I made a bunch of progress over this weekend. The bottom paint went on sale, reduced all the way down to 123$ a gallon. Luckily I only needed one gallon. So I was able to sand, and clean, and put two coats of bottom paint on the boat, so that part of the boat is ready for the water. Earlier this week I was able to find a company that will remanufacture the Hunter decals that originally came with the boat. I ordered new decals and striping. Some of the striping I had to take off when I did some of the gelcoat repair, so I'll be able to replace all of it with new. I was also able to make room and get the motor up on a stand to test it out. I cleaned the plugs, and on the third pull, it fired right up. There's a lot of smoke yet, but it seems to run well. Maybe later next week I can put it outside and let it run, and see if the smoke will stop.
I put an order in to West Marine this week for some of the final parts for mounting the grill, relocating the halyards to the cockpit, and some other parts. One of the things I finally did was to finalize the location of the grill, and the mounting system I'm going to be using. The mounts will be multipurpose. This week, I also picked up a GoPro camera, which is a very small waterproof camera that will make it easy to record the sailing that we do, and can be mounted on the same hardware as the grill. This particular camera can be used for things like skydiving, bungee jumping, surfing, and other high-action recordings (none of which, we'll be doing). I did record myself painting the second coat of the bottom paint. I am going to edit it, and may post it, in fast forward, so everyone can watch paint dry.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Fun with gelcoat
I am making progress on the gelcoat repairs. I have most of them done now. I need to touch up a couple of small spots. I've never worked with gelcoat before, and it's taken a little bit of learning to figure it out, but I think I've gotten it. I finished up the refinishing of the wood work for this year and there are a couple of spots I might strip down next winter. The only stuff left that I can finish before the boat goes back on the trailer is bottom paint and some of the lettering and decals. One of the things that is an open question is the motor. I don't have enough room in the garage right now to see if it runs or see if it needs work. Hopefully that will be soon.
When the boat is back outside and on the trailer I will have a about a day of work to be ready for the sailing season, or I hope that it will be ready anyway. I have classes most Tuesdays and many Saturdays over the next couple of months. I am looking to do some racing this year also.
When the boat is back outside and on the trailer I will have a about a day of work to be ready for the sailing season, or I hope that it will be ready anyway. I have classes most Tuesdays and many Saturdays over the next couple of months. I am looking to do some racing this year also.
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| Before and after sanding but no finish yet |
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| old depth gauge |
repaired gelcoat splits
more repairs
Monday, February 25, 2013
Photo Update
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| old elect panel |
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| new elect panel |
new top and sink in galley
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| removing old top
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new tunes and 12 volt plug
Friday, February 22, 2013
midwinter update
Not much progress has been made since my last posting. I have been trying to figure out how to repair gel coat in four small areas on the deck of the boat. Some of the things that have been going on is that I was able to pick up a Garmin 431s chart plotter. I plan to flush mount it in the bulk head next to the companionway door. I will be putting it where the existing depth sounder was. The new chart plotter will be able to measure depth along with chart plotting. I still have some wood to refinish in the boat and the bottom paint to do. But waiting for the paint to go on sale this Spring.
Some other things that have been going on are that I'm working to get my captain's certification through NauticEd. I have everything done but completing one of the weather classes. I've also completed US Sailing's Online Small Boat Course. I've also signed up for the ASA 105 Coastal Navigation through Northern Breezes. It's a six-week course starting March 12, all classroom learning. I'm also looking at some racing classes with the Wayzata Yacht Club.
One of the things that's still undecided is where the boat will live this Summer. One of the options is trailering it whenever we want to get it into the water. We are looking at a number of locations where we'd like to go this year, including the St. Croix Valley, Lake Pepin, and Lake Minnetonka. One of the options we're considering is trying to get a mooring buoy on Lake Harriet or Lake Calhoun. It's a lottery system, and I would be towards the bottom of the group that's picked, so no guarantee we would get to moor there. A couple of the big draw backs for the city lakes are that the lakes are smaller and we can't use gas motors, and would have to rely exclusively on sails to maneuver the boat, which could be nerve-wracking. I have also looked at trying to dock or moor the boat in Afton or Lake Waconia. The cost would be approximately half of what I paid for the boat, per year. And both are about an hour's drive from home. But as far as sail time goes, rigging the mast and taking it down take time as well, so it's a trade-off. The option I'm looking at right now is getting membership with the Wayzata Yacht Club. It is only about 15-minute drive from home. There is a public boat ramp along with a crane that could be used to put the boat in and out of the water. I'm looking at crewing for some of the races this year. They have races every Thursday and Sunday, and sounds like you can show up and get on a boat with someone. I'd be able to learn a lot more about sail trim and boat handling.
Even though it's only the end of February, I'm excited about getting back on the water with the new boat, and doing some weekend sailing trips with Lori and Jane.
Some other things that have been going on are that I'm working to get my captain's certification through NauticEd. I have everything done but completing one of the weather classes. I've also completed US Sailing's Online Small Boat Course. I've also signed up for the ASA 105 Coastal Navigation through Northern Breezes. It's a six-week course starting March 12, all classroom learning. I'm also looking at some racing classes with the Wayzata Yacht Club.
One of the things that's still undecided is where the boat will live this Summer. One of the options is trailering it whenever we want to get it into the water. We are looking at a number of locations where we'd like to go this year, including the St. Croix Valley, Lake Pepin, and Lake Minnetonka. One of the options we're considering is trying to get a mooring buoy on Lake Harriet or Lake Calhoun. It's a lottery system, and I would be towards the bottom of the group that's picked, so no guarantee we would get to moor there. A couple of the big draw backs for the city lakes are that the lakes are smaller and we can't use gas motors, and would have to rely exclusively on sails to maneuver the boat, which could be nerve-wracking. I have also looked at trying to dock or moor the boat in Afton or Lake Waconia. The cost would be approximately half of what I paid for the boat, per year. And both are about an hour's drive from home. But as far as sail time goes, rigging the mast and taking it down take time as well, so it's a trade-off. The option I'm looking at right now is getting membership with the Wayzata Yacht Club. It is only about 15-minute drive from home. There is a public boat ramp along with a crane that could be used to put the boat in and out of the water. I'm looking at crewing for some of the races this year. They have races every Thursday and Sunday, and sounds like you can show up and get on a boat with someone. I'd be able to learn a lot more about sail trim and boat handling.
Even though it's only the end of February, I'm excited about getting back on the water with the new boat, and doing some weekend sailing trips with Lori and Jane.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
The work on new Hunter starts
We have started to update the new boat. For the most part the boat is in great shape, and very much sail-able the way it is, but we want to make some changes that will better fit our needs. I was able to get the boat into the heated shop, with a extra inch or two to spare, after the boat was lowered off the trailer. Now we can work this winter and be ready to sail in the spring. We plan to clean up all of the wood on the boat with new varnish. I have started to fix some small repairs on the gel coat on the deck. I have already upgraded the battery to a new larger one, along with installing a new radio to play music. I installed a new electrical panel and replaced some of the wiring. Yesterday I built a new table that was missing from the boat. Half of it folds up on the wall when not in use, and made a table leaf that can be added to make it larger. I plan to bottom paint the boat even though we could get another season out of it. I am also going to re-rig the boat so all of the lines come back to the cockpit, so I am able to sail single-handed. I picked up new laminate for the top of the galley and found a replacement sink that is the same as the old one, and will fit in the existing cutout. The hardest part about buying the boat now, is having to wait till the ice is off to sail the new boat.
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| It fits wow!!!! |
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| new table |
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| new table with leaf removed |
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| new table folded up |
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| Not sure if we are going to rename the boat or not |
Monday, November 26, 2012
Best days of boat is buying and selling it
It is said that the two best days of owning a boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it. Today was both. I sold the Sea Horse to friends of mine who sailed with me in it this summer. I enjoyed the boat a lot, but was not what I was looking for. I found a good deal on a Hunter 23, which is only 3 feet longer and foot wider, but is a lot more boat. Lori and I are talking about doing some weekend trips with this boat along with Jane. I have been keeping my eyes open for a different boat. At first I was looking at some other boats, but I kept coming back to this one. The size and capabilities were more of what I wanted, but also the name of the boat caught my attention. The spelling is only one letter off from my name. We are undecided as to whether "Donovan Too" remains the boat's name.
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