The start of a new adventure

[wes]

I know this really belongs at the end of the "Seeking a 27!" thread, but it feels like a new beginning, so here goes.

I closed the deal yesterday on the purchase of "Chipsand", a 1988 Com-Pac 27/2 (hull number 74) from a seller in St. Louis. As seems to be the case so often these days, the owner recently died and his son, who is not a sailor, was selling his father's boat to get out from under the slip fees. The father was almost but not quite the original owner; he bought her in 1990.  She had not been sailed for almost eight years. The older man got sick, hoped to recover enough to sail again, but didn't. The son is a power boater.

This is my second sailboat purchase, and both times I have been very conscious of the sense of stewardship I feel when acquiring an older boat - the handing down of the mantle of responsibility to care for something that's been important in the life of someone else. I found myself peppering the son with questions about his father, and poring over the thick file of owner's manuals and receipts kept by the old man - looking for clues about his life with this boat.

She is in very good condition for her age, obviously well maintained and of course a very strong boat to begin with. Despite the eight years of relative neglect, enough of her bottom paint hung on to provide some protection from the fresh river water and there are no signs of blisters. The power washing last week blew away most of what remained, and the bottom and the rudder look very good. The old man was careful with maintenance, but unlike many owners he didn't seem to have much interest in additions or improvements. She is almost amazingly unscathed by ill-begotten "upgrades" - still in original factory configuration in almost every way. I like it that way - I prefer to come up with my own ill-begotten upgrades.

So, I embark on what will probably be another six month overhaul project; that's about how long Bella took, and she was in very similar condition. I will sand, strip every piece of hardware, paint the hull and deck, rebed all the deck and hull hardware, and replace almost everything that's not made out of teak, bronze or stainless steel - hoses, pumps, cabin cushion upholstery etc. She will get new sails and running rigging. To my relief, the original standing rigging and engine seem to be in excellent shape. The winches are overdue for maintenance but I'm confident that a rainy weekend rebuild will bring them back to good shape. The sheet winches are Lewmar self-tailers, and I'm looking forward to taking them apart to see how they work. The teak is sound but lost all its varnish a couple of years back, so I'm hopeful that sanding and Cetol will bring back the glory days.

My first investment in this project, by the way, was $35 for Don Casey's "This Old Boat" from Amazon. Because of my restoration project on Bella, there are lots of aspects of the 27 that I'm immediately comfortable with. But there are also many deep mysteries - a Diesel engine, the Edson wheel steering, a fresh water plumbing system including a pressure pump, the mid-boom mainsheet traveler, and of course a real marine head. Casey's book is a treasure trove of experience and wisdom in all these matters. Coupled with CPYOA it's almost all you need to tackle a full scale renovation. Highly recommended.

Enjoy the photos. I'm looking forward to months of shameless stealing of good ideas from the 27 sailors here, and in exchange will offer my hard-won experience to any who decide to downsize to a 19!



On her jack stands after hauling and pressure washing. She is the three portlight model. It's personal preference, but I like the three light version - to me she looks a little more rakish and racy than the four light version. Keith Scott at the Sailboat Company doesn't agree - he's a four-light man.



This is what happens to Interlux Micron CSC after eight years in the water and a good pressure washing. Bonus: very little left to sand off:



As a loyal CP 19 man, I have no idea what any of these parts are for - but I intend to find out:



More stuff that I don't understand. I understand the round thing has something to do with steering the boat. Wouldn't have spent my own money on a bimini, but now I'm kind of excited about having it for those hot summer days. The canvas is shot but the stainless frame is very high quality - probably the factory option:



The Admiral is totally stoked about the cabin. Room to stand up! A bathroom with a real toilet and a real door! And this fabulous dining table for when we raft up next to the royal yacht and invite William and Kate over for tea:



Wish me luck, boys. I'll probably have to get a second job to support this habit. In all seriousness, the CPYOA community is entirely the reason I went on a search for another Com-Pac instead of one of the myriad other good deals out there on Craigslist. Stand by for the questions to begin.....

Wes

[MacGyver]

Glad to see you bought her Wes,

It really is overall in great shape and can be fixed without a doubt,

I have a idea to fix those corners without it being a ton of work, catch up with me sometime on that.
Also, did you find a hauler yet?

Glad to see they hit the bottom hard, less to sand is a NICE thing!  At work we just sanded a Capri 22 that was in bad bottom shape, had paint like crazy, took 3 guys 2 and a 1/4 hours each with 40 grit to sand it all off!!

Jason

[frank]

Congrats!!!  She looks great below. it is nice when a PO has'nt plastered brass nic-nacs all over 
Good luck with here.....have fun bringing her back to life!!

[Bob23]

Wes:
   I'm sure you'll give your 27 the new lease on life that she deserves. Being able to stand erect like a modern human being is a real plus. Haveing your wife on board with your new boat-priceless!!!!!
Bob23

[Salty19]

Congrats, Wes.  I know you will bring her back to her former glory, and them some.
I'm excited to hear about your upcoming adventures.  Good luck, and have fun with it.

[BobK]

Wes,
It looks great!  I am still finding mud dauber tubes in all the underneath and out of site areas.  There must be a bunch of them around ST Louis.
Good luck.  You will be amazed what a little elbow grease and polishing compound will do to the hull and deck.  
BobK

[jthatcher]

hi Wes,  great looking boat,  with your track record, it will be a showpiece before you are finished!    I was introduced to compacs  through a colleague of mine in NH who bought a 27  in Florida on the strength of a local survey.     He was not disappointed, and  i got to do some nice sailing aboard her on Lake Winnipesaukee.     hey,   maybe i will come down your way and hitch a ride with you when you are finished!    best of luck..  jt

[Tim Gardner]

OK Wes, Thought about a name? Maybe Bella II?  Or Bella XXVII?

TG

[Vectordirector]

Hi Wes,

Good to see things are working out with the boat.  She looks to be well preserved.  (Relatively) Fresh water is always a plus it seems.  Good luck with the restoration.  I can't offer anything there as I have none the skills required.  You have done this before so I'm sure it will all work out.  You couldn't ask for a better group of people than the members of this forum to help you on your way.

Can't wait to hit the water again, only about a month to go until it warms up enough. 

Fair Winds and Calm Seas to All,

Vectordirector

[wes]

Yesterday Miss Currently Unnamed (still working on that) arrived safely in NC after the 952 mile road trip from St. Louis, which the trucker accomplished in 23 hours of straight-through driving ("driving' all night, my hand's wet on the wheel..." - remember "Radar Love"?). Yikes, the trailer sailor in me quakes at the thought of pulling 6000 pounds plus trailer over the mountains at 70 mph.

I head to the DIY boatyard at the coast tomorrow, armed with tarps, tools, and 50 brand new sheets of 150 grit sandpaper for the random orbit sander. First Dog Max is skipping this trip because power tools make him nervous - he's a sensitive guy. The Admiral is no doubt looking forward to a weekend alone.

Thus begins a new project.

Wes

[frank]

Congrats on getting her moved! The fun begins.....keep us posted with pictures as well. "Radar Love"...yep....can't get the guitar riff outta my head after reading your post 

[wes]

First day of renovation wrapped. It was an afternoon spent stripping hardware off the deck, prep for eventual painting. Some random observations about Miss 27:

1. Wow, there are a lot of hoses. Fuel hoses, water hoses, waste hoses, vent hoses. How can a simple fuel tank possibly require four hoses? Luckily Don Casey has a chapter on this. I will memorize it tonight.

2. Boy, that's a long walk up to the bowsprit. I feel like the captain of the Queen Mary.

3. Seriously, what is it about wasps and sailboats? How did they possibly get inside the instrument pod on the wheel pedestal? Looks like I may spend a day doing nothing but finding and defusing mud dauber nests.

4. Thanking my lucky stars that the 90 year old PO was an engine freak. You could eat off the pristine little Universal 10 HP. Every belt, filter, and hose (SO many hoses) looks brand spanking new. About 360 hours on a 25 year old engine. Keith Scott says on his web site that sailboat diesels never need rebuilding, only repair - they don't get enough hours to ever need to be rebuilt.

5. Winch removal today. Lovely warm feeling of familiarity when removing the little Lewmar 6s (halyard winches), just like the ones on my 19. Already have spare parts on hand, no sweat. But whoa, the Lewmar 16 self tailers (sheet winches) are another story. They are ginormous and have way more gears. This should be interesting.

More tomorrow!

Wes

[brackish]

The Admiral is totally stoked about the cabin. Room to stand up! A bathroom with a real toilet and a real door! And this fabulous dining table for when we raft up next to the royal yacht and invite William and Kate over for tea:

I have to say that one statement is enough to give me four footitis if I thought it would work with Admiral Sheri.  Have fun with the renovations and refit, I'm sure it will turn out just as nice as Bella.

[Koinonia]

I'm sure shell be looking good soon, keep the pictures coming!  I've just about got Koinonia how I want her so now I have to watch somebody else make improvements and get her looking good.

[frank]

Update?