A quick update and Boat CPR

 It's been a while, but I wanted to touch base. Since February I have jumped on several deals for items needed/wanted for the boat. By deals, I mean items for much less then you can generally find them for! Much of the items were used and older, but all of it is functional. Nothing except the dinghy and radar (which was an eBay mistake) were more than 150 dollars. Admittedly, I've always had a knack for tracking down 'deals', but I've really been blessed. The following are some items that jump to mind - saving me literally thousands of dollars, should I have been determined to stick with the 'new' and 'latest and greatest' items...

  • $150 a new Jabsco head  - amazon is a great place to watch for deals on heads hundreds less then a marine store
  • $40 Raymarine C140W Chartplotter - an overlooked markdown in a local boater's resale shop
  • $10 ais - small box with wifi that the purchaser never had time to install
  • $40 a Navico tiller pilot with wind vane and attachments - this is an old but bulletproof unit
  • $40 st4000+ autohelm - although a wheel pilot, I'm going to wire it and use the navico
  • $150 a mainsail (still need full battens) - the right size on the foot, but 11" shorter on the luff then I can handle. It will get me going until I can find a better suited sail, and may facilitate raising the boom a little - if necessary.
  • $75 another nicer mainsail(although the luff is too tall and the foot is too short - perhaps it can be resized or traded for a closer sized sail)
  • $24 a rigid boom vang
  • ??? various varnish, paint, and sandpaper - I've spent a small fortune on this stuff; Better off not keeping track; But deals can be found saving much over marine stores - just verify the quality is acceptable before purchasing.
  • $40 Raymarine speed, temp, depth transducer
  • $500 Raymarine c90w with radome - ouch. This was a mistake. I may install the 90 in the cockpit, but the digital radome will be useful for the chartplotter at the nav table. I didn't need this at this time and am sure if I wasn't so 'trigger happy', that I could have found a better deal.
  • $20 isomat boom fittings - for the mainsheet, still need to find some for the vang
  • $40 150' 3/8 dacron line for mainsheet, jib sheet
  • $80 winchers for winches
  • $40 navpod with st50 depth and speed
  • $60 st60 multi 
  • $100 st40 wind meter, sending unit and cable
  • $100 a/c water pump - new in box; also include new marine hoses: 25' 3/4; 25' 1/2"; 25' 1"
  • $10 new propane switch and solenoid
  • $4 square yard Sunbrella alternative material...we will see if it was a deal or not when I get around to sewing items
  • $600 Walker Bay 8' with sail kit, oars, flotation tube, and 3.5hp outboard
Time has been extremely limited. Although I've constantly scoured the internet for necessities, I've only spent a total of 3 days working actually working at the boat since February. In that time I tore out the rotted floor and bulkhead, replaced the head and hoses, replaced the bilge pump, installed the throttle, installed a mainsail and genoa, replaced the raw water pump and impeller, built a throttle bracket, sanded a dorade box, sanded drop boards, patterned the main bulkhead, patterned a bulkhead, and wired deck running lights as an alternative to the masthead lights (which have not worked since the rigger installed them.) 

 I've bought enough well-intentioned projects to be very uncomfortable with this ratio of  'outfitting' to actual repairs.To remedy this, at home, between home repair projects, I've completed some remote tasks. Tasks such as stripping, sanding, and varnishing the removed trim and teak/holly floor panels. I have also disassembled, scraped, cleaned, primed and painted the aft hatch. When I find a 1/2" piece of tinted plexiglass for a reasonable price I will replace that as well.


At work, I occasionally take long lunches and head to the boat. I'm so far away, I don't have much time when I do this. In order to be productive, I have developed a C.P.R. strategy that I exercise during these otherwise unproductive visits...

At each visit, no matter how short, I have resolved to-

 C -Clean one part of the boat. This could be as simple as wiping down a counter.

 P -Perform a task outlined in my long-running 'to do' list. I break the projects that I can into smaller tasks that I can complete in under 30 minutes. 

R - Remove or replace something on the boat. I remove an unneeded tool or piece of rubbage or replace an item I had removed for clean/repair or replacement.


This simple strategy is surprisingly efficient, as long as it is somewhat thought out before my visit!

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