First post from onboard TIH

Christmas brought me the The Wirie^AP:  Long Distance WiFi and Access Point.

Now installed onboard TIH, works great.

Holding Tank location

Half (well maybe more) of my problems on TIH are finding the optimum locations for equipment.  I spend a lot of time on older boats that have undergone many upgrades / additions / refits over the years.  Much of this equipment has been installed by "professionals" with no consideration for access to fittings or the ability to overhaul the item itself.  On one boat I delivered the cooling water impeller could not be replaced without lifting the engine.

I have been faffing about, for ever, with the location of the holding tank and the hot water tank.  The decision about the holding tank has finally been made.   This will remove one option when I make the decision about the hot water tank.  

Chain Locker......

 The W42 has a pretty nice chain locker (see above).  It is divided into two parts, the starboard side for chain (which on my boat does not drain) and the port side for rope (which drains into the bilge via a channel under the forward water tank).

One problem that I have encountered on a number of boats (including 2 W42s') is that the chain tends to pile up and jam the naval pipe (the drop pipe from the windlass).  This requires you to go into the vee-berth and push the chain down in the locker in the middle of weighing anchor.   This is not fun in a crowded anchorage or when single-handing.

An interesting solution has been adopted by the crew of Windtraveller a lovely Brewer 44;

http://www.windtraveler.net/

I have yet to decide what to do but I am open to ideas, including the one above.  Keep in mind that I have just removed the bow water tank.  I did this mainly to gain access to the hull in order to bolt on the lower fitting of the bob-stay for the new bowsprit.   I may incorporate this lower locker as part of my anchor storage.

This has now given me a large area which I plan to shelve and use for storage.

Work Bench lights

One of the easiest upgrade on any boat is to change out old halogen or incandescent lights for LEDs'.  As TIH had no lights installed, LEDs' are an easy choice. Except for the Alpenglow lights (which are low powered fluorescent) all the lights on-board will be LEDs'.

You have to do some research, however, as there is a big difference between the earlier LED lights and later developments, ditto for cheaper LEDs' versus more expensive ones.

I chose the West Marine Platinum Series LED Dome Lights with Rotating Bezel Dimming Control.  Two all white and one Bi-Color for night use.

Settee

 Moving along with  projects...

Settee in main salon;

The top of the settee is made from 3/4" teak and holly ply that was left over when the previous owner has all new deck boards made (currently living under the bed in my apartment).  

The front of the settee is made from one of the pieces which originally boxed in the main mast in the salon.

The seat is 24" wide.  Hopefully I can keep it as wide as possible.  After seeing how often I bang my leg I will decide on the final width and trim the outboard edges.  Both ends will be angled.

ICW Delivery

Just back from helping a friend move his Creakmore 34 from Baltimore Md. to Pawleys Island SC. with a stop at the Whitby/Brewer rendezvous on the West River, Chesapeake.   Always nice to be doing what boats are meant to be doing, i.e. moving.

Arch has arrived in Miami....

Someone must look after sailors and stupid people.   After a 300 mile highway journey at speeds reaching 70MPH, the pin fell out of the tow hitch at 2MPH, 1/2 mile from our marina.  Two minutes of a three stooges routine and a screwdriver got us back on the road. 

Chain Plates installed......

'

That's them done and dusted, forever.

Damn you Mr. eBay.....

I just bought this (the arch, not the boat);

Now I just have to move it from North Florida to Miami and install it.

Titanium chain plates have arrived....

The expensive ones are on the left.

I'm really happy with the service from Allied Titanium and if anyone is contemplating this route I have no reservations in recommending this gentleman who has provided outstanding service thorough the process; 

 Ken Schaefer

        Sales Representative

  16192 Coastal Hwy, #162507

        Lewes, DE 19958

      www.alliedtitanium.com

     ken.schaefer@alliedtitanium.com

       Office: (302)722-8200 Ext 103

       Cell 302-249-3295

       Skype: (302) 725-0982

          Fax: (302) 497-7111

Steering completed......

Bottom photo shows 2000 revs, full ahead.

Guru Jim is back in town, otherwise it wouldn't have been done.

Working at the speed of a striking slug.......

You know you are in trouble when the A/C controls shows this temperature when you switch it on after arriving onboard.

Managed to remove the last of the locker lining pegboard in the vee berth and replaced with 1/8" PVC sheet.

 

For any Whitby owners pegboard removal is an easy upgrade and removes the musty locker smell.  The holes in the pegboard does not provide any more ventilation, IMHO, than the PVC sheet. 

Painting in Miami heat......

Hot, hot, hot, enough said.

Dinghy Launched

Titanium Chainplates make no economic sense....

but then again neither does a sailboat.  Let me start by saying that I have ordered 8 titanium chain-plates for an average cost of +/- $200 each, when you take into account titanium bolts, nuts and washers.  My frugal cruiser friends will have a fit, but its not all my fault.  I served 23 years in a small underfunded Navy of a small (now poor again) country.  On the rare occasion when we got to buy new equipment we knew that it would be worked twice as hard and be expected to last twice as long as its original design.  We therefore OVER specked the requirement.  Now that I am personally picking up the tab this illness causes me many sleepless nights.

Titanium Chain-plates are a no-brainer for the following;

1.  Rich people.
2.  New boat build (especially where the chain-plates are buried.)
3.  People who have to pay a "professional" $70+ an hour to remove and install the chain-plates.  
4.  Neurotics like me.

They are not recommended for;

1.  Any boat with Baggywrinkles.
2.  Any production boat under 30 ft.
3.  Cruisers who price their time at 25Cents an hour and spend hours sorting old screws and dubious SS fittings into little boxes (Jim, you know who you are).


So far Allied Titanium had been a pleasure to deal with (except for giving over my CC details bit).

http://www.alliedtitanium.com/products/marine/vupdc_Detail.php?UPDCID=51746003

N.B.  Ignore the quoted price, I'm not that neurotic.
 

New addition to the fleet....

The problem with being in the boat "business" in Florida is that there is always a boat "deal" on offer.  I am now the proud owner of a Thunderbird dinghy.  As it will sit in the water for some time I have decided to anti-foul the bottom.  At 10ft it is definitely not a boat tender, just a river runabout.

Vee-Berth overhaul

Good to be back on the boat after a trip to Ireland and some other stuff. 

On our last boat the Vee-berth (aka the Pizza Oven) was our main sleeping area.  On TIH we have an aft cabin for ourselves and a big saloon for occasional guests.  I, therefore, to not feel the need for an extra sleeping area in the bow.    I have gotten the reluctant approval of the boss to convert the vee-berth to a storage / workshop area.  Any alterations will be removable in case any future owner will want it to revert back to sleeping accommodation. 

Vroom Vroom......

A few weeks ago I had my favorite diving lady Evelyn and her son install my Campbell Sailer propeller.  I was just waiting for Guru Jim to get out from under his usual long list of client projects to install my steering pedestal and steering system.  As usual, because he treats me as family, I am at the bottom of the list.  But today I decided to kick the transmission into gear and see if anything blew up.  TIH is securely, I hoped, tied up in her slip;

Seeing that this was the first time in 18 years that TIH has moved under her own steam (if only 18ins) this was a sort of momentous occasion.

Titanium Chainplates - the future....

Just read my second magazine article about Titanium Plates and it all seems to make sense.

• High strength to weight ratio,
• Low Density – approximately half the weight of steel,nickel and copper alloys,
• Inherent Flexibility – an elastic modulus that is approximately 55% of steel,
• Extended Fatigue Life – more than twice that of steel,
• Exceptional Corrosion Resistance – resists chlorides, seawater, sour and oxidizing environments,
• Superior Erosion Resistance – erosion corrosion, cavitation and impingement in flowing turbulent fluids,
• Non‐magnetic.


First I pulled the existing chainplates.  Not a major job as I had already removed most of my hull panels and when I replaced them I left the chainplate bolts accessible and exposed.  Keep in mind also that I have no Mizzen.

The little guy on the right is an upper mast tang.

 

Before you take measurements off Teds original plans or use one of the plates as a template for the rest, ask yourself the  question;  "Do you feel lucky, Punk".  A lot of the holes line up, some don't.

It will be no fun refilling the existing holes in the fiberglass and re-drilling them.

I will probably order Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V) Titanium with sand blasted finish.  Interestingly someone suggested that the polished finish is too shiny while the blasted finish is cheaper and holds the deck sealant better.

Allied Titanium

Bowsprits revisited...

Nothing is a salty as a 10ft bowsprit on a traditional sailing rig.....  except when you are trying to maneuver past someones $2m gin palace in a tight dock or paying $2.75 a foot dockage for a stick.

A number of things have changed since Ted designed the original bowsprit; two important ones are;

1.  New designs of anchors esp. the Rocna and Manson Supreme.  These are differentiated by their wider blade, roll bar and higher weight recommendations.  IMHO one 55lb Rocna or 60lb Manson Supreme is the way to go.  I would mount a Fortress FX-55 on the stern as a kedge or it could be lead forward as a backup bow anchor.

2.  The original bowsprit was deigned to support the fore-stay.  If you move the existing fore-stay this will require re-rigging and  may mean adjustments to your roller furling and genoa.  The new options available for removable roller furling gennakers may change this requirement.

So my thought process is involving towards;

1.  A short "stumpy" bowsprit which will allow me to used the existing bow roller and jam the Rocna in place.

On the front of that bowsprit will be a hinged "sprit" to fly the roller furling Gennaker.  This will be hinged out of the way/removed when not in use.  It will be help down by a removable high spec line bobstay.

 
The discussion continues.

Lessons learned......

Smart advice for Capt. Ron

Two lessons from my recent trip;

1.  I absolutely, ABSOLUTELY hate in mast furling.  Sure its is great when it works, when your sail is new and everything is tuned properly.  BUT, eventually this will not be the case.  My advice, if you have in mast furling carry a sawed-off shotgun as the ultimate sail furling device.

2.  I absolutely, ABSOLUTELY love Rocna / Manson Supreme anchors.  I don't even differentiate as they are very similar.  Carry one anchor, the recommended size (their recommendations are very conservative i.e. bigger that you would normally imagine).  I never understand why people have two small sized anchors on the bow.  Their thinking must be that in a blow they can put down a second.  Assuming that you do NOT want to drag at any time or that you don't like running around half naked in a rain squall at 3am, why not put down a big mother of an anchor in the first place and stay put.  Just MHO.  Having to get a boat hook to free 40lbs of sand/mud off the anchor fluke after weighing is a small price to pay and it somewhat reassuring. 

The reason we work on cruising sailboats........

Insert your beverage of choice!

Steering install moving slowly....

Edson steering install moving along...slowly.

Cockpit deck / ER room cover

 I have the cleanest cockpit deck / ER cover of any W42. (for the moment).   Taco weather seal.  5/8" X 1 1/4" by 8'.  Initially it looked too thick at 5/8" but it flattened down nicely.  I would recommend 1" wide if you can find it.  Glued it with BoatLife Lifeseal.  Magically two packs worked perfectly with a foot left over.  Don't tell Taco or they will repackage it in 6ft lengths.

Engine Room Water tank in....

45 Gallons.

New Water tanks

Picked up my new water tanks from Gareth at;

Dura Weld
3599 23rd Ave S, #9
Lake Worth, FL 33461
561-586-0180 Office
561-586-0181 Fax
www.dura-weld.com

Excellent work as usual.

I have four tanks in the original space (below the saloon deck - two either side).  I may add a third one each side as I have the space.  All tanks are sized to to be easily removable for cleaning / hull access etc.  The hull tanks have a capacity of  18  to 20 gals each (approx 78 gals tot).  I have one extra tank which fits on the port side or the Engine Room where the fuel tank fits on many W42s' (this fuel tank was an optional extra).  That water tank holds approx 45gals.  We cruised our last boat with 70 gals but naturally our usage will increase in direct proportion to water availability.  With sensible use 120gals will easily supply two people for 14 days Bahamas cruising.