Dodger

The dodger project was one of the most complicated ones we undertook. Tim did the metal framing and mounting to the boat and helped to design the shape of the fabric with the patterning material. I did all the sewing. It took quite a few months of weekends to get it all done but it still resides on the top of the effort-to-reward project list.




Measure Three Times

Dodger Phase I Complete

A Perfect Day For Sailing

Dodger Phase III Complete

Dodger Phase Complete :)

Aft Cabin Workshop

We converted the single starboard side berth into a workshop to store the many spare parts and tools that we would need full-time cruising and to pad the cruising kitty a bit. Here are the posts that deal with that conversion.

Aft Cabin Project Pics

Bulkhead Table Project

Kintala came with a centerline fixed table. We removed this table and converted it to a stowable bulkhead table.

Here is a summary of the posts on The Retirement Project that deal with the bulkhead table addition.

Let It Be...Not

Do It Fit?

Bulkhead Table Progress Report

Cerca

Table Is Done


If we had it to do again, we would cut the corners of it diagonally to make it easier to get around and I'm not sure we would use raised fiddles on it since we almost never eat at the table while underway.  Other than that, this project gets a big fat 10 on our satisfaction meter!

Dimensions of the box

Dimensions of the table top each half:
22-3/4" x 42-1/2" x 3/4". The table top is Okoume mahogany plywood. We chose this because it is 30% lighter than solid wood, doesn't warp, and the glue is waterproof. A 4x8 sheet was around $200 at the time of construction. We used half of it on the table and the other half for the workbench project.

 The dimensions of the legs are 29-1/4" x 4" x 1" solid cherry. We cut out the middle portion to save weight. They are mounted to the undersides of the table with brass inserts and brass hinges. We used the existing floor mounts from the centerline table to mount the legs to the floor.  As you can see, it took several tries to get the arrangement of the legs right so that they would deploy in the right position but still be able to fold into the table as it was closed. Live and learn...

We used magnets to hold the legs in place as they are stowed so that they wouldn't rattle while we were in a seaway.

Dimensions of the trim at the center hinge point:

The trim on the top center edge is 1/4" x 3/4". There is another piece of trim visible directly below that which measures 3/4" x 1-1/2". It is routed out to accept the  hinge so that the hinge is not visible from the top, but only from the bottom.

We drilled out a wood knob and epoxied in a brass cap that screws onto the pipe rod that  holds the table in place while stowed.

We used teak inserts to protect the table from the rod.

The box is solid cherry. The back of it is 4" x 3/4" stock, heavy but needed to match the teak trim piece that comes down along the mast in this boat. We did add three 1/8"mahogany plywood inserts into the back of the cabinet to hide the bolts that mount the cabinet to the bulkhead shared by the head. We used heavy bolts and washers to mount it to the bulkhead.

If you need additional information please feel free to contact us at svkintala att gmail dott com

Nav Seat / Storage Bench

We removed the pedestal nav seat (which was hideous) and replaced it with a storage bench that would store all the bakeware that was currently residing in my oven and had to be removed every time I wanted to bake something. It is one of the most useful conversions we did.  The box was constructed of plywood covered with mica. The interior was painted with epoxy paint, and the lid was fitted with a padded seat. There is a lock to hold the lid down when sailing.

Boat Parts Go On

Projects

We've decided to use this portion of the site to detail the involved level projects that people keep asking us about. There will be various posts on the projects along with links to the posts on The Retirement Project that explain them and have pictures. If you need any additional information on any of these projects, please contact us at svkintala att gmail dott com.

Nightmare in the marine industry

We bought a reputable boat (Tartan) from a reputable dealer, that had been maintained by a reputable boat yard. We had a reputable survey done, and contracted reputable servicemen to do a rigging and mechanical inspection of the boat. In fact it was the same service people who had been taking care of the boat for several years and claimed to know it well.

Less than 10 hours of low power operation later the V-drive failed catastrophically, taking the transmission, bell housing, and coupling with it.

And thus began a nightmare repair. Walter machine insisted that their V-drive had never been installed on a Westerbeke engine using a Hurth transmission, that Tartan would never spec such a thing. (They did and it was.) We never found a bell housing and ended up reworking the old one. The coupling had to be custom machined. (At least Tartan came up with a drawing.) The new V-drive arrived from the factory sans the studs needed to mount it to the boat. The repair is still underway with no good idea of when the boat will be operable again.

It would be wonderful if I could say that this was the worst of it...but that would be untrue. Purchasing this boat has been the most frustrating, infuriating, endlessly troubling enterprise that I have ever fallen into. The water system didn't work. Much of the electrical system was the same. Stuff that was represented as being on the boat (like a V-berth mattress and auto pilot) weren't. Much of the running rigging failed the first time it was put under a load. Point blank, if I knew then what I know now I would seriously reconsider the wisdom of trying to retire onto a sailboat. (Then I would probably try to do it anyway - being seriously smitten by the ocean.)

One thing I have decided is that the previous owner, the broker, the surveyor, the boat yard, and the mechanics, all knew just how bad this boat was. It is inconceivable to me that anyone familiar with the thing could miss how badly abused she had been. Being an aviation person and not a marine person, I made the mistake of hiring and listening to the opinion of "experts," who clearly saw an out-of-town Mark coming when they needed to unload a problem boat.

Since then the experts at Tartan couldn't tell me what units they had designed into the boat. The experts at Walter Machine couldn't tell me what unit I needed - even when they had the old one in their hands. I have conflicting stories on the drip-less seal on the shaft, and have seen the worst kind of "craftsmanship" in every nook and corner of the boat. In fact I have yet to find a singe installation or repair that is even as good as "half-assed. Unused hose and wire filled the bilge. Interior parts had been removed for work and reinstalled with one screw out of six, mis-aligned, out of place. The head system was missing major parts, the head floor wasn't even secured to the boat.

So far as I can tell the pre-owned portion of the marine industry is seriously broken; and some of the stories I have heard from new boat buyers suggests the same is true industry wide.

There is a lot of debate about the sailing industry and its decline. Young people don't seem to be interested, us older folks know well that the journey is more past than future. There is a lot of debate about leisure dollars, the lure of the Internet, the lack of adventuring in the next generation, harassment from the Coast Guard and the ever growing security apparatus of Western Culture.

But maybe the answer is a lot more simple. The Marine industry has become a den of thieves. Designs are poor, quality control is non-existent, warranties are worthless...eventually people get tired of being fleeced, move on, and tell their friends to buy an RV.

Which is okay, if you don't mind being on the land. If you do, the marine industry sells the only tools for getting off shore. They may be ill conceived, poorly built, miserably maintained and overpriced tools...but they are the only ones around.

Water works

I started changing the potable water lines in the boat this weekend. It is one of several jobs in the works. Just a review:

Ongoing V-drive / tranny repair.
Spice rack for galley.
Preliminary dodger review.
New splash guard for galley.

We would like to get the water lines replaced before putting water on the boat for the first time this season. That job will include plumbing the engine cooling loop to the water heater; which will require fittings and hose yet to be determined. Fun, yes? The first think I noticed when opening the box with the marine grade 5/8s tubing purchased for this job was that there is no tubing anywhere on the boat that looks like this stuff. Nothing on the boat is marine grade. That is a bit disturbing. How did all of the plumbing on the boat get replaced with sub-standard stuff?

And some of it is seriously sub-standard; simple clear plastic hose. The main pressure pump has 1/2 inch fittings so the 5/8s clear plastic was just clamped on. Ugly, ugly installation. Most of the plumbing is held in place with screwed in zip-tie clamps. (Where it IS held it place and not just lying free.) I am going to replace them with adel clamps. Also, the tubing runs are chaotic, hoses running every which way, crossed over each other, kinked around sharp corners...stupid stuff. It would be best to just start from scratch but that isn't really an option. I'm just going to make is as professional as I can while getting the boat back in service.