Weather improving - time to get boat to repairs

[Refueler]

I have posted before about a few items but now they are all coming together.

Visited Boatpark Pavilosta yesterday to discuss repairs for my trusty old SR25 ...

New wooden rubbing strake round the hull.
New Sprayhood, Dodgers, mainsail boom cover.

Possible grind out and gelcoat fill various spiderweb gel cracks that have appeared.

General spruce up.

Spoke to my pal with the truck and 30ton Hiab .... its about 90km trip from lift out here to the Boatpark repair facility .... all in price of lift and trucking .. 330 euros ... so next few days - will lower and sort out mast ready for trucking ....

Once repairs done ... reckon Boatpark can step mast and launch her ... 100 euro ...... then I have a 12 hour sail back to home port ... I should also have my 'new genny' from UK by then. I may also have fitted Wind unit to mast .... but that may wait till boat is back at home pontoon.

 

[William_H]

Hello Nigel. We wish you luck with boat work and also your health. Hope all goes well. Me now end of season bringing boat home week after next for winter. ol'will

 

[Refueler]

Cheers ...

Today gave it a bit of a scrub ... deck, toerails, cabin sides etc where winter 'green' has appeared. Thought I cannot present her in such state to Boatpark !

Then started the ol' Perkins ... as usual started like a dream ... no hot start or ether.
Decided to test channel depth as the snow / ice causes channel sides to slide in and reduce depth .... as she was pushing her way out - wood post went under and sounded like WW3 under there ... I had to grin and bear it ... no way she could be sorted mid channel. Finally it popped up but caught on rudder ... burst astern ... she cleared. All sounded OK after - if prop blade is damaged - you can soon tell by vibration / sound ...
Carried on to exit to river .... silted up entrance as usual ... so fwd / astern / fwd / astern inch by inch carve through the mud .... and finally she's out in river ............ gave her a good run to listen / feel for any prop damage ... nothing ... running sweet ...
Then return to base. Took same antics to get back in ...

Luckily being lifted for the repair work - I will get to see if any damage to the prop .... rudder.

This lack of water worries me as when I order truck for lift - he has to do it in another location down river. If I cannot get out of channel - ground is too soft for his truck at my channel. Only other way is to lower mast - get her to Yacht Club Hbr and have her lifted there ... but YC will insist on using their boat hoist adding unnecessary costs ...
If it rains before the lift day - I'm ok. mmmmmmmmmmm

 

[Refueler]

Had real problem turning boat round in channel .... looks like my 'gardeners' will be running mud pumps and my excavator to sort my channel.

Just noticed my Rum supply is ZERO !!

 

[Mister E]

How is your back doing?

 

[Refueler]

How is your back doing?

Tks for asking .... I am actually better than they expected. Still have a year or so before full recovery. Problem is right hip and leg are suffering from pressure on a nerve - the repaired vertebrae is not quite straight. Only way to solve - is exercise / physio. They talk about another operation to install pins ... but it has no g'tee of success.

I'm active - just takes it out of me after ...

 

[Refueler]

Had to turn boat in channel ... caught bow on pontoon corner ... will need some gel coat repair where its caused some gel to crack and come away in small chips ...

Boat was basically on the bottom and pivoting a lot ...

 

[Daydream believer]

Had real problem turning boat round in channel .... looks like my 'gardeners' will be running mud pumps and my excavator to sort my channel.

Just noticed my Rum supply is ZERO !!

Net zero is bad enough-- But "Rum Zero" is the final curtain. No time to waste, action needed NOW me thinks.

 

[Daydream believer]

Tks for asking .... I am actually better than they expected. Still have a year or so before full recovery. Problem is right hip and leg are suffering from pressure on a nerve - the repaired vertebrae is not quite straight. Only way to solve - is exercise / physio. They talk about another operation to install pins ... but it has no g'tee of success.

I'm active - just takes it out of me after ...

Inserting pins!!
Better not stand too close to the compass then
You will have to ask the doctor to stick a magnet up your bum, whilst he is at it,to cancel out the deviation

 

[Refueler]

As I understand it - similar to what my brother and son have ... (Brother was hit by car on his Lambretta ... son walked into road and hit by car) ... the pins would be either solid stainless or titanium ... most likely titanium.

 

[Refueler]

Mast down singlehanded ....... just waiting guy to help centre mast on the boat so I can then call truck and say ready ... then its wait for them to have free day to move her to repair yard.

I was nervous because last time lowering - the mast foot shattered .... but repair has held up nicely ...

 

[Refueler]

All done ... now wait truck to decide what day.

 

[William_H]

Too late to warn you and I am sure you know already... with the mast down in crutch it may be top heavy. ie upward load on mast base so needs weight on the bottom of the mast to hold it down whne disconnecting base. Good luck with the lift and transport ol'will

 

[Refueler]

Hi Will ...

My mast actually is just shy of halfway at crutch .. and foot stays down. Its close though ... when I take out the pivot pin ... I can lift foot easily ....

I cancelled truck today ... water level has dropped seriously and boat is stuck ... cannot move. have to wait for water level to rise.

Spent day discussing how to modify boatyard Cradle and lifter to take my bilge keels ... over here they don't have BK boats - near all are Fin.

The Cradle is typical Fin keel affair ..then he has a hydraulic lifter on wheels that lifts the cradle. Its narrow ! Question is whether too narrow with my keels ... the numbers are in metres ....

Superanne is 2.46m wide and keels are not so splayed as a Westerly ... so I'm hoping we can slide that lifter in higher up where keels are c loser together. Yard wants to be able to put boat inside workshop to do the wood rubbing strake. Too cold outside at present for the steamer etc. Plus this time of year - can get plenty rain.

 

[Refueler]

Delayed .... boat until today has been sitting on the bottom ... which means that the sill at entrance to my channel is definitely too shallow.

Yard has only setups for Fin Keels so problem to move my Bilge Keeler in and out of workshop. Now its agreed that we wait till end of May when the ļifter'is not needed and boat can stay on the lifter till jobs completed.

With this - now I wait to see final bill !! before coughing up for Wind mast unit / display and refridgerator box !

 

[Blueboatman]

I’m sure there’s plenty of fettling you can do between now and then
Best luck .. you’ve had that boat a long time = good memories

 

[Refueler]

I’m sure there’s plenty of fettling you can do between now and then
Best luck .. you’ve had that boat a long time = good memories

Even the Wife - who is not a boatie person says not to sell ... I have considered getting another boat ...

Too many memories over so many years with it ...

Idea now is to get her back to decent again ... fit a few bits and bobs and maybe keep her for river use. I have wish to have larger boat and keep in Yacht Club other side of bridges for Baltic use.

 

[Refueler]

Truck booked for Tuesday 6th June .... Yard ready ......

Thought about motoring her by sea - but a sail boat with mast down - never like the motion ... and its about 7hrs ..... so need good weather window. But truck can be anytime ....

 

[William_H]

Good luck with the move and relaunch. Hurry hurry tomorrow is first day of summer. (or winter for me ) ol'will

 

[Refueler]

Having trouble finding the wood for the rubbing strake. Crazy when Latvia is a major exporter of wood .. but mostly Pine / Elm / Black Alder etc.

We were offered an Oak plank - 200 euros, would with care provide strake as long as reduce width from 65 to 60mm .... but it had grain and splits that made us back off ...
We have a few offers of Kiln dried - but we worry that when bending - it may not survive ....

I even suggested a softer wood as long as well treated before fitting ... but yard not happy to do it ...

Discussion now is whether to just accept PVC profile instead ... not cheap once the mounting rail is added to the list .. but at least its in stock and would outlast me !!

The estimate is climbing and climbing - already more than boat's sale value (UK) ... but over here - you can add significant to price if registered here etc. Boat has been in my ownership for many years and sentimentality is taking over !!