Yet another project I can't afford... unless I can find a solution!

With the rudder fixed, and the season fast approaching, it was time to tackle the major safety concern on this new bucket of mine... the rotted life lines. I think I've mentioned before, I'm a handy chap, I know wood like the back of my hand, and there is really not much that I can't do with it. No, seriously, I'm a classically trained cabinet maker!! Show me metal however, and I'm lost. I don't know MIG from TIG from lead from tin. Imagine my delight when I find out that my life lines are rotten, and need replacing. I'm willing to take on most things, and try and learn, but I figure with a something as serious and potentially life threatening as this, learning and testing were not good ideas. Off we go to the boat yard to get some quotes. As I've mentioned I have a 25' boat....she's beamy, so a little tubby, but even still, I'm not talking about a lot of stainless steel and fittings here. WRONG!!! You see, life lines have fittings that require labor, one at each end of a single run. For the most part they pass through the stanchions, so the amount of fittings and labor on a 25' boat is not that dissimilar to a much larger vessel...the variable being the amount of stainless steel line in between the fittings. Imagine my delight at the quote. I was really starting to understand why people call boats "Holes in the water one pours money into" Once again, the quote for a repair was more than I paid for the whole boat...did I get the bargain I thought? Not only was this repair going to be very expensive, but also it was very necessary. And I could not afford it.

Back to the internet I went to see if I could figure out a way to save some money on this. I managed to figure out that one needs to swage lifelines. The swage is the joint between the fitting and the stainless steel wire. To do this, one needs a swaging device or machine or tool. Those cost a fortune, and are very seldom available to rent. Unless I wanted to start a swaging business the investment in a swaging machine was out of the question. It would be cheaper just to have the yard do the work!!

There really had to be an easier way to do this, and get reliable results....at the very least, it was worth researching in triplicate before forking over piles of cash.  After digging around marine supply stores, youtube, the forums and few other places I started finding out about hand swaging, and this seemed to be a viable option. The manual tools were not crazy expensive, and the turnbuckles, eyes and gate locks where also reasonable. This seemed to be an avenue worth pursuing...as long as the strength of the swage would be sufficient. Looking at the requirements, swaging can be a little tricky. Too loose, and the grip of fitting on the wire will not be strong enough. To tight, and the swage could actually break the wire. Both of these could cause the life lines to fail. Meaning someone could lean on them and end up getting really rather wet. Not good. I started researching hand swaging tools, and many of the more pricy options resembled a large pair of pliers. Whilst being sold as suitable for swaging, these were more akin to crimpers for the end of ductwork. These tools did not offer any options for controlling the strength or tightness of the swage. This would mean that I would have to guess, so that was not going to work. A little more research led me to a company called C.S. Johnson. Like many other companies they offered a range of turnbuckles and fittings, and also a hand swaging tool, but there was a difference...The tool was precisely machined to provide the correct tension for the range of fittings that Johnson sell, and also could accommodate 1/8" and 3/16" wire.

It works by firmly tightening two lug nuts on a parallel plates with a recess for the fitting to sit in. When the nuts are firmly tightened, and the plates meet with no gap, the fitting is correctly swaged. The company recommend that you put 5 crimps per fitting, so it would be a lot of tightening, and loosening, and aligning, and tightening, but it seemed like a viable option. The company also claimed that, if used correctly, the swage would have 70% of the breaking strength of the line! Perfect. I would have loved to play with one, and try it prior to ordering, but this was not an option, so I read all the reviews I could find. The reviews were very positive (give or take the usual proportion of nay-sayers...but you can never keep everyone happy!) so I decided to give it a go. I have double life lines with gates either side, so figured I needed 8 turn buckles, 4 gate eyes and 4 gate hooks. I also needed the tool, and at least 110' of 3/16" wire. 

For the gate hooks the company had several options, and I'd love to say that I choose in an educated manor the best hook based on my needs.....but I got the cheapest! I also purchased the cheapest sleeve fitting I could find to use as a practice for figuring out the new tool. I keep bolt cutters on the boat for emergencies, and I figured that these would be just fine for trimming the wire to length.

When everything arrived I was delighted to see some very detailed instructions. As a boy, I hardly ever read instructions. I'm pretty sure that I know a better way to do whatever I'm being instructed on...but for this important safety feature I figured I'd give the experts the benefit of the doubt. The process of creating the swage joint between the fitting and the wire was sickeningly simple. Insert wire into fitting all the way, clamp tool onto fitting and tighten both nuts until there is no gap between the plates, loosen, move down the fitting and repeat. 5 times per fitting. It was so simple it had me worried!! Am I missing something? I used a socket wrench to do the tightening and loosening, and in total, it took me 20 minutes to complete my test joint. Please note that this included a good amount of looking, admiring, and congratulating myself on being the master of all things practical. There was also some walking up and down the yard to see if any one else was around. I was sure everyone would have wanted to see!! The sample is still on the front of the refrigerator marked "First swage, Justin, age 35"

Now, doing the job for real. Swage a turnbuckle, clip it on, measure the wire, cut, swage the opposing end's fitting.....repeat. All in all, the whole job took me three hours, a 6 pack of Coors light, and a family bag of salt and vinegar kettle chips. It looked terrific. The boat went from looking a bit saggy, floppy and unloved, to having crisp clean tight lines....I couldn't believe the difference. Just to be safe, I put tape on the wire at the end of each fitting to make the joint location. I then tried my hardest to pull or shock the wire out of the fittings, and nothing moved at all!! Safe and very pretty! Really affordable too, compared to the quote I received.

I was quoted over $3,000 to do this work, and I completed the job for $220 in materials and tools, and my time...The beer and snacks were a gift!!

Between the life lines and the rudder I had now saved over $6,000. With out doing these jobs myself they would not have been completed. I simply don't have that much cash lying around. It really is amazing what one can achieve if one tries!

A couple of points on this. A professional machine swage is smooth and beautiful thing. The swages with this system have visible crimps. I'm ok with this because of the cost saving, but it might not be everyones taste. Johnson Marine are not paying me for this. I'm only commenting on what I used. I'm sure there are also other options. 

Ok, On to the next problem that needs fixing!

Don't forget to check out episode one of the video diary for more information on this project! More on the other tasks next time.

Video Diary, episode 1.

J

Those of you who know me, know I keep a video diary, and I also run and mediate the "Sail Chicago" Facebook group. Please feel free to join/follow both of these if you wish.

Video Diary

Sail Chicago Facebook Group                                         

Best get round to some fixes.......

Here I am, the proud owner of this wonderful sailboat. It was April, and here in the midwest the season starts in May. I didn't want to lose a huge amount of time with a complete re-fit... which this boat sadly needs, so figured I would take on the most important tasks first. The biggest issue that I could see was a rudder that was completely crazed with cracks and splits. I should preface this by pointing out that I'm quite handy, but know diddely squat about rudders!! You tube and the internet was about to become my best friend. I started doing research, and finding out about water infiltration, freezing and popping, pressure changes due to heat, rotting foam core and de-lamination. That's not a daunting list at all! I figured that repairing the ruder might be beyond me, so looked for quotes for professional repair. After receiving the quotes, I decided that I could probably handle the repair quite well on my own after all. This whole "I own a boat" thing was already out of my financial reach, and a new rudder was going to take more than I paid for the whole boat!! Back to research...

My research left me confident that I knew what to look for once I had the rudder off the boat, , but I didn't realize removing it would be such an adventure. My boat steers via tiller, so in theory, it should be very easy to remove. Take off the tiller, and pull! I did this, and the with the occasional wiggle the rudder started to come loose. When the rudder hit the concrete that the boat was standing on, and the shaft was still in the socket I knew I had a small problem!

This was supposed to be easy!

Unfortunately the course of action was to bunce the boatyard $100 to lift the boat. This was not in the budget, and there was going to have to be another lift to put the rudder back. I figured I could do this on the day of launch. They are going to have to lift her any way, so save myself the money. Perfect logic. $100 later and the rudder was in the car. Time to asses the damage and figure out the best way to fix it.                                                                                            

The rudder was in bad shape

Step one was to get rid of years of bottom paint, and to have a look at what I was dealing with. Out with the grinder! After getting rid of all the bottom paint, sanding back to glass and getting everything completely flat I could inspect the rudder to see the extent of the damage. The famous tap test didn't reveal any de-lamination, or voids... which was nice, so I took a router and a v bit, and routed along all the cracks to give more surface area for repair.

The enlarged cracks were filled with thickened epoxy, and once again, everything was sanded flat. To add strength to the repairs the whole rudder was then wrapped with two overlaying layers of fiberglass cloth. I watched a couple of tutorials about this process, and took great care to overlap the layers correctly, and ensure that there was no bubbles of air under the epoxy soaked cloth. 

Widened cracks filled with thickened epoxy

Two new layers of fiberglass

The fiberglass left a texture to the surface that I didn't want, so I went over the whole thing with thickened epoxy to give me something I could sand smooth. Once this dried, and was sanded (Seriously, how many more times will I have to sand this damn thing?) I painted two coats of barrier coat, and then my preferred bottom treatment. I also took the time to very carefully seal around the rudder post to prevent water intrusion.  The rudder was now ready to go back on the boat.

Sanded (Again) and ready for paint

I was quoted $2,500 for this work, and I completed the project for $250 in materials, and 30 hours for time (Including my research) Not a bad saving if you ask me... It was also fun, and satisfying. Two years on, and the rudder is still in great shape. 

When the boat was lifted to be launched, we greased up the shaft, and re-installed the rudder. We did plenty of other projects before this, but more on those another time.

Don't forget to check out episode one of the video diary for more information on this project! More on the other tasks next time.

Video Diary, episode 1.

J

Those of you who know me, know I keep a video diary, and I also run and mediate the "Sail Chicago" Facebook group. Please feel free to join/follow both of these if you wish.

Video Diary

Sail Chicago Facebook Group                                         

But.....You always complain that you have no money?

That's right, I do. I'm really not a wealthy guy, and whenever I mention that I can't afford to do something I ALWAYS get the "But you own a boat, you must be loaded..." comment. Correct, I do own a boat, and  I have it tied up in a harbor in one of the most expensive cities in the world, but this does not mean I'm loaded......at all. I'm a big fan of boat ownership on the cheap......one doesn't have to be a millionaire to pursue the things that one loves.

For many years I was told I was not allowed to get a boat, so when I shed that aspect of my life, my first wish was to be back out on the water. As I young man, I had travelled extensively, teaching sailing and SCUBA diving, and crewing on commercial sailing boats.....the tourist types, boozy sunset cruises and snorkel trips. I'd lived in Australia, the USA the Caribbean, and much of Europe. I then gave up that life style to provide some security and stability, and thus ended up living in Chicago... and that's a long way from the ocean!! One of Chicago's many great features is the inland sea of Lake Michigan, and I figured that I would sail here to get my fix...except I wasn't allowed to get a boat! Now, free from the oppressive "No" saying other half, I was out and about and shopping for my new toy. The snag in this plan was the bank balance... or lack of it. My attorney was, I'm sure enjoying the bounty I had just bestowed upon him, but I still wanted to get my boat. I still wanted to have that freedom that a floating home can bring, but was it possible to do on a very tight budget? The first thing to find out was the cost of keeping the boat, never mind buying it. By this point I was racing in one of the many one-design fleets, so spending a good amount of time getting to know other sailors, and finding out about the astronomical cost of owning 40' racing sloop...good racing sails cost more than a family car. This was discouraging, but not as discouraging as finding out the coast of slips in the city. Upwards of $6,000 per season for a 40' slip. Well shit. Thats waaaaaaaay outside the realm of possibility for me. Everyone I was speaking to was complaining about the cost of owning these floating toys.....and then I met a very interesting character. With one sentence he changed my whole perspective. "Why the F**k would you get a slip? You can't pick your neighbor, they could be a real pain....why not get a mooring can, it's peaceful, easy to dock regardless of wind direction or speed.....and way cheaper...." My attention was peeked. Not only for the cost, but also the nostalgia. As a child, my family had a motor boat, an old trawler, that we kept mored in the middle of the local river. My Dad would throw six of us into this lovely clinker-built wooden dingy, and row us out to the middle of the river. I liked the idea of rowing out to my own boat. This kind chap put me in touch with the company that runs all the harbors in the city, and I started to learn more about the cost of parking a boat...It goes by the foot! That news to me. So a smaller boat is cheaper to park...this was very exciting. It turned out that the smallest category of mooring is 30', and that a mooring can for a boat up to 30' would cost less a month than a weekday car parking pass downtown...suddenly I was out shopping for boats. I was also pleasantly surprised about the amount of options 30' gave me. There was now a new problem, the cost of buying the boat. These things can get really pricey really fast, hence everyones perspective that a boat is an expensive toy. Boat yards and brokerages are wonderful places, stuffed full of waxed and shinny fiberglass, the type of machines that fill my night time dreams, but they all have price tags to match. I learned fast to put my blinkers on, and walk to the back of the lots. I discovered Craigslist, and Nautical donations, Boneyard boats and Ebay, and I discovered that there were some deals out there, if one was willing to accept a little work, or if one could find someone who really needed to sell. As luck would have it, my situation involved both of these things. All in all, it took three months of searching, and looking, procrastinating, climbing ladders, lifting floorboards, tapping decks and hulls and research. When I found the boat I eventually purchased, it was a no brainer. She was a Cal Mk II 25,  she was shabby and needed work, her owner HAD to sell her, and I knew she was right for me the second I climbed under the shrinkwrap.

Thinking I'm going to pull the trigger!!

For those who don't know, these are huge small boats. She has a 9' beam, which doesn't make for great sailing characteristics on such a short boat, but it does provide standing headroom in the spacious cabin without the need for a poptop. It also provides space for a small galley of sorts, a head, and private forward cabin. This thing can happily sleep 5, but you'd want to be very good friends!! The icing on this cake was a roller furler, and the 13HP inboard Volvo Penta diesel engine...with a sail drive. The cherry on this iced cake, the owner REALLY needed her sold, and she needed a new rudder. Rudders are expensive, so this was a problem for someone trying to sell an already cheap boat. I had a plan for rudder (I'm a handy type of chap) so was willing to roll the dice on this one. I bought her for less than I pay for my health insurance a year. SCORE!!! 

I'm probably going to need to fix that

Now, don't get me wrong, she was in a sorry state, but the important stuff was good. Dry decks, good standing rigging, good engine, she had good bones with the exception of the rudder, she just looked sad, but that was all cosmetic.

So there you have it, I don't have any money...even less now, but it is possible to do the things you love on the cheap.  It was time to do some projects to get her ready to launch now!

I'll go into the projects in more detail next time, but in the mean time, check out the first episode of the video diary when we bought her. 

Video Diary, episode 1.

J

Those of you who know me, know I keep a video diary, and I also run and mediate the "Sail Chicago" Facebook group. Please feel free to join/follow both of these if you wish.

Video Diary

Sail Chicago Facebook Group

Welcome to my creative outlet.......and welcome to winter.

It's that time of year in Chicago when sailing seems very far from our minds. My fingers are still feeling the gentle throbbing pain that follows warming up from extreme cold. I have just returned from the boat yard. The second snow fall of the year this morning reminded me that I really should get the covers on Penny. As the breath from my nostrils steamed, and my fingers numbed tying lines from an uncooperative tarpaulin to the jack-stands below, I was reminded of that famous quote.... "Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing--absolutely nothing-- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats"

If one has not caught "The Bug" the logic of this sentiment only makes sense at certain times of the year...mainly the sunny ones. The 4th of July, for example, sitting on my private front row seat watching the fireworks leave Navy Pier, or whilst slipping gently through the water pushed by a warm breeze enjoying the sun dipping below the Chicago skyline beyond. This afternoon, however,  I would bet what little I have that the guests who were happy to enjoy the Air and Water show might not have accepted an invite to hang out.  It was cold, the covers were offering more resistance than seems reasonable for a thin sheet of blue plastic, and the comfort level of the boat was completely removed, her usual gently rocking blue seat replaced by the stiffness of concrete and steel. 

Poor old girl, ready for winter.

And yet, there I was. Nursing my pride and joy into her PJ's, tucking her in for her winter slumber. "Messing around in boats" means so much more to me than that perfect Summer Sunday afternoon sail. (Try saying that three times fast!!) It is an all encompassing passion. There is so much written about the wonders of cruising far off distant shores, and sampling new countries and cultures form the sanctity of one's floating home...and I love that. I've just returned from cruising the BVI for short time, and I'm all in favor of the distant shores...but what about here? What about the massive, vibrant, and tradition-rich community of sailors right here in my own back yard? There is so much more to sailing in this region than simply popping down to the harbor for a sundowner. There is also much more to owning a boat than cruising the shore with a cocktail in hand and bikini clad lovelies adorning the foredeck. 

This is going to be warts and all...and I'd love to say more "all" and less "warts" but looking at the list of projects I have next spring...I can't promise anything!!

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

J


Those of you who know me, know I keep a video diary, and I also run and mediate the "Sail Chicago" Facebook group. Please feel free to join/follow both of these if you wish.

Video Diary

Sail Chicago Facebook Group