I installed my new mainsheet traveler today. It came from the same sorce as that awesome pair of crazy-cheap winches; superseded J-120 raceboat eqipment. It’s almost comicly large, sper heavy kit, bt it looks great in the cockpit! Abot the only thing worse than no traveler at all is a crappy failing ndersized traveler, and this one is none of that. It’s a Harken “Big Boat” unit, sized for “50′ to 70′ boats”; definitely overkill.
I need to make up some end-controls yet, as it came without. In lieu of on-track controls, I’m going with off-track ones to get maximum travel. This meant I needed some sort of end-stop to keep the car from sliding right to the end of the track and spitting bearings everywhere. It took me a bit of head-scratching to come up with something…
In the end, I went with a pair of Suzuki Samurai front leaf-spring bushings, mounted with 3/8″ bolts through stainless compression posts. Chris and Cory would be proud…
All about my big boat…
Yesterday was a good day. Just before lunch, a sailing friend from the WEYC dropped by. He said he was cleaning out his storage unit, and had a few bits of boating hardware to get rid of, and wanted my opinion on what it might be worth.
Among the things he mentioned were a pair of winches, which interested me a bit. He brought them over half an hour later. A pair of Harken 44 self-tailing winches, the old style with the roller-bearing stripper, freshly re-built and in factory boxes. They’d come off the raceboat he crews on, to be replaced by the newest/lightest/greatest by a manager with plenty of his owner’s money to spend.
“I figure they’d be dear to someone… what do you think they’re worth?”
“Oh, I dunno,” I replied, “How much do you want to get out of it?”
“Well, for you, say, $50 each? I mean, they’re just taking up space in my little container…”
I had the cash out of my pocket and the boxes carted off before he had a chance to reconsider. $100! For two 44 ST’s? Yikes! I wouldn’t have expected these winches, used, to go for less than $500 each… New 44’s are around $1400 apiece..
I used to kid my friend Marty for switching out his 42’s for used ex-powered 48’s, but after sailing with him before and after the switch, I’m convinced that otherwise “oversized” winches are just right; sooo much less effort and hassle, less wraps, quicker sheeting, etc. The only drawback, of course, is the crazy expense of new winches these days, easily the single most expensive pieces of hardware on any boat.
Now my standart Lewmar 42’s can move back onto pedestals for secondary use; stays’l, spinnaker, etc. What a score!
Whoa, long time, no blog. Partly becase I’m back on the boat, away from reglar internet access, and partly becase it’s soooo frstrating trying to write withot se of the letter “”. Dang keyboard.
In other news, I’ve been slogging along on the ol’ girl. Nothing major in the last while; two more coats of paint, and many many fiddly little electrical and systems things, deck hardware, mast bits, etc.
Mainly I’ve jst been hnkering down and plowing ot some long hors at work, making/saving a little cash for the pcoming bnch of “big(ger)-ticket items”. Off the list this past weekend: all the rest of my necessary Norseman wire terminals for my rigging. Hard to see how a doble handfl of bits can be worth $400, bt there it is. Also fond a price on rigging wire: $550, a little less than I was expecting.
As mch as I enjoy rigging, the next big psh will be on getting the engine in. Needed: new exhast flange and gasket ($85), new freshwater pmp ($320), new Racor diesel filter ($160), and oh yes, new diesel tank (hard to say exactly, bt I’m bdgeting $450). Maybe another new propshaft (I certainly hope not).
After that, it’s batteries, a few fiddly bits, refit the saggy old sails, and off we go!
Added up the receipts, again:
Plumbing – Fittings, hoses, seacocks, though-hulls, etc
$801.12
Epoxy – Resin, hardener, applicators, fillers, fairing compounds
$1050.71
Paint – Primers, topcoats, thinners, masking, sundries
$933.50
Surfacing – Sandpaper, wire wheels, grinding discs, buffing wheels & compounds
$242.08
Rigging – Fittings, furler, terminals, turnbuckles, spars, bowsprit, etc.
$1833.43
Sealants – 5200, beddings, caulking, adhesives, etc.
$232.42
Fasteners
$630.89
Hardware – Hinges, handles, latches
$437.46
Driveline – Engine, shaft, log, prop, stuffing box, accessories
$1456.15
Building materials – wood, fiberglass cloth, lexan, plywood
$238
Electrical – Wiring, panels, fuses, switches, etc.
$122.29
Rebuild Total – $7968.05
Boat Purchase – $3500
Total – $11468.05… and still not floating yet. 🙂
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