the halyard yesterday, (reeved a messenger line, but not sure why... Going to remove that too as well as the spin pole topping lift).

I have self tailing wenches, so I do not need cleats for the jib sheets..l thinking of removing then too.  I also have a jam cleat on the block for the main sheet.. Might as well do away with that one too eh?

I still have a bit and two (large bronze) cleats forward.. Two (large bronze) cleats mid ships, and two (large bronze) cleats aft....   I will have a small bronze cleat on the starboard side for the furling line, but can remove 4 others... 

I have cruised with her, and the only time I recall using the cleats I propose removing was to hang extra fenders... But I can tie them elsewhere...

Thoughts?

[Tim]

I would say take them off if you haven't used them.  You can always return them in the future if need be.

[s/v Faith]

I would say take them off if you haven't used them.  You can always return them in the future if need be.

Your reply makes my question seem painfully obvious...  Yes makes sense doesn't it?  Gone they are!

oBTW, I was sitting below yesterday and thinking of just how cool that oil lamp you sent me looks sitting on the bulkhead...  Might have to anchor out and light her up again soon!    >:(

[Captain Smollett]

Reading your description, I am confused as to which you are talking about getting rid of.

While I agree with Tim's statement...if you find you don't use them, might as well get rid of them...I'm wondering if a set you are thinking of eliminating are the midship cleats.

Do you find you use that set often...docking and the like?  Neither of my boats are set up well with mid ship dock line attachment points, and I find I would like to remedy that.

So, I'm curious if that's a set you are talking about eliminating.  Perhaps I just misread / misunderstood, and you are talking about others.

[Frank]

Glad you're putting some time into Faith. I think a few "before n after" pics are in order. You'll feel like home aboard in no time. You'll be amazed how everything is "within reach" compared to Emerald Tide

[Jim_ME]

Craig, good to see you back aboard S/V Faith...just as it is to see Charlie back aboard Tehani.

For what it's worth, here's how I look at this...the various categories...

Things that exist and should remain, since they have proven to be useful (a no-brainer).

Things that I should purchase and install, since I am confident (from some experience on the boat) they will be useful.

Things that are not so useful that I would purchase and install them, but that I may leave in place, since they already exist, and could conceivably be useful in some situation that I may not have yet encountered. If it breaks or wears out, I likely won't replace it. [Might include that 35-year old Volvo inboard diesel that once spent, could be replaced by an outboard for a fraction of the cost of an inboard re-powering.]

Things that exist but have a negative effect or that I am confident (after much experience on the boat) will never be useful, and should be removed for the sake of simplicity. Or an item that has obviously been made redundant by another item. [E.g., Once I abandon the original roller reefing in favor of slab reefing, there is no problem permanently attaching the vang to the boom, since it will no longer need to rotate]

Philosophically, it helps to put myself at ease to remember that many Alberg (Rhodes and similar) boats were designed as fairly state-of-the-art racer/cruisers where an ample crew is presumed for handling spinnakers and such, but many have now become cruisers and voyagers that may be sailed short handed. Now there are so many head sail alternatives to a spinnaker available, that were not years ago, that work so much better on a cruising boat. Nice to see these good old boats find such an extended life and (to me at least) higher purpose.

Tim's point, as you already acknowledged, is a good one for things that are easily reversible. I remember being shown a boat by its new novice owner and winced to see what had been a beautiful long tiller that the previous owner had made, lopped short. He had decided that it was too obtrusive to those seated in the cockpit, before he had learned that the main needed to be reefed as the wind picked up, and that tiller angle he had decided was a problem was to counteract weather helm that was not normal, and should have been remedied by keeping the sail area balanced. Anyway, some changes are easier to undo than others, and getting plenty of experience on the boat never hurts. Sometimes, maybe the previous owner knew what he/she was doing...