CP-19 wannabe

[mgg]

I'm looking at an 87 Com-Pac - and have a few questions.

1. the keel has small "bubbles" on it.  These are about 3/8ths of an inch in diameter and a 1/16th or so high with sloping sides.  They are very hard - like the fiberglass has bulged up a bit - though I don't see how glass could do that except when it was still soft at construction.  There are also some on the hull in front of the keel.  They seem harmless - unless they indicate something more insidious like water in the keel space getting into the glass and causing it to expand when it freezes.  There are no large bulges, cracks or other defects.  Everything seems very solid.  Could these just be "manufacturing defects"?

It seems the way the bilge pump is rigged (large pickup pipe going down to the bilge  from the pump in the cockpit) that there would always be a small amount of water in the bilge (assuming any got down there).   This is the normal way these are rigged?

2.  Was there ever a difinitive answer to the question posted here earlier - does a CP-19 have sufficient floatation to stay up - or would it sink like a rock?  Is there foam under the seats as well as the cabin sole?  If its going to sink - why have foam at all?

[mgg]

Its bad form to reply to yourself - but I've learned quite a bit since I made that post.  Blisters - osmosis blisters are what I'm looking at.  They are small - dime sized or smaller.  Only about 100 on the entire bottom and Internet Common Sense says don't mess with them right now - but they could require some real work later on.   I don't intend to keep this boat on the water for any length of time so I'll make a year to year decision on it.

[mhrivnak]

Regarding the bilge, mine has been bone-dry for years.  Since there are no through-hull fitting by default on a CP19, it's rare for any water to get down there.  My feeling is that the pump is there only for an emergency.

With 800 pounds of concrete in the keel and plenty of weight elsewhere, I'm confident that a CP19 full of water would sink like a rock.  I can't think of any foam in my 1983 CP19, but then it would take a LOT of foam to keep that thing afloat.  If you really wanted to make sure the thing would stay at the top even full of water, I think some sort of balloon system with canisters of compressed gas, similar to air bags in cars, would be a more efficient way to go that filling it with foam.  Even that would take up a lot of space though.

When things get rough, close the hatches, and hopefully this won't be an issue.

[mgg]

I picked up my cp19 saturday - hull # 394.  Registrations and taxes are in progress.  I've got a few minor repairs to do.  I want to buy a rolling furler at some point but hope to be sailing in a week.

[Craig Weis]

Harken Mark II double 'O' AL Furler works great on my C-P 19. skip.

[Damsel19]

As far as roller furlers go I guess it has to do with where and how you sail.  And how easy it is to get to the for deck.  I open ocean sailed for many years with real top of the line furling gear.  I will take hanks any day.  Old timers would rig a down haul to pull the head sails down.  Also a jib can be reefed like a main.  A reefed jib sails much better than a partially rolled one.

For single handing a small boat, roller furling can be very pleasant.  It does add complexity and maintenance.  I like it simple but thats just me.

[mgoller]

HI MGG,
You can fix those blisters or have them fixed.  You could lightly sand the bottom and paint on anti-fouling paint.  When you're sailing you wont see them so keep sailing.
Yeah, the bilge can house a little water.  The pump is really for emergencies.  By the way make sure it works.  I had a bees nest in mine right at a valve.  It didn't work.  I bought a new valve kit because the rubber was old and didn't seal well.  It is a Guzzler 500 bilge pump.  $14 repair kit, easy to do.  I haven't used mine but I know it works.  It pumps a tremendous amount of water.  Actually 500 gallons an hour.
I get the little water out with a sponge and bucket.
Worrying about your boat sinking is like a motorcyclist staring at the front tire thinking about a blow-out.  While possible it is unlikely.  My suggestion is to prepare for what could happen.  Lets say you are tearing along at 6 knots and you run into a really jagged rock.  It could penetrate the hull.  You could stuff the hole with a sail but it will probably be in a place under the berths.  So water is coming in and you start pumping.  Well if you hit a rock you are probably close to shore.  So you will sail or motor to shallow water.  You can also pull a sail under the hull and tie it off in such a way as to slow the ingress of water, but I have my doubts as to your frame of mind and patience with this sort of endeavor while watching water come in and debating wether or not to pump.
The other possibility is that you get knocked down and take on so much water that the boat doesn't right itself.  I don't think this is possible with over 40% of the boat's weight in the keel.  These boats are designed to handle weather.  You may want to put a weather seal around the perimeter of the cockpit lockers, but then you would have to crawl in when the weather gets rough and lock them down.
I am not sure but I think you would need 1000lbs positive flotation to counteract the 2000 lb boat weight.  Some of the boat floats and there is some flotation (Idon't know why) so not all 2000 lbs is going to sink.  But then you have gear too.  It would take 5 - 25 gallon trash bags full of foam peanuts to equal 1000 lbs displacement.  Maybe you could cram that much in the stern area of the boat under the cockpit.  Let me know.  
Ultimately you have to concede that you have stepped up to the size and class of boat that can sink.  Your job as captain is to think about the possibilities and to prepare.   Also trust the boat and its designers.  I can't even get my rail in the water.  The boat is probably better than any of us.  
Here are tips I have read that give me peace:  Reef often and early.  Know where your safety equipment is and use your life jackets when seas are rough.  Keep the hatch board in and companionway hatch closed in heavy seas.  Err on the side of caution.  Let people make fun of you for being safe and cautious.  I always tell my passengers where the life jackets are, the throw ring is, and the extinguisher is.  They appreciate it.  If you have a radio you should laminate simple instructions as to how to call for help and name of your boat, description and how to give your location , chances are you will be too busy to use the radio and deal with other problems.  Also if you go over board someone can call for help.  This summer I plan to practice man over board drill.  I know in my head what I would do.  I plan to rig a line off the boom and see if I can hoist some one out of the water.  The CP 19 has a very high freeboard and a ladder that would be hard to shove someone up.
I use a schaefer snap furl and I love it.  Yes, there are other ways, and hanks are cool, but I single hand and I can finesse my way from and to the dock using just a little jib effortlessly from the cockpit.  With hanks things are a bit more exciting and messy coming back to the dock alone.
I hope some of this helped.  And remember, you are much safer in your boat than on the road in your car.  Don't start thinking about that!

[mgoller]

HI MGG,
I was out this weekend in a strong breeze.  I had the full genoa out and on a broad reach I was hiked out on the rail and surfing the waves.  The boat was heeled over only 15 degrees.
Jimmy Buffet was singing to me from the cabin and the water was clear and sky was blue.