Thar She Blows! (S/V Tadpole Picture)

[Gary H]

I read this post with interest as I have noticed that my Typhoon also sits with the stern quite low in the water. I get fouling on the hull almost right up to the transom. I have a 3.5 hp 2 stroke OB which I doubt is fully responsible for this. I have often checkd the bilge and it is perfectly dry. I store nothing heavy in the cockpit lockers. Fortunately it does not effect the working of the cockpit scuppers.

I, too, noted that Tadpole sits low in the stern and took that as some relief from worrying about how my boat sits.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[John Vigor]

Squatting at the stern seems to be endemic problem among smaller Cape Dories. My former CD25D had that problem and it was very hard to cure since there was no V-berth in which to pile things to counterbalance the stern squat.

My CD27 has it, too. I can't get the cockpit to self-drain completely--water still runs to the aft end of the cockpit, whereas the drains are at the forward end. I have had to cut new scuppers in the toe rails way aft to let collected water drain from the deck. And this despite the fact that I have a 25-pound CQR and 30 feet of quarter-inch chain in the deck anchor locker, along with 90 pounds-worth of lead ingots.

It was the major reason why I had to sell my Aries wind vane and settle for a smaller, lighter one.

It's not all bad news, though. With a couple of crew in the cockpit, the mast automatically gets raked back, which is very good for pointing higher and going to windward.

Cheers,

John V.

[Sea Hunt]

Hello OJ:

Well, gosh, thanks a lot Anybody want to buy a 1977 Cape Dory Typhoon Weekender with new bottom paint

Just kidding. I am not sure the cause of the problem. The person who did the bottom job and the bootstripe has been doing this for more than 20 years and is very, very respected. I am confident his work is accurate.

The O/B motor weights 58 lbs. A present there is nothing in the forward cabin. There are two small Danforth type anchors in the starboard cockpit locker.

I am assuming (guessing really) that she lies stern down a little because of the O/B, the two small anchors, and the lack of anything forward.

I did notice that when she was at anchor with myself and another person on board that the water level came right up to the scuppers. I was a little (more than a little) surprised at this. The cockpit did seem to tilt aft a little with water collecting near the base of the tiller. I assume this is NOT good.

Any and all suggestions are welcomed.

Given my house situation, it will be Tues/Wed at the earliest before I can probably get to the sailing club/marina to examine this more carefully.

[mgphl52]

Hi Robert,

She is a very beautiful Ty! I, too, was among those that began to think you were a shopper only... my sincere apologies! I am also sorry that wasn't able to meet you when you came to Bluewater Bay to look at my friend's CD25D (Hunky Dory). He did sell her a short time later.

As for the fore/aft balance, may I suggest that you always remove the out board and place it in the cabin? This will better balance her and also remove the temptation of someone "borrowing" your motor... I say that from experiencing the theft of a 4 month-old outboard on my own Ty a few years back! I had been out late the night before assisting another friend who didn't have enough water to back in the marina and I was too tired/lazy to put it away after I brought him back from anchoring his boat. That night, in late November, someone decided they wanted my motor more than I did! At least they were "kind" (?) enough not to take the Spartan mount (worth almost as much as the motor!).

While it can be a little trouble some to remove and remount, I'm quite sure [Tadpole/i] will also sail a bit smoother with proper fore/aft balance.

Congrats again & Here's to Great sailing! (insert beverage of choice...)

[mgphl52]

from Babette was also a Suzuki! Be careful!

[Dean Abramson]

Robert,

At some point you mentioned possibly adding a bow pulpit. If you did that, and hung your anchor from it, it would help with the weight distribution. Admittedly, I have not thought through how/where you would stow the chain and rope rode.

Since I don't own one, I would be interested in knowing how other Ty owners deal with the anchor, and whether it is ready to quickly deploy.

Dean

[Dean Abramson]

I just threw Robert's photo up on my website without noting how big is is. It is much bigger than I would normally post on the web.

If folks are finding it laboriously slow to download, I will downsize it and re-post one about 1000 pixels wide instead of the current 2000+. This would "fill in" four times as fast.

Comments?

Dean

[seajunkie]

The big picture shows nice detail. My 2cents

[ronkberg]

Dean, I have a pulpit and hang my anchor off of it. The rope goes below deck via a deck pipe, as below, and the chain is coiled and tied off at the pulpit base. I have sailed for three years with this configuration and never used the anchor so am thinking of putting it below in a bucket ready if needed. Although I will not have the convenience and have to scurry to deploy the anchor if needed, I want to clear the deck for a cleaner look.

Regards, Ron

http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/browse.cfm/4,8171.html

[quote="Dean Abramson"]Robert,

At some point you mentioned possibly adding a bow pulpit. If you did that, and hung your anchor from it, it would help with the weight distribution. Admittedly, I have not thought through how/where you would stow the chain and rope rode.

Since I don't own one, I would be interested in knowing how other Ty owners deal with the anchor, and whether it is ready to quickly deploy.

Dean[/quote]

[wingreen]

Ditto on Ron's observations. I have two anchors which both stay in a bag in the cockpit locker. I have anchored once since I bought the Ty last winter.

[ronkberg]

Sorry you lost the motor and I am surprised they left the Spartan mount. I lock my motor to the Spartan mount but the mount is not locked to the boat. Thus, I have worried about losing both but have not figured a way to lock the mount down. Suggestions?

Secondly, I would be very reluctant to haul/deploy a motor off of the rear deck of my Typhoon as it is a very precarious perch and Maine water is very cold! My 4hp is not too heavy but lifting it, attached to the motor mount is a challenge that I'll avoid. I do not like the Typhoon profile with the motor dangling off the transome but the thought of falling overboard is too daunting for me.

I suggest that Sea Hunt forget the motor for the time being and concentrate on having fun learning how well the little yacht sails.

Ron

"As for the fore/aft balance, may I suggest that you always remove the out board and place it in the cabin? This will better balance her and also remove the temptation of someone "borrowing" your motor... I say that from experiencing the theft of a 4 month-old outboard on my own Ty a few years back! I had been out late the night before assisting another friend who didn't have enough water to back in the marina and I was too tired/lazy to put it away after I brought him back from anchoring his boat. That night, in late November, someone decided they wanted my motor more than I did! At least they were "kind" (?) enough not to take the Spartan mount (worth almost as much as the motor!)."

[Dean Abramson]

Ron,

On my very first boat, the very first time we went out, I was under the influence of a friend who had, supposedly, more sailing experience than I (and, as it turns out, judgment as bad as mine). "Hey, it's a sailboat. She can handle a little breeze." Actually, there was a small craft warning up. We were dumber than posts.

It was blowing way too hard for first-timers, but off we went. Got overpowered right away, so dropped the jib. Immediately got blown towards a rocky lee shore, and could not beat off with mainsail alone. Dropped sail and pulled the old outboard's rope starter. It did not start, but the rope jammed, and we could not try again.

So we heaved the anchor over. And somehow it grabbed the bottom, in pretty deep water, on what must have been, initially, about 1.5:1 scope. Kept me from losing my new baby on the very first day. (We were able to eventually take the motor cover off, unscrew four screws that held a guard on, and unsnarl the pull cord. Then motor back with our tails between our legs.)

That was my baptism of fire. As folks who sail with me can tell you, I don't always do things by the book. But it is RELIGION for me to have an anchor ready to go!

Dean

[wingreen]

I suppose I take for granted the warm, generally tranquil waters of the Gulf. Falling overboard is seldom a life-threatening situation, since you find yourself in water that is usually 70 - 85 degrees, and not too deep. I frequently find myself 6 - 7 miles from shore in 5 - 6 ft of water. We routinely jump overboard to cool off, explore that strange-looking thing we just passed on the bottom, or sometimes to push her off a sandbar.

Ron, the previous owner of my Ty solved the motor mount problem... He drilled a hole through the mount, through the deck, and fastened it to the deck with a bolt. The only way to remove the motor mount is to reach through the deckplate at the back of the cockpit with a wrench and have someone else loosen the screw from above. My arms aren't long enough to do both myself. If your deckplate has a latch on it as mine does, then you can put a lock on it and prevent someone from reaching in there w/ a wrench.

[Sea Hunt]

For what it is worth from a "tadpole sailor", at present I have a 6' aircraft grade s/s cable (covered in plastic) with two eye bolts wrapped around the O/B handle and then run through the aft starboard cleat and secured with a Master lock (marine grade). I know this is not very secure (just pull out the cleat and off you go) however, it is hopefully a temporary solution. Also, I am told there is 24 security patrol at the sailing club. I have not done a "recon" at "zero dark thirty" to confirm this however.

The friend with the Ty suggested that I invest in a large s/s U bolt with two large backing plates. Drill holes in the stern deck (yikkes ) and attach the U bolt through the two holes with a backing plate underneath and some heavy duty nuts, etc. If a thief then wants the O/B he or she must go to the trouble of getting onboard, opening the access panel aft of the tiller and removing the two large nuts, etc. Doable, but probably easier to steal someone else's O/B.

I am considering this as an option but drilling holes in my "new" Ty is not something I look forward to.

As for an anchor, I was told to affix the rode to the bow cleat and then run the rode back to the cockpit (outside of all shrouds, lines, etc. ) and then have it in a bucket in the cockpit or in a locker (need to cut out a small access gap for the rode on the side of the hatch cover ). In an emergency, you just heave the anchor over from the cockpit and hope it grabs. Since most of my sailing will be in Biscayne Bay (average depth 10'-14') I would expect to have a ready to deploy scope of 70' - 100').

Any thoughts on any of the above

P.S. House drying out pretty well. Still sounds like aircraft engines

[Zeida]

Hello Robert...
First, I hope the situation in your house keeps improving.
Second, " The friend with the Ty suggested that I invest in a large s/s U bolt with two large backing plates. Drill holes in the stern deck (yikkes ) and attach the U bolt through the two holes with a backing plate underneath and some heavy duty nuts, etc. If a thief then wants the O/B he or she must go to the trouble of getting onboard, opening the access panel aft of the tiller and removing the two large nuts, etc. Doable, but probably easier to steal someone else's O/B. "...

THIS IS VERY WISE AND IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW. At Crandon, at Haulover and Miami Beach marinas there have been a rash of outboard thefts in the past week alone! I just went out and purchased a HUGE Bicycle lock & chain to use with my dinghy's Yamaha outboard. We had the entire police force at our marina because they hit EIGHT boats in the marina. This happened last Sunday night, during a tremendous rainstrom about 11 pm. This tells us it is an organized group of vandals who are in the business of stealing (ripping off) all the electronics from the most accessible boats as well as outboards. Because of the economic situation all over, these thefts will probably continue for some time, and we at Crandon are taking notice.

You are right, if it is too difficult, they will move on to the next boat! Mostly, they are going for the powerboats with the most electronics on board, those that are easiest to get to. I have taken my two GPS's home as well as laptop computer, just in case they break into Bandolera. So far, they are not targetting sailboats, but for sure, they will take the outboards whenever easy to remove.

Do not worry about putting the two holes and the backing plates on your stern. This will make things more difficult for them, and give you peace of mind.

Again, on the anchor..., " I was told to affix the rode to the bow cleat and then run the rode back to the cockpit (outside of all shrouds, lines, etc. ) and then have it in a bucket in the cockpit or in a locker (need to cut out a small access gap for the rode on the side of the hatch cover ). In an emergency, you just heave the anchor over from the cockpit and hope it grabs. Since most of my sailing will be in Biscayne Bay (average depth 10'-14') I would expect to have a ready to deploy scope of 70' - 100').

this is excellent advise from your local sailors, who know exactly the environment you will be sailing in. That is exactly what I would do too. So, you already have the best two solid pieces of advice and information ( and the easiest) regarding your outboard and your anchor. I am heading out to see Bando right now and check on my outboard! Cheers.