Sailboat Parts and Hullwork

The sailing season is almost upon us but I still have some work to accomplish on the sailboat.  We are excited to be heading to the lake house in a few short weeks but the sailboat must be ready by then!

Most of the parts I have ordered have arrived so I can now begin working on the hull and installing new parts.

The main thing that needs to be accomplished, above all else, is to do some much needed hullwork.  This past winter we had some water get into small cracks in the gelcoat and then freeze.  The expanding frozen water cracked out a larger hole in the gelcoat.  This gelcoat is applied over the fiberglass hull, sanded smooth, and then some serious elbow grease is needed to wax the shine into the newly applied gelcoat.

This photo, to the left, shows the cracked out gelcoat on the hull.  I also have a few other small areas of the hull which could use some attention so I will work on those areas as well.  Eventually, I would like to refinish the entire surface of the hull...  but, not this year.

So, I now have a can of white gelcoat and hardener...   some fiberglass cleaner...  and appropriate wax for this gelcoat to make it shine like new.

The yellow spray paint seen in the photo below is for repainting our telescoping paddle for those times when we run out of wind but still need to get back to the house.

This odd looking dark gray thing pictured below is to insert into the mast step (where the mast is inserted into the hull) when the mast is not occupying that space.  This gray foam insert keeps water out of the mast step.  A very handy little gadget.

This hardware pictured to the right is the hardware I am really excited about installing on the boat!  This is a big upgrade from the hardware we currently have installed.  This Mainsheet Block Set (for the rope controlling the main sail) is designed for racing.  The set includes ball-bearing blocks which allow the pulleys in these blocks to do what they are really supposed to do with a minimum of drag.

I also added a cam cleat (the part with the red posts) for hands-free operation of the mainsheet in light winds.

The one downside to installing these new blocks on the boom is that I will need to drill out the brackets holding the old, salt-corroded blocks and then install these new blocks with stainless steel rivets holding the new brackets.

The block pictured at the top of the Mainsheet Block Set with the spring on it is a new ratcheting ball-bearing block to be installed on the hull in front of the cockpit.  This ratcheting block allows the mainsheet to be pulled more easily yet adds drag for fighting against the wind.  This will be a very nice upgrade to our current hardware on the boat!

Of course, if we are going to replace all the blocks for the mainsheet, we might as well replace the rope too!  So, we have a nice new mainsheet.  This new mainsheet is longer to accommodate the extra block-and-tackle-type setup between the end of the boom and the bridle at the aft end of the boat.

If I am going to be successful in installing some of this new hardware on the hull, I am going to need an inspection port (pictured left, next to the mainsheet rope) to allow access to the inside of the hull.  This inspection port will allow me to put my hand inside the hull so I can add backing plates or stainless nuts on any hardware.  Then the cover screws on tightly against a rubber gasket to keep water out of the hull.  Cutting a big hole in my sailboat to install this port is the one upgrade that frightens me!

The last new part for the boat (well, for this year anyway) is also related to the mainsheet. When you tack from one side of the wind to the other, the boom comes zipping across the cockpit threatening to whack you in the head if you aren't quick enough to duck. Sometimes, you end up with some slack in the mainsheet rope as the boom comes zipping across the cockpit and it ends up tangled around your neck!  I bought two guides to hold the mainsheet rope up against the boom thus minimizing the chances of ending up being strangled by the mainsheet.  I don't know anyone using these little guides so I'm looking forward to seeing how well they minimize this issue.

These little projects I plan to complete in the next few weeks are significant upgrades for this little lightweight sailboat.  I started re-rigging this boat last season and it might take me another one or two seasons to completely refinish, re-rig and upgrade this beautiful little boat but it will be worth it in the end.  After more than three decades of life, use and the usual abuse, one could hardly complain that some updating and refinishing needs to be accomplished.

In the meantime, I'm glad that Adam is experiencing the fun and sheer excitement of sailing the very same sailboat I received as a Christmas gift when I was close to his age.  I learned to sail on this beautiful boat and even occasionally raced this little sailboat in the Atlantic Ocean.  My entire family has enjoyed this sailboat over the decades and now the sailboat is being reborn to educate, entertain and excite new generations once again.

Every year, new children hoot, holler and scream in excitement as they sit in the small cockpit of this beautiful little boat as it quickly skims and splashes across another lake...  and it is so nice to be a part of that year after year, generation after generation.