Philpott made me do it! Actually, when I told her they'd arrived she sent me this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3-aAx4SOn0
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Philpott made me do it! Actually, when I told her they'd arrived she sent me this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3-aAx4SOn0
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Instead of going to the pump-out (which was Philpott's first ride on Rags), we motored over to see Dazzler in Brickyard Cove. The goal had been to turn the boat around and back it into the slip, but we got distracted.
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Me and the yawl would accompany all y'all to HMB except I have to go to a wedding tomorrow, and the yawl has plastic-coated lifelines. I'll keep working on it.
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Looking forward to seeing you sail in reverse by alternately backing the mizzen like Donald Street on Iolaire.
No sailing in reverse but I had my first solo sail on the new boat. Chris "Fugu" Case was returning from HMB and caught me on the way back to Richmond YC - thanks for the photos Chris!
I'd wondered what the mizzen was for and got my answer: It's for fiddling with! These photos also confirmed I should have the boot stripe repainted white (among other things).
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Agree on the boot stripe....but that is one pretty boat.
Sled, there are several things you and Dazzler may notice in this photo. Others are welcome to comment but you guys saw the "before."
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3rd reef?
Bob, I enjoyed our coastal delivery of SURPRISE! That day reminded me over and over how often I look to the masthead, and I kept finding something missing. Good to see you’ve addressed that issue.
Other changes: I see you’ve made a subtle change in homage to RAGTIME! And, it appears you’ve been fiddling with batten flex. That top batten looks much better.
Tom
I'll bet the Number 18 wasn't up there yet when you sailed it from Santa Cruz.
No change to reefs, windex added, sail numbers changed, box for second batten replaced (improving tension).
There are a few other changes that Sled's sharp eyes will probably spot.
Just so you think I didn’t notice... the tapes.
You think we'd not notice the shiny, clean rigging? I like the new reef tack line, hopefully adjustable from the cockpit..Can't see if you solved the lack of telltale window in the jib by buying a new jib..but it also looks pretty shiny. And, Lordy, there's an asymmetrical spinnaker! I thought we discussed this is a cruising boat you bought ;) Good to see (from the mast shadow) you haven't ditched the mizzen yet.
No more mold on the spreaders - they were stripped and repainted, with jib sheeting stripes added. Many areas on the mast and boom were cleaned and repainted as well. Headstay, backstay and caps are rod, lowers and mids are 1x19. Speaking of 1x19, the plastic-coated lifelines were replaced and attached to the bow pulpit at 24" height. This was possible because the Hoyt jib boom is now gone.
A sharp eye would notice that the main is fully hoisted. With its old SK-75 halyard, the main sagged down like a bad pair of socks. The only running rigging that hasn't been replaced (yet) is the vang tail and the traveler lines. The traveler car was serviced however, along with the jib furler and backstay adjuster.
What you think is a reef tack line are actually stowable lazy jacks. They attach out on the spreaders to clear the sail better on hoists, then they stow up against the mast.
To run the spinnaker smoothly, another pair of cockpit winches were added. Those on Faceplant know about that project (it was the first one I did).
Yes, the mizzen abides, although a couple folks have suggested that lawn chairs would be a better use of the stern area. A fun fact: That spinnaker is the first one I bought for Rags, nearly 16 years ago. It was designed when super-long luffs for A2s were the rage - how convenient!
The above is just the rigging stuff - here's a teaser:
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But then there's this project. "It's not all fun-and-games."
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You have a HOLDING TANK? Like, a flushing head aboard? Wow. You have definitely hit the big time. Not that DM needs anything more than the perfectly adequate, relatively new porta pottie on its own little pedestal. But still. I'm impressed. When can we all come try it out?
When we're >3nm offshore.
:)
Nice replated, or new cabin lights...Did you convert to LEDs?
Yes - much brighter and of course, way less draw. The red LED bulbs for the dome lights came yesterday.
Except for dealing with the stinky holding tank, I'm having fun. She goes into the yard after Sunday's race.
That sure is one pretty boat.
About to be hauled out for KKMI's ministrations, including some color changes. Doesn't she look better without the goofy thing on her foredeck?
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Down below things are smelling better. These lockers were full of head hoses which I'm convinced were installed before the head cabinet assembly went in! Now I have to figure out how to run the new ones. A bucket is looking like a good solution.
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Actually, women have more alternatives - the SquatShot, the SheWee, etc:
"The only leak you want on your boat."
But be sure to hold onto your phone:
The threat is real!
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Surprisingly shiny stuff, but aren’t those outboard anti-siphon loops just below deck level a concern? They will not stop siphoning if they are below the waterline, as in when that side of the boat has its rail in the water. The bucket doesn't have these issues, but there are limitations to its use in civilized areas.
I just finished replacing the toilet and associated plumbing on Frolic, and the boat hasn't sunk or stunk yet, so I'm feeling pretty good (cuts, bruises and back pain aside). On Frolic I have the discharge anti-siphon under the sink cabinet, as high and inboard as possible. I got rid of the intake anti-siphon loop by teeing the water intake into the sink drain sea cock – the open sink drain acts to prevent siphoning. This also makes it easier to pickle the system. The new throne… https://photos.app.goo.gl/1qfkPLaKY6HXkFiS6
Anyway, during the process I took a deep dive into the options, and on the way came upon Peggie Hill's book on the sometimes dreaded head, and really recommend it:
https://www.amazon.com/New-Get-Rid-B...dp/1892399784/
Peggie is a frequent contributor to the Cruiser’s Forum and very approachable - I sent here message via Cruiser's Forum and she replied, and in the end, she gave me a lot of good advice (including the intake tee mentioned above), most of which I followed.
Thanks Steve. I discovered some of Peggie's CF posts just last night. I didn't know she'd written a book.
I've bought most of the parts to put the system back together, including an expensive chunk of Sealand's Odor-Safe hose. It's quite stiff so my choice of locations for the Y-valve and discharge loop will be driven mostly by what's possible with the hose. I'll use a heat gun to soften it but Sealand/Dometic says to go easy with that.
It won't be hard to improve the system. TPI (builder) installed a holding tank of a brand that Practical Sailor said wouldn't hold even minimum pressure without leaking. Moreover, the boat was owned by four partners and had no sending unit on the tank, which was installed where it was hard to inspect - a bad combination. ("Did you empty it?" "No, I thought YOU did!" etc.) The hoses were run where they could have multiple low spots that could trap effluent. Poor joints, loose hose clamps etc.
I keep reminding myself that this is a low-priority project for a singlehander so I'll take it slow and try to do it right.
One thing my last boat taught me is that if you have a rigid holding tank, it needs to be very securely mounted. The tank in that boat was held down by wooden chocks that did not completely immobilize the tank in a seaway. The little bit of movement of the tank relative to the boat gradually weakened the fittings. Departing Avalon harbor early one morning, I noticed that the cabin sole was wet and quickly realized it was neither sea water nor fresh. The joint between the output hose bib and tank had parted and the compartment in which the tank resided had become a rather imperfect containment vessel for what had been the contents of the holding tank.
I fashioned a hold-down system for the replacement tank with straps from a pottery supply house that were designed to hold the two halves of a casting mold together. I cut the straps to the length needed, and had a rigging shop sew in to each end the kind of low-profile eye straps that you’d use to install hiking straps in a dinghy. The clamp/lever closures allowed the straps to be pulled very tight, and the new tank never moved as far as I could see in the remaining years I owned that boat. No further leaks.
Thanks Lee. The new tank is narrower than the old one and the wood chocks don't support it in all directions. Those straps look like a good solution.
I wish the new tank could go in the bilge like that. Surprise!'s hull doesn't have enough deadrise to provide much space under the cabin sole.
The picture is a little confusing. The tank was in a compartment under the starboard settee. The bottom of the tank was level with the cabin sole. I would definitely go with the straps again if I had a rigid tank to tie down.
And when you're done, you'll get to make a potpourri from the panoply of holding tank treatments, and you'll be reminded of the allegiances people have to their favorites. I'll go first: Baygreen, the mobile pumpout people, turned me on to Happy Campers. It is aptly named.
Yes! What's funny is that two of the owners were the CEO and VP/Product Info for West Marine.
After emptying out the boat, my locker at RYC is full of that stuff. Come on over and pick your poison.
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Glacially slow progress.
I'm trying to convince myself that the hailing port lettering is straight. Meanwhile I now know what a "joker valve" is. There's nothing funny about it.
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[i]reading, bemused look on my face....
That's a serious bottom sanding job.....
Don't use Hydrocoat if you ever want to get it off. It's hard as nails, doesn't work, and you can't put another paint over it.
3 out of the 4 large boats I've owned were "porta pottied." I know some (many?) recoil at the porta potty idea, but I've found it reasonable compared to the complications of an installed head: no thru hulls, no valves, no hoses, no stink. And no CG "Courtesy Inspection" probs.
Almost all my sailing is daysailing or an overnight to HMB or Drakes Bay, so toilet use is sort of minimalized
#1: I carry an old hospital male urinal in the head compartment for guy use. It helps keep the head compartment smelling reasonably sane since the urinal's neck is an easier target when everything swinging around (if you know what I mean) and the toilet bowel is moving, too. A quick dump into the bowl and things are over. Some women who've sailed with me used a feminine device that's similar, but most, just use the potty. I use a travel trailer enzyme product in the holding tank. No formaldehyde or chemical smell.
#2: Inshore it's the porta potty. Offshore it's the porta potty or a bucket with a fitted seat. On the way to Hawaii it was a toilet seat attached to a bracket that fit into the outboard receiver and hung over the transom (no, I don't have a picture!). Using the head on any boat is a semi-private venture no matter what. Even Jim Quanci's "Throne" (the best I've used) makes noise. And ventilation is always a problem in a small cabin.
Clipper YH has a dedicated porta potty dump station, so a quick stop and a hose out gets the porta potty ready for the next sail. I suppose growing up on a farm where we had a "two holer" part of the time and now living for nearly 50 years in a house with a septic tank has prepared me for the job?
For me, a big part of this hobby/pastime is learning new things. I'm an accountant but my dad was a mechanic and machinist, and my mom was pretty handy too. I learned to look at how something was put together, figure out what was wrong with it and if possible, build it back better. This head/holding tank project is like that.
The book Steve recommended is helpful and even entertaining. It clued me in to two major problems with the existing system: the improper routing of the hoses and the poor venting of the tank. So when it's all back together it will be better and it won't stink. But as you suggest, the pee bottle will still be primary and the built-in system may not get used much.
No photos yet, but another project is the transducers. The PO tried to make things better but it's taking a rework to resolve the issues. Example: Boat speed shows 3.5 knots on one tack and 6 knots on the other, even after tweaking the angle of the speed sensor which is too far up on the side of the hull. The depth sensor has been replaced with a tilted-element version that matches the hull's deadrise. The wind input seems pretty good so I'm keeping the stock B&G masthead birdie for now. The heading sensor is an old unit and not mounted in an ideal location (understatement!)
We're installing an excellent "Hall Effect" speedo on the centerline (which is proving to be a challenge due to the thickness of the cored hull), and I have plans for the heading sensor and autopilot components. Once finished this will be a very good system that can be properly calibrated.
I took all my head plumbing out along with holding tank. This created a ton of additional room. The bloody hoses took up a huge amount of space. I left the bowl in place and poured an epoxy plug to seal the the drain opening. I use WAG bags exclusively. No muss no fuss. Used bags are stored in a sealed Home Depot bucket stored in the lazarette. Bags are trashed when I get ashore. Ladies can use them for #1 and 2, I use a bottle for #1. Works great, cheap and super clean,