Worst thing about your boat!

RichardS said:
My cat has winches on either side of the mast and several cleats of various kinds down either side.

It has a large overlapping genoa and trying to tack without one of the genoa sheets getting caught in the mast "furniture" is virtually impossible.

I don't know what the solution would be - perhaps something like granny bars which extend above the height of the winches?

Richard
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You could roll away some genoa before you tack?
 
JumbleDuck said:
Thanks for an unhappy memory.

The stanchion bases on by 21' Westerly were held down by screws into a plate with captive nuts. The plates were glassed into the deck moulding before it was bonded to the hull, and the central stanchion plate was directly above the main bulkhead in the sandwich. I was hit by another boat on the stanchion, snapping off two of the screws just below deck level. The only way of getting access would have been to remove at least some of the main bulkhead. Grrrr.
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More or less the same on mine.Had to break the top of a partial bulkhead in order to access a genoa traveller bolt.It took hours to do!
 
Worst thing is twin alternators, not so much that there are two (1×12 + 1×24) but that the 24 is tensioned off the 12, not independently.
Previous niggles were a front opening fridge, I replaced it with a top opener, and a short two bum seat, which I replaced with a cupboard and armchair.
I've had the boat fourteen years now and just about got it knocked into shape for my liking, but I still see things that could be improved!
 
oldsaltoz said:
Boy are you in for some fun.
You do know that new Silicon will not old and nor will any other type of sealant. So you have to remove all traces of the horrible stuff before you can do anything.

Look out if you ever plan to paint anything, just a tiny bit of the s stuff will spoil the finish and again every trace of it must be removed.

You should have a total ban on the use of it on board, and ban anyone who has been working with it for a least a week.

Good luck and fair winds. :)
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Yup, and don't I know it. I spent all last winter taking fittings off, cleaning all the muck away with a silicone remover, and then re-bedding with sika. What joy.
 
I have a 45 year old Twister. Plenty of room (for a 6 footer) wet gear hanging space, no anchor chain problems, comfortable cockpit good sea berths. Ok she leaks a bit. (three winters attempting to track and cure, but I'll get the last one this year?)
Trouble is, my first 30 years sailing were all on Trimarans.
 
Being able to reverse with a degree of certainty would be nice. Access to prop shaft and steering is poor unless you are vertically challenged and very bendy (I have neither trait!:eek:). Boat is a Tradewind 35
 
mikeinkwazi said:
I have a 45 year old Twister. Plenty of room (for a 6 footer) wet gear hanging space, no anchor chain problems, comfortable cockpit good sea berths. Ok she leaks a bit. (three winters attempting to track and cure, but I'll get the last one this year?)
Trouble is, my first 30 years sailing were all on Trimarans.
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My boat is over 50 and pretty much identical to a Twister, it is a Honeybee. Sounds like you have the same problems as me with the leaks. Mine come from above and below but I think that is simply age. I intend to replace the decks and coachroof to eliminate the drips on the head while sleeping! I do want a bigger boat however, even though she is brilliant. I have a little neice or nephew on the way and my parents aren't getting younger so a bit more space and luxury would be useful.
 
pmagowan said:
My boat is over 50 and pretty much identical to a Twister, it is a Honeybee.
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You lucky man. Two of them for sale on the Clyde at the moment - one in Millport and the stunning "Rose of Mearns" which has been living on a swinging mooring at Port Bannatyne since I learned to sail there, forty years ago. Drool. Want.
 
30boat said:
More or less the same on mine.Had to break the top of a partial bulkhead in order to access a genoa traveller bolt.It took hours to do!
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I had to take the galley cupboard out to replace a leaking genoa traveller bolt. They really weren't thinking hard about maintenance, were they?
 
JumbleDuck said:
I had to take the galley cupboard out to replace a leaking genoa traveller bolt. They really weren't thinking hard about maintenance, were they?
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Reminds me of a story i heard about a brand new oyster 65 which had been delivered to Antigua. Skipper wanted to change the oil filter on the engine but could not access it. So he rings up oysters and asks. 'There is an access panel behind the door in the starboard head says oyster'. There isn't one says skipper. 'I've checked the drawings and there is definitely a panel there just for that purpose' says oyster.
'well someone has screwed up then coz it aint there' says skip.
Turns out it had been forgotten. Oyster had to fly someone out to oversee the job done ! Apart from that a fabulous boat !

Chris
 
A true story, reported in a boat test of an early Jeanneau 45.2. The test consisted of sailing the brand new boat on its maiden voyage from France to the Caribbean. The boat had holding tanks for the heads, and after a few days the tanks overflowed. Jeanneau had forgotten to fit the seacocks to allow the tanks to be emptied at sea! They had the boat lifted and seacocks fitted on arrival.
 
Both fuel tanks have large access hatches on the top.

Brilliant.

The tops of the tanks are four inches beneath the GRP saloon floor. With no cut outs to get to the hatches.

Not so brilliant!!
 
CW28 Ketch. Will not behave astern, but neither did my old gaffer so I can live with that. But the most annoying feature is the engine seacock. Impossible to get to without removing BOTH hatch covers in the wheelhouse. These are about a meter by half a meter in size, four inches thick and lined with lead/foam soundproofing. So one has to open both wheelhouse doors, risk a hernia lifting the things one at a time and dragging them out into the cockpit. Then climb down into engine bay, open/close seacock, put the covers back etc. all in all about a 15 minute job.

I now leave the seacock open most of the time but it does seem a silly place to put it.

No fuel gauges. No inspection covers or fuel drains fitted either.

Apart from that, the missus likes the boat :)
 
Just one real irritant.
The fore deck locker hatch has no opening for the anchor rode. so I never leave the anchor on the bow roller, and when I anchor the hatch is resting on the rode.
 
laika said:
My biggest bugbear? Why did Mr. Westerly design boats with no apparent thought as to how people would subsequently take them apart? It seems that any minor job has a string of dependencies (i.e. to remove X you need to remove Y, but to remove Y you need to remove Z...) which ultimately seem to lead to you dismantling half the boat...Are upmarket swedish boats any better in that respect?
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(Oceanlord) To get at my steering gear and exhaust outlets, I need to remove the central cabinet in the stern cabin. This looks daunting - but it comes apart sooo easily it's a 10 minute job.

To get at the Starter motor wiring, I have to take off the door under the galley, lie full length on the floor, and with finger tips get at the wiring - a bastard fiddly job. But difficult to see how they could have improved access given they would have had to B up the galley arrangement. This and access to Heat exchanger etc on STb side of engine is difficult but not impossible. Portside access for most service items is brilliant.

Removing the fuel tank was also easy - you have to take apart the furniture around the companion way - 5 screws and done, The tank came out as if it was designed to - 1mm to spare less the paint......
 
PuffTheMagicDragon said:
Slight slope on first 50cms of sole at bottom of companionway steps (Centurion 32) makes working at the galley sink somewhat awkward.

No inspection hatch on fuel tank.

Funny shape of flexible water tank that sits within the keel. When I find one of the same shape I will get a new one.

Left-handed prop offset towards port quarter, alongside the skeg makes close-quarter manoeuvring in a Mediterranean marina 'interesting'... probably also amusing to spectators.


Apart from all that I love my boat. Once out at sea she behaves impeccably and sails extremely well, even though I get no sensation of speed.

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Good to hear nothing makes a Maltese Cross!
 
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