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...!

Rutland Water

Day trip to Rutland Water.  Winds SW F3.

An unexpected bonus was the photography of a sailing acquaintance who has also transferred allegiance from Drascombing to BayCruisering.  As well as giving me a few useful nuggets of advice regarding rigging and sailing, he took some fantastic footage of Daisy III from the shoreline.

Rigged and ready

Lines leading aft

11.1nm

Hickling Broad - Drascombe Association rally

Boating huddle in Catfield Dyke

This year's Drascombe Association Norfolk Broads rally took place at Hickling Broad, based at the staithe outside The Pleasureboat Inn.

Participating boats included:

BayCruiser 20: Daisy III

Dabber: Tamarisk, Virginia

Luggers: Rita May, Little Egret, Windhover, Jimbo

Coasters: Tangram, Kathleen, Egret, Prawnpipe

Lune Pilot: Grebe

Moorings at The Pleasureboat Inn

Daisy III

The weekend followed the usual plan, with a Saturday sail around to Horsey Mere.  Unfortunately, Hickling Broad is more difficult to enjoy these days, clogged up as it is with weed.  The Broads Authority will say this is a positive thing, since the water is clearly less polluted.  Sailors' needs are clearly not particularly high on the list of priorities.  For Daisy III, sailing proved particularly testing as I grappled with a new boat, with design features such as a forward inclined rudder which unhelpfully hooks the weed with some alacrity...  Still, I had fun and much pleasure was had by the other boats too.

Saturday lunchtime moorings at Horsey Mill

After lunch, the brisk SE winds allowed a general run back to base.

Jimbo 

Jimbo heels!

Stately progress across Horsey Mere by Tangram and Prawnpipe

Prawnpipe

Daisy III using the reed-sifted breeze to meander along Meadow Dyke

On the way back, a few boats took a turn up Catfield Dyke - hence the picture at the top of this post.

Daisy III heading along the narrow Catfield Dyke

On Sunday, many boats worked their way along to Potter Heigham.  Daisy III spent much time untangling weed from the hull, and stopped for elevenses in Deep Go Dyke, before returning to Hickling and hauling out.

Red track - Saturday trip to Horsey Mill; Yellow track, trip back via Catfield Dyke.  Green track - Sunday sailing to Deep Go Dyke.  Total track length: 11.2nm

First sail...at last!

Mizzen sail

First sail, Walton Backwaters, 2-3 September, 2019
Once again, launched at Titchmarsh Marina.  The initial track (red below) was all motoring.  Water was sloshing up through the centreplate casing.   This needed sealing, so I returned to the marina, purchased a suitable sealant and let that do its business overnight.  However, the big relief is that the centreplate itself was operating properly, dropping all the way, as evidenced by a suitable clunk if allowed as it reached the true extent of its lowered position.

The next day, finally, I motored down the Walton Channel, raised the sails and spent a happy few hours sailing up and down Hamford Water.  Winds were F3-5 and the slightly gusty conditions eventually led to a reef being tied in, which is shown in the picture below.

Mainsail with one reef tied in.  Lots to learn about sail trim, etc, but this will do for starters!

There was time to anchor in Landermere Creek for lunch, before returning to the Marina for HW and hauling out.

Once again in Titchmarsh Marina.  New name transfer showing on the hull.  It looks like burgundy will be the main colour theme, to match the spray hood.

1st December (red track) 4.6nm, all motoring.  2nd December (yellow track) 9.9nm.  Motoring up and down the Walton Channel, sailing in Hamford Water.  Winds F3-5 SW.

Finding and curing the gremlins

It has been a disappointing beginning with Daisy III.  The first launch, whilst showing her to be a fine looking vessel, identified a number of issues which needed fixing before any serious sailing trips could begin.

Centreplate

By far the most pressing problem was with the centreplate which wouldn’t drop properly - serious in that help would have to be sought to fix the problem.  It dropped by about 40 degrees and then would get stuck, the downhaul having no impact.

Initial lifting of the boat off the trailer sufficient to show that the plate was sticking in this (sort of) 40 degree position, whereas it should drop the whole way down.

A further centreplate issue - the correct-sized 10mm bolt had been replaced with a completely inadequate 6mm pivot bolt.  This has now been corrected.

To cut a long story short, Anglia Yacht Brokerage, through whom the boat was brokered, arranged for a nearby boatyard to hoist her up, remove the plate and sheer off some lavishly applied coppercoat antifouling.  The view is that this problem had existed for some time, possibly since the antifouling had first been applied.  However, the integrity of the seal was and still is secure and assurance has been given that this problem has now been fixed.

In the process, the lower pivot bolt was bent. .  It seemed the former owner had exchanged the original 10mm bolt for a completely inadequate 6mm one which was causing some vertical play in the plate.  Unsurprising, therefore, that it had bent.  It would be interesting to know the logic behind the change of bolt but, at this point, the most sensible thing to do was to purchase and reinstate the original sized bolt.
Water ballast
I've read elsewhere that the forward two inspection plates for the water ballast are leak-prone.  This certainly was the case when filling the ballast tanks for the first time, about a litre of water shipping just through a few hours afloat.  On removing the covers later, it transpired that the rubber seal on one side was broken, and was completely missing on the other.

One of two inspection plates in the forward water ballast chamber.  The previous owner left these with one O-ring missing, and the other one more like a U-ring.  The gap was letting in loads of water leak out.  Replacement O-rings have been purchased, and the edges of the plates covered in Vaseline in an attempt to make them easier to remove in future. 

For now, replacement seals have been sourced and fitted and this should, hopefully, improve matters.  However, this looks like something to keep an eye on.

Tiller tamer
The tiller tamer was badly installed with an over-sized cord which kept getting stuck.  A modified system involving a couple of stainless steel fairleads and a narrower bore cord should improve this.

Whilst fixing all of these things, the tiller received a much needed lick of varnish and the process began of attending to a number of scuffs and cracks in the gelcoat on the hull and cabin.  This will be a continuing maintenance item.
Lastly, for some reason the cabin cushions seem to have been glued down.  Most have now been removed and the undersides scrubbed and  cleaned.  The decking beneath has received a coat of primer to cover over a resinous substance.

V-berth with cushioning removed, and sticky glue remaining

V-berth with a coat of primer (old tin found in the garage).  I was going to put something else over this but it looked good enough like this so, not wanting to purchase anything unnecessary, it stays like this for now - and, anyway, cushions will hide it all.

The underside of the cushions all looked similar to this one.

Much scrubbing, white spirit and detergent removed most of the mess.  Now, they sit in the cabin without sticking.

Thus far, this seems to have improved matters.