Enough Work - Let's Sail

[Greene]

B and I took a break from working on the yard, gardens, cars, rock walls, graduation prep for our son, ......... and on and on.  We finished up a couple items on the 19 and trailered her into Madison to enjoy our first day of sailing this year.  We put in at the great ramp at Marshall Park after rigging her up.  We remembered where everything was and how it all went together.  An uneventful launch always makes for a great beginning to any sail. 

The wind was forecast to be a decent 10 - 12 mph and the sun was going to give us a beautiful 80 degree day. The winds turned out to be less than forecast and the temp soared to 88 degrees,  so the sailing was pretty easy going and relaxing.  It was a treat to get back on the water and listen to the sounds of the water and enjoy a day of water fun.  We sailed slowly for a while, anchored out near a shoreline for a swim and my first actual attempt at fishing.  The swimming went well and the fishing resulted in one bluegill.  I guess I'm still a better swimmer than a fisherman.   

Some friends on their power boat rafted up for a long visit and then it was time to sail home.   The retrieval went OK, but I need to replace the 3 keel support rollers with a 2 x 12  board.  The keel tends to drop below the front roller which makes it difficult to get the boweye aligned above the V-roller by the winch.  The boweye tends to line up under the roller as it is winched in.  I need to either lower the V-roller mount or install the keel board to keep the keel level as it loads onto the trailer.

Other than forgetting the canvas bag that holds all our electronic toys (VHF, I-Pod and radio, GPS and waterproof video recorder) in the back of the truck, it was a great first day on the water. 

Another sailing season is underway.


Mike and Admiral B

[Salty19]

Good to see you guys finally got out!  I know the weather has been frankly terrible this spring for sailing.  Rain, cold, rain and more rain. 
The wind may not have been on your side, but hey at least you caught a fish!


I have the same trouble (or maybe a bit different but the same result?) with haul out.  What I've been doing is let the boat sit where it wants to when hauling out, usually the bow eye is 5-6" from the v-block.  In the parking lot, I break out the jack and lift up the forward portion of the keel a tad.  Then crank in the bowline.  Front roller is just too low.  So hurry up with the wooden plank install so I can copy it

[Greene]

Mike,

One fish makes me a fisherman right?

I've tried the "tighten it up in the parking lot method", but it just won't pull forward.  I haven't tried your method of jacking the keel up though.   

Someone (or maybe several others) on this forum already switched to the keel board.  I'll do a little searching on the site to find some more info and pic's.

Mike

[Billy]

Skip likes his rollers for this reason. I add the plank b/c I got tired of the keel catching the front roller as mentioned above. And the new trailers also have a plank. the weight of the entire boat sitting on just one roller pin scares me. I took out the roller and pin and a 2x12 fit perfectly b/w the two plates the roller pin went through. Then I used the keel guides to hold down the plank.



After this pic was taken I cut off the back side of the bolts so just in case I miss the keel guide. You can see that the 1st one is already cut off. And don't worry, the heads were counter sunk into the guide and then wrapped w/ the carpet so there is no metal exposed to scratch the keel.

[Greene]

Thanks Billy.  I already purchased the plank when I replaced the other bunks and keel guides last month.  I see you carpeted it, would you still recommend the carpet or just leaving the plank bare to make it a little slick?  I've got plenty of carpet left over, so I certainly can cover it if need be. 



Mike

[Billy]

Good question! Bad answer......I don't know!

I bought this plastic groove flooring material from Home Depot (which looks identical to what they use at the factory on the new Magic Tilt trailers and it seemed to rip every time I winched the boat onto the trailer. So after replacing that twice I went w/ carpet. It loads and unloads very easily. No complaints w/ the carpet. It looks more finished and a little softer on my girls bottom if you know what I mean! I also thought the wood could splinter and scratch the bottom. Being here in FL the sun will tear up some wood too.

I do disconnect the winch strap from the bow eye before I back down the ramp, because my wife has to walk along the dock w/ the dock line and I don't want to get wet if I don't have too. If I had rollers (or a slick 2x) I would be very afraid that the boat would slide off the back of the trailer before I even got to the water.

My 2x is pressure treated. I thought it would last longer and not rot, but I'm not sure if that was necessary. Also the keel being concrete (even though it is covered in fiberglass) just seemed like another reason to go w/ PT. Is your plank PT of just good ole wood?

Your pic looks like a 16 not a 19. Is that your old boat?


I love that this thread has evolved from sailing to working!!!

[Greene]

Your pic looks like a 16 not a 19. Is that your old boat?

I love that this thread has evolved from sailing to working!!!

No, it was definitely our 19, but she will be very happy to hear that her bottom looks smaller!  (Although the 16 was a much, much prettier boat - but we won't tell her that!)



Puppy Luff CP16

I purchased pressure treated for both the 2 x 4 bunks and the 2 x 8 keel guides.  So I also bought a pressure treated 2 x 12 to use for the keel support.  I agree that the carpet looks more finished, so I'll probably go ahead and cover it.  The hardest part will be to put the boat in the water and drive away to work on the dumb ol' trailer.  

Yeah! How did a thread about taking time off from work/chores turn into a work to be done chat?

Mike

[Billy]

I see, it was the back of the keel (I was thinking it was the front). That is why I was confused. The 16 definitely is more curvy, but better looking? I can see it both ways!

Now this thread is back on track!