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Ah! All this oceangoing stuff makes me feel like my days sailing with my dad on a Gloucester 20 on the Kanawha River were positively mundane. Awesome thread, though. You learn to tack a lot when you sail in a river with both sides having high hills running parallel.
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Oct 8, 2015 04:38
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Panzeh posted:Ah! All this oceangoing stuff makes me feel like my days sailing with my dad on a Gloucester 20 on the Kanawha River were positively mundane. Awesome thread, though. Hey, a day on a sailboat is better than nothing. You should really try some coastal cruising. Just enough of the offshore feel without losing sight of land. But if you are not close enough to the coast, get you a trailer sailor and take it to the area lakes. Great way to do some sailing and seeing new places without going up and down the river.
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Oct 12, 2015 01:16
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For those of you who may be wondering where to go look for a sailboat, here are some areas you can begin your search. Yachtbroker - The salesman of the boat world. Think of them like they are the real estate agent when you want to buy a house. https://www.yachtworld.com - Good place to find clean used boats all over the world. Good search engine as well. Craigslist - Search for 'sailboat'. You will get more hits on towns nearer the coast. https://www.sailingtexas.com/cboats.html - Listing of used boats that use to show Texas boats but now has expanded to all over the country. Most boats are sold by owner. Local marina - Yep, you can find boats for sale in your local marina. They have a policy of chaining up boats when the owners don't pay their slip fees. After several months, they confiscate the boat and then put it up for sale. Typically they only ask for what is owed on the slip fee so you can get a good boat at a very cheap price. BUT boats tend to be neglected so be prepared to do some washing and cleaning.
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Oct 15, 2015 12:16
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I thought I would post some vids on offshore sailing just so you can see what it's like. This is on a Baba 40 which is one of the better offshore boats. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNqOs9N_urs Another one with a older boat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8E5-XA9ZWs And just to show you that sailing is not just for the guys. This is Teresa. She sold ALL of her possessions right after college and bought her a boat. She was sailing single handed while buddy-boating with her friend. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21e0fp48tqk
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Oct 21, 2015 12:06
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withak posted:I took an introductory sailing class that that the city of Oakland (California) offers on Lake Merritt earlier this summer and it was blast so this weekend I am taking the solo small-boat sailing class. These classes are ridiculously cheap (about $120 for a three-day thing) so everyone in the bay area should take them. You and anyone else in the East bay should check out the Cal Sailing Club (http://www.cal-sailing.org/) in Berkeley. Really cheap, fun way to learn to sail (and keep sailing) in the Bay. I unfortunately only learned about them once I was too far to really take advantage, but it's an amazing community.
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Oct 23, 2015 20:36
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Video wise I find this one on vimeo incredibly inspiring as it's about some fairly ordinary people (that is, not incredibly wealthy) buying a cheap broken old yacht, doing it up while living off of pickles and then just sailing off around the Carribean and Haiti. It's informative and really well done, this makes me want to go out and get started on a boat just after watching, I highly recommend it. From their description, "The intention of Hold Fast was to help de-mystify sailing, by showing other people that voyages could be made with little to no money". https://vimeo.com/15351476 e: here's a link to the vimeo html5 player for people who don't have flash like me. For more of a pure raw exciting sailing video I like this one, inspirational in a different way as I could never do the same as this guy but holy poo poo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QkZN35RZfU I know I'm just posting videos but it was these that actually motivated me to start sailing in the first place, hopefully they inspire more people to get into it and show that it's not particularly inaccessible and can be much more than a dream. Both show that it's not just a rich mans game these days and Hold Fast especially shows you can have a ton of fun cruising around without really compromising on a limited budget. Ant built his boat at his house and gave it buoyancy with polystyrene taped in bags to circumnavigate the world because he couldn't afford anything more.
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Oct 24, 2015 08:56
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Crack posted:Video wise I find this one on vimeo incredibly inspiring as it's about some fairly ordinary people (that is, not incredibly wealthy) buying a cheap broken old yacht, doing it up while living off of pickles and then just sailing off around the Carribean and Haiti. It's informative and really well done, this makes me want to go out and get started on a boat just after watching, I highly recommend it. From their description, "The intention of Hold Fast was to help de-mystify sailing, by showing other people that voyages could be made with little to no money". Great vids! Here are some of the ones I like to watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p9F4sSzMW0 And this one is the one I enjoy the most.........Couple from Italy sailing aboard a Elan (performance boat) and their vid of their Mediterranean trip. Its long but they edited the video fairly well so you dont get bored. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0voDTo0TD4 If I had a choice, I would buy a $5000 sailboat that is ready to go sailing than buy a $1000 boat that needs another $4000 just to get in shape to leave the dock.
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Oct 25, 2015 04:08
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Man this is making me miss sailing. I've worked for the past few summers teaching people to sail at a school not too far from me, but its not the season anymore, so I'm out of luck until the summer since I don't have my own boat. The bay I work on is great for teaching/learning cause its sheltered as hell, but its still right off the Long Island Sound so New York City is an easy day trip. I would love to go out to the ocean or something for a day though, try something new. I have quite a bit of experience with Sonars, but not much else, but I'd really like to try sailing different boats. If anyone is reading this thread and is unsure about starting to sail, some schools may offer a kind of trial sail before you start any kind of class. I highly recommend trying sailing for anyone who even remotely enjoys being on/near the water.
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Oct 25, 2015 06:42
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Baumann posted:Man this is making me miss sailing. Yep, most sailing schools offer a intro sail which basically gets you out on the water for about an hour so that the sailing bug bites you and then you sign up for the classes. If you don't have a boat, go to the marina and ask around to see if anyone needs a crew member if they are going out on a day sail.
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Oct 27, 2015 12:09
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Since it's starting to get chilly around here. it is time to start looking for that boat you always wanted. Best deals on boats is always during the winter time. People just don't want to pay for the slip fee or the boat itself if they cant use it. So here are some tips and tricks on looking for that 'perfect' boat. First off, there isn't a 'perfect' boat. There are boats with more positives than negatives so you really should make up a list of what you want on a boat. My list would be like......diesel power, head with holding tank, newish instrumentation, cutter rig, and around 30' long. Now depending on how much you are going to spend on the boat, I would HIGHLY suggest hiring a surveyor to look at the boat. He basically does the same job as the guy who looks at your future house and spots issues out that will affect the sales price. He can tell you if you are overpaying or just to walk away. He/she typically charges a certain amount based on the size of the boat......and travel time if he has to drive for a while. Hire local if you can. Now I wouldn't hire one for a boat that is selling under $4-5k unless you really want to.....your call. But you can do your own survey work to see if the boat is what you want. Remember what I am about to say is just my own personal opinion. First off, take a plastic handle screwdriver with you. The hard plastic, not the soft grip schit. I will explain later. Upon arriving at the boat (hopefully out of the water) with the owner take a quick look at the hull that is under the waterline. Do you see any bumps? Round blisters which range from 0.5 inch to six inches across. If you do, how many? Two or three? If you see a lot of them, walk away from the boat. These are water blisters which happen on boats which have been built with certain fiberglass. You can fix them by grinding them away and refilling the damage with new fiberglass and gelcoat. This does have a cost so be aware before you decide to keep looking at the boat. Some boats have so many blisters that they strip ALL the gelcoat off the bottom and let the boat sit for several months on the hard so the fiberglass can dry out. Look at the rudder. Does it look like it has damage on the bottom? Try to move the rudder sideways to see if the rudder post has any wear. It shouldn't. If the boat has an inboard motor, do the same thing to the prop shaft. Grab the prop and try to move it sideways. If it does, then the cutlass bearing is worn. The keel will tell you lots of things if you know what to look for. If the boat has a fixed keel, look down at the leading edge at the very bottom....is there any damage? If so, the boat has run aground against something hard. Then look at where the keel and hull meet. See if there are any cracks running along the joint line. Cracks suggest the keel took a hit or the keel bolts are not up to snuff anymore. Swing keels are easier. Grab the keel and try to move it sideways as well. A worn bearing causes these wobble. Walk on the deck. Do you feel any 'soft' spots? If you do, take out your screwdriver and lightly tap the deck with the handle end. You should hear a crisp knock when you hit the deck. Soft spots will have a duller sound. Soft spots are places where water has gotten into the deck itself. This can be fixed if you don't mind drilling holes into the deck to inject some epoxy. If the deck has multiple soft spots, I suggest you walk away. Look for cracks on the gel coat. Do you see cracks that look like spider webs? These occur when something heavy fell and hit the deck. Use the screwdriver and see if there is any gelcoat/fiberglass separation underneath. Check the stanchions, these are the metal poles that hold the lifelines. See if any of them are loose. See if there are any soft spots around any hardware mounted on the deck. Screwdriver time again. Are the hatch covers cracked? Glazed over from people stepping on them? Look at the gaskets, do they have cracks? I think that is enough for one post, I don't want to make your eyes bleed from a wall of text. Next time, we will look at the cockpit, the standing and running rigging, and sails.
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Nov 9, 2015 13:17
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This is a great post. Thanks for this! I'm excited for part 2.
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Nov 10, 2015 06:53
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Agreed, this is all extremely interesting. I got my pilots license over a decade ago, but didn't do much flying after my flight test due to how expensive it is to rent planes ($165/hr at my old flying club last I heard). But I'm starting a better career now, and goddamn if this thread hasn't sunken it's teeth into me. I'm already looking at nearby clubs, but I've also had a little exposure to dinghys (in that I've ridden in one while contributing no help at all). Any reason why a 13' dinghy would be a bad investment for farting around and learning to sail with? mom and dad fight a lot fucked around with this message at 09:53 on Nov 19, 2015 |
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Nov 19, 2015 09:50
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liquorlanche posted:Does team racing exist (in the US) outside of high school/college? I miss setting mark traps and heading people up, into oblivion. I've sailed against NYYC and St Francis YC before - I think the elitist yacht clubs do a fair amount of team racing. I don't know much detail though, I'm in the UK.
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Nov 22, 2015 23:54
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Airborne Viking posted:Agreed, this is all extremely interesting. I got my pilots license over a decade ago, but didn't do much flying after my flight test due to how expensive it is to rent planes ($165/hr at my old flying club last I heard). But I'm starting a better career now, and goddamn if this thread hasn't sunken it's teeth into me. A smaller boat is a great starter if you keep in mind that it IS a small boat. In the beginning, sailing is going to be more about how to set the sails, and adjust them for the wind conditions. They also make it cheaper to store. Most will come with a trailer (trailer sailors) which you can store in your backyard or in your garage.
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Dec 4, 2015 01:04
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tentish klown posted:I've sailed against NYYC and St Francis YC before - I think the elitist yacht clubs do a fair amount of team racing. I don't know much detail though, I'm in the UK. yes, down in Clear Lake (Houston), we have the Wednesday night races which is fun to watch and sail in. There also regattas that are held as well and people may be able to crew up with a boat if they ask around.
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Dec 4, 2015 01:06
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Okay, sorry about the long wait. It seems that two bouts of the flu and then a RL issue can really eat up someones time. So where did I leave off? Oh, yes.....cockpit and rigging. Climb into the boat, hopefully it is still out of water. Boats come in two versions when it comes to steering. One is a tiller and the other is the wheel. Tiller is the big wooden stick that swings back and forth while the wheel is like, well, like driving a car. I personally like the tiller for the simple fact that I can move the rudder as fast as I can move the tiller. The wheel has to be turned and unless the wheel is marked, you will not know if the rudder is straight ahead or not. Check the tiller by moving it back and forth like you are changing course. There should not be any 'slop' when you change direction. The rudder should move in sync with the tiller. If possible, watch the rudder as you move the tiller. The wheel is basically the same thing. Check for any looseness when you turn the wheel. It should have a firm positive resistance when you turn it. If it free wheels a little bit, there are some worn parts that will need to be replaced. The cockpit will come in different sizes but nearly all of them will have sitting along the sides with a foot well in the middle. There are storage compartments under the seat which you can get to by lifting up the seat lids. Open them up and look at what is in them. Typically you will find mooring lines, floats, and just plain junk. You can tell a lot about how the boat was kept simply by looking at on how organized the cockpit storage compartments are. If the boat has a inboard engine, there will be a engine panel somewhere in the cockpit. Typically it will have a RPM gauge, some 'idiot' lights, a place for a key, and a choke if it is a gas engine. Most the panels will have a 'hour' readout on it. Boats do not track the mileage on motors like cars do, but how many hours the motor runs. The problem is that you cannot tell if the hours are from idling hours upon hours or just normal use and motor sailing. A little snippet about diesel inboard engines. The diesels you find in sailboats are actually derived from modified tractor motors. I will do a another post about brand types and such later. Okay, back to the cockpit. Ask the owner to put the key into the ignition but NOT start the motor. You want to see if the gauges and lights work. Now if the boat is in the water, ask him/her to start the motor. See how long they have to crank it before it starts. Is there any smoke coming from the exhaust? (typically located at the transom) If so, what color? Is it white? Then its steam and should clear up within seconds. If it is blue smoke, the engine is burning oil......be wary. If the smoke is black, the engine is not burning all the fuel. again further checking if the smoke continues. Look over the side, you should see a healthy amount of water coming out of the exhaust. If it is a trickle, then some work on the cooling system is in order. Let the motor run for a while so it can warm up. NEVER check a motor that has already been running before you show up to look at the boat. Its a good way to hide problems with the motor during a cold start. The cool thing about running a boat is that there is only two speeds....forwards and backwards. Basically the way to check the transmission is to push the stick forward or reverse. There shouldn't be any grinding noises and the boat should pull against the mooring lines depending on which way you push the stick. If after five or ten minutes of running and the motor does not act up, you can half way give it a passing grade. Now let's look at the rigging. There are two types of rigging...standing and running. Standing rigging is the lines, nearly all are stranded wire type, which hold up the mast. There will be one or two lines running from the bow up to the mast and usually three on each side of the mast that run from the chain-plates up to the mast. And finally one line on the stern. All of these lines are not adjusted after being set. The stern back stay on some boats can be adjusted and for changing the sail shape. We need to check the ends to see if there is any corrosion. Look at the wire that goes into the turnbuckle. This is the part that adjusts the tension. Some rust is okay but you should really look for cracks in the turnbuckle and for any frayed wires. Ask if the standing rigging has been changed or is still the original. If it is the original and the boat has some years on it, it might be time for a refit.......and that will cost some money. Look at all the connections, up front at the bow, the port and starboard stays, and the back stay. Try not to check for frayed wires by sliding your bare hand up and down the cable. You get a nasty poke if you are not careful. Use a cloth type glove and loosely check the wire. The running rigging is all the lines (ropes for you land lubbers) that is used to control the sails. About the only thing I would check for is if the outside wrapping is so worn out that you can see the strands inside. A little fuzz on the line is okay. Don't worry if the lines are green with mildew. This can be easily cleaned by soaking the lines in a bleach and water mix in a bucket overnight. So let's go look at the sails. If the sails are still hanked on, you can still raise them while docked. The boat will try to move but the mooring lines will stop it. The old way of raising sails was to clip them onto the stays with metal hooks. Simple, inexpensive, and slow. The new way is roller furling. The sail is basically wrapped around the stay itself and stays there all the time. Roller furling sails will have a protective UV cover which should look pretty clean and not color washed out. To unfurl a roller furled sail, you simply pull on the Jib sheet but beware there is a furler line that you must check first. This small line runs from the drum at the bottom of the sail back to the cockpit. It is usually tied off to stop cleat or something. It is used to roll up the sail. If the sails are not roller furling but hanked on, you can take the sails to a flat grassy area to lay them out. Check first for rocks, sticks, dog poop, yes dog poop, and anything else that might damage the sail. Pull the sail from the bag and unfurl it flat on the grass. Look at the clews or corners of the sail. Any worn fabric? Stitching undone or worn? Any stains on the sails? Ask how old the sails are. 80% chance that they are the original sails that came with the boat. Not a big issue but sails tend to 'bag out' or loose their shape. When this happens, you lose sailing performance when you're out on the water. Not a big issue if you are just cruising but if you want to do a race......well, you know. After all of these, take a quick look around the boat. See what gear has been added. Is there a horseshoe life jacket on the stern rail? Any antennas added? Look up at the top of the mast. Is there any wind instruments up there? Do they look like they work? Lifelines not loose? Any cracked hatch covers? Any screw holes in the deck where something has been removed? Go spin the winches......well, if they spin.....walk away. The winches should turn with little resistance and with a audible clicking noise. Some winches are louder than others but they should click when turned. If you barely hear any sound, it might mean the grease inside has hardened and you will need to pull the winch apart and clean and re-grease it. Not fun, I can tell you that especially on a boat on the water. Davy Jones Locker is well stocked with gear from sailors who didn't pay attention. Well, I think that is enough to make ones eyes bleed. Next time, we go below and talk about engines.
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Dec 4, 2015 02:11
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How about some more lovely boat pictures. Specifically, the two boats that occupy my dreams. This is a Ness Yawl. It's loosely based off a Shetland Yoal design - a working boat of the North Sea. Its roomy enough for day sailing with your family or a few friends, fast as hell if you know what you're doing, and best of all, you can build one yourself at a reasonable price. The designer, Iain Oughtred, sells detailed plans, and many US & UK based companies sell kits. There is a large community of builders online. Some people use them for cruising/camping - imagine slipping onto a secluded beach after an evening's sail, pitching tent, then pushing off the next day. This is the boat for a daysailer lucky enough to live in the Pacific Northwest.  This is a pilot cutter. Oh lord. Look at it. This boat is one of the most evolved designs ever put to sea. In the late 19th century, this boat would have carried pilots out to shipping in the Bristol Channel and Scilly Isles (dangerous and busy waters at the time). They had to work no matter the weather and compete with one another to reach the best paying ships. The result: the most solidly built, seaworthy and fastest wooden ships around. The adventurer H.W. Tilman chose one of these boats to cruise in the Arctic and Antarctic, searching for uncharted mountains to climb. Sadly there are only half a dozen surviving pilot cutters, but several shipyards in England are now replicating the design, with a few built each year. If you had say $400,000... how could you not spend it on one of these lovingly crafted slices of sailing nirvana?
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Dec 5, 2015 02:10
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Oh, yay! Sailboats!  I declare, there is not nearly enough dinghy love goin on here.  These are my two sailboats. The little one on the right, Crybaby, is 5'6". I got it at a yard sale for $30. I taught myself how to sail in it. I love this boat so much. I wish I knew who made it. It's freaking TINY.  My friend in the boat is maybe 5'8" tall. The other boat is a Naples Sabot, 8' long. The Yacht clubs in the LAX area favor them for their young sailors because of their low cost and ease of handling. I strongly recommend a dinghy under 8' as your first boat, because you don't have to register it, so it's one less headache. I really like sails they go on everything  My ancestors probably looked much like these guys: 
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Dec 7, 2015 11:14
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Sun Dog posted:I really like sails they go on everything haha! that's great, how close to the wind can you get on it?
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Dec 7, 2015 15:27
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Squido posted:haha! that's great, how close to the wind can you get on it? It's only been tested in an alleyway, and determined to be too heavy for that sail. I have no other experience with landsailers, so no idea how close they sail. I had planned on building a larger rig for it, a balance lug, but the project fell by the wayside. 
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Dec 7, 2015 23:55
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Should be pretty dang close, since the only way to make leeway is for the tires to be skidding sideways while you roll forwards. You would probably topple over first.
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Dec 8, 2015 01:54
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Myotis posted:How about some more lovely boat pictures. Specifically, the two boats that occupy my dreams. You should see the Bristol Channel Cutter........now that boat will make you go crazy. They dont make them anymore but they were sold as a whole boat or hull only.
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Dec 14, 2015 00:41
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Squido posted:haha! that's great, how close to the wind can you get on it? It should point just like a boat on the water. I would suggest lowering it to get closer to the ground. Try looking for empty parking lots on a Sunday for places to go land sailing. Or if you are close to the ocean, try it on the hard sand at the beach........but watch where you are going.
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Dec 14, 2015 00:43
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Again, my apologies......freakin work is just plain killing me. So lets continue the boat inspection thread. Remember I am talking about a 27-35' size boat. Smaller boats do not have this much gear below. Today, we go down below to see what issues we will find inside the boat. Most if not all boats have the same type of layout inside. Galley (kitchen) just inside the hatch. Two settees on each side of the hull with a table in the middle. The head (toilet) located further ahead towards the bow with V-berths filling in the very front. Lets look at the galley first. A good galley design would be the classic Tri-shape layout. This is where the sink, stove, and icebox form the three points of a triangle and you can are in the very center. This arrangement allows you to access these items with little to no walking around. Something you don't really want to do on a boat that is moving around a lot. So then, most boats have the galley right next to the hatchway. The purpose of this is that the cook can hand food and beverage out the hatchway without too much hassle. I personally don't like the galley right under the hatchway. Some boats will have the stove on one side, the icebox completely on the other side, and the drat sink right in the middle of the walkway. Others have the galley off to the side. This layout is the one I prefer. You have the triangle and you have access to the cockpit. Some boats move the galley further forward which makes getting food and drink to the topside more of a hassle. These layouts are more of a personal thing so you have to decide if the galley location will work for you. In the galley, the sink will have two faucets. One is the fresh water and the other is the salt water. They are either foot pump or electrical pump setup. If there is fresh water in the tank (ask the owner), give the pump a couple of steps to get the water to come out. Wet your finger and taste the water. Does it taste funny? If so, it may be time to do a tank cleaning. Not hard but a PIA. The salt water faucet pulls water from outside. This water typically is used to wash dishes and such. Fresh water is used for cooking and drinking. Look at how fast the sink drains. It should hold water, its just like your sink at home. The ice box usually always has the door on top. This is to keep the cold air inside. The basic icebox is just that, a ice box.....you have to put blocks of ice in to keep your food coldish. I use dry ice purchased from the store. I keep it wrapped in the plastic so that it doesn't 'burn' anything inside. Dry ice also has the benefit of not putting water down in the bilge when it melts. Some iceboxes now have plate refrigeration. This basically like your home fridge except there is a plate in the box which gets cold to keep the box temps down. These work rather well but has the drawback of using electricity which on a boat could be on short supply. So you either like to run your engine to charge your batteries a lot or have solar/wind to try to offset the power draw. Bigger boats are not as affect with this issue though. But any-hows, check to see if the plate is cold or has a frost on it. Some systems run so well that they can make ice cubes. The stove/oven is typically going to be propane. They are simple machines....they work or they don't. The big issue is the propane tank and where it is kept. It should be in a separate box with a vent drain at the bottom so that any gas that leaks out can drain out overboard. Also check to see if there is a cutoff valve that WORKS. If the valve doesn't close and the stove is left on, the gas will fill inside the boat and people have died in their sleep. Okay, lets go to the other side of the spectrum......the head. Not to complicated.......place where you go to poop....guys tend to urinate off the back pulpit. The head (toilet) will be three types.....self contained tank that you have to carry out to unload, a holding tank on the boat and is emptied by a vacuum type system....think travel Trailer setup, and straight overboard. The first two collects the waste and you have to remove it yourself. The last version was the standard back in its day but now with Coast Guard regulations, they are not allowed to be used within coastal waterways. You get caught with a unlocked valve on such a system, expect a good fine to go with it. Other than keep the holding tank clean as possible, the only issue will be the working parts of the head itself. Check to see that it operates freely....pump the handle to see if water comes into the bowl. Some heads will also have a shower head/hose attachment which are fresh water. These are just like the shower in your house except that the water goes down into the bilge......'basement' of your boat...we will get back to that later. The sink in the head will probably be like the one in the galley. Give the foot pedal a couple of pushes and see if water comes out. Let's look at the portholes now.....these are the 'windows' of the boat. 95% of older boats will have leaking portholes. How can you tell? Easy.....look for any staining at the bottom of the port. Depending on how bad the leak is, the bigger the stain. Look at the cushions as well. They tend to stain as well from water dripping on them. Look to see if anyone has apply globs of silicon around the edges in a lazy attempt to stop the leaking. Look at the woodwork......is there any staining? Especially down around the bottom? Pull up the floor boards. What condition is the sump pump in? Is it fairly clean? Covered in oil? Engine issues possible. How much water is in the bilge? Lots? Little? Expect to see some water down there, not all boats have dry bilges. Pick up the float switch and see if the sump pump turns on. The switch mostly looks like a pedal that moves up and down. Sniff the bilge area. Does it smell like rotted food? Might have some cleaning to do. And finally, the wiring.....the wiring that runs the lights, inside and out and other things like the radio and other instruments. Wiring inside a boat tends to be the most bastardize piece that you will ever see. See if you look behind the fuse panel. This is where all the switches (running lights, pumps, and such) will be located. Does the back part look like a bowl of spaghetti of wires running every which way? Does the wires look corroded and the covering on them cracked? Look all through the inside of the boat to see what condition the wiring is in. Granted you wont be able to look behind everything but keep an eye out for loose wires hanging loose or slopping wire routing. Such things can suggest a half arse job of installing equipment. Do the inside lights work? some will have a red bulb as well as a white one for use at night. Check the radio, Does it turn on? How old is it? When you change the channel 16, do a 'radio check' to see if other boaters can hear you. The radio is going to be your first line of contact if something bad happens...especially if you are out of cell phone range. look at any other pieces of equipment, gauges and instruments to see if they operate correctly. Check out the cushions now. They will probably be some outlandish green color if they haven't been recovered since the boat was built. Are they stained? If so, can you tell where the liquid came from? Most stains will be water marks from the portholes leaking. Unzip the cushion somewhat and check the foam. Is it still pliable or has it turned hard and crumbles. Don't laugh, replacing cushions cost a pretty penny now a days. As you pull the cushions up, check the storage underneath. Yes, there will be 'hidden' doors under there so you can store all that crap you will bring on board....and forget where you put it later on. No nasty surprises? No car batteries on one side in a vane attempt to keep the boat from listing? Been there, seen it. Well, that pretty well does it for the interior of the boat. I hope you enjoy this series as much as I am....typing the ends of my fingers off. Next time, we will look at the inboard motor....cuz that is where the money is.
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Dec 14, 2015 02:02
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RazNation posted:
Well, I love it. I lived by the ocean for most of my life and it's about drat time I had a boat.
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Dec 14, 2015 09:34
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What sorts of things do you look for in a blue water/open ocean sort of boat vs. a coastal cruiser? If you were doing a a big crossing or 'round the world trip, what boat would you choose?
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Dec 15, 2015 04:47
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Minus Pants posted:What sorts of things do you look for in a blue water/open ocean sort of boat vs. a coastal cruiser? If you were doing a a big crossing or 'round the world trip, what boat would you choose? Well, that's kind of a loaded question. There are several thoughts on what makes a good offshore boat. The traditional view is a heavy displacement full keel cutter rig boat. These tend to be slowish and hard to point into the wind. They were the choice back when a sailor couldn't get any weather forecasts while sailing. They tended to run into a stray storm or two so they needed a boat that could handle the wind and waves. Now a days, with satellite communication and all, you can easily download weather each day while offshore in order to avoid any storms. People are now tending to look at lighter boats with a fin keel instead which tends to be faster than a full keel boat. Their idea is that you spend less time sailing from one spot to the next. I prefer the modified full keel cutter rig such as the Pacific Seacraft boats. They sail well AND point nicely into the wind, carry a lot of gear, and are built for offshore work. Now let's talk about what boat to look at. Size: People have gone offshore in boats less than 15' but those are more like 'hey, watch this' type of voyages. You can go as small as a 20' (PS Flicka 20) if you are going solo and don't mind bobbing like a cork. My thought is somewhere around 35-40' range. This gives a nice big boat with plenty of storage and can be easily handled by one person. Cockpit: I look for a smaller cockpit size which means a smaller 'pit' (place where you walk) in case you get a schitt load of Blue Water over the transom. Blue Water is the term given when the seas are rough and a wave comes over and fills your cockpit full of water. The problem is that the water is heavy and the cockpit drains can only let out so much water. The smaller the cockpit, the less amount of water to get off your boat. Transom: My preference is a canoe type stern. This tends to let the waves split around your boat instead of slamming right into it like with a flat transom. It also looks more pleasing but can make mounting a windvane and/or ladder a bit of an issue. Rigging: Offshore boats have heavy type rigging, wires and such are more robust than a normal coastal or lake boat. This is because of the type of sailing weather you might experience offshore. If you do go offshore, remember to take some bolt cutters with you. Why? Because if you ever lose your mast, there is a good chance that some of the rigging will still be connected to your boat and can cause the mast to bang against the hull. So you could go from losing a mast to a sinking ship pretty quick. Sails: Here is where you are going to see where your money went. Offshore boats tend to carry more sails than others. The sails are heavier stitched, thicker material, and have more reef points. Unless you have a roller furler, you will have several head-sails along with a couple of try or storm sails. Of course, your main with three or four reef points and a spinnaker for light wind sailing. Fuel and fresh water: Although you are on a sailboat, you will still need fuel. Not only for getting out of the marina and such but also when the winds die down to nothing and you are sitting out there watching the sails flog around. You can choose to sit out there and wait for the wind to come back or you could motor your way towards your destination. It all depends on your fuel and food stored aboard and your patience threshold. Most boats carry extra fuel in yellow plastic jugs and tie them off on the rails. As far as water is concern, if your boat has a water maker then you don't have too much trouble in keeping water aboard. If you don't have such a luxury, aka boat too small, not enough power to run it, or cost....you will have to bring your own water with you. The boat will have its own water tank but you can supplement it with extra jugs of water just like the fuel. These jugs tend to be blue in color so you don't accidentally pour diesel fuel into your water tank by mistake. Food: The first thing you must realize about sailing is that your boat is not going anywhere fast.....most boats do about 5-6 knots on a good day. However while you offshore, you are sailing 24 hours a day so depending on weather, sailing skills, and your boat, you can do about 150-200 miles in one 24 hour period (best guessimates due to varies conditions). Which means that you will be offshore for some time depending on the length of your voyage. Sailing from Houston to Miami might take up to five or six days. Longer trips might be a month long....think west coast to Hawaii. You need to plan out your meals ahead of time and purchase in bulk to get the best value. You can bring fruits and vegetables but remember you will need to eat them before they go bad. Can foods and dry goods are your friends especially if you are a good cook....as in not eating Bush's Beans three times a day for a week. Instruments: Back in the beginning of time, sailors used the stars to navigate. Then came the sextant and paper charts and finally GPS. Today, a sailor can pinpoint his/her location anywhere in the world with just a push of a button. The button being the on/off switch of a chart plotter or laptop. Yep, the days of 'shooting the sun' at noon, plotting your position on a paper map (within ten to twenty miles of your ACTUAL location) are long gone. Today, with GPS and electronic charts, you can see exactly where you are within 5' of your actual position. To do this, you will need a GPS antenna and instrument called a chart plotter or a laptop. Due to the App Store, sailors are now using their tablets as a mobile chart plotter that they can carry around on the boat, thanks Apple! This neat stuff does not allow you to skip on proper navigation techniques though. If you cant figure out how to lay out a good course, then you shouldn't leave the dock. Power: Your boat runs on electricity, mainly 12v electricity provided by your batteries. Your lights, running lights and house lights, along with any instruments you want running as well is going to eat into your power reserve and you need to recharge the batteries eventually. Your choices are solar panels, wind generators (little windmills), running your engine, and if you have the space, a power generator. Each has their positives and their negatives as far as their use, solar works best when pointed directly at the sun, wind generators when there is a gust of wind, and so on and so on. Pets: If you fancy bringing a pet, dog or cat or whatever........DON'T. Your pet is either going to die by falling overboard or be confiscated by customs officers of the country you just entered. Yes, people have taken their pet with them when they go cruising but they realize that someday they will need to make a decision if Patches or Gigi is worth saving. The ocean is not cruel but deals a fair hand so if your pet falls overboard one night and you don't notice.......Neptune will feed the fishes. Another issue is countries tend to have strict rules about what kind of animals are allowed to enter their lands....aka Johnny Depp and his stupid dogs down in AussieLand. Best leave your precious on land. Safety equipment: Let me state up front.......you can or will die if you do not know what you are doing offshore. If you sail solo (by yourself like I tend to do), there is no one there to help you. You have to fend for yourself, be it a mechanical problem or you broke a bone. What you do or don't do determines if you see shore again. So what do you need? First, a good life raft, inspected and certified for offshore use. They can cost as much as $3k but when your boat is sinking, what the heck. A 'overboard' bag with food, water, radio, emergency locator ready to go in case you need to abandon ship. A good medical kit and not that stupid crap schitt you buy at WallyWorld. A REAL med kit and a Dummies guide to first aid if you don't know much about medical issues. EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radiobeacon)......get one! And register it before you sail off.....nuff said. This one item can and will save your arse. It sends out the SOS through GPS for the authorities to come out and rescue you. Of course, all the other safety devices that you are required to carry anyway.....flares, life vests, and such. I am sure the Coast Guard will remind you if you are missing anything with a ticket and fine when they board your boat for a safety inspection.....and they will. And finally.... You: As captain of the boat (if you are alone or have ten people on your ship).......YOU are responsible for anything that happens on-board. Seriously.....anything that happens....you run aground, someone falls overboard, papers not in order....its your arse the authorities will be going after. You are in charge of the boat and its crew so be fore warn. Someone gets sick or injured while offshore, you are the one who needs to get that person to shore asap be it sailing back to port or having SAR (Search and Rescue) come out and get them. If you sail solo and you end up hurt or sick and have to be picked up, kiss your boat goodbye. After pressing the button on your EPIRB, someone will come to help you. The first thing you will probably see is an aircraft which will contact you by radio asking for more information about the issue at hand. They will relay that info onto the nearest rescuer. It may not be SAR, it could be a cruise ship, a freighter, or even another sailboat. Either way, their only goal is to get you safe. Your boat is at the bottom of their list of things to worry about. If you have a crew, they can sail the boat back to port if needed but if the boat itself is the issue, everyone gets picked up....no questions. Sorry, got side tracked.....but what I look for in a offshore boat is this: Modified full keel, Cutter rigged, canoe stern, and around 40' in length even for a solo sailor........so essentially a Pacific Seacraft 40 footer. http://www.pacificseacraft.com/431416/specifications/ Hopefully this helps you. A word of advice though, if you don't have much sailing and navigation experience, do not go offshore......do some coastal cruising first and take some classes on offshore sailing.
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Dec 19, 2015 13:30
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RazNation posted:words Very interesting, thanks! I'm definitely not going off-shore anytime soon, but I'd like to once I get (a lot) more experience.
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Dec 19, 2015 20:02
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Hope everyone had a great holiday this week. Today's topic is going to be engines. On sailboats, there are two basic forms of mechanical propulsion.......outboard and inboard engine. Outboard engine Back in the day, the Two Stroke engine was king of the day. Its only fault was that you had to add oil to the gas tank for it to run correctly. Now with stricter environmental regulations, the days of the Two Stroke are ending. You can still find used ones but new out of the box are becoming harder and harder to find. Today, the Four Stroke engine is what everyone is getting. No oil to mix...aka....less crap to worry about and less items to keep in stock on the boat. These engines is what I would recommend if you are shopping for your boat. However, you need to consider the shaft.....and no, it's not what it sounds like. The shaft is the part of the outboard that goes from the engine housing down to the prop. Normal outboards have a 'short' shaft simply because the motor is mounted in the center-line of the boat. Sailboats, usually the smaller ones have the rudder mounted outside on the transom. This means that the outboard has to be mounted off to the side. This really isn't an issue except that the sailboat tends to lean over especially when you are motor-sailing (running motor and have sails up). Because of this, the propeller of the outboard may come out of the water which results in a loud eggbeater and typically scares your crew. To counter this, outboard manufacturers build a Long Shaft version. This is just a tall motor so that the propeller stays in the water when the boat is healed over. Pros: Easy to maintain if you have mechanical skills, can be stored off the boat if you are not going to be sailing for a while. Can take to a shop to be worked on if needed. Cons: If you are not careful, motor might fall into Davy Jones Locker. Easy to steal. Requires extra fuel tank for bigger motors. Extra weight hanging off the back of boat. Inboard engine There are two types of inboard engine, the gasoline motor and the diesel engine. When sailboats were first coming into their own, the majority of them were built with gasoline engines. Nowadays, it is the diesel engine that is king. You can still find used boats with gasoline engines to this day though. They are safe to operate if you follow the correct starting procedure. Let us look at the top engines you might find on a used boat. We start with the one gasoline engine. Universal Atomic 4 gasoline This is a inline four cylinder gas engine that was popular back in its day. The original version had the old 'points and plugs' type setup...aka the older crew here will know what I am talking about. Some engines have had their ignition system upgraded to the 'pointless' system. These engines were typically painted a copper color. Pros: If you can work on a carburetor, you can work on this engine. Other than that.......nothing else Cons: Gasoline engine, can cause your boat to explode if you don't vent first before starting engine. Expensive to replace...as in replace with a diesel engine and fuel tank. TL;DR I would stay away from a boat with this type of motor unless you plan to replace the whole engine/fuel tank system. Volvo Diesel Older boats will usually have the MD series installed. These motors tended to be one or two cylinder affairs with a LARGE flywheel upfront. These engines have not been produced in years and neither has the parts for them. So repairing these will be expensive......believe me. They are painted a dull John Deere green color. This engine would be my LAST choice to pick from. I would seriously choose a Atomic 4 over this dead end motor. Pros: Runs reliably......when it is in operating shape. Cons: No longer built and replacement parts are harder than **** to find as well as expensive. One/two cylinder engines tend to create vibrations while they run. Universal Diesel The same crew who brought you the Atomic 4 also brings you a diesel engine. A good round about type engine which offers better performance over their gas cousin. These also tend to be painted a copper color. Pros: Reliable engine with parts readily available. Good power if sized correctly to the boat. Cons: Other than being related to the A4, not much to worry about. Can be confused as its gas brother so look for the fuel lines and injectors to make sure it is the diesel. Yanmar Diesel This is the king of inboard engines. Very reliable and comes in multiple sizes for different boats. If the boat you are looking at has this motor, you are on easy street. This engine is actually a converted tractor engine (most small marine diesel engines are as well) which has been set up for sailboats. This is the motor I would have over anything else. These motors tend to be painted a silver color. Pros: Very reliable, cheap to maintain, parts are easy to come by and not that expensive. Easy to work on. Cons: Motor tends to up the price tag on boats that have this engine but well worth it. Now in closing, there is one more topic I want to talk about. Inboard engine cooling.........there are two methods that inboards use to control their operating temperatures. Raw water cooling: Basically, the engine sucks water from the body of water the boat is on and pumps it straight through the engine and then out the 'tail pipe'. This was the norm for several years but is not really used at all now. It has the tendency to cause issues with the cooling channels inside the motor itself. The raw water contains all kinds of nastiest, especially salt water which can clog up the passages. A real pain in the arse to fix. I don't recommend buying a boat with this setup. Fresh water cooling: This is the same thing as raw water cooling except that the sea water goes through a heat exchanger instead of the engine and then gets tossed out. The engine itself has its own cooling system....radiator, pump, and such so no sea water enters the engine itself. The cooling happens in the heat exchanger previously mentioned. This tends to keep maintenance down to a minimum and is the standard fare for all boats built now. Well, I think that is enough for engines. I hope you are enjoying this series. Have a great sail day!!!
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Dec 27, 2015 14:59
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Any thoughts or suggestions when looking at a small dinghy sized sailboat? I've always been interested in learning to sail and a tiny boat seems like a logical (and cheap) way to start. It would be sailed on lake Huron; the in-laws have some beach front on it.
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Dec 27, 2015 22:18
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RazNation posted:Well, I think that is enough for engines. I hope you are enjoying this series.
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Dec 28, 2015 01:47
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nplus1 elephants posted:Any thoughts or suggestions when looking at a small dinghy sized sailboat? I would suggest doing a search for a sailing school in your area. This way, you will know the basics about sailing before you go out and buy a boat and then become frustrated. Also some schools offer a 'introductory' sail program which doesn't cost much and allows you to see if sailing is really for you. It is typically an afternoon day sail on a 25-30' sailboat. As far as small boats are concerned, you can do a 'Sunfish' type boat. Typically a one sail, sit on top type boat. There is the 'Optimist' which is slightly bigger boat but still has one sail. A 'Laser' might be a good boat if you want a little bit more of a challenge. Typically after you take a sailing class or two, you may might want to invest into a day sailor type boat. It's a little bigger than the dingy types (don't get as wet) and you can actually spend a night on one if you want. My go-to boat for this is the Catalina 22. Been in production for years, used boats can be found really cheap (especially during the winter time), and replacement parts are easy to find. Check your local Craigslist for used boats. Marinas may also have boats that they have 'acquired' which they will sell on the cheap. I do not suggest a 'fixer-upper' as a first boat. Too many dreams have been dashed by new sailors wanting to go out on a boat they repaired/fix on their own. But if you really do want to learn how to sail, it can be done and done on the cheap. My first boat with a trailer was bought from the local Boy Scouts and very cheaply.
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Dec 29, 2015 02:50
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Thanks for the suggestions. I think a sailing class is in order once winter it's over.
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Dec 29, 2015 14:47
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RazNation posted:As far as small boats are concerned, you can do a 'Sunfish' type boat. Typically a one sail, sit on top type boat. There is the 'Optimist' which is slightly bigger boat but still has one sail. A 'Laser' might be a good boat if you want a little bit more of a challenge. You're taking about an optimist, the perfect boat for 6-8 year olds?
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Dec 29, 2015 14:50
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nplus1 elephants posted:Thanks for the suggestions. You might want to check into it now because when it gets warm, class room seats might be limited.
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Dec 30, 2015 01:12
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tentish klown posted:You're taking about an optimist, the perfect boat for 6-8 year olds? Actually the boat is good up to teenager size (14-15 yo) with some racing them in regattas. As far as adults are concerned, I would go with a larger boat, a day sailor type........something that you can use much longer after learning to sail. Boats like catboats may be a good boat. Unless you really plan on racing sailboats, don't really look at J22 or J24 boats as these are nothing but racing boats. If you want something a little different and have a little sailing experience, a HobieCat 16 would be a fun boat. If you enjoy flying that boat, you could move up to the Narco.
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Dec 30, 2015 01:24
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Sorry about not keeping this thread up and running. So here are some rags that you might want to see about subscribing to if you want to get your sailing swag. SAIL magazine.....fairly good articles but more aligned to the bigger boats. Cruising World....another fine magazine. Sailing World....if you are into racing more or less. Practical Sailor...just like the title says. This Old Boat.....a used boat owners helpful right hand on how to fix, update, and keep your boat in good shape. Of course, you can look on YouTube for sailors who video-blog which can give you your fix.
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Jan 11, 2016 02:51
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nplus1 elephants posted:Any thoughts or suggestions when looking at a small dinghy sized sailboat? Sailing lake Huron can be tricky. You really need to know what you are doing. It is easy to sail away from shore and be lost if you don't have all the gear that was mentioned above. I have sailed hobie 16's out there and had a lot of fun. I am not sure I would take a sunfish out in it though. To me sunfish are great on inland lakes and that is the place to really enjoy sailing them.
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Jan 15, 2016 15:48
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Eagerly awaiting more posts from you RazNation! You rock
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Jan 17, 2016 18:39
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Can you comment about having guns onboard while sailing around the Carribbean? Is it legal?
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Mar 19, 2016 20:58
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