Inflatable PFD's

Right, so I am a little obsessed with my new boat. I got up extra early this morning to do a little research on the various message boards so that I can work on my boat tonight. Among other things I was researching clam cleats. Nevermind...long story.

Ran across several threads on the MacGregor/Venture Discussion board about capsizing and MOB incidents. Thankfully, there were also threads about PFD's. Now I am probably the first guy in a line of sailors who doesn't break out the PFDs until there appears to be a need. But...with the onset of man-o-pause right around the corner, I find myself more and more inclined to having things like a charged hand-held VHF and a submersible GPS close at hand at all times.

I have a little boat (v17) and I got a little boat because it is very easy to single-handedly trailer, rig and sail. That said, reading the boards this morning struck enough of my fear chords that the purchase of an auto inflating PFD is now on top my list of purchases. Especially for the single-handed days.

My question for you all is what to look for in such a device. I am not able to identify significant differences between the $350 West Marine models and the $80 model from Cabela's.

Thanks,

Rick

Riveting Things to One's Mast - Topping Lift

I am going to install a topping lift to my V17 and I have decided on an arrangment that requires a block to be added to the top of the mast and an additional cleat added to the bottom of the mast.

I am pretty handy but I am no metal worker. Hence, I am a bit intimidated by the prospect of drilling holes in my mast and riveting stuff to it. I wanted to run the plan by you all and see if you thought it was sound and also see if you had any advice.

I will a rivet a eyestrap to the port side of the top of the mast. A swivel block will be attached to the eyestrap. I was thinking I would use a clam cleat with a becket at the bottom of the mast to secure the toppoing lift. I would use the eyestrap that is already at the aft end of the boom to secure the business end of the lift. I was going to use some sort of shackle but am thinking that an inexpensive carabiner or quick link would do the job just as well.

Any help?

Thanks,

Rick

Thanks to everyone who has emailed solutions and advice!

This blog is only 2 days old and I have only been on the message boards for about a week and I am just blown away by all the help and advice I have gotten!

Big thanks to Glenn Doney, Alan Donaldson, Mark Stobers, David Fant, Rusty Nelson, and all of the other folks who have come to my aid!

Post Maiden Voyage Analysis and Mods Needed

Well the first day on the boat is over and its time to assess the boat and crew. I am making a list of things that MUST be done/acquired before setting off again. This is a small boat and is easy to handle but I will be going out on my own a fair amount and I think a few "simple" modifications will make the sailing more fun and easier.

Please forgive me if my sailboat lexicon is not yet ready for prime time!

Topping Lift - The boat has nothing of the sort. The previous owner had secured a line with bowline to the hardware that attaches the main halyard block to the mast. No bueno. The line was too short to begin with and was a mighty PITA to get secured. The only way to secure the boom was AFTER lowering the mainsail. Again...no bueno.

My plan for fixing this came from Mark's 1971 Venture 17 Restoration page, and I am going to give that a shot. I have never riveted before so I am a little intimidated by the process of drilling holes in my mast, but after reviewing the tools and process of this, I think I can pull off the mod.

His system consists of a block at the top of the mast, a line with a shackle that attached to the aft end of the boom and a line that runs through the block and is (I assume) cleated to the mast. This means that I need to attach a new cleat to the mast as well, unless anyone has a better idea.

Foresail downhaul - One day of standing on the rocking deck of a 17 foot boat trying to gather a flailing jib was enough. I don't foresee it being a terribly long time before such activities lead to a swim, followed by a panicked scramble to get back aboard, particularly if I am alone.

My plan for this is to attach a small block with a shackle to the same bits of hardware to which I affix the jib tack. Run a line with a shackle through the block and up to the eyelet where the jib halyard attaches. From the block aft, I plan to run the downhaul through some sort of lead attached to the outside of the aft pulpit support, through another lead on the outside of the starboard shroud doohicky, and secure the downhaul on the aft starboard cleat for now.

I have read about some sort of sail bag system that acually secures the jib after downhauling and keeps it out of the water but I have not seen any sort of description of how that works. For now, it will just have to be gathered at the front of the deck and I will have to hope for the best. Not sure what else to do.

New Prop - When I first bought the boat I had check both forward and reverse gears and they all worked. Then when I got the boat out, I found that I did not, indeed, have reverse. After very gracious help and advice from both Glenn Doney and Alan Donaldson from the SailNet Board, I am going to try a new prop. Apparently, that makes a HUGE difference. Can't really aford to do all these mods right away, though, so the prop might have to wait a month.

Any advice is most welcome!

Thanks,

Rick

Maiden Voyage

The first voyage is finally complete!!

Took off from Gravelly Point right next to the runway at National Airport. The ramp is pretty deep and I did not feel like doing the "lower the trailer with the strap" thing that I mentioned in the day 2 experience.

Rigging the boat for the first time was a bit frustrating but it turned out to be pretty easy and I learned a ton. Next time will be much easier now that I have a better idea of what needs to be done and how to do it.

The first thing I learned after getting the boat in the water and being caught in a stiff breeze at the dock was that reverse on my motor does not actually work. This realization was followed by a less than relaxing few moments as the boat drifted away from the dock and toward the amazingly non skid surface of the ramp. The non-skid surface was really appealing as I backed the trailer down the ramp but as my boat drifted toward it rapidly and the fiberglass hull became increasingly in danger of being dashed against it, the non-skid ramp began to loose its appeal.


No the boat did not end up dashed against the ramp. I lept from the boat and managed to single handedly stave off disaster while navel deep in the murkey waters of the potomac. That little incident will not, however, be repeated since I now know that, for the short-term at least, I have no reverse to count on.

Despite a shaky start to the trip, the sailing knowlege came right back to me and we had a great time on the river. The boat handles well and is VERY easy to sail. Several key lessons where gleaned that day:

• ALWAYS do a complete survey of the charts for whatever area you plan to sail in so as not to drag your swing keel on the bottom every 3 minutes.
• Dragging your keel on the bottom makes a horrific sound the first time you hear it.
• NEVER leave the dock without applying sunscreen, liberally, to all of your exposed skin.
• Sunburn really F$%&ing hurts!
• Have your porta-potti set up BEFORE you need it, educate your passengers on its use and encourage them to use it as needed.
• When the owners manual provides a warning that injury may result if the keel winch is not grasped firmly or is released prior to seeing definitive evidence that the keel is fully lowered (such as slack in the cable), one should heed such warnings.
  
• As much as you want them to enjoy it, dogs may be overwhelmed by the first experience and may become attached to your body. Somewhat like a 5th limb.
• Summer is hot and heat makes the human body lose a lot of water. You may not realize it due to the phenomenon known as evaporation, but it happens regardless.
• The term "self-bailing" does not neccessarily equate to dry feet. Proper footwear should be secured.
• Canvas deck shoes are not appropriate footwear.
• The police are not always the bad guys. Sometimes they pull you over just to tell you that your boat strap is no longer holding your new boat to the trailer and is dragging 20 feet behind your trailer as you careen blissfully unaware down the highway.

Despite the lessons learned, we had a great time!! The wind was moving the boat but was not so gusty or strong that I didn't have time to let the sailing knowlege come back to me. The boat is really easy to sail and handles very well even with the keel in its up position.

Overall it was wonderful to be out on the water and sailing!!

The Legalities - Day Three

In case you missed days 1 & 2
Day 1
Day 2

Day 3

This time I am not messing around with work first thing in the AM. My back is now killing me - I can hardly walk at this point. I'll work later after this all comes together.

I don't really know what goes on in the universe or how one day can be so frustrating and the next be so gratifying, but this was what was about to happen to me. It's like some kharmic yin and yang thing that just keeps the world in balance. Who am I to question it, though? I am just grateful for the experience!

I pull up to the trailer and realize that I had not connected the ground wire to the trailer.

"I wonder if that would fix the tail light issue?"

Sure enough, with the lights properly grounded, they work like a charm!

I head to the tire place. The guys at the Goodyear at the corner of 10th street and Wilson get my tires on, and me on my way, in about a half an hour.

"Damn this day is going smoothly. 'Wait for it'."

I pull into the DMV. Again, no line. Straight to the front for me this time. The same guy who told me that I had failed greeted me with a smile.

"All fixed up?"

"Yep, should be good to go!"

20 Minutes later, I am off to the DMV with a brand new inspection sticker on my trailer and my passed inspection paperwork in hand.

The DMV goes VERY smoothly. It took an hour or so, but in the end, I walked out with my brand new license plates, all valid and quite legal.

Next to get the boat.

"Is Goerge here?"

"No, George is off today"

I explained my situation and was told to just go ahead and take my boat and not to worry about the fee because I had been through enough!

Status at this point:

Boat - Registered and Legal
Trailer - Registered and Legal

My back is still killing me, but the rigorous process of getting my boat legal is..."wait for it"...COMPLETE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Buffet-esque once again...

The Legalities - Day Two

In case you missed day 1
Day 1

Day 2

Finished up some work first thing in the AM then headed out immediately to pick up the boat. Drove it down to the marina, paid my fee and started to offload it into the Potomac. Then I hit my first snag. The swing keel has no appreciable keel trunk and the ramp was too shallow to float the boat enough to get it off the trailer. Time starts ticking by, the truck is in the water to the tail pipe and I am frantically figuring out what the hell I am going to do! Finally it dawns on me. A ghostly recollection penned by the author of the owner's manual. Kinda like that famous line from Field of Dreams:

"If the ramp is too shallow, use a tow strap to lower the trailer into the water."

I attached a ratcheted tow strap to the trailer and to the saftey chain holes on the hitch. Slowly I lowered the trailer into the water and suddenly the boat was floating! It just needed another few inches! OK first problem solved, the boat is now off the trailer!

Off I ran to the DMV! It was 2:30 by now and I still had 3.5 hours to make it through the long DMV instpection station line. I got there and to my amazement, there was no DMV inspection station line! I drove directly into the station and took my place one car behind in the inspection queue. Then it hit me...this was going FAR too smoothly. This was the DMV afterall and I had never had a single easy, straightforward experience with the DMV. Not that they intentionally try to screw you, but in the end, screwed is the state in which you normally depart any DC DMV facility. So I sat there waiting, all the time remembering the scene in an old war movie when the british sergeant tells his men to "wait for it".

"Wait for it..."

"Sir I am sorry to tell you that your vehicle has failed inspection. Your tires are dry-rotted and your left tail light is not working."

The switch in my head was flipped and back into problem solving mode I go.

• Boat in water.
• Where can I get new tires?
• I'll swing by the auto parts store and pick up the supplies to rewire the trailer and get that done while they put new tires on the beast.

If I haul-ass, I might actually be able to get back here and get it re-inspected. "Godspeed foolish, new used boat owner".

"Wait for it..."

With wiring materials purchased and 5 tire stores later, the realization sunk in that this was not going to happen today.

"Gotta order those tires, but they'll be in first thing in the morning."

"Fine, I'll see you in the morning with my open wallet and you can just take out what you need, OK?"

Back to buffet-esque. There is nothing I can do. I go to the marina, explain my plight, and am greeted with,

"No problem. I undertand your issue and man have I got a solution for you!"

And he did!

"Leave yur boat in this spot rite 'chere and come get it tomorraw."

I couldn't ask for more. Gotta love that boating community...AGAIN!!

I drive away and plan on rewiring the trailer that evening so at least that is done. Three hours later that is, indeed, done. Except they don't work. Great - another trip - this time to the mechanic.

"I'll see you in the morning with my open wallet and you can just take out what you need, OK?"

The Legalities - Day One

Got the boat home on Sunday without a hitch. We just sat there looking at it for a few hours, sipping lemonade and reflecting on the good fortune of getting such a great boat at such a great price. I decided there and then that I was going to repay the kindness of the previous owner, specifically his renewal of the trailer registration, by getting the boat legal and ready to go the next day so that I could send his plates and registration back to him immediately. Unfortunately, no act of kindness goes unpunished sometimes...

Day One

Monday morning I got up and did some work to make certain that there would be no "fires" in my absence and headed for the DMV in the Georgetown Park Mall. I was greated by the "triage" employee, a nice woman with a smile and a "good morning sir, how can we help you?"

I told her that I needed to register my trailer. What do I need to do?

I was then informed that I needed to have the trailer inpsected first and then come back with the appropriate documentation. Not a problem, until she asked me if it was a boat trailer and did it have a boat on it. It did, I told her, and she shook her head with that "silly boat owner man" look and informed me that the boat can not be on the trailer for the inspection! Now I instantly switch from a casual, buffet-esque demeanor and go into problem solving mode. WHERE THE HELL AM I GOING TO STORE THIS THING WHILE I GET IT INSPECTED?? I hadn't done the research yet on marinas becasue I was going to trailer the boat. I knew of a few ramps in the area, but how much would that cost? What if the trailer did not PASS inspection? How long could I leave the boat in the water? Etc, etc.

OK I would figure it out. Next stop Harbor Master's office. Resume casual, buffet-esque demeanor...

The Harbor Master folks were amazing! I could tell from their smiles and friendly faces that I had entered the boating world that I had always known growing up around boaters and marinas with my parents. In about 5 minutes, the paperwork was done and the boat, at least, was legal. I then asked the helpful people there if they knew anything about getting a boat trailer inspected. Again I got the head shake but this time it was accomianied by the "poor poor boat guy" look. They knew my predicament and could feel my pain. I was told, however, that the DMV person was correct. The boat had to come off the trailer...

I ran home and started making calls to the marinas that I knew, explained my predicament and finally found one that would help me out...for a $5 ramp fee, provided that my boat got out that day. AWESOME! Gotta love the boating community!

I'll wait until tomorrow, so I can be sure to have enough time to get all this done...

Found!: MacGregor 17' Venture Sailer/Trailer - $1200

The decision had been made that a boat was in my near future. Nothing extravagent or expensive as I just can't afford it. It hit me that I had cast off my younger attitude of needing the latest and greatest and realized that I just simply NEEDED to get out on the water!

I researched little sailboats with an obsession. I found ShortyPen's Sailboat Pocket Cruiser Guide and checked out every link on the page. I had narrowed it down to about 5 models for which I was going to search.

I started searching locally with the intention of finding a project boat. Something for around $1000 that would probably require a lot of TLC but that would get me sailing before the end of the summer. I searched on eBay, the Post classifieds and everywhere I could think of and then I hit Craig's List's Boat classifieds. There I found a plethora of available craft but at that time, nothing I really felt like I could afford based on my restoration skills or lack there of. It dawned on me that a trip across state lines would not be so bad and I decided to check out CL West Virginia.

There it was. "MacGregor 17' Venture Sailer/Trailer - $1200"

I immediately emailed the person on the other end of the ether and asked for photos of the boat as well as a more in depth description of its condition and features. The guy on the other end was incredibly accomodating and sent me a couple of images later that evening.



Like an man with an obsession and Photoshop will do, I zoomed in on as much of the hull as possible, looking for the cracks and signs of age that I assumed would be inherent in a boat of this age. Despite my best attempts, I found none!!

I couldn't believe my luck! The boat looked in great shape and the sale price included sails, life jackets and cushions, cover, trailer, 6hp Johnson OB MOTOR, 2 fuel tanks, all new lines and rigging, berth cushions, fenders and a swim ladder. I requested more images assuming that problems with this transaction would appear in the images. These are what I recieved:













I still counldn't believe it! A trip was planned for the following weekend after the owner agreed to hold the boat for me until I got there! With cautious optimism, I embarked on a 3 hour journey to West Virginia to examine (and mostly likely buy) this little boat.

When I arrived and saw the boat I was truely drop jawed. I just couldn't believe the condition of the sailboat. The gelcoat was oxidized and had lost it's glossy sheen but the hull was, save for a few signs of light wear, as new as I had ever seen on a boat of this age. Everything was in incredible shape!! The sails had a little mildew but no tears or signs of patching. The motor had wear on the outside but the inside looked showroom new.

I met the owner, a retired gentleman who was very accomodating, very nice, and VERY organized. He had been only the second owner of this boat and I knew from his personality and manner of having everything "just so" that he had taken great care of this boat. To top it off, he had renewed the registration of the trailer (which was expired when I first contacted him) just so that I would not get a ticket on the way home from WV. I just had to promise to send his plates and registration back to him as soon as I could. I knew immediately that I would be driving this boat back to DC!

We sat down to transact the sale. No problems. He had everything in order and ready to go. After the papers were signed and everything was buttoned up he said, "so...you get a great boat in great condition for the price of a trailer." I agreed and replied by asking him if he was certain that he felt properly compensated. Not the thing to do in most cases but I did feel a little as if I was stealing this rig from him.

Driving home I could not believe my eyes. I looked into the rearview mirror and reflected on how much $1200 can still buy these days. I had, in my younger years, drank up $1200 in a few months and this was something that would bring me so much joy and had, in my mind, the feeling of something concrete and definitive. Not the amorphous and abiguous feeling you get when you spend $1200 on booze or even on some piece of technology that is smaller than the stack of 20's you just handed over to purchase it.