Some questions from a newbie

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erikjag25

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Hi sailing dudes :D

Just got me a boat - jag 25 - can anyone help me with these....:confused:

1) I want to replace and clean some of the halyards etc that run inside the mast... is there a trick to remove them so they dont have to be rethreaded??

2) I'm keeping my boat on fresh water over the winter - planning to keep using it where poss ... any advice on winterisation??

cheers
 
Despite the somewhat chilly reception , welcome to the forum.
I usually sew the end of the new halyard to the end of the old halyard with whipping twine. I do it end to end so that they pass over the sheaves easily. Sometimes a layer of tape over the join as well helps.
If the end is made up into an eye you'll need to do it twice over with a slave halyard (mousing line), up then back again, so that you have plain ends to draw over the sheaves each time.
Does that makes sense? It does at this end.......
 
Tie a light line of suitable length to the lazy end of the halyard. Best done by sewing a loop into the halyard end that you can tie on to. Then pull the halyard out of the mast from the shackle end, leaving the light line (called a mouse) in its place. Reverse the process to put the halyard back in.

Winterisation is mainly about avoiding frost damage to water installations - tanks and engines. Tanks - I'd empty them completely and make sure any pipework is pumped as dry as possible. You can always take bottled water with you for brief winter outings.

Engine - it's the cooling system you have to worry about. If it's freshwater cooled put an anti-freeze solution into the cooling water. If it's raw water cooled that's more difficult if you're staying afloat. I think what I'd do would be, after each outing close the raw water intake while the engine is still running, and wait maybe 30 seconds before turning off the engine. That should clear most of the raw water from the various passages. Never done this though, and others may have different ideas.

Also, keep fuel tanks filled to the brim, to avoid having an airspace above the fuel - this can cause water to condense from the air above the fuel and find its way down to the bottom of the tank where it might cause bacterial growth or get through to the engine and stop it running.

Most of the yottimags will have run winterisation articles in the last couple of issues, so maybe go to the local library and catch up with your reading.
 
As Lakesailor said about removing the halyards; just make sure the temporary one are not too thin or they may jump off the sheeves at the top of the mast and jam.....

Washing halyards - I just bung them in the washing machine & use normal washing powder. If they are very dirty a long soak in a bucket helps loosen the dirt before washing.

Wintering afloat - if you have electricity then shut the boat up tight and run a dehumidifier. If no electric ensure plenty of ventilation throughout.

Others will undoubtedly offer different advice
 
Washing halyards - my tip is to add a little fabric softener. It can make really hard & tired ropes come up like new for another season.

If you replace halliards, don't throw the old ones away, wash 'em & store them aboard for use as emergenct tow line, shorel lines - or even in case your new ones get damaged. Just remember that halyards have limited stretch so are not ideal mooring or tow lines, but will do the job if you minimise/avoid snatching.
 
Twister_Ken said:
If it's raw water cooled that's more difficult if you're staying afloat. I think what I'd do would be, after each outing close the raw water intake while the engine is still running, and wait maybe 30 seconds before turning off the engine. That should clear most of the raw water from the various passages. Never done this though, and others may have different ideas.
Click to expand...

Not convinced. Where's the air going to come from to replace the water? And even if you open some fitting to allow air in, will the impellor (running dry!) pump air effectively enough to push the water through the system and out?

In the sea, I'd probably not worry (but then I am in the South). But fresh water freezes earlier, so it does seem worth doing something. Perhaps break into the intake line with a hose to suck antifreeze into the system? Or open the engine drains to get most of the water out after use? Will depend on the boat which is easiest.

Of course, for all we know he has an outboard :-)

Pete
 
Lots of good advice from Lakesailor & Twister Ken here.

If you have a halliard run through & appear disappointingly intact at the mast foot ( I'd first have tried Lakesailors' idea of several stitches end- to-end with strong thread to keep the halliard & messenger in line, works for me ) a strong whipping twine with a nut - as in nut & bolt not like me - on the end to assist gravity, and a hook made out of a coat hanger can save the day, or maybe even removing the lower mast sheave ( not got to that stage yet but felt it near once or twice ).

Do be sure to empty all water tanks, be they engine cooling or galley & wash basin, as expansion when freezing ( or lack of coolant, though if a closed circuit modern anti-freeze is actually good for anti-corrosion too ) can be very unpopularly expensive !
 
BAtoo said:
Washing halyards - I just bung them in the washing machine & use normal washing powder. If they are very dirty a long soak in a bucket helps loosen the dirt before washing.

Be careful putting halyards in the washing machine. You may get some very dirty looks from the lady of the house. I have to wait for mine to go out and hope the cycle finishes before she returns! Even so I still get grassed up by the kids! As a compromise put them in an old pillowcase.
I did read somewhere that washing ropes in the washing machine is a bad idea as the motion loosens the grip between the inner and outer braids, which can weaken the rope.

The best way to remove a halyard is, as suggested by Ken, to sew a small loop of strong wipping twine into the lazy end of the halyard and use that to connect a mouse line, which will obviously need to be the same length as the halyard. When you replace the halyard simply tie the mouse line back on to the loop and pull the halyard through.
Click to expand...
 
prv said:
Not convinced. Where's the air going to come from to replace the water? And even if you open some fitting to allow air in, will the impellor (running dry!) pump air effectively enough to push the water through the system and out?

In the sea, I'd probably not worry (but then I am in the South). But fresh water freezes earlier, so it does seem worth doing something. Perhaps break into the intake line with a hose to suck antifreeze into the system? Or open the engine drains to get most of the water out after use? Will depend on the boat which is easiest.

Of course, for all we know he has an outboard :-)

Pete
Click to expand...

Surely will also destroy the impeller?
How about removing raw water hose from seacock and putting in a bucket of antifreeze and running 'till it comes out the other end?
Should all be protected then.

Nick
 
melandnick said:
Surely will also destroy the impeller?
How about removing raw water hose from seacock and putting in a bucket of antifreeze and running 'till it comes out the other end?
Should all be protected then.

Nick
Click to expand...

That would certainly work, but a bit of a faff to do each time you finish a winter sail. Destroy an impellor? Don't think so, in 30 seconds. Mine have certainly run longer than that when I've forgotten to open the seacock!
 
""Be careful putting halyards in the washing machine. You may get some very dirty looks from the lady of the house.""

I seem to remember paying for the machine.........:D:D
 
^^^^^^ What they said about halyards.

Keeping a boat afloat over winter is less prone to frost damage than ashore, IMHO.

All I did with my inboard last year was run it untill it was nice and warm (thermostat open) then stop it, disconnect the water pipes, remove the water pump impeller, and blow as much water out as I could. The must have been some cooling water left in the gearbox but I just left it open and crossed my fingers.

The day I went to do this job was bitter cold. The puddles in the cockpit were frozen. The water in the bilge was liquid, there is a massive heatsink under the boat which you don't have if you are out on the hard. If the lake freezes it's a different matter, but it doesn't do that so often.

Empty the water tank and pump as well as you can too.
 
Depending upon which engine you have, either with heat exchanger cooling plus raw water cooling,or without a heat exchanger fitted, you would do well to 'winterize' the engine as if ashore, that is to top up the fresh water in the heat exchanger to a say 50% antifreeze mix; then turn off the raw water inlet seacock and detach the seacock end of the hose before the raw water impeller unit, so that a 50% antifreeze solution can be taken in to the engine and out of the exhaust into a bucket or container then recycled through the system. You'll need two buckets.
After a few cycles of the engine there should be only the antifreeze in the block.
Refit the pipe, but I'd leave the seacock closed with the ignition key attached as a reminder to turn the seacock 'Open' before the next sail/motor you do.
Adding the antifreeze should also aid in keeping the corrosion down too.
As mentioned previously topping up the fuel tank is important to keep condensation to a minimum in the fuel tank. Drain the fresh water tank and take 5 litre bottles instead, but dose the water tank with some Milton tablets before draining completely,and ensure fresh water next season.
Incidentally there is an owners association website for the Jaguar class, the boat had an American name 'Catalina 25 'I think.

ianat182
 
aquaplane said:
........

Keeping a boat afloat over winter is less prone to frost damage than ashore, IMHO.
...........
Click to expand...

It is worth remembering that it is impossible for the temperature of the water round a floating vessel to go below zero, or perhaps a degree or two below for salt water. The air round a vessel ashore can easily go a long way below zero (the record stands at -27.2 degrees C for the UK!). So, a boat kept afloat will probably remain warmer than one that is ashore. It is still prudent, of course, for FRESH water systems to be drained, but salt water systems are not likely to freeze in a boat that is afloat.

My own boat has emulated the Fram on a couple of occasions (Kip marina freezes because of the fresh-water input into the basin), but has remained liveable using an Eberspacher D2, which I think most people would regard as at the low end of heating provision for a Moody 31.
 
Twister_Ken said:
That would certainly work, but a bit of a faff to do each time you finish a winter sail.
Click to expand...

Yep. I wouldn't suggest the usual approach of disconnecting the intake entirely, but depending on the installation there might be scope for an "auxiliary" hose to suck up an antifreeze mix when required. In my case, for instance, the connection to the intake seacock is via a T piece with a blanking plug, originally done for unblocking purposes. However, I can also replace the blanking plug with a hosetail and hose, close the seacock, and have a wandering intake. If I wanted to use it regularly, I could add a valve and leave it ready for use at all times.

Probably becoming less and less relevant to the OP though :-)

Pete
 
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