Mast crutch and winter wrapping

 After several weeks of wet weekends, there was finally a reasonably dry weekend which gave an opportunity to put the winter covers on Daisy III.  It's always important not to winterise the boat whilst it is still wet - the prospect of the damp turning to some sort of rot is not enticing!

The first job has been to create a forward mast crutch, making use of the Samson Post.

This solution will enable the storage of the mast much further forward than previously, particularly beneficial in avoiding such a big overhang to the rear.  Since the trailer modifications have increased the length between the winch post and the hitch, there is now greater scope for the effectiveness of this modification.

The solution will do for the winter, but in the spring judicious use of leather should avoid chafe from the slight lateral play in this arrangement, both between samson post and crutch, and between crutch and mast.

Daisy III is now under its winter cover.  The other advantage of the above modification is that there can be free flow of air under the cover fore and aft which, again, should help avoid a build up of dampness.

Trailer modifications and other end of season work

Daisy III now sitting on its modified trailer - new axle with braked wheels.  The widest point of the hull is quite close to the new mudguards, but this should hopefully not present a problem.

It has been a strange summer in an even stranger year.  Following the last cruise in August, it became apparent that there were serious issues with the boat trailer, principally due to the overall towing load being too heavy for the un-braked trailer.  

The original BC20 was sold as being 451kg when 'empty', sitting on an un-braked trailer of 200kg, thus allowing just under 100kg for additional loads prior to reaching the towing limit of 750kg for such a trailer.  This seemed a flawed approach for all sorts of reasons:

• Despite polite enquiries, it was not possible to achieve a straight answer to the important question of what precisely constituted an 'empty' boat.  Does it mean the finished hull alone, or does it include mast, spars, sails, cabin bunk cushions, rigging?  These items would easily make up the 100kg difference.  Moreover, this particular boat is a modified version, currently with a Lavac sea loo installed on the starboard side.  How much additional weight is this?
• Anyone who owns a boat will appreciate the necessity of carrying all sorts of additional kit and clobber.  Must this be carried separately, loaded onto the boat before each launch, and correspondingly removed at the end of a sail?  For one, an outboard motor adds a considerable weight and is the sort of item so awkward to load that the single handed sailor would be excused for wanting to fit it just once, at the start of the boating year, and then leave in place throughout the season.  Then, one must consider anchor, chain, second anchor, ropes, paddle, boat hook, electronics, safety gear, fenders, tools, charts.  And that's before the day-to-day essentials such as cooking/eating essentials, ingredients, water, clothing, boots, wet weather clothing etc.
• This is a cabined boat which is all the more reason why one would want to fit out the cabin with all sorts of additional equipment.
• Even if it were possible to keep the weight of the boat below the 750kg limit, it is an undeniable fact that the overall weight will at least be pushing up against that limit.  Travelling, safe in the knowledge that the towing weight was well below any such limits, is much the preferable option.

Having done some summer arithmetic (illustrated below), using A-level mechanics 'moments of forces' calculations alongside the somewhat crude use of a set of bathroom scales, the conclusion was that, even with most kit removed, but spars, sails, cabin cushions, ropes and fenders included, the weight of the boat and trailer was at least right on the towing limit and, quite possibly well over.  Summer anecdotes from other boat owners being pulled over by the police, and then directed to the nearest weighbridge were a considerable cause for concern.  Then, it was the case that much of August was unseasonably windy (conditions this skipper doesn't particularly enjoy) with the brief windows of more settled weather coinciding with other commitments.  

This is somewhat crude, and subject to a considerable margin for error, not least since it wasn't easy to roll the boat back on its trailer without fear of the whole thing tipping up.  But the principle is that the downward force exerted by the jockey wheel is measured twice, once with the boat in its usual position, and then again with the boat rolled backwards, whereby the centre of mass of the boat also goes backwards by the same amount.  The outcome of this mini-experiment is that the boat and trailer weighed in at 900kg!!  However, let's assume, for example, that there had been an ever so slight misreading of measurements, and that the boat went backwards by 7cm as opposed to 6.5cm - this would have knocked something like 66kg off the mass of the boat. 
So, to repeat, crude measurements, and subject to a large margin of error...

Hence, it seemed to be the right time to take drastic action, in the form of having the trailer modified to incorporate brakes.  Amongst other things, this involves a new axle with larger wheels, raising the height of the trailer frame (see further modification below).  There is nothing innovative about this action; a number of other BC20 owners have previously done the same, either swapping their trailer for a braked version, or having the existing trailer modified to a braked version.  In so doing, the upper towing limit becomes much more dependent on the type of vehicle rather than the trailer.  Currently, this is a Skoda Superb estate 4x4, with a braked towing limit of two tonnes and, whilst there is no intention of pushing anywhere near this limit, the boat can now be loaded with the kit needed and this can remain aboard throughout the season.

New hitch and jockey wheel

CLH trailers, who built the original and who had already carried out similar conversions, were engaged to do the work.  This was not without its difficulties due to the various covid lockdowns, and delays in them taking delivery of the requisite parts.  To cut a long story short, a hastily arranged swap of the completed trailer at the Welsh border the day before the second lockdown commenced in England has ensured Daisy III is now back at home and awaiting a period of relatively dry conditions prior to putting on the winter covers.

Whilst doing this work, it was timely to carry out a few other modifications.  For one, the raised height of the trailer will cause further bother in trying to winch the boat over the rear swinging cradle on launch and recovery, so a couple of rollers have been installed at the lowest central part of this.  This is yet to be tested, and it will at least be spring in 2021 before this happens.  Hopefully, the process will be similar to this launch and recovery video from Swallowyachts.  

View from the rear, also showing the first of two new, wider central keel rollers

It remains to be seen as to how the bow, with winch strap, will roll over these.  Fingers crossed for Spring 2021...

Two of the keel rollers further forward have also been replaced with wider rollers which hopefully are better suited to the relatively wide keelband for this boat.

Maintenance and modifications during lockdown

Semi-rigged and almost ready

In simple terms, one could say that boat ownership consists of two opposing forces: sailing and maintenance.  With time as one of the key common constraints, owners invariably find themselves in a particular position along a continuum adjoining the two activities.  In ordinary times, I'd certainly lean heavily towards the sailing end but, during these times of lockdown, things have necessarily been different.  It's perhaps a good thing to find oneself in a different place, forced to confront the many initial issues with this boat.

The list of jobs has been long, and divides roughly into three areas:

• problems seeking a solution, mainly inherited from the previous owner;
• desirable modifications;
• routine maintenance.

Of course, all of these matters are necessarily ongoing - one could never imagine reaching a point when everything was done.  Above all, I'd be ready to drop all of the above were the opportunity to sail again to become a serious prospect - but, for that to happen, it would have to include the possibility of overnight stops and this is yet to become an approved activity.

So, in the mean time, this post is an account of ongoing work, tackling the many matters that have needed attention.

Mast base (tabernacle)
The tabernacle had been lifting on one side, the screws securing it to the cabin having become loose.  the obvious fix has been to remove the tabernacle, drill out the screw holes, bond in a plug, redrill and then refit.
The tabernacle was slightly buckled and I had a go at trying to force-straighten it but it wouldn't shift.  This means that, left on its own, the base doesn't fit flush with the cabin top.  However, the refitted tabernacle, once screwed down, seems secure enough and the screws force it to sit correctly.  So far, I've lifted the mast once, and everything has remained secure and in place.

Removed tabernacle, revealing offending screw holes.  I had to fare away some loose paint, rub down, epoxy and then repaint the whole area.

Refitted tabernacle now fitting snugly against the cabin.  The mast now fits perfectly and lifts much more easily.

Centreboard case topping

Last season, water was sloshing in through a gap between the table top and the casing.  At the time, I took a rather drastic step of using silicone sealant which certainly stopped the issue, although left the table glued to the casing.  It being clearly desirable, at times to lift off the table for inspection, I have now removed this glue and inserted a 3mm neoprene seal.  This was rather thinner than expected, so I put a layer on both the underside of the table, and the top of the casing.  If this fails, I may purchase a thicker option and have another go.  

While the table/topping was off, the underside needed filling from various gouges in places, and coating with something protective.

Carbon fibre splintering on mast

Carbon fibre masts ultimately degrade from sunlight and this results in splintering of the surface.  Ultimately, this could damage the structural integrity of the mast but, at this early stage, the main issue is with the unpleasant rash caused by the splintering.  The tabernacle pictures above give a good idea of the state of the mast, grey in colour, with engrained carbon fibre strands almost visible length-ways.

Following advice on the Swallow Yachts forum, this has been corrected by two coats of two pack paint.

Mast after first coat of International Perfection two-pack Jet Black paint

After two coats, now returned to the boat.

Painted mast, rigged and ready.  (rather fed up, though, with taking pictures of the boat on dry land...)

Various scrapes along the topsides of the hull - all of these inherited from the previous owner.  

I'm slowly working my way round these and learning how best to achieve a finish which maintains the excellent original finish.  One day, I shall probably end up having to repaint and, following advice, have decided that professional paint finishes will be prohibitively expensive and hard to maintain.  Moreover, the two-pack route seems so fiddly.  So, I am going down the single pot route which better suits my limited skills.

Well, I can see where the patch is, but it's hard to spot in a photo!

The various patches applied look ok - much better than the repairs done by the previous owner, and certainly watertight.

Installation of basic electrics
The idea is not to go for expensive and extensive installations.  My needs are simple - an echo sounder, possibly some navigation lights eventually (although I have some battery versions for temporary usage), a 12v charger and wiring for the chart plotter.
The echo sounder involved the drastic step of cutting a hole in the cabin bulkhead - not for the faint-hearted!

The hole is cut!

Filling is removed - interesting to note the build structure - this little piece weighed in at about 25g, which made it clear that the whole of one side of the cabin bulkhead must be little more than a single kilogram!  I think that's clever!

Echo sounder in place

Inside view.

I'm currently busy building a removable box for the various electrical connections.  Again, the idea is for nothing too fancy at this stage - just somewhere for the wires to go.  Once this is installed, a further photo will be shared.

The future agenda - various jobs still to do...

Not recovering straight onto trailer - ongoing.  Difficult to solve when we're not able to launch!

Strongly considering having trailer modified to a braked version.  What's the point of a cabined boat if you can't load it up with kit and kerboodle?  100kg is soon breached especially since outboard, main anchor & chain, kedge, ropes are all a part of the 100kg.  Plus, I want to kit out the cabin with some permanent fixtures and fittings - all adding to the weight.  To me, the trailer should have been braked from the outset, an unbraked one is a bit of a false economy.

Trailer wheels need replacing with non-rusting ones...!