Photo Update

old elect panel

new elect panel

new top and sink in galley

removing old top



woodwork before refinishing



after refinishing

new tunes  and 12 volt plug

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.

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.

It fits wow!!!!

new table 

new table with leaf removed

 new table folded up

Not sure if we are going to rename the boat or not

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.

Getting in last few days of sailling

Finally got back sailling after a few week of no being able too. We got some photos of it sailling too

I hope to get a few more before it gets too cold 

great fall day on the lake

 

Sailboat Specifications for LUGER - WESTWIND 21

Sailboat Specifications for LUGER - WESTWIND 21

from  SailingJoy.com 

Technical Specifications

Hull Type Swing Keel
        
LOL 21ft.

LWL 17.5ft.

          

Beam 7.5ft.

.

Draft(min)1.83ft.

          

Draft(max) 5.08ft.

           

Displacement  1950lbs.

           

Ballast 440lbs.                 

Production

Builder Luger Industries (USA)

Construction Material Fiberglass

Production Start 1967

Rigging and Sails

Rig Type  Fractional Sloop

 

Listed Sail Area 200sq.ft.

               

Performance Calculations

Maximum Hull Speed 5.61 kts.

 

Capsize Screening Formula 2.4

 

Sail Area/Displacement (SA/D) 20.5   (Racer)

 

Displacement/Length (D/L) 162.43   (Light Displacement)

 

Motion Comfort Ratio 10.35

A great sailing day and went fast

Saturday we took out the boat with friends Jack and Shelly it was our  best over all day so far.  We got on and off the trailer with out anyone needing to get wet. Last week I did spend time working on the boat adding new hardware on some of the lines, added more cleats, plus added a boom lift and down haul line. I also added guards on the sides of the trailer to keep the boat in line with trailer when going in and out of the water.

We sailed for about 3 hours. I was able to get  the software to work on my phone and used it to track us on the lake for  2 1/2 hours.  We had a max speed of 5.8 knots and average speed of 2.8 knots.  We traveled around 7 miles back and forth across the lake.  I did find out that the max hull speed for The Sea Horse is around 5.8 to 6.0 knots depending on who does the calculations.  I also found a bunch of specs on the boat that I will post later.

I am hoping to get some of the fiberglass work done on the front hatch this week.