Messages

Noah, your light installation above the dinette is really nicely done.  I love the RED option also.  Jim, I noticed Dorcy has a 950 lumen lantern which, based on my experience with my 500 lumen, should be almost enough to blind you!  I rarely turn the dimmer switch to 500 on my lantern, it's generally just too bright.

Brit, if you want a cheap, but effective alternative while you replenish your budget, I hung a 500 lumen Coleman LED lantern from the existing lantern ring.  It lights up the whole cabin bright enough to read at night.  I tether it to the mast while underway.  I went 2 seasons on one set of batteries.

I agree on the silicone, it's not my first choice for a solution, hence the post here.  For years I never knew precisely where the water was coming from until the other day when it happened to rain while I was on the boat.  I could see it running right down that car channel in the mast, then "bouncing" off of a machine screw/bolt and splashing on the table and floor.

On my mast (as I suspect with yours as well), there's a recessed channel in which the main sail cars travel up and down the mast.  My mast is keel stepped, so this channel runs all the way down into the cabin and into the bilge.  So too does the rain run down this channel and into my cabin, where it deflects off of a stop-screw, and splashes down on my dinette table and on the floor.  Does anyone have any neat ideas of how to block this channel above deck so the water runs OUT of the channel before it enters the cabin?  All I can think of is maybe stuffing some backing rod and silicon in the channel.  Thanks All 

EKutney, here's where I got my tape http://www.vinylstriping.com/ .  I got the "Premium" vinyl.  I think it's been on for two years (in sunny southern California) and still looking good.  I'll try to post a picture of it on my boat.

I did the striping tape like Sailaway, and I like the look a lot better.  One warning; some detailers like to use acetone to preclean the gel coat before buffing and waxing.  The acetone will ruin the striping tape.

Super clean. Nice job.

Next time the wind pipes up and you feel over powered, try dropping the main.  We sail quite comfortably in 20 knots with jib only.  No weather helm, 7+ knots thru the water.  I believe Stu did the same when he was in the Bay Area.

I believe Gary Brockman recently bought a new elliptical rudder from Foss (in So. Cal) for about $1,900. 

Here are photos of my jack line setup.

Correct Paul, I do not have my reefing lines run aft to the cockpit.  I also like to be tethered in when I'm deploying and dousing the spinnaker.  Some wild things can happen from time to time with the spinnaker flying, especially with a less seasoned, backup helmsman at the wheel. 

If I run the line from the starboard side deck directly to the mast it restricts my range to the port side deck.  Imagine I'm reefing in heavy wind.  I'm on starboard tack and the end of the boom is over the port side deck. I need be positioned at the port forward corner of my dodger in order to reach th aft most reef tie.  At that point, I'm not tethered to the centerline section of the jack line, I'm clipped to the port "Y" section of the jack line.  Note that while STANDING in this position, on the side deck, in heavy weather, reaching to tie the reef tie using both hands, I'm in an otherwise pretty vulnerable position for going overboard.  There's not much to "hold on" to during that task, as Stu suggested.  But with the tether I can actually lean away from my jack line with no fear of falling overboard (barring a failure of course).

Hey Noah, My boat is an '86 with an upgraded Garhauer traveler.  I replaced my single bow cleat with two side cleats.  I always traverse forward on the starboard side because I always reef while on a starboard tack (boom to port and out of my path forward).  Reefing on starboard tack technically affords me broader right of way while executing the reef.  No problems with the jack line fowling the traveler.  The webbing line does not touch any moving parts or the traveler line itself.  It only touches the stationary inner hub and side plates of the triple blocks.  While traversing forward, I have to sit down on the cabin top and unclip when I arrive at the traveler, then re-clip to the remaining centerline webbing, but it's no big deal.  Been doing it for years.  It's so much less stressful (especially for my wife who's nervous about the prospect of having to execute MOB recovery) being able to safely stand on deck in challenging conditions.
Stu, it's BECAUSE I treat the toe rail like a 500 ft cliff that I tether to my centerline jack line, lol.  (Loved your NW trip diary BTW.  Thanks for that).

Here's the sketch of my forward jack line setup.

My forward cockpit pad eye is as described by Stu.  The aft cockpit end: I have - 1/2" line wound tight 3 times around the base of the base of my wheel pedestal with a loop to connect the aft end of my cockpit jack line.  Regarding my forward jack line, from the dodger forward, it is in the middle of my deck, all the way to my bow cleat.  A photo would best convey how I rigged it but I don't have one at the moment. It is attached aft at the starboard snap shackle pad eye.  The webbing then runs along the starboard side deck then thru the starboard traveler triple block hub, then thru the port traveler triple block hub, back to the centerline of the cabin top, then forward to the bow cleat.  It's hard to explain the arrangement at the traveler, but it looks like a "Y" when looking back at it from the mast.  I have a short(3ft?) teather option on my harness, and a long(5ft?) option.  I use the short when moving from the cockpit to just in front of the dodger, and the long while forward of the dodger.  The long teather is just long enough to stand up at the centerline, but short enough that I cannot go over the side.  When reefing, with the boom eased out over the side deck, I actually lean against the jack line while tying the aft reef line.  I'll get some photos if anyone is interested.