Spring Fever

Off-Season Blues....

After two seasons, with a lot of single-handed sailing, I have started to get a feel for the boat, how she handles, what she might need, and what I might want to add.  This winter I had a very specific list of to-dos and to-gets.  I worked my way through most of them, reconsidered a couple of them, and never got around to a few of them.  The tarp came off on 14 April, and I got to work.  My launch date was scheduled for 7 May -- a mere two-week window!

Time to get to work!  Clock is ticking.  T-minus 14 days and counting.....

I was eager to re-varnish the brightwork, but had to wait for temps to climb into the 50s.  I sanded down the toe rails and prepped them for varnishing.  My neighbor advised me to put a minimum of eight coats of varnish, but I confess I ran out of time after five coats.  It is not a Herreschoff, after all, and I am only doing the toe rails.  For the metal rails and stanchions, I used "Spotless Stainless."

I also made a couple of wooden racks, all painted and varnished, to hold chart books, pamphlets, notebooks, and other publications inside the cabin.  I am tired of having to pick up so much stuff off the cabin sole after a day of sailing.  Things get tossed around too much.  I strung bungees to help keep things on shelves and mounted some stowage netting, as well.  I also put in a small Weems and Plath Trident Bimini barometer ($70).

Hardware Updates

'Piao' is a southcoast local, as is my wife.  The Admiral comes from Fairhaven, the boat was built in Fall River, and its rigging fixtures are Schaefer, based in New Bedford.  I like the wife, and the boat (in that order of preference), but I have never liked the fiddle block on the boomvang.  It uses a V-jam, which I find annoying.  So this year I splurged a bit and bought a new Lewmar 50mm fiddle block with becket and cam cleat at West Marine for $60.

Out with the old....

....In with the new.

I have been frustrated with the few (and small) cleats that Piao has on her deck.  In particular, there are no cleats amidships on which to attach spring lines.  As a quick and easy fix, I ordered a pair of stainless steel chock cleats ($197) that are mounted on the genoa track with an adjustable locking mechanism that permits you to move them forward and aft along the track, as needed.  I also discovered my dock lines were oversized, so I bought a new set (bow line, spring line, stern line).  I kept the old ones because, you know, you can never have too much line on a boat....

The original foresail leads were pretty much worn out and disintegrating, so I ordered a pair of replacements ($163).  When I bolted them in through the deck, I noticed some water dripping down into the cabin.  Not a good sign, since that signals moisture in the deck core.  That will be an issue to address next year.  Hopefully, it is a relatively localized problem!

The rusty discoloration on the deck is a sign of water egress from the old blocks.  Not good.

Furling Line

I also bought a new furling line for the foresail.  The existing line (5/16") was a little big for the CDI furler, and was chafed in places.  When I check the specs for the furler, I discovered I could downsize to 1/4" line -- which fit much more nicely in the drum.  Fortunately, R&W Rope in New Bedford had their annual "RopeFest" sale going on, I got 50' of 1/4" line (way more than I need) for only $8!

New furling line installed -- old line on the left

I also picked up a Davis Echomaster Radar Reflector ($40).  While I have no plans to be out in conditions of poor visibility, I figured this was a prudent safety device that could not hurt.  Piao is too small a boat to mount radar or even AIS.  But at least this may help others see me.

Keep Calm and Anchor Down

I want to start overnight cruising this season.  While I would much prefer the security of being overnight on a transient mooring, I also want to be able to anchor overnight if necessary.  Piao came with a 14-lb hinged fluke Danforth anchor, to which I added ten-feet of 1/4" chain and 150' of 3-strand rode (which I marked every ten feet).  Last year, while out sailing with the wife, we came across a line floating on the surface of the water, and fished up another 14-lb Danforth that someone had slipped or lost.  So, I have two more or less identical anchors.  The hinged fluke design has been fine for a "lunch hook," and performs well in the muddy bottoms characteristic of many places around my area.  However, they are known to hold poorly in grassy bottoms.  So, after much consideration, I dropped by Defender Marine one day on my way home from Stony Brook and bought a 14-lb Lewmar Delta fixed plow anchor ($133) and 20-feet of 1/4" galvanized G4 chain ($52), along with 150' of double braided rode ($80).  The anchor is a little oversized for Piao (Lewmar recommends their 9-pounder for a 23' boat), but I hope that (and the chain) will bring added security.

Left Defender Marine 29-pounds heavier and $265 lighter....

One problem I had to solve, however, was where to stow the Delta.  I do not have a bow roller or windlass, and it does not fit in the anchor locker in the bow (where I stow the Danforth).  I didn't want to put it in the lazarette, as I feared it might tumble around in rough conditions and bang a hole in the fiberglass hull.  Since I usually sail alone, I use the V-berth up front for storage.  I hooked the nose of the Delta in the space at the bow, beneath the anchor locker, and then mounted some bungees to secure it in place.  I can't call this "readily accessible," and I will have to tie the anchor to the boat before I use it, but I do not plan to use this often -- only if overnighting somewhere with a grassy bottom (such as Hadley's Harbor).

Plumbing

The O'Day 23 has a small galley sink.  The hand pump on the sink was broken when I got the boat.  The Previous Owner said it was "unfixable," and suggested that I just forget about it and use the sink as a storage bin.  That was okay the first year, but last year I began to regret not having somewhere to wash my hands.  I figured these things must break all the time, just like on RVs.  A few minutes on the Google confirmed as much.  So I ordered a Whale Flipper Mk IV water pump through West Marine for about $109.

 Old broken sink hand-pump faucet

New (and fully functional) sink faucet installed

Well, if you want to have a functioning sink, you also need to have functioning water lines.  This 

opened the proverbial Pandora's Box.  I had to squeeze myself into the cockpit lazarette and into the tiny space beneath the sole of the cockpit.  This was no easy task for a guy my size.  I tried to get my 12-year-old stepson to do this for me, but he wanted too much money to do the job.

What could possibly add to the fun of working in a space more appropriately sized for a twelve-year-old?  Well, it could start hailing....

Just fitting in there was challenge enough: there is probably only 18-24" between the cockpit floor and the hull.  It was like that scene in "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" where Uma Thurman is buried alive inside the coffin.  I decided to take my phone in there with me, in case I got stuck and needed to call for help.  Once I squeezed in, I had to unscrew all the old hose clamps and remove all the old hoses from their fittings: sink drain, sink drain air vent, water intake, water intake air vent, etc.  The old hoses were real nasty looking: green and black with biological growth.  Eww.  Good thing the sink pump was broken!

 The colorful old water hoses.....

The old water tank line to the sink faucet.  Thirsty?

One thing led to another and I ended up pulling out the entire freshwater holding tank.  This made it much easier to install the new hoses and work in the bowels of the boat, since I now had an additional two feet of leg room.  It also gave me an opportunity to give the water tank a good cleaning.  It is 34-years old, after all, and as far as I know it has never been cleaned.  I disinfected it for good measure, even though I don't intend to use it for potable water.

New hoses attached to water tank

Here are two photos showing the BEFORE and AFTER on the water line replacements.  Line to the left feeds from the tank to the sink faucet, the one in the middle is an air vent, the line on the right is the sink drain.

Old hoses....

New hoses....

Along the way, as I was trying to pull the old sink drain hose off its thru-hull fitting, the plastic fitting snapped off in my hand.  Added to my frustration was the fact that this was probably the least accessible of all the places down under inside the boat.

Oops....

That meant something else to replace.  But better the thru-hull fitting failed here and now, 'on the hard,' than when the boat was in the water.

Material Fatigue.... Owner Fatigue....  Credit Card Fatigue....

Mast Work

For some projects, I was very fortunate to have the assistance of Ed Van Kurtin, owner of Buzzards Bay Yacht Services.  Ed did some work on the mast, including running a new coax cable ($28) and installing a VHF antenna ($64), mounting foam pads inside the mast to reduce clanging of internal wires and cables when the boat rolls and pitches ($9), and upgrading the wiring for the steaming and anchor lights ($28).  He also mounted a new bail ($50) at the foot of the mast, to replace the old one that broke last season.

Busted Bail (compliments of Schaefer) 

New bail seems a bit more durable....

Along with the new wiring running inside the mast, Ed installed new Cable Clams ($40) in the deck through which the wires and VHF cable could pass to a terminal block inside the cabin.  This would keep the connections out of the weather.

 Drilling holes for the Cable Clams

 When he drilled, however, he discovered more wet soft balsa in the core in the area near the mast step.  His assessment was that it is still okay to sail this year, but it should definitely be repaired next winter.  Looks like I will need to find a second (or third) job....

Transducer

For Christmas, my kids got me an Airmar P319 transducer that could be connected to my Garmin 441s Chartplotter to display depth readings under the keel.  My wife thought this was unnecessary, but every party needs a party-pooper, right?  I have a traditional lead line that can be cast by hand, with a recess in which to stuff tallow for bottom samples, but the transducer will be a big help when anchoring or when venturing into shoal water.  Ed was happy to help me mount it.  "It's always fun to make a hole in a boat," he grinned fiendishly.

 Hmmm.  Maybe I should have got an in-hull or transom-mounted transducer....

Mounting the transducer....

 I hope that stays in place.....

Bilge Pump

Since I now had a hole in my hull, it was a good idea to install a bilge pump.  Ed was astonished to learn I did not have an electric bilge pump, only a hand pump.  "I wouldn't take this boat anywhere without a bilge pump," he cautioned.  He recommended a compact Rule 25D automatic (about $38 at West Marine), that runs on a three-minute cycle without a float switch.

 Piao's tiny bilge....

Rather than drilling screw holes into the hull, Ed jammed the bilge pump in there snuggly and suggested I check it regularly

Electrical Work

In addition to the transducer hook-up, Ed installed the bilge pump switch as well as a 12-volt DC charging station with a USB port.  I find my cellphone sometimes runs low on battery while I'm out sailing, and I wanted a charging station inside the cabin away from the wetness of the cockpit.

Not a lot of space to work with, alas....

 Cutting holes for the bilge pump switch and the 12-volt DC outlets

Voila!

I also added a VHF base station.  The first two seasons I had been sailing with a Standard Horizon hand-held VHF radio.  It worked okay, but not great -- rather limited range for both transmission and reception.  So this year I added a Standard Horizon Explorer GX1700 with GPS (about $200).

I also put in a small electrical fan for the cabin.  It gets a bit muggy down there during the summer, and this year I want to start overnight cruising.  I hope this will add to comfort.

With all this new electrical stuff, it was time to upgrade Piao's electrical panel.  The original had four switches: cabin lights, steaming light, deck lights, and anchor light.  Ed helped me install a new panel with eight fuses ($227). 

Piao's original electrical panel

New panel.....

When all was said and done, Ed remarked "You probably have the nicest electrical system for any 23-foot sailboat around here."

"How much did Ed charge you for all that work?" my wife asked one day.  "I'm not sure, off-hand," I answered cautiously.  "A couple hundred for this and for that."  Good thing she never reads my blog....