My New Project: 19' Hurley Alacrity 'Artful'

[thesaintlyone]

Just completing my first project a Westerly Jouster 21 and here is my advice that ill take to my next project and some do's and dont's I learned along the way.

1) Powerwashing with Cillit Bang is both cheap and effective a cleaner boat is a nicer boat to work on

2) Given that your boat is on the water already focus first on the rigging and safety aspects of the boat and what she needs to go out day sailing such as seacock condition etc
I spent alot of time messing about with the interior and missed the opportunity to go sailing earlier

3) Check ebay for mono solar panel kits about 40w is good for trickle charging on your boat size and costs about £50

4) VHF Radio consider a Cobra hand held again enough to get you started and only £55

5) I had my Headlining done with VW camper style carpet very pliable and looks good fitted horrible job stripping out the old tho ?

Regards

 

[kylemccann]

I don't think a battery condition meter is in any way OTT, in the 21st Century one needs to know where one stands re electrical power !

Now I have a solar panel which keeps it topped up nicely, and a charger on the outboard I only use if motoring for long calm trips with the autohelm on.

The battery isn't vital, doesn't start the engine or anything and I have charts and eyes if the plotter goes dead, but the electrics are jolly handy, not least for depth sounder - for contour navigation purposes - and compass light for the same.

I started off with a Smiths battery condition meter from a Ford Escort Mk1, now still have that and a NASA battery monitor and use them both.

As for the bilge pump, I'd go for a Whale Supersmart 1100GPH job as it has a solid state sensor, I always found conventional float switches very unreliable.

And yes I'd wire it independent of the switch panel main on / off switch, but still have a fuse or circuit breaker to pull in case the thing went mad drawing tons of power and / or overheating !

I plan to get purchase a solar panel once I find a suitable spot, and get the measurements next time Im at the boat. Hopefully this weekend.
I've already purchased a bilge pump, however I did seriously look at that one and may still purchase one should I have any issues with mine which has a built in float switch. I have also purchased a switch for the pump where you can put it in manual, auto and off which has a fuse.

Sorry, a bit hasty on the OTT bit. Just I was thinking that on ones first boat, the priority is the saily bits, rather than the toys... But then, the attraction to add tech bits is pretty strong.
Have fun.
DW

I knew what you meant don't worry and being a software engineering student I cant help the attraction to tech bits!

It was easy to repair though. The rudder fixings are worth checking as she sails with a fair bit of weather helm and there are big loads on the large rudder. I don't remember the cockpit hatches ever having a proper seal, i think they were never particularly water tight. Good luck with your project, it would be great to see one of these awesome boats restored to her former glory.

Do you mean the fixings on the hull? what was the weakness the backing on the hull or what? I'll try and have a look this weekend. The plan is to sail her rough and ready this year as many have suggested and perhaps restore her to her former glory at the end of the season. I had thought about taking her out for a few weeks to give her hull a lick of paint and antifoul, but times marching on ahead.

Whereabouts are you? Or more specifically, whereabouts is the boat?

Sounds like you're getting lots of advice so here's mine. I did a lot of work to my Corribee last year and learned a lot..:

Focus on the stuff that needs doing rather than the stuff you can do. Headlining and electronic goodies are pretty much the least important stuff compared to getting the boat seaworthy.

If you start one task, see it through to completion. It's easy to distracted on to something else and you end up with 10 different jobs and none of them get finished. I made a list and ticked stuff off as I went.

Don't think about the money - small boats aren't worth much, so you'll get no return for your outlay. But small boats are a lot of fun and cost almost nothing to own. You also get a lot of experience in how to fix, maintain and fine tune your boat which is worth more than anything.

Im moored on the River Leven which flows from Loch Lomond. Good idea about the list! I've purchased a small notepad that I planned on adding all notes and measurements from the boat. Ill write up a 'brief' list

Just completing my first project a Westerly Jouster 21 and here is my advice that ill take to my next project and some do's and dont's I learned along the way.

1) Powerwashing with Cillit Bang is both cheap and effective a cleaner boat is a nicer boat to work on

2) Given that your boat is on the water already focus first on the rigging and safety aspects of the boat and what she needs to go out day sailing such as seacock condition etc
I spent alot of time messing about with the interior and missed the opportunity to go sailing earlier

3) Check ebay for mono solar panel kits about 40w is good for trickle charging on your boat size and costs about £50

4) VHF Radio consider a Cobra hand held again enough to get you started and only £55

5) I had my Headlining done with VW camper style carpet very pliable and looks good fitted horrible job stripping out the old tho ��

Regards

1) I will need to try Cillit Bang, do you use the spray bottle? Last time I cleaned it I used bleach (hate to think what it done to the fish) However it did help me figure out that there was water coming in from somewhere as my bilges smelled like a freshly cleaned toilet..

2)The rigging is where I will probably struggle with the most, my father however has some knowledge. I have checked the seacocks for the self draining cockpit and the look to be okay. I will take some pictures. There is also a through hull where a toilet may have been which is capped off, I cant really do anything about this whilst in the water however I would like to get rid of it if I had the chance.

3)I was looking at flexible solar panels on ebay, what are the thoughts on these?

4)I have a cheapy baofeng and there is reasonable mobile phone coverage on the Loch.

5)sounds nice, any pics?

 

[thesaintlyone]

For the cillit bang just rinse the area use the spray bottle and work it in with brush or sponge for the hull then rinse off I used a powerwasher to rinse and wash off results are great.

Key is just to focus on getting it seaworthy I spent alot of time Getting everything right although learned alot of what not to do as well mostly things like stripping all of the anti foul which i dont think was needed in hindsight

There is plenty of great advice here just do not be afraid to ask

Ill post pics of the interior when I can but the finish is great the carpet is very plyable to work with look around for specialist headlining fitters in your area and youll find one who will tackle a boat my friend did mine and does others but im in kent. he said it was much the same as doing a camping van but more cramped on my low ceiling height. boat was done in a day.

The rules are slightly different for smaller boats I just fitted nav lights on the cabin and didnt worry about the top of the mast apparently on my 21ft you only need a torch ?

 

[thesaintlyone]

Haven't purchased the panels yet but did some research and 40w was overkill for keeping the battery topped up. Ill be fitting the kit either to the cabin top or on the rear gaurd rail but the mono kit is designed for outdoor use so should be good either way.

Regards

 

[thesaintlyone]

Should mention its Cillit Bang Limescale and Shine!!!

 

[kylemccann]

Should mention its Cillit Bang Limescale and Shine!!!

Cheers! I bought some earlier from Asda, I noticed you can get a pack of 3 bottles for £9 on Amazon instead of £4 for one at Asda. For anyone who needs a serious amount of Cillit Bang in their life