Late Summer '04 Update
Late Summer '04 UpdateI guess right now I'm going to again reference the list I made in part 2 regarding issues with the boat; if they haven't changed since part 4 I omit them.
The hull is gouged where it came off the trailer a bit
See Part 4. Somehow there is also a ding in the port bow which I also plan to repair. Maybe even right after I finish writing this. I'm not sure the forestay is attached correctly After seeing several more boats I've determined that my method works as well as any, although at some point I may purchase the newer-style forestay which is a bit longer. On the transom, where the rudders attach, the plastic has flaked and cracked I put some epoxy over the cracks to make them stronger and I may also mix up some gelcoat repair today for the area where it's flaked. I don't like the shackles with the little key-ring things and want to replace them I still hate split rings but I guess they're a necessary evil in some places. Some new lines may be in order I have now replaced the jib halyard with yellow Brite-Lite Spectra Core (6mm) as the old one began to fray and I didn't trust it anymore.
I have ordered a new (used) mainsheet / block system which should be arriving Tuesday. There is a piece broken off the bottom of the mast The new mast base is installed and working properly.
I don't have any trapeze harnesses I have purchased a harness from Murray's for myself. Next month I may get one for my crew to use as well, along with a set of double trap wires.
As far as sailing goes, west Texas is better than central Mississippi. The lake here, Lake Nasworthy, is about the same size as Columbus lake, but its useable area is much larger because it's an average of 10' deep, whereas Columbus Lake was an average of about 2.5' deep. I have yet to hit anything on the bottom of Nasworthy. The only annoyance is that the bridge taking the road over the lake is only about 8' off the water and thus 50% of the lake is inaccessible to me.
One of my first dilemmas was "where can I keep my boat?" Being a man-made lake, Nasworthy has no beaches; marinas on the lake all consist of slips. Furthermore, there is not a single boat ramp on the lake without power lines between it and boat parking areas. This left me with two choices: 1) keep the boat on the trailer and step the mast for every use, or 2) keep the boat in a wet slip. Neither one of these seemed satisfactory to me, so I talked the manager of one marina into letting me convert a wet slip to a dry slip. This cost me a total of $25 in materials (outdoor carpet and two 4x4x10s) and about 2 man hours. The result is extremely satisfactory:
Two people can easily pull the boat up onto the 4x4s and I can have the boat ready for sailing in around 10 minutes (3 to remove the protective tarp and tie-downs, 2 to put the boat in the water and pull it around to the end of the dock, and 5 to raise the sails.)
I have now taken several of my classmates sailing and they all seem to enjoy it! The winds here are often 10-15 and my proficiency at flying a hull is improving! My recent acquisition of a harness and rings means that soon my crew and I will be on the wire all the time! This past Friday (2 Sep '04) was our first use of the new harness. Unfortunately I have the old-style "long" trapeze wires (ref: pics in part 4) and if the hull wasn't flying then my buddy Richard was dragging his butt in the water. To remedy this I purchased a swaging tool and wire cutters from Lowe's and shortened the trap wires by about 15". When you consider the 2' lines on the adjustable ring height system, this will allow one to trap out just as low as the original lines, but also much higher for when the hull isn't flying.
Unfortunately every time I've been out flying a hull I haven't had the camera handy to take any pictures, but I suppose I'll have some soon enough! Anyway, I ought to head over to the marina now to work on some of the stuff I've yet to do!
