Leaving Seattle

We loaded the boat at Shilshole this afternoon in the rain. This was the first time we had used the hoist to pull the mast and load the boat onto the trailer and we breathed a distinct sigh of relief when this was done without dropping or breaking anything!

We left Seattle about 4:00PM. Frank Metheny called about Snoqualmie Pass that I-90 was closed east of Ellensburg due to smoke from a brush fire. We have parked in Ellensburg, behind a motel, for the night.

Yesterday, next to our moorage in Lake Union, some young people were filming romantic scenes of a gentleman and a lady with a parasol in a beautiful, wood row boat. Then, the lady jumped up, stripped off her gown and panties and jumped into the water. I think she was to appear later as a mermaid as part of a "home video".

We should get home late tomorrow or the next day if all goes well. Memorable visits with old and new friends and lots of great food.

Our boat continues to attract attention and approval which is gratifying. "Pretty boat!", "What is it?". "Nice work.", etc. etc.

in the water now

Milestone #1: We left the driveway in Bozeman with "Duck" in tow (5,000 pounds) on Tuesday and arrived at the coast on Wednesday. The van pulled the heavy load at about 60 mph slowing down to 35 mph over the steep passes. We got 10-12 mpg.

Milestone #2: We launched at Oak Harbor on Thursday, put the mast in, and tightened the rigging. It floats!

Milestone #3: Friday morning we put on the sails and sailed for 6 hours in 6-14 knots of wind. It sails!

Milestone #4: Saturday we motored for about 6 hours from Oak Harbor to Anacortes. The 2 HP Honda pushed the boat at nearly 5 knots wide open and 4 knots at 2/3 throttle. It runs for 1 to 1 1/2 hours on about a liter of gas. Very satisfactory.

A motivation for working on this Etchells conversion project was that it was "a pretty boat".

This week at Oak Harbor was "Race Week". About 100 racing sailboats had converged for a week of racing and the harbor was full of new, light weight boats with carbon fiber masts, and aggressive racing crews.

We were overwhelmed by the barrage of attention and admiration from the racing sailors. People shouting from their boat "Pretty boat. What is it?" People on the dock inspected the boat from different angles and voiced their appreciation. It was almost funny.

So, more than you may want to know about our little project.

It is going well and we hope to use the boat for a few weeks.

lotsa little boat pieces

The last few days I have been working on trim and details inside the boat. The pieces have various dimensions and angles so you measure and write down notes about where the part fits on the boat, go to the shop and make a part, return to the boat to try it, then the shop to cut some off, etc. The port and starboard sides look like mirror images of each other but there are small differences so the part on one side is 12 and 3/4 inches and the similar part on the other side is 12 and 3/8 inches.

I have started wiring running lights, a depth sounder, a switch panel, DC outlets, and a car radio and speakers.

The trailer lights and brakes and the brake controller are all wired and waiting for a test. There are new tires on the wheels and everything has been painted. I attached an old wood box to the trailer to store the grease gun, blocks, tie-downs, etc.

The spray hood is 90% finished and I am trying a white tarp from the hardware store as a boat cover.

We are looking at two options for cockpit cushions.

I have filed 20 sail slugs so they fit the 1/8" slot in the Etchells mast. I hammered the old entry mouth for the bolt rope closed and cut a gate near the boom for threading the slugs. I built an aluminum pedestal with two jam cleats near the base of the mast to hold the jib and main halyard.

The list of "things to do" seems to grow faster than I would wish. It is not clear that we will be ready to haul it to Seattle to launch before July. Keep tuned.

Brakes and Motor

Work on the Etchells slowed a lot after the New Year. January weather was too cold. In February and early March we trailed the F-24 to the Florida Keys and for the last month we were in Turkey. I started working again yesterday.

The trailer once had hydraulic surge brakes but the master cylinder and brake lines were gone and the backing plates, shoes, and wheel cylinders were frozen with rust. I spent several days this spring trying to identify the brake parts so I could search for replacements. I sent photos to several boat trailer supply houses, manufacturers, made numerous phone calls and visited everyplace near Bozeman that worked on trailers or sold parts. I found new backing plates but could not identify the actuator.

I could modify the tongue and weld on a new actuator, plumb the hydraulics, and replace the backing plate assemblies for about $600 and a lot of work. Changing the brake system to electric brakes would cost less than $300. Since this trailer does not have to go into the water I went with the electric system. I ordered the parts before we left for Turkey and they were here when we got home three days ago. I ordered all new bearings and seals on general principles.

I have mounted the new backing plate assemblies, cleaned the rusty brake drums, painted them and had the drums turned at Checker for $10 each. I installed all new bearings and seals; good thing, three of the four old bearings showed some spall! I greased everything up and put it together leaving the axes nuts one notch loose and installed Bearing Buddies.

Like most boat trailers, the tires show plenty of tread but the rubber is cracked from sun and old age. They were 7.00x15, 8 ply and one had a slow leak. I cleaned the rims today and will paint them and get two new tires next week for about $85 each. Good insurance I figure.

I found an old wood box in the crawl space and may install it on the tongue as shown and use it to store tie-down straps, blocks of wood, a jack, etc.

After the brakes, the motor and its mounting were the remaining big, unknowns. This took a leap ahead on Friday when Jonathan found a 2 hp Honda motor for sale in Olympia. It had a long shaft and clutch and reportedly had seen little use. He drove there Friday night, checked it out, bought it, and brought it back to Portland. Yesterday he wrapped it up and it should be on the way to Bozeman via UPS. Thanks Jonathan!

I am thinking about building an outboard well and the light weight of the Honda should be an asset. I think it should push the boat 3 or 4 knots in flat water. I am hoping that if there is any wind at all we will be sailing. Time will tell.