The continuing adventures of Koinonia

[jthatcher]

good morning, Bob.  we are at shore point marina in bayville.   the previous owner mentioned tice's shoals as a possible destination.   i found the thread that you mentioned, and i will keep an eye on it regarding a date.   in the meantime, if we have a chance when we are in the area maybe we could get together to check out your boat..  i look forward to meeting you! jason

[jthatcher]

ok, so i am spending way too much time on this site.. but it certainly is interesting..  i was reading the thread about building a dingy, and i saw your post about buying the book on the gloucester dory..    i love that boat.. i built one about 5 years ago with my son.. still have the molds if you are serious about building one..   you may be familiar with all of this, but  phil bolger passed away not too long ago, and i just read that dynamite payson died within the past couple of weeks..  we used to live in new england, and during one of many trips through rockland, maine, i stopped and called dynamite's home to see if i could pick up the plans for the dory.  he was not home, but his wife invited us over and entertained us till he arrived.. then he showed me his shop and discussed the boat...  and , after all of that, he said that he did not have a copy of the plans!  but he took my check and address and they showed up in the mail a couple of weeks later.   the guy did not finish high school ( until he was in his 60's) , but he was a first rate teacher.. 
    i have been mulling over whether the dory would make a good dingy - it is a little on the large size, but that is exactly what phil used his for, and he wrote that the dory got more attention than his sailboat!    it rows very nicely - as with most dories, the more weight the better..  maybe i can bring it down to shore point once most of the boats are in the water and there is a place to keep it on the trailer when we are not there..  i imagine that it would be helpful to tow a small boat behind..  what is the best system for towing a dingy?  jt

[Bob23]

Indeed, Harold left this earth at age 82 on March 23rd. I always enjoyed reading his, Phil Bolgers and Robb Whites writings in "Messing About in Boats" magazine which, in my humble opinion, is one of the finest rags around.
I plan on building the Gloucester Light Dory or something very similiar this summer. Maybe. If I have time. If I'm not sailing "Koinonia". Lotsa maybes, huh?
bob23

[Bob23]

   "Koinonia" returns home to my driveway from her winter home in Surf City, NY in the next few days. Shame to say, I've done nothing to her this winter but I do have a list of things that need to be done- teak maintenance, possible battery relocation forward, new hausepipe to replace the one that lost it's cover somehow, and maybe a new depth sounder. Of course, a good cleaning is in order. And a barrier coat/new bottom paint project must be done.
   I won't be in very early this year...the old girl needs her make-up. Oh, almost forgot- her new suit of sails should be done in a week or so; I'm really excited about that.
   An old photo:

[jthatcher]

Hi Bob,  it sounds like you have some work to do before the boat hits the water..   I have yet to make it back down to Toms River since we finalized that sale on our boat, but on Tuesday evening I devoted most of the night to reading through your post with a chart in front of me..  what a good way of becoming familiar with the different areas of the bay!   And, maybe it is the next best thing to being there..   I am hoping that the winds and storms that we have experienced in northeast pa the last couple of nights are not quite as bad on the jersey coast..   i have not heard any distressing news from the marina, so I imagine that all is in good order..  .  I am on my way to vt to visit my daughter this weekend, but , if the weather cooperates, I may be able to make it down to jersey next weekend..  i have my fingers crossed!   good luck with the spring preparation..  jt

[Bob23]

J:
   Personal message me if you are gonna be in TR this weekend. Saturday morning I'll be heading up to South Amboy to pick up my new sails so I'll be going right by TR. "Koinonia" is getting beautiful although at a slow pace. Work gets in the way of the more important things in life sometimes. Teak is getting refinished...the list goes on.   
   Bob23

[Bob23]

   Well, seeing how Bob23 is being very lazy these days, I'm taking it upon myself to tell all of you what a slacker he is. Here it is- May 16th- I've usually been in the water for a month now but no- he thinks he's got to work all the time and ignore me! Honestly, sometimes I don't know why I put up with this! I was starting to wonder if he was seeing another sailboat!
   He has just this past week started on the teak refinishing project. Gee! He knows I like my teak nice a shiney but why wait till the last minute? Most of the items on his winter to-do list have been crossed off. Not because they're done. They have been eliminated from the list.
   Maybe I should cut him some slack- he did go out and get me brand new custom made lingerie. When I do make it out on the water, look out, ladies- I'm gonna be one sexy babe! You best keep ane eye on your skippers! And with new sails, just try and catch me!
   And my topsides got a good scrubbing this past weekend. I should be grateful for that. And my cabinside trims got sanded to bare teak and finished with Cetol. I prefer Flagship varnish but I'l settle for Cetol on the narrow little trims.
   Plus, he did remove the mast and inspect all the standing rigging this year. And the outboard gets special attention every year to make sure we get back safely. Gee, maybe I'bve been too hard on him. I know it's been a tough year for him. I guess if I'm patient, we'll be sailing soon. I can hardly wait to feel the salt water under my keel and see the spray flinging off my bow. And I so especially like when he spills some beer on my cockpit floor. Oh, the tast of Dos Equis with lime! C'mon summer!!!
"Koinonia"   

[Bob23]

Good progress is being made:
  Repair to the keel has been made and all bottom paint touched up
  Last coat of varnish on all the teak was applied last night. I'll reinstall it all this week.
  While the electric bilge pump checks out ok, the manual one which I rebuilt 3 years ago, doesn't push a drop of water. That stinks. Well, no, it actually doesn't.
  Last on the list is a good cleaning on the interior...a vinegar and water mix. Then a thorough scrubbing of the exterior deck area.
  I also will make up new mooring lines...yeah, I could reuse last years lines, but it's cheap insurance for a boat that's moored for 6 months in the tumultuous seas of the Manahawkin Bay.
  The topsides will receive their customary cleaning and waxing before she goes for her first swim.
  With the nice weather here, and new sails waiting to be bent on, I'm gettin' anxious!!!
More later...maybe with photos!
Bob23

[Salty19]

Dear Koinonia,

I'm sorry to hear that your captain is slacking this year.  Truth be told, he's been busy trying to drum up new business and take care of demanding customers.    

Here in the flat, farm-filled midwest, we have been sailing a few times a week since May 1.  Don't be jealous...it's just a lake and not a very big one at that.  No salt to taste either.    Captn Mike got motivated this year and attended to all the pre-launch work on time. Even worked half the night one weekend to get it done.  I especially am pleased with the new roller furler and sails as well as new standing rigging. He even matched up the UV cover with the rest of my fabric..so thoughtful!  Of course I am all shiny and waxed like last year and I'm sporting a new boom vang.  He didn't do varnish this year as his special concoction of finishes is holding up great.  Not good enough for me though, so I made one of the rails leak profusely so he had to remove and rebed them.  Figured he would revarnish too but I haven't seen that happen yet. A little bird saw him buy some varnish the other day so my hopes have been renewed of a touchup.  He didn't get the Bebi LED lights installed or finish some wiring I asked, but the wire strippers, tape, heat shrink tubing and connectors are right here in the starboard locker, so I know he's got it on his mind. I heard him mumbling something about an extension he needs for the 12v soldering iron so maybe, just maybe he'll take care of this soon.   Just yesterday he was doing quite a bit of measuring and writing things down after he brought me safely into port after a very strong windy sail.  I think he has a bow and cockpit awning on the drawing board based on what he was measuring.  Well, I guess I'm Ok with that.  A little shade at the dock would be nice--just don't cover me up completely. Like you, I love to show off.  Being the prettiest boat at the marina can be challenging, as you are well aware, but the attention more than makes up for it.

BTW there is a new CP16 a few slips away from me now.  Captn Mike has been waiting to talk to her captain, but never sees him. I hope it doesn't just sit there growing slime on the bottom all season. Again he was mumbling something about how the rig was very loose, mast tilted back, no cotter pins in the rigging and no bobstay off the sprit.  Sounds like a newbie, and captn Mike is worried she will loose her rig.


I hope Captn Bob gets you splashed soon.   Sounds like you'll be looking better than ever!!!
Your younger sister,

Island Time

[Billy]

How does a sprit not have a bobstay??? This could be very dangerous!!! Some people don't deserve to have a Com-Pac.

And I want to hear more about this bow & cockpit awning.

[Salty19]

Billy,  I presume the captn is new to sailing based on the setup of his boat.  Then again, who knows. The mast is titled about 8-10* aft...about 15* off where is should be!  Yep, there was no bobstay at all.  But there is a very thick chain acting as the stay.  It's loose enough that the sprit would be pulled out or damaged way before the chain would take up tension, so it's really of little value.     I imagine is sails like a pig in it's current form. 

I'll try to be gracious about it and offer some help if I ever see him.  Afterall, we've all been newbies at one point too. 

As for awnings...still in the drawing board stage but getting closer to reality.  I want to design two awnings, one for the bow, one for the cockpit.  Ideally would like to not use battens and be simple and quick to attach/remove.    For the bow awning--which I'm sewing first, I am considering running webbing under the fabric on center (from mastring to forestay) and on each side (from each upper shroud to forestay) for support.  Attach these points with webbing hooks (aft) and velcro loops around the forestay (actually a roller furler). Webbing would be sewed underneath the fabric to lift it up yet it's flexible so I don't have to assemble or stow fixed battens.   Sew in 1/8 line around the perimeter for strength should the awning flap in the wind (which you know it will!).  Sew webbing loops for attaching lines to the sides with small hooks to the lifelines.  Not sure if I should use shock cord or lines--leaning towards shock cord.   While all the fabric on my boat is sunbrella "aquamarine" color, I bought some "Linen" color Sunbrella for the awnings.  Thought process there was lighter=cooler.  I will trim the linen fabric in aquamarine to give a custom matching look yet still retain the cooler effect of a lighter fabric.   

Same theoretical design for the cockpit awning, but I may need to use a batten or two.  Would hang from the main halyard and tie off the rails and lifelines.  Considering using collapsable fiberglass tent poles.    Same color fabric and trim.   I have not yet fully figured out the best way to do the cockpit awning without using battens but I'm still thinking about it.  Ideally would like to make it expandable, or better said to have the ability to attach netting walls to it at some point down the road.  Since netting material is dirt cheap, there would be little cost to expand it. 

Figuring out the pattern and attachment design is really the tough part...sewing it hopefully will not be a big deal.

[Greene]

As for awnings...still in the drawing board stage but getting closer to reality.  I want to design two awnings, one for the bow, one for the cockpit.  Ideally would like to not use battens and be simple and quick to attach/remove.    For the bow awning--which I'm sewing first, I am considering running webbing under the fabric on center (from mastring to forestay) and on each side (from each upper shroud to forestay) for support.  Attach these points with webbing hooks (aft) and velcro loops around the forestay (actually a roller furler). Webbing would be sewed underneath the fabric to lift it up yet it's flexible so I don't have to assemble or stow fixed battens.   Sew in 1/8 line around the perimeter for strength should the awning flap in the wind (which you know it will!).  Sew webbing loops for attaching lines to the sides with small hooks to the lifelines.  Not sure if I should use shock cord or lines--leaning towards shock cord.   While all the fabric on my boat is sunbrella "aquamarine" color, I bought some "Linen" color Sunbrella for the awnings.  Thought process there was lighter=cooler.  I will trim the linen fabric in aquamarine to give a custom matching look yet still retain the cooler effect of a lighter fabric.   

Same theoretical design for the cockpit awning, but I may need to use a batten or two.  Would hang from the main halyard and tie off the rails and lifelines.  Considering using collapsable fiberglass tent poles.    Same color fabric and trim.   I have not yet fully figured out the best way to do the cockpit awning without using battens but I'm still thinking about it.  Ideally would like to make it expandable, or better said to have the ability to attach netting walls to it at some point down the road.  Since netting material is dirt cheap, there would be little cost to expand it. 

Figuring out the pattern and attachment design is really the tough part...sewing it hopefully will not be a big deal.

Salty - We'll take a set in off-white.  Thanks in advance!

Mike and Brenda

[Billy]

can't wait to see it!

Mike,
I'm sure he will trade you for a dingy......

[Salty19]

lol..never considered a trade.  Could be a consideration!

You know, we should start a new forum for swaps and trades!

[Bob23]

Island Time:
  You are looking and sounding good, girl! And yeah, being the prettiest girls at the dance isn't easy...it takes grace. But you know that! You just get used to all the attention after a while.
  bob23 is almost done with the projects but just today, he discoved that the Rule automatic bilge pump doesn't shut off.. So it may need a rebuild or replacement.
  Exterior teak is all done...interior teak varnishing is almost done. New depth sounder installed but not tested. Keel repair done. Bottom paint touched up. Rudder recieved a coat of epoxy after a few soft touchdowns last season.
  Target launch is this Saturday, 6/11. We'll see...still a lot of work to be done. More later,
Bob23