Nothing to see here

Seriously, not much to report. The last week in Northern CA included what the media would have us believe was Stormageddon. The media hype contributed to every school district in the region being closed last Thursday. It was the combination of incredibly high winds and 3-6" of rain that had people scared. In reality, we did have 36 mph wind and 4" within 24 hrs. But they came in order. First the crazy wind, then the downpour. 

I had brought a large and very thick (10 mils, I think) white tarp to the boat. I used a wood burning knife  to cut a slit down the rear middle to accommodate topping lift and the backstay. I used around a dozen bungees to hold it down. I had felt good about it before the weather report said gale force winds. 

I wasn't hopeful there'd be anything left, but I did a better job than I thought. There were two reinforced grommets that had pulled out, which is a pain. But all told, I replaced a few bungees that had pulled out and it's all good again for the rain which will come again tonight.

A quick check down below decks revealed that we had no leaks. That was the real goal. I have no idea if it was the tarp, so I'll just be glad. 

I also restocked the fridge with Tecate and wine. And dropped off a nautical pillow my wife bought for the boat last week. 

My daughter and I are hoping that next Saturday there isn't any rain because she'd like to have a sleepover on Hideaway with a friend. 

Well cushioned

When my wife said we needed to get the interior cushions replaced right away, I thought, she was focused on the wrong things. I spent some money getting safety equipment (life jackets, harnesses and safety lines for kids); a toolset; square cushions for the cockpit; and food that's just add hot water (hot chocolate, instant Starbucks coffee, and oatmeal). I ordered a new propeller. And I plan to update the cockpit covers. 

But interior cushions? Sure, it's a 1977 boat, and the cushions looked original. Did it matter? Wouldn't we be spending most of the time in the cockpit? I mean, in reality, we're going to be primarily day sailors. An overnight trip or two would be great. I just didn't think that's going to happen for some time. I still need to become a proficient sailor. The weather is getting wetter and colder. I figured cushions would be a down the road upgrade.

Jane was insistent. And she couldn't have been more right. We did some comparison shopping for upholsterers. Prices ranged greatly. Then we ended up finding a guy just on the other side of the bridge from us in Oakland, Tony at a company called Bay Trim. He does automotive and marine work. His prices were reasonable, and his turnaround was just a couple weeks, inclusive of ordering the dark royal blue marine canvas and materials. 

Jane had a work trip this weekend. I picked up the cushions on Friday, and my daughter helped me get them from the truck to the boat. It was a little like a simple puzzle to get the cushions in the right  spot. And then I spent an hour stapling Velcro to the wood of the seating area to match where Tony had the reverse Velcro added to the vinyl backs of the side and back cushions. 

And they look great. My daughter tried out the pilot berth, the V berth and both settees. I sent photos to my wife so she wouldn't have to wait until Thanksgiving to see them in person. 

Now there is one fix still needed by Tony. The small triangular cushion that goes in between the main cushions of the V berth rests on edges below the other cushions. So the foam must be a few inches taller. It was not. So I expect Tony to correct it. Otherwise, I'm completely happy with this purchase and vendor. 

Jane was right. It makes the boat feel different. And now maybe we'll accelerate how quickly we get out for a few overnighters. So check them out. 

Serious Props

I just received my new Campbell Sailor prop. Is it odd to be so excited about a mechanical device? It's partly because the old prop is corroded and potentially a danger if it were to break during a family outing. It's also because this brand of prop is designed to give much more thrust at the smaller size, and for a fixed three blade, it doesn't drag as much when under sail as a standard one. 

Now to find out when the soonest our newly sourced diver can get it on Hideaway. 

Here are some photos of the new prop. It's surprisingly heavy and the machining to get it to my boat's specs are evident. At the bottom is a graph that shows the efficiency of this prop type over other fixed blade designs.

Entertaining

I was able to entertain my first boat visitors on Thanksgiving since dinner was hosted by my wife's Uncle Thom and family, which is where Hideaway is docked. There was almost zero wind the last couple of days, so sailing wasn't in the cards. So I handed out beers and we all just chilled for an hour or so listening to old CDs I had burned years ago and stowed on the boat. Apparently, I bought just about the worst beer possible, Steel Reserve. In trying to buy someone in cans and avoid typical American beers, I selected something called Reserve which means this marketer fell victim to another marketer. I always thought malt beverages with 8% alcohol came in 40 oz bottles. Well, most of us suffered through it, and chilled to U2 and Genesis. 

I also returned the canvas cover to the cockpit, which I had stepped on and torn the seams in several places. Not having a sewing machine, I had to hand stitch about 5' of seams, and it ain't pretty. But it should be functional. This cover doesn't keep rain out completely so it's as much for protection from seagull crap. I also added a small tarp I had at home for more rain protection. 

Which is good because last night started several days of rain. We should get 3-5" and I'm hoping that doesn't mean much leaking inside. But checking for leaks is a good excuse to go over and putter around. I love that. 

Next up are fabricating replacement bilge covers. Need to get some marine grade plywood, mahogany for the top parts and noble fir for the 1/2" bases for strength (it's cheaper than the mahogany). And I have some basic plans for a large tarp cover over the boom and extending to the stern. I ordered a super large tarp and a marine zipper which I can use around the backstay. Wish me luck.

Motor on

So the wind today in the estuary and the Bay was elusive. Which means we got to be motor sailors for a few hours (from 1:30-4:30). Love that Yanmar 3GM30F (at 257 hrs now). Would've preferred sailing but it was still a nice time out. Brought along Uncle Thom, Sophia, my wife Jane, and one other friend Jack. 

We have the cushions out for re-upholstery and I learned that the cabin interior is more than twice as loud as usual with the engine going when there's no sound deadening of the cushion near the running engine. 

Saw a seal and a cool low flying pelican. 

We also got to watch a huge cargo ship being maneuvered by a few tugs in the estuary. 

Well anyway, here are some photos. 

Getting to know each other

Got to spend some time on the boat at the dock today. My wife joined me and her uncle helped clarify for me the rather complex electrical system. 

Since we're not at a marina with a bunch of other boats, we're able to keep the shore power going which means a dehumidifier can run constantly and batteries remain fully charged. We also have the ability to leave the refrigerator on if we stock beer (and maybe some other stuff). 

We also examined the Yanmar diesel to find out where to replace the engine zincs. After much searching we couldn't find anything that looked exactly like the diesel's manual showed for zincs. Thanks to some online searching by Thom, we learned that's because there aren't any! The 3GM30F is freshwater cooled (the F) and apparently doesn't have any zincs. Cool. One less thing to maintain. 

We brought some other stuff to the boat today, too. The rest of the life vests, a hot water kettle and related "just add water" food stuffs, a toolkit, a couple shoe hangers which make for great closet shelves for rolled up clothes, and cleaning supplies. 

So that was a good couple of hours. Looking forward to having the new interior cushions and just hanging out at the waterfront guest house. 

Haul out

Catching up on my posts, here is some eye candy from the haul out and survey itself. 

Maiden voyage

Now for a fun post. These are photos from our maiden voyage with Hideaway. Really it was the relocation from Richmond Yacht Club to her new dock in Alameda on the estuary. The day before was the original plan but it was raining and extremely windy. That itself was strange because CA has been in an awful drought for nearly a year. But I digress. We changed the date from Saturday, 10/18 to Sunday 10/19. And the day was beautiful. A light and manageable wind. A TON of boats on the Bay and it seemed like most were leaving from Richmond for something called a Pumpking Regatta.

My wife's Uncle Thom is a seasoned sailor and was our captain that day. He gave me and my friend Rick--who himself recently bought a new old sailboat--some great tips about collision avoidance and being able to tell if you're on a collision course by whether there is land opening up behind the other boat. Basically, that if there's no land opening up behind your perspective of the other boat, it means you're going the same speed and are likely to run into each other.

Anyway, we had a reach from Richmond to Angel Island then down to the Bay Bridge from there. Very little turning is needed on the Bay for the type of trip we wanted to do, but the one was very useful because apparently being on a straight run can be a bit unsettling (or so I'm told). 

I also got to bring my daughter, Sophia, and once it was very calm or when we were under motor, she slid to midships for a better vantage than in the cockpit. We saw two seals, and a dolphin (! I've never seen one of those in the Bay in years of ferry ridership). The final photo is at her new dock in Alameda. 

A-prop-priate

Seeing as this is my first real boat--meaning the first boat that I've cared to get to know and maintain--I had no idea that a prop is not a simple item. First off, there are a dozen different kinds of props, and that's just for sailboats. 

In my haul out and survey, my surveyor identified that the zinc on the prop shaft was no more, and that had caused bad corrosion to the existing propeller. It has to be replaced.

But identifying what props work for a 1977 boat whose manufacturer is no longer in business (since 1994) and that has been repowered (from the original Atomic 4 gas engine to a GREAT Yanmar 3GM30F diesel 27 hp), is not easy. 

You have to know certain things to get the right prop:

1. Engine make and model--okay that was the easy part;
2. Reduction ratio--this is, I learned, part of the transmission and I have a gear drive not a "sail drive" as I would've expected; and
3. Pitch--this is, as I'm starting to understand it, the degree of tilt essentially.

As stated above, I have a Yanmar 3GM30F (the F standing for freshwater cooling of the raw saltwater that also passes through the engine). 

The reduction ratio is stamped on a transmission plate, which it turns out on my boat is BEHIND the engine toward the aft of the boat, and only visible via a little cut out on the side of the aft quarter berth (the little bed on the back left side of the interior). So dangling my iPhone over this area precariously for 15 minutes I took around 50 photos until I was able to capture enough resolution of this lightly stamped "2.36" on the plate. Which means it has a 2.36:1 reduction rate.

The pitch remains the elusive piece. I have posts on several Facebook sailing pages, in the Ericson owners forum, and emails to two different prop shops. It seems this should be consistent for this boat and model. But it's not easily located online. 

Here are a few photos of the engine plate and the transmission plate. 

I'm grateful to the previous owner for all his documentation but I still need to lock down the pitch for this prop shaft. It's important I source the right prop. There's a type called a Campbell Sailor that has angled blades that are narrower than typical props and is more efficient. You can get away with a couple inches less overall prop diameter than usual because of its design. But either way, I need to get the prop right, because this boat has a 3/4" prop shaft, which I also learned is narrower than they (ALL sailboats) started using shortly after this model. Too much torque could wreck it. 

So I await some answers from experts at any of the places I reached out to. Hopefully, I'll know something shortly and get a new prop ordered. 

Hideaway before I owned her

Here are bunch of pre-purchase photos of Hideaway from the previous owner, Dudley. He did an amazing job documenting this boat. I even got CAD files of various systems and parts. Now it's to me to keep her in as good shape as I got her.