Finally, New owner of Eclipse #23, updated with pics 8/22

[Vectordirector]

WOHOO!! She's mine, all mine.  2005 Eclipse #23 has a new home, Village of Lakewood, IL to be precise.  Towed her home 25 miles today after 2 months of back and forth with the previous owner.  He's a busy guy with his own business and lots of travel.  I looked at the boat a couple of weeks ago and did the deal over the phone a couple of days later.  Unfortunately he was leaving town the next day for vacation and returned Sunday.  She's sitting in my driveway now waiting for my detail guy to buff her up and hopefully I'll be able to splash her into either Lake Delevan or Lake Geneva next weekend. I was planning on a maiden voyage on Crystal Lake, but with the drought the lake is down a couple of feet, the ramps are really shallow and I don't think they will work.  

I got a mast raising lesson and I think I can figure out the rest of the rigging.  The rudder and tiller have been removed from the assembly but I think I can figure that out too.  The boat seems to be in pretty good shape with a few repaired cracks along the lower part of the transom, some  cracks, both repaired and unrepaired around the companionway, and light oxidation on the hull. I'll post pics of the cracks and see what the consensus is on them.  Also the crack repairs are blue and need to be painted somehow.   The deck is solid and the interior is a bit dirty but otherwise shows little use.   The rubrail is pretty good with only a couple of scratches and some of the anodizing is flaking off of the rear cap of the rubrail.  Teak is in need of refinishing as the finish is starting to peel off, but the color is still good.  The standing rigging and lifelines look good.  The area under the port cockpit seat where the battery and water tank are looks clean and dry, starboard side where the gas tanks go is dirty and has a couple of tablespoons of water in it.  I assume this is rain water as we had a real frog strangler of a storm go through here last night and the boat hasn't been in the water this year.  Sheets are fine, halyards are serviceable but the last half  have obviously been  out in the weather and in a puddle on the floor of the cockpit.  The main halyard seems like it is way too long with at least 15 feet of algae covered excess after the cabin top cleat, even with the main down.  I'll probably replace it soon.  We didn't raise the sails but I think they will be OK as the boat wasn't sailed much the last three years. The previous owner emailed me a video he shot after he got the boat and the sails looked like new.    

I've never had an outboard before and that may elicit some questions but I know you guys will be ready willing and able to tackle those.  What else?  Simrad TP-20 tillerpilot seems to have been installed although my seller says he never used it and it is  in the original box.  Electrical connection installed on coaming and some sort of mounting plate on rear of port cockpit seat.  Hopefully I can figure that out.  I do have the manual for it.  Fish-finder found in cabin with suction cup transducer attached but not installed.  Got the manual for that too. Don't know if I'll use it.   Bimini and dodger, again, he never used them, he says, should be fun to figure them out as they aren't mentioned in the owners manual I received.   Spinnaker is new in the box and I may try to sell it here if I decide not to mess with it.  There is a lot of other stuff included and I'll be taking inventory over the next few days.  

My biggest dilemma right now is the bottom paint.  This boat was originally sold in North Carolina so I assume it saw salt water for the first few years of it's life. The bottom was obviously painted, with what I don't know.  The previous owner doesn't know what it is and never had anything done to it. It looks like it is an ablative of some sort, but I don't know if there is a barrier coat under it or not.   It looks pretty rough cosmetically.  I'll be trailer sailing so I don't NEED bottom paint and could probably just leave it be,  but it needs to look better.  I'll probably take it to Gage Marine in Delavan and see what they think. I'll post some pics of this too and see what you guys think.   I was taking everything out of the boat after I got it home and ran out of light to take pics, but I'll shoot some tomorrow and upload them.  

The journey begins.

Vectordirector

[Bob23]

Congratulations on the beginning of what is sure to be a wonderful journey!
bob23

[skip1930]

Good boat.
Whip-tee-do for my Eclipse-a-rue. Have fun! Have an adventure.

Last weekend the CP-19 sailed about 93 miles, Sturgeon Bay to Green island for the night, back to Sturgeon Bay center gong buoy, back to Green Island, over to Marionette/Menominee marina and back to Sturgeon Bay. A Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Great dead cow dinner and adult beverages at M/M with club friends.

skip.

[Tim Gardner]

Vec,  Call Hutchins and ask them who the first owner was, the dealer was, and call them to find out what you need to know re: the bottom paint.  Keith at the sailboat shop in NC was probably the dealer. 

TG

[beradthefish]

Congrats Vector Director!

I'm heading down to Orlando to check out #17 tomorrow, if all goes well, I'll be in the same boat as you so to speak.

Let me know if you want to sell that spinnaker, I'm definitely interested (especially if I get the boat...).

[kickingbug1]

    im gonna hold you to it. we will see you at clr 2013. it will be special (new trophies were purchased). thrilled and envious of your new boat.

[Vectordirector]

keith was definitely the original dealer and the broker when the boat was sold again to the owner I bought it from.  Ive got pics from the previous owner from when he took delivery with obviously new bottom paint.  I will call Keith to see if he has any records of the type of paint he used. 

Quick question to you Eclipse owners:  I found two plywood boards about 2' square in a plastic bag in the cabin.  Any idea what these are for?   

Pics and more questions tonight after I get home from work.

Vectordirector

[Billy]

Maybe lids for storage under the V-Birth?

Congrats on the new Boat. You made a good choice!

[Glenn Basore]

I have these two boards two, this is what was explained to me.

The two plywood boards are for the camping arrangements. they fill the center area between the berths and the two back cushions are used for pads. so now you can sleep two more adults.

Notice the notches in the boards, they match up to the berths corner boards.


This was an extra item for the boat.

Glenn

[Vectordirector]

Thanks Glenn, that was my initial thought, nice to have confirmation.  I spoke with a very nice lady at Keith's shop today and she was able to tell me that the boat was epoxy coated and then painted with Pettit Trinidad.  Pettit's repainting chart indicates that it can be sanded and painted with anything other than VC-17 type of paint. I'm still researching what to go with but it is nice to have a lot of options.   I won't be doing it myself.  What do you freshwater trailersailors use, if anything?

Vectordirector

[Eagleye]

Best wishes to you and your Eclipse.  Any names yet?  It took us several months to come up with an appropriate name.  

As Glenn said, the boards span the settees to provide for a bunk that seems larger than the vee berth.  The only small downside is that with the boards installed it denies access to the porta-potty.
Happy Sailing,
Allen

[Vectordirector]

Still working on the name.  My detail guy is coming tomorrow to buff it up and remove the old name and registration stickers.
 
Here are some of the transom cracks:
  A big deal?

Here are the companionway cracks:
] Again, Big Deal?

The bottom:


Teak:
 
Gnarly halyard:
]

That's pretty much it for the ugly stuff.  Good stuff pics to come tomorrow.

Vectordirector

[crazycarl]

i'm no professional, but i don't see anything major with those cracks.   they look to be at the hull to deck joints.  i'd ask someone in the know, but it looks as if they could be ground out and filled in.  the teak loocks very good for a boat that has been sitting.  i think you you have yourself a gem of a boat there!

perhaps we could could sail together some time this fall.  i'm very s l o w l y getting our 19 together.


carl

[MacGyver]

Those cracks can be ground out and filled in. Happens on all makes of boats.
I planned to respond more but on my phone........hard to type all of it.

Carl, did you mess with your trailer yet?


Mac

[Vectordirector]

Thanks guys.  Mac, I'll be eagerly awaiting your expert advice on the cracks.  Is this blue stuff, whatever it is, sufficient or should I have it removed and replaced with something else?  The goal is to make these cracks disappear if possible.  Are they bad enough to not sail the boat until fixed?  I'm guessing they are just cosmetic and not structural and I'd like to get in some sailing before I have to put it away for the winter.  I'd then deal with them, and the bottom and teak, before spring. 

Vectordirector