Messages

1

Engines and Drive Train / Painting a Folding Prop

« on: July 18, 2018, 04:58:54 PM »

I recently purchased a Flexofold propeller and discussed applying bottom paint to the prop with the factory technician.  He said not to do that, and I figure he thought the paint would gum up the gearing mechanism and cause the blades to not deploy.  That makes common sense to me.  I was thinking perhaps to paint the blades only and apply something like Lanacote to the gears.  Some folks believe that the greasiness of Lanacote also provides some temporary antifouling properties.

I wanted to ask the members if they have experience with this and what they did to protect the folding prop from fouling.  Thanks, Matthew

2

General Discussion / Re: Afternoon Delight new owner

« on: May 16, 2018, 10:09:44 AM »

Hi Beregina,  congratulations on the purchase and welcome to the forum.  I love the name of your boat!  And wow!  What a nice place to cruise!  Let is know if we can assist with any questions you may have.  Matthew

3

Hull and Rig / Re: Nett Weight

« on: May 08, 2018, 11:25:03 AM »

Hi Lindsay,  I have not had my w/o weighed, but I am sure that it is much greater than the original weight considering fuel, water, supplies, spare parts and other things that have been added over the years, along with simply sitting in the water for more than 30 years.  Not a Clew is providing a good estimate here.
I would suggest finding a shipping company with a more heavy duty trailer!
Matthew

4

Swap Meet / Re: 44 WO in Coconut Grove, Fl. now on ebay

« on: March 24, 2018, 11:21:59 PM »

Sherry, it's not Chilly Pepper.  She's not for sale.  There are several 44 W/O's in the Miami area besides mine.  Today while cruising  up from the Keys, I saw Peter Schmidt's old boat, now owned by his son, a Miami Harbor Pilot.  It's not that one, either.  I'm pretty sure I have seen the one that's for sale day sailing to Key Biscayne from the Grove, but I cannot recall the name of that boat.  Also near my dock is Tullamore Due, another 44 W/O.  Matthew

5

Systems / Re: Shore power inlet

« on: March 20, 2018, 11:20:17 AM »

Hi Mike, locating it near to the electrical panels is good.  Mine was placed on the inside of the cockpit, stbd  side, forward.  Matthew

6

Interior / Re: Hatch dogs diameter?

« on: January 30, 2018, 06:10:15 PM »

Hi Martin,  the ones on my boat are 5/16, and 2.5" long including the knob.  I compared it with a normal 5/16 stainless bolt you can buy at a hardware store and it has the same thread.  The only difference is that these dogs have a pointed end as compared to the blunt end on a bolt.  Matthew.

7

Underway / Re: Hurricanes Irma and Maria

« on: October 24, 2017, 08:53:29 AM »

Yes, the Spade and the Vulcan look very similar, with the exception being that the Spade is two pieces and could be stowed down below if desired.  I will report back later on the Vulcan after I have tested it a few times.

8

Underway / Re: Hurricanes Irma and Maria

« on: October 23, 2017, 10:16:41 AM »

Dave,
 I agree with that about the newer scoop type designs being better all around anchors.  I have swapped out the Delta 88 anchor  for a Rocna Vulcan anchor.  The Spade was also a finalist, but there was a better deal on the Vulcan, so I went that route.
I really like the Rocna 55 for everyday use on the port side, but for the starboard roller tray a roll bar type anchor could not be easily accommodated.
Matthew

9

Underway / Hurricanes Irma and Maria

« on: October 13, 2017, 10:35:10 PM »

Dear Friends and CSY Forum Members,

I wanted to reach out to our friends and CSY members in the Eastern & Northern Caribbean, Bahamas, Florida Keys and Southern Florida after these bad hurricanes we have been experiencing this year.  I hope you and your families got through this well and your lovely CSY boats were unscathed.  Even here in Miami Beach, there were scores of wrecked and dismasted sailboats, and we only experienced winds of about 105 mph.  It was much worse in other places.

It was a good thing that I put my boat out with 3 anchors.  The larger anchor, a 88# Delta on chain dragged, but the Rockna 55# and the Fortress FX37 held her fast in thick mud bottom.  My dock was ruined from the storm surge, so I needed to leave her at anchor for a few weeks until the dock was rebuilt.  We are starting to put things on the boat back in order again at this time and should be sailing again in a week or two.

Miami was missed by the brunt of hurricane Irma, but other places in the Caribbean, Keys and the west coast of Florida were not so fortunate.  I hope the folks and boats in these places are doing well.  I would love to hear how you are doing, when you have the time.

Matthew

10

Systems / Re: Lightening grounding strip mounting flush or with a gap?

« on: October 08, 2017, 05:04:46 PM »

In addition to the mast being grounded to the lightening plate on the bottom of the boat, I recently ran heavy wire from the chainplates, bow pulpit and arch to that point also.  This was done to get any lightening surge out of the boat as quickly as possible.  Hope it helps, but you never know!

11

Systems / Re: Purchasing 10 -130 watt flexible solar panels from China

« on: September 27, 2017, 10:12:52 PM »

My comment was about the transparent film deteriorating, but the panels were not delaminating at that point.  There was no danger of the panels coming off in the wind or seas.  The deterioration of the top film would only be a concern if you intend to collect rain water off of them, then you would need to filter the water before putting it into your tanks.

12

Systems / Re: Lightening grounding strip mounting flush or with a gap?

« on: September 27, 2017, 10:05:24 PM »

That is true!  Chilly Pepper has the same thing, and it is offset from the hull by about a half inch.

13

Systems / Re: Purchasing 10 -130 watt flexible solar panels from China

« on: September 25, 2017, 05:25:57 PM »

Hi Martin,  On the Amel Maramu, these flexible solar panels were mechanically fastened with screws into the hardtop.  They did not lay completely flat because there was a connection with wires at one end.  We were shaking down the boat for a transatlantic crossing and it has sailed from Grand Bahama to Bermuda to Azores, Spain, Algeria and Cyprus since then.  We were being very careful to filter the dirt and plastic residue out of the water BEFORE letting it flow into the boat's tanks.  This was too much residue to allow into the tanks and be handled with the pump and domestic water system.  Matthew

14

Systems / Re: Purchasing 10 -130 watt flexible solar panels from China

« on: September 25, 2017, 08:59:31 AM »

My only experience with the flexible panels comes from a friend who purchased 6 for mounting on the hard top and deck of his Amel Maramu.  They had been mounted for a year when we cruised through the Bahamas together earlier this year.  The panels worked, tho not as well as the hard ones mounted on the arch.  The only problem I noticed was that there was a peeling of the plastic film covering the panels.  When we collected water off the hard top, the water needed to be heavily filtered before putting into the boat's tanks.  Matthew

15

Hull and Rig / Re: External Round Chainplates Design

« on: August 22, 2017, 09:22:06 AM »

Hi Martin,  I would think that chainplates should last at least 25 years.  Yours have already been replaced so they could go less or longer depending on how much the boat was used, where it was used, how well maintained, the quality of the materials & design, etc.  They are easy to give a cursory inspection, and as long as you do not see an issue, they are probably just fine for a number of years, in my opinion.  Mine were replaced about 10 years ago and they are still perfect.  Matthew