My very first boat...a Compac 16! (and my first adventure)

[janette70]

Hi!

I am finally a registered participant  -  I just purchased a used Compac 16 on July 5!  Her name is Pequena and she is wonderful!

I had been reading so many postings as a guest, which helped tremendously when making my decision to purchase my first boat!  (The other boat I was looking at was the Precision 16.5) Thanks to everyone who posts, it sure helped me feel as if I was making the right decision and now 2 days under my belt on Pequena.... I am soooo happy!

However....of course the person I bought her from was excited she was going to someone who could learn from her - I am currently taking sailing lessons, fell in love with being on the water, and needed a boat of my own! So my first day out was yesterday as a new owner and what a beautiful day!  Heck I was so excited when I actually launched her successfully  - I figured, if nothing else it was a successful day, but light winds, good company, and great coffee on board made for a wonderful morning and afternoon!

Today, a bit different story...still love Pequena but certainly have my first "boat story"!  All went great - launched again no problem, same great company, light winds and was in full bliss.  Almost ready to take a dip in the lake and then the winds picked up so enjoyed sailing with full sails and a fresh breeze.  Winds got a bit stronger with a storm rolling in over the mountains (I am in Denver, CO) so decided to take the jib down and again, everything under control.....

Next tacked, and then watched the mast fall to the port side of the boat!?!?!?! Yep....does this really happen that often or is this beginners luck!

Acted quickly, got the sail off, kept our calm, finally finagled the forestay loose and brought the main to the center of the boat.  Now this sounds like it was easy and not a problem as I write it though, this was not the case.  I certainly kept my cool....but my second day out and literally the mast just falls overboard? Is this what sailing is all about????  What happened to setting course and kickin' it.  I LOVE adventure but this may have been just a bit much for my second day on my own boat! (I have limited experience - renting a few times and my current lessons but never even thought this would happen!)

Back at the dock and back on the trailer we noticed the cotter ring in between the boat and the metal piece the shroud connects to.  I guess it must have been loose and worked its way out or I must have been really lucky yesterday!

Just a bit of damage done...mast footing is bent and some scratches in the cockpit from the boom I had taken off during the brunt of it.  But other than that a good ol' story to start the relationship between my boat and me early on! 

Thanks for listening and it is nice to be apart of the group!  I promise my entries won't be so long in the future!  But there certainly is ALOT of great information for someone like me whose knowledge is limited about sailboats - but growing everyday, so thanks to all!  I have already checked out the posting about how to fix the mast footing but I guess after this  l o n g  story, my question is.....

Where can I find a replacement mast footing for this boat?

Thanks!
Janette

[jimyoung]

Janette,

Welcome to the world of sailing!  After sailing for over 30 years all I can tell you is that most every time you go out you will have an adventure of some type.  Some pleasant, some not so, but all bring back to port a story with them, and most the satisfaction that while on the water you were able to handle the challenges and distractions that being "at sea" presented.

As you learn the language of your boat, you will be able to prevent many, but not all, of the type problems you experienced this weekend.  I feel confident that were you familiar enough with your boat you would have heard her tell you something was not right before the mast let loose.  Learn how to look and listen to what she has to say and you'll enjoy many outings without mechanical mishaps. What other adventures you will encounter out on the water is anybody's guess.  Bottom line is, you went to sea and came home with a story of adventure to tell.

Take this "repair" time to learn her standing rigging.  Once you know what is correct, and keep her to those standards, Pequnea was built strong enough to answer most any challenge you will confront her with.

Fair winds and good luck.

[multimedia_smith]

Hi, and welcome!
Sounds like "Too much excitement"... You seemed to handle it OK though... It's different being the "skipper".
I wouldn't worry too much about replacing the tabernackle...  You can unscrew it, put it in a vise and straighten it out.  The stainless will take it... if it does crack, the factory has all the parts you need.  You might need to rebed the screws,  if they are really reamed out, you can fill and redrill them.  If they aren't too bad, you can use some liquid nails in the holes when you put it back on... you do wan to create a watertight seal on the screws.

May you have many happy hours on the boat... it's not all about "kickin' it"... there is a spirit of adventure and a tale to tell which (with time) will grow in both humor and affection.

Best Regards

Dale

[Paul]

Janette:

Welcome to the forum!  Congrats on your new purchase.  Way to keep you cool.  A person's reaction in such conditions can really tell a lot about them.  Sounds like you did fine.  Jim and Dale said it well.

No worries about the length of a well written story. 

Best wishes and many more sailing adventures.

[fafnir]

Ouch, getting demasted the second time out, happy to hear that no one was hurt and the damage was minimal.  When I bought my Compac, a fair amount of the pins and such had been replaced with the hardware store variety and with how rusted through most of those items were it is amazing that mast had not come down.  I spent most of last winter going through the boat and replacing anything I thought was suspect.  The nice thing about boats this size is the hardware is a lot less expensive then the bigger boats.  I hope your future sailing adventures are less um. . . adventurous :-)

[janette70]

Thanks everyone... I am excited for my many adventures to come and know that all the mishaps make for the best stories, usually!

I have already ordered a new mast step and have a couple of questions...the guy at west marine told me to use this stuff called marine adhesive but i have read that i should fill in the screw holes with epoxy or something of the sort.  The screws definitely came out and left a bit larger holes then the screw itself but not a whole lot bigger.  Can I use just the marine adhesive or definitely fill the holes to redrill again?

Thanks so much - I love this forum, it gives me so much information that i wouldn't have known where to find!

Happy Sailing...I am hoping to be back on the water by the weekend!
Cheer,
Janette

[ilbuildit]

Hey Janette,

    If you are anywhere near Broomfield, I have the material (Epoxy and thickening stuff) you would need to do a repair and re-bed your screws on your mast step. I could possibly take a look at your damage and give you sound advice on how to repair it properly. It isn't a difficult repair to do and it's always good to learn new things. Thought I would throw that out there if you would like.

    Let me know. Lee...

[Paul]

It's probably a "six in one hand, half dozen in the other" type of situation.  The idea is to secure the tabernacle (the mast step) to the deck in a waterproof fashion.  Either epoxy or 5200 (3M's marine adhesive) will do the job.  You want the tabernacle secure, but the deck and compression post are doing the real work here.  Also, check the chainplates (metal strips on the hull sides to which the shrouds attach). 

Let us know which option you decided upon.  Good luck.

[janette70]

Thanks Lee....
I appreciate your willingness to help out!  Certainly is all new to me - but i am learning very quickly!
I had gone to West Marine on Monday and bought 5200 for the adhesive (that is what they recommended and said it wasn't necessary to use a filler?) but I am still debating whether I should just use that or if i need to fill the holes in first with epoxy and redrill.

The boat is actually down at Chatfield and I am in NW Denver.  I will let you know how it goes - I am hoping to receive the new mast step today and get down there this evening to take a look at it.  I do have a friend who is handy that is going to help me.  Though, I know boats can be way different than other repairs....if it is too much too handle, I would love your help - I will let you know how it goes and thanks again for the offer....

Janettte

[Gil Weiss]

The screws need to fit somewhat snug and tighten in the holes. If your demasting enlarged the holes making the screws fit loosely you need to use more than the 5200 adhesive. You need to fill and redrill the holes to make the screws fit tightly again. This is where the epoxy should be used.

If the screws go in tight and snug up on their own with the holes as they are, all you need is a dab of the 5200 on each screw to bed them and waterproof the hole.

My 2 cents . . .

[Minnow]

i just completed my fix of a similar problem.  I was very easy and if you are at all handy you can do it yourself or have your friend help you.  I used a all-in-one tube of epoxy that mixes the two parts together as you squeeze the tube.  It was more expensive (under $20) but made for a very easy fix with very little mess to clean up.  See my latest posting under replacing mast footing'.  good luck

[janette70]

Thanks - I read your posting about your fix.  It doesn't sound too bad!  I went to epoxy the holes last night but we had gotten a bit of a rainstorm yesterday afternoon and the holes got a bit wet.  I am letting everything dry today thoroughly before the fix.  When you mentioned you used silicone, would that be similar to 3M 5200 marine adhesive or something else? 

Thanks!  I am glad you are back out on the water... I think I will have to miss this weekend due to cure times from all of this.

[Minnow]

I used epoxy to fill the holes, then after redrilling them, I just used the silicone to try to make the new screws water tight.  I'm sure the product you have will work as well if not better.  We sailed again today in very heavy wind and rough choppy seas and the mast held up.  Best test I could ask for.  Good luck.

[Craig Weis]

That is a great story and wow! Good advice from those above. Thanx all. I would fill the Tabernacle holes with fresh epoxy resign and drill a small pilot hole and screw down the Tabernacle using a layer of 3-M 5200 slow set. Cures in a matter of days. Even under water. Too much info I know.

Check, check, check. Everything. If it can go wrong it will. Accidents don't happen. You have to let them happen. Don't use cotter pins!

Use these circle clips that act as cotter pins...that is keep the hardware where it is suppose to be, but these will not fall out.

Go over everything once more. If it moves look at it. Figure out what is does. Figure out if it is doing the job. And understand exactly how that job is done. Understand your boat. Take a day and crawl around in it, on it and under it. Check that rudder, tiller, boom. Lube the sail rope going into the slot in the boom and the sail cars going up the mast's slot. Lube the pulleys at the mast head and start making a list of things maybe you want to change, or on-the-water problems you run into.  [Example, my main sheet kept twisting the three gang block at the end of the boom. That was always a pain so I replaced this three gang side by side block with a Gahauher [sp] in line pulley. Works fine and no more twist.]. You get the point. skip. ps. Nice boat!.

[janette70]

Today is the day....I am headed out in a bit to start the fix!  I am so thankful for all of the advice, it really helps.  I will let you know how it goes!

And I am definitely going check all the hardware and start replacing where needed.  This lesson certainly has exemplified my learning of a sailboat - isn't that great...what a great teacher Pequena is!

Skip...the safetys on the pins were the circle rings but when we found the culprit by the chain plate, it was a bit "stretched" out...you are absolutely right, go over everything with a fine tooth comb!

Happy sailing to all those that are out on the water this weekend...I'll get there soon enough - I guess I was due for more classroom style learning!

Cheers,
Janette