New SUP in the works!

For a few months I have been slowly working away on a new SUP design.
The first SUP design I built was a hybrid wood strip/glass hull board.  This was back in 2011
Later I moved to all composite hollow boards of which I made 3 different evolutions.
While each variant was an improvement, our new board will be a major advance in design and awesomeness.
I have paddled a lot of boards an used this experience to drive the design of our new SUP.
It is still in the plug molding phase but is rapidly progressing.
Below are photos of the plug.  This was formed with wood strip construction overlaid with glass cloth and resin.  These steps were followed with 11 gallons of fairing compound.
We are happy with the shape to this point.  The next steps will be gelcoat layers, sanding and polishing.
The plan is to have our first board ready for spring testing.

Sabre 28: New electrical panel

One of the few complaints I have found of the Sabre 28 is the placement of the electrical panel.
It was placed just inside the companion way and is often exposed to spray.
Miraculously it still works even after 40 years.  This is a testament to the high quality of materials and installation.

The corrosion is an eyesore though, so we decided to begin anew.
We went with a modern blade fuse setup. We picked a great Blue Sea 12 slot Fuse panel.
With the addition of an electrical meter, shunt, terminal block and new toggle switches, the power onboard feels much more reliable.
Here are some photos in process:

Once mounted inside of the cabinet, the whole system will be protected from spray.

Sabre 28: Forestay failure! ...and replacement

While out on an afternoon sail in a 15 knot breeze, our forestay failed with the genoa up.
CHAOS!  The mast held up by virtue of our lower forward shrouds.  Thank their hearts.
We quickly doused all canvas and as gingerly as we could, motored through the 2 foot chop to our slip.
The next day I rigged a temporary stay, cut the stay, disassembled the Harken furler.

It should have been obvious but under the bolt and washer, it was impossible to see a crack.

After shopping around online for chainplate fabricators.  The prices were high so I ended up ordering 316 stainless from Onlinemetals.com.
So I can leave up the mast, I will work my way around the boat replacing stays as I go.
I increased the thickness of the steel.  This is not needed but why not.
The original chainplates lasted 40 years.

The failed forestay and the new blank.  Notice the increased thickness.

The new forestay ready to be installed.  Safety line attached so I don't lose it in the drink.

The new forestay ready for action.

The new and old lower forward chainplates.  316L !

Boston Whaler!

My son found a 1964 Whaler seriously in need of restoration.  It had been holed both on the bottom and in the sole.  Fortunately it also had been stored in a barn for a decade and was dry and otherwise sound.
After the hull repairs, he faired out the worst of the gelcoat crazing and gave the boat a fresh finish.
Here are some photos with captions.
First the beauty shot....

Back on the water after restoration. Photo: Eifel Kreutz

Vac/sanding the fairing.

cleaned and prepped for primer

Epoxy primer under way.

Sabre 28: water in the bilge!

Our port light replacement project was started to address an apparent leak.  There is often water in the bilge and the port lights seemed like the place to start.  While this did stop some of the water from getting into the boat, there was another source that was hard to track down.
Last week I discovered the source.  The water lift muffler has a pin hole leak.
It was hard to find because it would only leak when the engine was running and I was never looking when the engine was running.
With the raw water seacock shut, it was pretty easy to hacksaw the hoses and remove the old unit.
It was "stainless".  For it's replacement, I hoped to find a fiberglass model and was lucky to spot one at the new Anchors Away marine consignment store in Oriental.
With a slight bit of modification, it was an easy swap and the Beta 14 is purring again with no water leaks.

Ye old water lift

The new/used Centek unit with the inlet tapered to a smaller diameter and an elbow.

To make the nipple the correct diameter, I found the right size socket, wrapped it with Tyvek,  then added glass and
epoxy.  Then to remove the socket, I used the impact driver to break it free then pulled out the Tyvek.

Installed behind the diesel

Happy again.

Sailing on the Neuse

The town of Oriental calls itself the "Sailing Capital of North Carolina".
It has a pretty good claim on the title.  There are ideal conditions here to enjoy the sport year round.
It is located where the Neuse river opens up into Pamlico sound.  The river is 6 miles across at Oriental.  Its is a huge protected estuarial ecosystem.  The Neuse holds the record as the widest river in the US.  Fun fact, it is also considered the oldest river on the continent at an estimated 2 million years.  It drains the flats of eastern part of the state and most times has no discernible current.
The wind is often great.  Today's wind speed reached 17 knots at noon.
This together with its easy access to the Pamlico sound, the intercostal waterway and the Atlantic make it a sailing haven.

That is us!
Photo Courtesy of Eifel Kreutz

Sabre 28: rig tensioning

On a recent sail we noticed too much slack in the leeward shrouds.
I found my old Loos cable gauge.  With suggestions from the original Sabre manual that came with the boat, we went from shroud to shroud and slowly and evenly increased the tension.
On a subsequent sail, leeward slack was much reduced and we have a bit more confidence in the standing rigging.

JY 15 sailboat!

Our boat angel neighbor gave us a boat I had no familiarity with.
It is a mid 1990s JY15.
It has been sitting for over a decade and was on it's way to becoming a garden.
The sails and rudder were stored inside thank heavens.
While the boat looked rough at first, a little elbow grease and cleaner and it is looking like a boat again.
Here are some photos...

My YJ towing my JY!

Much better!

Sabre 28: diesel maintenance

Our Sabre was repowered with a Beta Marine 14.  We don't have a sure idea when this happened but our guess is around 2005.
The engine looks to have low hours.
The installation was well executed with proper fuel and raw water plumbing.
It has a dripless shaft seal (a big plus.)
When we got the boat we immediately replaced the impeller even though it looked to be in fine shape.  We also changed the fluids.
I haven't owned a boat with an inboard diesel but to my eye, the water flow out with the exhaust seemed low.  The last few days, we removed the heat exchanger and pickled it with a dilution of muratic acid.  This cleaned off significant scaling.   We also removed and cleaned the raw water strainer.  Once all was back together, there was no discernible change in the flow.  I then started testing each passage the raw water passed through and fairly quickly found the problem.

The clogged tube that leads raw water from the  impeller pump to the heat exchanger.

In a previous impeller replacement, the debris of a disintegrated impeller was not removed from the tube leading to the heat exchanger.  It was 85% clogged with rubber shrapnel.  This evening we are fishing out the last of this debris and expect a decent flow the next time we fire up the iron genny.

The newly cleaned heat exchanger.

The heat exchanger is the rectangle the cap is attached to.

This is a cap with a vented loop.  This is on the rear of the unit as the water is headed  back to sea.

Back it the correct location.

Another view of the rear cap showing both the old and new zinks.
This part as well as new o-rings were purchased at Beta Marine of Minnesott Beach, NC.  It is handy to have the North American headquarters of Beta just around the corner.

Sabre 28: Port Light replacement

The port lights on the Sabre are original, hazy and cracked.  Replacement of the old plexiglass glass is good winter project.  The boat has 2 large and 2 small port lights on each side.  I ordered a 24 x 36 inch piece of 1/4 inch plexiglass.  This is enough to tackle one side of the boat.
I also ordered Dow Corning 795 silicone which is the proper adhesive/sealent for plexiglass.
We had hoped to salvage an intact piece of the original to use as a template but they all shattered on removal.  It was easy enough to make the correct shape when we had the frame removed.

The edge of the protective film was cut away before seating the plexi in a bed of Dow 795.  Before the 795 fully set, we peeled away the masking and tape.