2008 Season Gear Review

[Evergreen]

What worked and what didn't.

Each year we try to upgrade our CD36 in an effort to get closer to having it ready for full time cruising. Below are some of this past years "upgrades" and our subjective evaluation of them. We encourage others to participate in this thread with their own experiences!

What worked well:
1) Solar powered Marine Rail Light by Sol Light. (Although not recommended as an anchor light they definitely add visibility, down low to the water where you need it; They are much brighter than the average lawn light; Although a little tacky looking many cruisers are using them; Polish it after purchasing as the finish is not polished well and tends to start showing signs of rust after a whole season)
2) Sensibulb LED Lights (Although I have no way to measure their energy draw we found them to be much brighter than expected and our batteries seemed to be less depleted each day)
3) SPOT tracking and locating device (This device worked very well and our family and friends back home really appreciated it - especially when we were in areas where we could not phone home; It also serves as a backup to our primary EPIRB)
4) Davis Chafe Gear (Very durable and effective; Velcro holds them in place - no little lines to tie; Our spring lines showed NO signs of wear after an entire summer; buy at Defender)
5) Gill Atlantic Series foul weather gear (this is the best foul weather gear we have ever purchased)
6) "Green Bags" for fruit and vegetables (We happened to pick up a box of these bags at a pharmacy checkout during our trip and they worked exceptionally well for extending the life of fruits and vegetables on the boat)
7) Rocna Anchor (dug in well in assorted bottom conditions and had excellent holding - Never dragged)
8) All Chain Rode - (We have never slept better)
9) UGRIB Forecasting from www.GRIB.US (this is an excellent Free download and service that really gives to an accurate picture of what to expect.
10) Mega Light anchor light (works very well)

Past purchases that we continued to really appreciate:
1) Anchor washdown system
2) Racor fuel filter
3) Black high rubber boots from Walmart (They do not make scuff marks; They are not slippery on deck; And they are much cheaper, higher, and more durable than West Marine and similar specially made boots.
4) Acorn Merino Sheepskin boots (These are wonderful boat shoes for cold, environments; They are very warm and do not slip on deck at all; The padding makes them very comfortable when standing at the helm for long periods; You can spray them with silicone if you are concerned about them getting splashed occasionally)

Items that we are still undecided on:
1) Mast mounted Forespar whisker pole (seems to be very difficult to manipulate - perhaps it is a learning curve; In the past I have found independent poles to be much easier to handle)

Biggest disappointments:
1) Cruising Spinnaker (Despite having a sleeve it was a lot of work and trouble to use for what we got out of it; It seems that in the open water the boat is always rolling too much or else we wish to go dead downwind, in which case it does not work well; It also takes up an enormous amount of valuable space on a cruising boat where space is alway a premium; Having a larger head sail is perhaps a better alternative; At this point this is the single most expensive upgrade that we have regrettably done)
2) Reefing hank-on Yankee (We subscribe to the simple and reliable approach so we though a reefable hank-on Yankee would be a good idea; We found that when conditions get bad, the last place we wanted to be was up on the foredeck fighting with a flogging sail while the bow plunges up and down in green water)

Ok, now lets hear about your gear so that we can all learn.

Best wishes,

[David VanDenburgh]

Great idea, Evergreen! This should be a very useful thread.

What Worked:

- Drifter - Davie built a drifter (a lightweight assymetrical sail) that we used this past summer on Lake Michigan. The sail is very light sailcloth, he installed jib hanks on the luff. We intended to use it for broad reaching and running, but found we could use it up to a close reach very effectively. Summer on the lake sees a fair amount of light air so we thought this would be a good addition to our sail inventory. (I don't like carrying a lot of sails, so the working sails - yankee jib, staysail, mainsail and drifter - are all we carry, which means the only sail we have to find storage room for is the drifter.) We can fly it hanked on to the headstay, or we can set it flying. We often sheet if off the end of the boom, which leads to my second "what worked".

- Boom-end shackle - we drilled through the tail-piece on Ariel's boom and fitted a shackle through the hole. This lets us hang a short nylon strop there on which we can shackle a snatch block, through which we can lead the sheet for the drifter. Sailing downwind, this gives us a handy way to use the main boom to pole out the drifter (mainsail down, boom swung way out to leeward and then prevented). Works great.

- Weems and Plath Chartkit Plotter (available from Landfall for about $100 - http://www.landfallnavigation.com/-n5121.html) - Though made especially for Chartkit books of charts (MapTech), this portable chart table works great for all work with paper charts. We clamp ours onto Ariel's chart table, but it would be great for boats without dedicated chart tables. The plotter is like what Navy ships used to use: a pivoting set of arms that enables quick work plotting.

- Dodger - Another project by Davie over the winter. He built a great dodger and we loved it this summer. It enables us to sit in the shade or find protection from the rain. It allows us to leave the companionway hatch open in almost all weather. It extends the living space, making the forward end of the cockpit something between a cabin and a deck - a sort of indoor/outdoor space.

What didn't:

- Lazyjacks - Awkward, in the way, a pain that wasn't worth what we got out of them. We bought them at the Strictly Sail show, installed them, and wished we hadn't. The bungee cord didn't last; the plastic ends pulled out. A boondoggle.

There's more, but I'll give somebody else a chance and add some more later.

[Warren S]

Small/cheap, but effective: We love cooking and eating all sorts of cuisine on board, even under way. Since we have no auto-pilot (yet), Judy hit on the idea of those rubber-coated place mats to hold plates and mugs from sliding to leeward. Surprisingly effective for picnics under way!


David,

The Lazy-jack boondoggle: do you think it was the quality of the system that caused so much trouble, or the concept? We were looking in to installing a set - maybe even making them ourselves.

[David VanDenburgh]

Some of each.

The system we bought (from Sail Care) was bungee cord and plastic hooks. They said it was super high quality and guaranteed not to fail, but it did. The hooks broke. The bungee deteriorated. Not recommended.

Besides that, a CD36 mainsail is heavy enough that the lazyjacks don't do a very good job of containing it, so we never got a very good stack.

I had envisioned letting the halyard go, the sail would fall and stack neatly between the lazyjacks. Instead, the sail has to be pulled own, it doesn't stack neatly and the lazyjacks don't keep it neatly on the boom.

We are thinking of installing a Strong Track system (Tides Marine), and that might make everything work better.

[M. R. Bober]

Small/cheap, but effective: We love cooking and eating all sorts of cuisine on board, even under way. Since we have no auto-pilot (yet), Judy hit on the idea of those rubber-coated place mats to hold plates and mugs from sliding to leeward. Surprisingly effective for picnics under way!
...

Cheaper still: run a bead of clear silicon caulk around the base of your bowls, dishes, and other table pieces, allow the caulk to set slightly, then turn caulk side down on a piece of wax paper (to flatten the bead), turn back over. When the caulk sets, you will have non-skid table ware,
Mitchell Bober
Sunny Lancaster (where eating aboard is a piece of cake), VA

[mgphl52]

David,

The Lazy-jack boondoggle: do you think it was the quality of the system that caused so much trouble, or the concept? We were looking in to
installing a set - maybe even making them ourselves.

Warren,

The very first "alteration" I did to KAYLA was removing the lazyjacks. They were far more trouble than they were worth. We now have a full-battened (and, of course, loose-foot main that is quite easy to flake without any sort of artificial assistance.

-michael

[John Danicic]

What didn't:

- Lazyjacks - Awkward, in the way, a pain that wasn't worth what we got out of them. We bought them at the Strictly Sail show, installed them, and wished we hadn't. The bungee cord didn't last; the plastic ends pulled out. A boondoggle.

Dave:

I rank lazy jacks up in my top three improvements.

I made my own set from an article in Good Old Boat Magazine. I think it was in the July, 2001 issue. It took a bit of adjusting and fussing about to fine tune them but as long as you head directly into the wind, the result is the sail drops nicely and stays mostly contained until at least you're anchored and have more time to neaten things up. I wouldn't sail single handed with out them. This system uses two blocks mounted on the mast and 1/4 inch line. The jacks can be easily moved out of the way so that the sail cover can be put on. An article and a plan worth looking for.

For me, 2008 was a success for solar power. Four, 40 watt Kyocera solar panels mounted on a rail along the cockpit gives me all the power to run the fridge, lights and instruments for three or four days without turning on the engine.

Sail on


John Danicic
CD 36 -Mariah- #124
Lake Superior - The Apostle Islands

[Evergreen]

We have a Strong Track System for our mainsail and find it works very well --- once the halyard is released it is as if the sail is falling out of the sky. In fact it comes down so quickly (unless restrained) that the sail does not flake well.

We also have lazy jacks as part of a mainsail "pack" (cover). I don't know what Quantum calls the setup but I know Mack Sails calls it a Mack Pack. I find the lazy jacks and pack setup not to be very pleasing to the eye but very functional and easy to use.

[Steve Laume]

Of all the gear I have ever added to Raven, the self steering gear has absolutely been the most helpful. I bought a late model, hardly used, Monitor that came off of a Pearson 30. I had to change the mounting legs to suit my boat but installation was pretty simple during my summer short haul. The thing steers the boat extremely well with none of the mistrust I have for my wheel pilot. I was a bit concerned about the learning curve for using the thing. It turned out to be very easy to set up and adjust. It steered me a good bit of the way to Maine and back under all sorts of conditions. I could not have made the same trip without it.

I have had an old radial headed spinnaker for a couple of years. I never had the right crew or the nerve to try flying the thing. I took it with me this summer determined to either use it or tear it to shreds. It is still in one big, bright, glorious, piece! What a gas it is! I could use lighter sheets for low wind days but other than that it worked very well. Never having sailed a boat with a spinnaker but having read a great deal about them, it took me some time to set it up the first time. I had gotten a cheap sock for it and that seems like a crucial piece of gear if you are to fly one of these things solo or with a limited crew. The pole set up didn't really seem to be too big a problem if you were going to leave it for a while. The sail was beautiful and pulled the boat along like a train engine. There seem to be a bunch of these old spinnakers available for reasonable prices as everyone seems to be looking for asemetricals. It turned out to be a great success for Raven and I.

Simplest but very effective was using a short pennate to form a bridle through both bow chocks to the anchor rode. I have always had trouble with hunting and making up this yoke seemed to help a lot. I also replaced the pin with a large shackle at my bob stay attachment near the water line but never bothered to mess with it.

Throw pillows. Okay, not exactly sailing gear but I am very happy with my new settee arrangement. I got rid of the seat backs that always seemed to be in the way. That left those openings on each side of the boat exposed to the cold hull area. I made hinged doors for them that match all of the other doors on the boat. This not only looks good but seals this area off from the living space. I don't have to go through moving cushions and seat backs every time I want something out of those lockers. I have two less cushions to worry about and I have a bunch of nice pillows I can arrange in a variety of was to suit my needs. If I get tired of them or they get groady I can just toss them out and get new ones.

The best piece of gear by far is Raven herself. I am really becoming very fond of my boat as the years begin to go by. I am trying to treat her right and she has been better to me than I probably deserve. All you folks on this board have been pretty awesome too.

Thanks, Steve.

[Joe CD MS 300]

Second the Sensibulb LED lights. Really make a difference on AMP usage and just as bright and natural as bulbs. Also like the sailors solutions LED anchor light with the photo cell turn off at dawn.

New Found Metals bronze ports. Big, big improvement in function and looks over the old plastic ports. Why did CD ever use those plastic ports on some boats?

[rtbates]

I can't praise Teakguard enough. After using Cetol, after several years of re-coating the woods no longer visible, Teaqua, brown color and just didn't last, Teakguard finish is beautiful. Nice light blond honey color ,very easy to apply. Goes on like oil as it soaks into the wood. How long it lasts remains to be seen, BUT putting an additional coats on every year shouldn't end up hiding the teak below as it soaks into the wood rather than sitting on top. I've finished the toe/rub rail and handrails with 6 coats, two at a time 30 minutes apart, then wait 24 hours. Two coats on the eye brows. Companion way trim and coamings are waiting.

www.teakguard.com

[David VanDenburgh]

Randy, how long have you been using it? I'm curious to know how it holds up. What does it look like at the one year mark? And have you done any recoating during that year? If so, what prep do you do?

[M. R. Bober]

Second the Sensibulb LED lights. Really make a difference on AMP usage and just as bright and natural as bulbs. Also like the sailors solutions LED anchor light with the photo cell turn off at dawn.

New Found Metals bronze ports. Big, big improvement in function and looks over the old plastic ports. Why did CD ever use those plastic ports on some boats?

Joe,
The way I heard the story (re: plastic ports on CDs) was that CD tried to lower the base boat price to stay competitive, with other builders, as the business was beginning to fail. I suspect that most CD purchasers--at the time when bronze ports became optional--selected the upgrade. Apparently not all did so.

I think the upgrade ran about $200/port.

Mitchell Bober
Sunny Lancaster (where we don't waste time polishing ports, bronze or plastic), VA

[rtbates]

Randy, how long have you been using it? I'm curious to know how it holds up. What does it look like at the one year mark? And have you done any recoating during that year? If so, what prep do you do?

Hi David:

I did the toe/rub rails first just last month so I have no idea how it lasts. Teakguard says a re-coat every year. Application is just like oil. Apply as much as the wood will take and brush off the excess. I now have the hand rails finished also and two coats on the eye brows. I applied 6 coats, two within 1/2 hour and them must wait at least 24 hours.

The prep is the key as usual. You absolutely must get the teak's oil removed by using Teakguard's cleaner, preferably their "Super Cleaner". Then NO LATER than 48 hours the first two coats must bne applied before the oil returns to the surface. Their instructions are very clear. http://www.teakguard.com

Send me a PM with your email and I'll send you a picture of Seraph's toe/rub rail.

[Renova]

Our five week trip up the pacific northwest coast in August led to some interesting discoveries...

SUCCESSES

VHF: This new gadget was our favorite. Our old VHF didn't have some of the popular channels, nor DSC functionality, so we were pleased with our new VHF. The best part was the cockpit mic. We could finally hear the radio from the cockpit. Unfortunately, whomever was at the helm also found it really easy to use the intercom function to awake the napping person down below!!

SPOT: Although it didn't make a lot of difference to us, this gadget was fun and reassuring for all our friends and family back home who were able to follow our journey via the location information that we sent each evening. It also came in handy when we had friends try to meet up with us in an area without cell phone coverage, and they could track us down by knowing our evening location.

SAIL REPAIR: we ripped a HUGE hole in our genny last summer, and when we discovered that we couldn't afford a new one, I fixed it with all the sail tape I could buy, and stitched over everything twice! Worked like a charm for us all summer.

SNATCH BLOCK: We used this block to run the main halyard back to the cockpit. Then, we could hoist our little hard dinghy up to the cabin top with absolutely no effort at all.

DODGER: Our new dodger made this years' sailing so much more pleasant. As said in a previous post, finally the companionway can be left open in any weather!!

HAND-CRANK BLENDER: nuff said


DISAPPOINTMENTS:

ENGINE: Our Perkins 4.108 gave us trouble, just as we were about to cross Hecate Straight to Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii). We had to abandon our plans, and spend a week in Prince Rupert bolting an outboard bracket to our stern. Not very "yachty" of us. But...an interesting conversation starter during our route south. We're now considering re-powering. Yuck.

CABIN HEATER: Our custom made cabin heater pressurized fuel tank sprung a leak the night before our departure. So very sad.

MOISTURE: Although not a new problem, we noticed on this trip more than ever before that our bunk was soaked due to humidity and condensation. Each day we had to lift all the cushions and give them time to dry out. We're working on finding the best solution to allow air circulation under the bunk cushions.