Re-Core Cockpit Sole

[Ron M.]

When I was re-powering and had the cutlass and shaft removed I noticed a large void in the keel around the shaft log.
I bet I stuffed at least a quart of thickened epoxy milled fiber in there until it oozed out. I was surprised to find this , as I'm sure you were. Knock on wood, no leaks.

[jbenagh]

Christine C finally got launched and didn't need to to come out!!! After removing the engine, reinforcing the shaft tube and putting it all back in, she is back to normal. We motored her "around the corner" (from Salem MA to Beverly MA) over lunch break today.

We added a stern tube extension and a strut to support it:

Launching this spring [ahem, summer] has been a slow process. It really felt nice to be afloat today, even with no sails bent on.

Jeff

[psjanker]

For those who wanted a look at what the support looks like for a non stepped Cape Dory mast. Doesn't look in bad shape at all. Figure if there is no structural issues, in regards to mast support, structure could be left alone. Found on Web.

Has anyone had problems and if so how did they manifest themselves?

V/r

Pete

[Keith]

Pete,

Thanks for the pic of the mast support. What model/size boat was it? The 30 has two lateral supports as well, as least I think there are steel supports under the bumps in the cabin top. The laterals seem to be smaller then the support shown in the pic. Does anyone know if there are in fact two lateral supports on fore and aft ends of the main support? What they look like and are they welded to the main support?

Keith

[Tom Carter]

Sorry that I am resurrecting this old thread but I am in the midst of nearly the same project on my CD30, Benediction. I was hoping to get a little advice while referring to Jeff's great picture that he posted on 4/25/16 which includes all of the steering underbody.

In my case, I am not planning to reinstall the Edson pedestal but instead convert to tiller steering. With that in mind, the rather clunky steering support is now only serving the purpose of providing a place to mount the angle piece onto which is mounted the pillow block/self-aligning bearing for the rudder post. Although this is a vital function, I'd kind of like to find a different configuration which would eliminate the pedestal support. So, I see two possible options:

1) Support the angle bracket that holds the pillow block/bearing by using a plate that would be through-bolted to the cockpit sole. Basically, a smaller and less cumbersome version of the existing configuration.

2) Have a longer angle piece fabricated which extends and attaches to the port and starboard fore-to-aft bulkheads onto which the pillow block/bearing would be mounted. I think this is similar to how the CD36 is configured, at least through what I have seen from John's documentation of the Far Reach rebuild. However, I'm not sure if this is even possible on the CD30 since the access panels in those bulkheads might prohibit this option (I'm going to examine this closer tomorrow in the daylight).

Does anyone have any thoughts/advice?

[jbenagh]

It seems totally reasonable to eliminate the wheel support (although I think I like the wheel after a lot of time sailing with it). I think you need to ensure you have a really sturdy sole, so replace the balsa with plywood or Coosa in the area that will support the tiller backing. Do that, and use a pretty significant backing plate with the load spread over a large area. The wheel steering with the pulleys really spreads the load over a large area.

Jeff

[Tom Carter]

Thanks for the input Jeff, I'm planning on exactly what you recommended!
I've sailed Benediction for about 4 years with the wheel. I don't mind it so much for daysailing but since I've been out cruising for almost a year now and most of my passages are 12+ hours or multiple days, I don't really do a lot of helming the boat. Rather, I leave that to my trusty Norvane. So, I made the decision to switch to a tiller based on several factors: less complication and likelihood of breakages while at sea, reduced friction to benefit the Norvane, increased space in the cockpit, and I just generally have an affinity for tillers on boats less than ~35'. The thought of something in the steering system breaking or jamming at sea was always constantly on my mind as I'm a big guy at 6' 275 lbs so squeezing into the cockpit locker and attempting to fix a broken cable (or something else) was never something I looked forward to!

[John Stone]

Keith, Jeff, Pete, Tom,
What a great thread. Terrific work and documentation by all. Well done.

While the Cape Dories, like all boats, have trouble areas they are well known and with enough determination, good organizational skill, and patience they can all be addressed. The skills needed can be easily learned. We can fix, repair, modify, rebuild our boats to a high standard.

Steve L, agree with pros on a deck stepped mast. In a perfect world I would have a tabernacle or some way to raise and lower my own mast.

Tom, concur with your thoughts on conversion from wheel to tiller. Here is a link to how we converted from wheel to tiller on our CD 36 Far Reach. Perhaps it will be helpful to you.

http://www.farreachvoyages.com/projects ... rsion.html

[jbenagh]

Keith,

I had the pulley assembly fabricated from stainless (304, I think) since the original was toast. That cost about $1200 but the welder did a great job and consulted with me on a ton of minor details on fitting placement. Let me know if you want their info; they are in Salem, MA. I reused all of the original steering parts, like pulleys, after checking them out and cleaning and relubricating everything. I installed the full maintenance kit from Edson for the chain and cables. I also cleaned and lubed all the pulleys.

That's what I remember anyway. I'm happy to revisit my notebook from that spring if you need more details.

[Keith]

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for the info. My pulley assembly is actually in pretty good shape. I just had to clean up one small area. I do need to replace the rudder shaft hose so that should be lots of fun!

What is the G10 platform for? I assumed the hot water heater.

Keith

[jbenagh]

The platform is for the heater. The material is Coosa which is similar to plywood of similar thickness. Here's a picture of the installed heater but from a different angle. Still needs hoses installed in this picture.

[gates_cliff]

Jim Walsh, I can really identify with your comments above because I do that sort of thing all the time! However er,this time it found me

I've noticed small amount of water accllating in my engine pan. Can't find anything on the engine leaking so one afternoon the local mechanic agreed to take a look, for the price of a cup of coffee.. He agreed it wasn’t coming from the engine and opined it was probably from the rudder shaft.

Now the trick is how to get my old limbs contorted enough to access it