What one thing...

[Paul D.]

Still winter up here, so I was thinking of this and thought it might make a good thread. At least it may get us thinking productively regarding our boats and the spring fitting out season.

What one or two items on your boat, that if they failed, would leave you in the hurt bag?

I was trying to get at items that I could potentially get or make spares for so as to have a field fix and be able to get home without worry. Obviously we cannot have a spare for everything. So really, it is the exercise as much as the answer. One thing I thought of aboard Femme was the main fiddle block with becket. If that went, and it's nearly forty years old now, I could rig something that might work, but it would not work well. Could I reasonably control the main, because you know it won't go in light air. So maybe a spare would be in order.

That's the idea.

[jbenagh]

Might be particular to the CD30: The steering gear mounting might fail. The original is just cold steel and there's a lot of them that have failed that we know about here.
Also with JD thinking about sea cocks, servicing these are always a good idea.
Jeff

[JD-MDR]

One of my fears is getting stuck in the lazerette. One time after working on the manual bilge pump after putting all my stuff back in . I realized I forgot my vise grips on the mount bolt. I was too lazy to pull everything out so I tried to reach way back in there and wiggled myself down and back. I really had a problem getting out. With arthritis and all the shoulder and other problems coming on. It's like one of my worst fears. I get that claustrophobic fear when crawling under a house or in an attic also. Also I keep a strap at the locker cover to tie it open. It can fall down and lock . I don't know if I would be able to bust it open by kicking. I guess I should keep a couple of tools down there.
I have serviced all my seacocks with lapping compound. The two in the photo are for the head which I don't use. I hope to replace those and move the bilge outlet soon. But I still have to replace the four aft chain backing plates. Right now I am completely broke and I used the credit card to pay my taxes. I'm so glad it doesn't cost anything to sail. I can goes for days on end without spending anything. (not counting maintenance)

[Carl Thunberg]

Jeff,

You are right to be concerned about the steering gear mounting. When they collapse, they do so without warning. That's what happened on my former CD30. It's in an area that's inherently difficult to inspect. You can only see one side of the square tubular steel bracket, and you can't see the corrosion on the back side. A welder was able to fabricate a new one for short money. It may be a worthwhile investment to replace it now and rest easy. If I remember right, he changed from tubular steel to angle steel. Yes, it's a PITA to un-install and re-install, and you have to squeeze yourself under the cockpit sole to do it. That's what teenagers are for!

[Joe Myerson]

[quote="JD-MDR"]One of my fears is getting stuck in the lazerette. /quote]

I always try to remember to secure my lazarette (actually the port cockpit locker on my boat) by tying a line from the lock to the lifelines. In case I forget, I always make sure I have my cell phone with me before I crawl in there to work on the seacocks or batteries.

Joe

[Sea Hunt Video]

One of my fears is getting stuck in the lazerette. /quote]

I always try to remember to secure my lazarette (actually the port cockpit locker on my boat) by tying a line from the lock to the lifelines. In case I forget, I always make sure I have my cell phone with me before I crawl in there to work on the seacocks or batteries.

Joe

What Joe said

[JD-MDR]

Like Joe said” I always try to tie it up. Sometimes Ive not planned on going all the way in but bend down just for a second. I think I’ll keep a pry bar in there

[tjr818]

After being stuck in the port cockpit locker for what seemed like an eternity I now never go in without my cell phone or with someone else aboard. I think it should be easy to reverse the clasp on the hatch so that they do not latch when the top falls down, just switch the two parts one for the other and then the lid will not latch closed.

[Sea Hunt Video]

In addition to the precautions that Joe M. mentioned I also put a combination or key lock in the lower hatch clasp hole AFTER the hatch cover is open and secured to the lifeline. With the lock in the lower hatch hole the up latch buckle cannot be secured - at least not with the size lock I use. I do this but I also secure the hatch cover to a lifeline with a line and carry my cell phone. I am a "belt and suspenders" kind of guy.

On a more serious note, I believe an essential tool to keep on board at all time is a bottle opener. On more than one occasion I have had a nice cool bottle of Guinness for which I needed my trusty bottle opener. I am familiar with the other methods to pop the cap but prefer not to shake my beloved Guinness any more than necessary.

If I "failed" to have my trusty bottle opener and I had a Guinness bottle with a cap I would be in "the hurt bag" very quickly.

[Bill Goldsmith]

With regard to not getting stuck in a cockpit locker, tying the hatch open is fine, and bringing a cell phone in with you is also a great backup. As a further preventative measure, similarly to Roberto, I use a small carabiner and put it through the loop portion of the lock to prevent the hasp from engaging it in the event the cover blows closed. You could also hang a small padlock there or even jam a pencil through the loop to keep the hasp from engaging.

[Gary M]

For those who use an outboard motor to power our CD, don't forget a spare fuel line.

The two things that go is the line itself due to ethenol and the O ring inside the connector.

The first time I needed one, I didn't have one. The second and third time I needed one I did have one!

Gary

[Jim Walsh]

After being stuck in the port cockpit locker for what seemed like an eternity I now never go in without my cell phone or with someone else aboard. I think it should be easy to reverse the clasp on the hatch so that they do not latch when the top falls down, just switch the two parts one for the other and then the lid will not latch closed.

The spring loaded hasps on Orion have been disabled by cutting the spring, no chance of getting trapped. I use snap hooks at sea to keep them closed. As quoted above most people install the hasp and staple in the wrong orientation. Merely switch them and the locker hatch can always be opened. Gravity won’t closed the hasp over the staple trapping the unwary.

[Steve Laume]

You guys are way too worried about getting stuck in the locker. The springs are disabled on Raven and as Jim said the latches will not hold if that is the case. I still have short lines with a brass clip to hold them open or keep them shut as the need be. I feel all cozy when I am down in the locker. It is getting out again that is increasingly becoming a problem.

Getting back to the original post; the one thing that I would regret losing the most would be my wind vane. I suppose any part of the steering system would apply. I really do count on the vane being able to steer for me. I also have a electronic auto pilot but it is not the same.

Anything with the charging system, to include the engine would also be problematic. I am adding 140 watts of solar panels this year so I will have a back up for generating power.

Loosing the rig would also be pretty major. I replaced all the wire and inspect it on a regular basis. I have also considered carrying one of each of the old shrouds but have enough faith in the new ones as not to have bothered.

I have tried to set Raven up so that there is redundancy in anything I cannot do without, Steve.

[JD-MDR]

I’m not sure what your talking about. I don’t have spring loaded hasps. The ones I have can flip around and lock. Evan after all this talk. I was putting stuff down the other day and I got distracted and crawled in to push the stuff to the center After, I realized how often I don't tie the covers open. I really need to be more careful.

[drysuit2]

I started this habit when I used to work in a boat yard. It was not uncommon to be on a boat transport and have a shroud, engine, or rudder fail.
So my sailing backpack always has…

A bottle of water.
Hand held radio. W/ Spare batteries
Either the back pack is a dry bag, or I have one in side my sailing bag.
A set of dry warm base layer hydrophonic [wicking] socks, leggings, shirt, & cap.
A spare pair of my prescription glasses, contacts, & swim goggles.
A leatherman or Gerber multi tool
2 - 3 spare shackles
50 feet of spectra, vectran, amstel type of line. [I have used this to replace shrouds after being demasted.] , to lash a boom back together, or any other line I might need.
red, green and white glow sticks. [I have used these as running lights at night. And I always tie one to my mooring pick up buoy if I go out for an after work evening night sail.]
Wash towelettes
A roll of Dacron Bainbridge adhesive sail tape
A strobe light
An inflatable PFD/Harness
A climbing waist harness
Petzel ascenders
A big sun hat with chin strap
A bottle of Ensure and Carrs water crackers.
A days worth of my daily drugs in water proof canisters, and a few hard core painkillers, just in case

But on my CD in particular, I have a bunk size piece of marine plywood stored under my starboard berth. This is my workbench/ turn the main berth into a double berth, back board, sleep outside berth, and most importantly…I run a line from Backstay chainplate on my transom down the stern to the out board well. Thats my Gudgeon and pintle it’s nice to know I have an emergency rudder set up ready to go.

Some day I'll actually install some real Gudgeons and use pintles as an attachment point for my swim ladder.