Battery/Gel Coat/Main Rig Questions

[Keith Laser]

I am a new CAP 16 owner.  I need help/suggestions.
1.  I purchased a Minn-Kota electric motor.  Where is the optimum place to put the battery? In the lazzarette? It fits but I'm afraid it will break the cockpit drain tubes.
2.  I bought it with about 10% of the bottom covered with barnacles. The only way I have been able to get them off is with coarse grit sandpaper. In the process I am trashing the bottom and in a couple places sanded through the gel coat all the way to the fiberglass. Do I need to re-gel the entire bottom, or can I do something to get me through the season by touching up those quarter sized spots and then do the entire bottom in the winter?
3.  I didn't get the brief on how to rig the mainsail sheets to the hardware on the stern.  Can anyone provide me a picture or a description on how the sheets should run with the stock hardware that came with a 1981 Com Pac 16? 
Looking forward to any help you can give me. I live in SE Pa and hope to see some of the boats up at Lake Nockamixon for ideas.
Thanks,
Keith

[sawyer]

I can help you with the battery issue. 
We have a Minn-kota 36 on our 87 Cp-16 2.
I have placed two 127 Ah batteries on the concrete floor right under the companionway hatch. I wired them parallel for 12v and ran heavy wire back to the inner fiberglass stern panel just above the lazarette hatch.  I drilled two holes about 12" apart, 4" above the lazarette hatch and attatched the wires to the inside of two bolts that run thru the fiberglass. they are marked red and blk for positive and negative and I attatch my leads from the elec motor with two large wing nuts.  Minn kota literature advised against charging the batteries while hooked to the motor, so I just detatch the motor hookups and clip my battery charger to the studs coming thru the stern glass.  They never seem to get in the way, and the batteries are out of sight and down low over the keel giving some extra ballast. If you would like, I'll send you some photos of the setup.   

[Ralph Erickson]

Hi, Keith.

When I had my 16, I too kept my battery in the cabin under the companionway hatch.  Seems like Sawyer has you covered with how to set the system up.

About the gel coat issue, will you be keeping the boat in the water or will you be trailering.  If the spots are just quarter size, if you are keeping her on the trailer, you can probably get by with touch ups this season.  But if there are lots and lots of them and you are keeping her in the water, I think I'd want to do the whole bottom.   

I'm not sure what set up you have on the '81, so not sure I can help you there.  There are quite a few CP 16's at the marina at Nockamixon, so you should be able to take a gander at some of those.  Do you have a slip at the lake?

See you on Nockamixon!

Ralph

[Keith Laser]

Sawyer's idea makes sense and I believe that is what I will do.
As for the gel coat, I contacted Com Pac and got the answer back that I should epoxy the bottom then paint it. I purchased that Poly Glow kit and will use that from the water line up.  I'll post a picture of the Sea Hawk, ex, Maggie Mae, (Named after an English woman of the night by the original owner) when I get her painted. The other big project I have is running electricity and replacing the bunks inside the cabin.  All winter projects though.
Anxious too to get to Lake Nockamixon to check out the other Com Pac's there in the fleet to figure out how to run the main sheets.
Thanks for the feedback.
Keith

[Paul]

Sawyer,
That's a good idea!  Did you feel the need to seal the holes or do you think it's necessary?  I've considered the idea, too.  But that really seems convenient.

Paul

[multimedia_smith]

Hi,
I did pretty much the same thing with the battery except I put it up in the anchor locker up front to offset passenger weight.  I ran the heavy duty wires to the back and attached them to bolts but I did a seal on the ends.  I used rubber washers and a small rubbermaid food container.  I drilled holes in the bottom of the container and mounted it on the side of the cockpit wall under the wooden seat at the stern.  When it is not in use... I have the "top" of the container in place to keep water out.  It is really convenient for charging the battery or hooking up a 12volt cigarette lighter adapter for charging the GPS or MP3 player.  (I also added a 12v adapter socket on the bulkhead next to the Accessory switch that it is attached to on the panel but it's nice to have one outside the cabin.)  By the way... I use an AGM (absorbed in glass matte) battery because it doesn't spill when heeling and it doesn't emit hydrogen gas while charging... also a good thing.

Regarding the halyards in the mast... I wouldn't recommend it... you want them visible, non tangeled, and running free. 
I'm still trying to figure out how to make the mast light wires quiet in there.
Good Luck
Dale

[Paul]

RE:  Mast light wires.  To keep them quiet:  1)  Get some copper pipe insulation at the big box store.  It's gray foam.  2)  Insert insulation into mast.

The length should be about right.  I'll be re-wiring soon, so the wire will be inside the insulation instead of just pressed to the mast wall.

Any other ideas welcome.

Paul

[multimedia_smith]

Hi,
With regare to question "3" regarding the sheets...
Here is a pic I scanned from the manual:

http://www.com-pacowners.com/gallery2/displayimage.php?album=49&pos=9

and a couple of variations that folks use:

http://www.com-pacowners.com/gallery2/displayimage.php?album=49&pos=8

If you go to Nocamixon, you will see some really "ship shape" 16s there... I'm sure Gil has "Steppin' Up" in by now.

Good Luck

Dale

[Gil Weiss]

Hello Dale and crew . . .Steppin' Up has just past month number one in the water. The PolyGlow finish is holding up great. This is our fifth season with Steppin' Up and, frankly, it looks better every year. I keep working on the details each year to make it better.

This year, beside the PolyGlow treatment, I put another coat of Cetol on the teak and Aquagard bottom paint on the hull. I also put a new mast light fitting on the deck (cabin wall) which was almost an exact replacement for the original. (West Marine sells them) I added a new motor cover that matches the other covers when the boat is in its slip.

I just posted three images in the gallery in the CP16 Album. They are also evident in the new pictures section. I enjoy making my boat look good and enjoy sailing it even more. We have been able to use it every weekend since Mother's Day when we launched for the season.

[Paul]

Gil:

Sweet photos.  Happy sailing!!

Sailing vicariously through others,

Paul