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As our MK I's come up on 40 years old, I am concerned that insurance will be hard to come by. Does anyone have any info about companies which insure boats older than 40?

Thanks, Dave

After removing the wood from my keel stub and repairing with layers of fiberglass, I dropped my keel to check the keel bolts but found them fine.  I rebedded with 5200 (don't think there will be a problem in the future LOL) and put a couple layers of fiberglass around the keel seam.

It's not uncommon for the shaft to become frozen. I believe Maxwell recommends inspecting twice a year.
I removed mine last year, greased the shaft and replaced the gear oil and seals.  Not too tough a job.
Meanwhile my dock neighbor was using a dremel and various saws to remove his after ignoring it.

Older boats used plywood between the bilge floor and hull through which the keel bolts pass. I'm not sure when they stopped using wood. Any water leaking in through the crack can deteriorate the wood and potentially the keel bolts.
After digging out the compromised wood and building back up with glass, I dropped my keel, inspected the bolts, rebedded with 5200 and glassed the seam. No issues after 5 years.
FYI, the bolts looked new.

I know I have seen this posted but can't find it.
Has anyone filled the small area (water trap) in the hull behind the aft cabin bulkhead and what did you use?

Andy from Boatworks Today on you tube has an excellent video. He suggests using 3M high bond tape which is what I did. The tape provides space for the Dow sealant so there is no squeeze out

I ended up using a cable clamp. Cheap, easy, perfect.

Exciting river entrance!
Purchased my boat up the Piscataqua. First task was a bridge with 52' clearance. I figured it made it under at least once  LOL.

Enjoy the cruising grounds and the proximity to Maine.

I always roll mine up so the sheets are wrapped around the furled sail about 3 or 4 times. It may not look as neat, but it prevents that from happening.

Another thing I do for "storage" is to use one of the old (3/8? 5/16"?) reefing lines that PO had on my original main.  It's maybe 24" long?  Just enough for two wraps around the furled sail, one wrap above, one below the sheets - which I can reach on the 30 standing on the pulpit, and a square knot.  She's safe and sound.

Prior to astorms, I always take my spinnaker halyard and wrap the forestay in the opposite direction as the sail. 10 or 12 wraps is easy insurance.

Ahhh, PO can mean previous owner. It can also mean pissed off...

[Location]

use an iPad as a chart plotter.

Just an FYI.  You have to be careful about iPads and GPS.  (Unless Apple has changed its ways) only the cell-enabled iPads have an internal GPS chip.  The WiFi (only) iPads don't -- they use wifi networks and cell towers (even w/o an active cell contract) to determine the "gps" location, so it can at times be very approximate.  Even the iPads w/ gps chips initially use WiFi and cell to get the first (approximate) location (recall that your gps takes a while to lock onto enough satellites to start displaying a good location. So when first turned on, an iPad couldn't possibly lock onto GPS as quickly as it appears to find the location -- it's fooling us.)

The iPad Air uses (both wireless and cellular) GLONASS for out of coverage location data.  Here's the specs from Apple...


Wi-Fi + Cellular models

    Assisted GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS
    Cellular

From Apple:

Location
Wi-Fi
Digital compass
Wi‑Fi
iBeacon microlocation

Wi‑Fi + Cellular
Digital compass
Wi‑Fi
Assisted GPS and GLONASS
Cellular
iBeacon microlocation

I take this to be as it always has been, you need to have the cellular version on order to have wifi OR external dongle OR wireless signal from an external GPS such as the Vesper 8000 AIS

I use a Garmin 4210 at the helm. I purchased a year old Chart SD card for about $99 (Garmin will update it to the newest version one time). I installed a Vesper 8000 AIS which includes a WiFi signal. I use Aqua Map on my iPad which is one of the few programs that will accept the Vespers GPS location (no cellular version needed although mine is). Aqua Map also updates all the Active Captain info. I also have the Garmin 78 handheld as a third backup (which I have only used in the dinghy to get back to the boat in the fog :) ).
So, I have one year old charts on my 4210 at the helm with it's GPS Antenna reading AIS info from the Vesper, I have my iPad available using AquaMap and Navionics for problem areas (where updated info is crucial) as well as for AIS and Active Captain using the Vesper's GPS Antenna, the iPad's own cellular GPS antenna if the ship's electronics go out, my rarely used 78 and then (gasp) paper charts.

My RIB is reasonably heavy. I made a block and tackle which doubles as my man overboard lift. I connect this to the dinghy and to the end of the spinnaker halyard. I raise the halyard as much as I can from the coachroof winch and then move forward to the block and tackle where I can lift the dinghy myself.

I believe the Balmar SG200 is the only monitor on the market that does State of Health

Mine was also a bad fuse.