1983 Com-Pac 23, Help a newbie

[stickbreaker]

Hey Folks, I just got a 1983 Com-Pac 23... I love writing Com-Pac, I guess I could just write 23, But I'm a Newbie and pretty excited about this new boat. I take possession this weekend and don't want to waste any time getting a few things to make my wife comfy...

Does anyone have tips on a where to get a Bimini and proper sizing?

do they have a cockpit cushion conversion kits for lounging?

any tips a new owner should know about, Look out for, on this 28 year old boat?

Thanks, Ken

[jthatcher]

hi Ken,
  not a whole lot of information here..   we just bought a cp-23 ourselves, and this past weekend was my first on the boat..    where are you guys located?   in the short time that I have been checking this site I have met some very nice, helpful folks..  there is a lot of good information here!  good luck with the upcoming sailing season - I will look forward to hearing all about it.      the previous owner of our boat bought new cockpit cushions just last year..  they are maybe an inch and a half to 2 inches thick.. very comfortable.  if you would like, i could ask him where he got them the next time i am at the marina.  ( our boat is in new jersey)    jt

[stickbreaker]

We are in Manhattan NYC... Plan on Keeping the CP23 out on Long Island. We are picking her up on Thursday. Thanks for the reply. There are some cracks around the mast step I will need to address soon. Hopefully it wont be too much of an issue this season.

[Bob23]

Ken:
   Congrats on your "new" baby!
   Keep an eye on the cracks...don't want water to intrude in there and cause rot. There is some load at the mast bast- weight of the rig; download when the rig is tensioned. There has been much discussion somewhere on this forum about repairing that area is rot is found although I have not personally done it.
  Things to look out for? Check all the stanchions, stern and bow rail for tightness. Over time they may loosen and allow water to creep in. Although mine look ok, resetting them has been on my list as a I-should-do-this-pretty-soon-but-I'd-rather-sail-first item.
  The 23 is a boat you sure can be proud of. I know- I've had my 1985 for about 6 years...we're still in love!
Bob23
(ps: Am looking for a bimini myself; there are some local guys around here who make 'em so I may go that route. No $ for that now- I just bought new sails so that's my big expenditure this year!)

[brackish]

Ken,

When I was considering the purchase of my 23, I did a rainy day front to back browse through several sections of this forum.  The 23, modifications, help, FAQ, to name a few were very helpful to me in both the pre purchase and initial post purchase period of time.  I think every possible concern you might have with an older 23 has been discussed in the past.  I found it most helpful.

you will find that the pictures associated with some of the older posts referenced to the Gallery are no longer there.  Had to do with a hack attempt.

Anything you can't find, just ask.

[Shawn]

This thread has pretty good info on biminis for the 23.

http://cpyoa.geekworkshosting.com/forum/index.php?topic=115.0

Shawn

[skip1930]

Be mindful that the so called gel coat is truly a glass based structure.
And it is possible to induce harmless stress cracks in this gel coat by tightening up
fasteners too tight on and CP-16, 19, 23, ect. Well heck, any Com-Pac Yacht.

My boat did not come with a stern pulpit or stanchion or safety lines. I added those.
All the 'feet' that are through bolted with ss fasteners have a matching pad of UHMW
plastic on top of the deck and under the steel pads. Adds 1/4" in height too.

You have the outboard or the diesel model? Outboard is hard to reach on a CP-23.
Cushions are nice. I used closed cell foam cut in half and 3-M spray glue to fasten mine
to the cockpit combing. And uncut ones to sit on. Good enough for me on my CP-19.

skip.

[curtisv]

We are in Manhattan NYC... Plan on Keeping the CP23 out on Long Island. We are picking her up on Thursday. Thanks for the reply. There are some cracks around the mast step I will need to address soon. Hopefully it wont be too much of an issue this season.

Ken,

Welcome.

So we have another Long Island Sound Com-pac sailor on the forum.  We have Ray in CT on the other coast of LI Sound.  I'm well East of you and a bit North on Cape Cod.

Make sure the cabintop isn't spongy where the mast step is.  The older CP23s had wood under there and water entering cracks can get rot going that will over time turn that wood into mush.  The mast will then have a spongy and weak cabintop supporting it.

Curtis

[KPL]

Skip -

Where did you get those cushions?  Are they the discontinued so-pac ones?

Kevin

[skip1930]

They are So-Pac. However I had no idea they were discontinued.
I guess any closed cell foam will do. I cut in half one and used 3M-spray adhesive
on the cushion and cockpit combing. After that all tacked up I slapped them on.
Been on ever since. And I sit on a couple of them and have one left over in reserve.
They were made in new Zealand. The one in reserve I have been known to use for a pillow
when I fall asleep while still under sail. Yep I know. Hey I'm an old fart.

Good eye! skip.

[stickbreaker]

Thanks everyone, Keep them coming. I do have some small cracks around the mast step and plan on having someone look at that soon. It feels very solid so I don't think it's rotted yet. just need to get the repair done before it gets soft. Bimini's are great very useful. thanks again

[skip1930]

Small cracks are unsightly but usually not structural. The 'gel coat' is glass and doesn't like to be stressed. When slightly bent will spider crack.
I'm dealing with that where the cockpit sole flex's where one stands to enter into the cabin. And where I over tightened a few 1/4-20 nuts holding my stanchions.
They sell a crack filler but I doesn't work that well.

So what I have done is to take synoacculate thin super glue and dribble that into the cleaned out of dirt crack and then once cured rub the heck out of it with automotive polishing compound [not wax] to take that glue surface back down to the same height as the normal 'gel coat'. Then wax.

skip.

[stickbreaker]

Thanks Skip, I will take some pics of my Mast Step Tomorrow and get them posted. Great tips, I'm going to try all of them... Ken

[jthatcher]

Hi Ken,
  have you taken the boat out yet?   I was at the marina this weekend.  The cockpit cushions on my boat are made by bottomsiders   http://www.bottomsiders.com/
they seem pretty comfortable, although I have yet to spend an extended amount of time on them.    jt

[stickbreaker]

Just Stepped the mast Sunday. Will try to get out soon but weather has been horrible for weeks. I like the Bottom Sider cushions, they look pretty nice. seem a bit pricey for what they are. any other options out there?