Cape Dory 28.. No Bob stay?

[Sailingscotland]

Last year, I bought a 1975 Cape Dory 28. Loads of work already completed on it including chain plates, standing rig, new windows, re wired and re plumbed, hot and cold pressurised water and a new 30hp Yanmar and new upholstery. All this done before I bought her. My problem is, she does not have a Bob stay under the bow sprit. Pictures I have seen of later models do have the stay. I am worried that the makers found out that the rig needed a Bob stay and so changed later models to include the stay. Just a bit worried that if the bow sprit comes off with upward pressure from the fore stay, I could well drop the whole rig! Are my fears unfounded? There is a kind of stainless steel cap round the tip of the bow. Is that adequate? Any advise appreciated.

[camroll]

Earlier 28's did not have a bob stay. Instead they had a large bronze bracket under the bowsprit. If you do not have this bracket or a bob stay I would look into it.

Russ

[Sailingscotland]

Thanks for that. I should be out at her today, to remove the main sail, new sails ordered. When I am there, I’ll take a pic of the front setup and post here.
Regards. Ian

[Sailingscotland]

ED9533F5-B062-4088-9F3C-6CADBF33A534.jpeg

On the boat today to remove the sails. Took a pic of the bow sprit. Hope this works. What do you recon? Safe or needs looking at ?

ED9533F5-B062-4088-9F3C-6CADBF33A534.jpeg

[camroll]

That is definitely not stock. The original is bronze and this looks like steel of some kind. I can post a picture tomorrow of what it is supposed to look like. It looks beefy enough but as to how safe it is your best bet is to get a surveyor or someone who is knowledgable to check it out. Also it looks like your bowsprit has been shortened and I have not seen a staysail post in fiberglass. Those are usually bronze towers. Good luck
Russ

[Sailingscotland]

Thanks Russ, look forward to seeing what should support the bowsprit. Not sure I understand your comments re stay sail in fibreglass. Don’t have a stay sail. What you can see in the pic is the forestay. Behind that is the up haul for the head / jib as we don’t have roller reefing, all hanked on. My wife just clipped the up haul on there when not in use.

Regards. Ian.

[Keith]

Thanks Russ, look forward to seeing what should support the bowsprit. Not sure I understand your comments re stay sail in fibreglass. Don’t have a stay sail. What you can see in the pic is the forestay. Behind that is the up haul for the head / jib as we don’t have roller reefing, all hanked on. My wife just clipped the up haul on there when not in use.

Regards. Ian.

I believe that fiberglass mount is for the jib boom not the stay sail. I don't believe the 28 ever had a staysail. But I think that the comment is still valid in that the 28 jib boom mounts to the deck on a bronze pedestal not a fiberglass pedestal. This must have been a previous owners modification.

Keith

[Bill Goldsmith]

Sounds like a nicely refitted 28. Will you be towing water skiiers with that 30hp Yanmar?? That's also not a Spartan anchor roller, although I don't know if they had designed and produced those as early as 1975.

I would add a bobstay. Accessing the inside of the bow at the forepeak might be the biggest challenge but once you confirm how to access, it's just a matter of finding the fittings and installing them with proper backing and through-bolting. My 32 has a rod bobstay. If this were my boat I would speak to Tom at Rigging Only in Fairhaven Mass. He can probably make up a kit of parts for you if you were inclined to install it yourself.

[Sailingscotland]

Thanks Bill. There is a chap locally who can do this work. Question is should I have him design and fit or get parts from your side? There is absolutely no way I would attempt this myself. I think there could be access via the anchor locker in the fore peak, but not sure.
Having spoken to members on here, it seems there has been more done to her than I was aware of. I am now getting in touch with the previous owner to see if he had the jib boom tower and the bowsprit support changed / renewed when he undertook the major refit. He bought her in 2010 in a mess as a project and all work was undertaken by a reputable boat yard near here.
If I have to go to the cost of having a bobstay made up and fitted, I think it will be worth it in view of all the other work that has already been done, and, for my own peace of mind.
The 30hp Yanmar does not feel overpowering .What size of engine would have been in originally?

[camroll]

Here's some pictures of what the original bracket looked like
https://www.dropbox.com/s/93nslu72r8p5o ... 5.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zx84zzifrd1u0 ... 5.jpg?dl=0

Russ

[Sailingscotland]

Excellent Russ, very useful pics. Puts my mindset easy as the pic of the original looks almost identical to what I have now. Same style, size and fitting. Original in bronze and mine in heavy stainless steel. If the original fitting was adequate, I think the replacement I now have should also be ok. It was made and fitted by a reputable yard or so I believe. Checking with the previous owner.
Glad I joined this forum! Not many Cape Dory’s in Scotland so it’s hard to get answers locally.
Thanks a lot.

Regards

Ian.

[Bill Goldsmith]

Ian,

That fitting does look pretty robust. I’m a bit of a belt and braces kind of guy, which is why I would add the bobstay. At a minimum I would get a good rigger to bless it for peace of mind.

As to the diesel, my original Cape Dory, a 27, had a Yanmar 18 hp and there was a great deal of reserve power when punching through chop under power. It was upgraded by a prior owner from a Westerbeke 13 hp.

How did your CD get to Scotland? Being 1/8 Scottish (my great grandmother was a Johnston) I am very curious!

[Sailingscotland]

Hi Bill, maybe we are related.... The tale of the Beaver is indeed interesting. She was bought from new by a chap in Montreal, hence the rather strange name, Lazy Beaver! We have loads of original paperwork which shows she was provisioned for a long trip. Early in life, she sailed to Israel, and, as far as I can tell from the papers, then continued on to complete a circumnavigation! About 5 years later, she turned up in Ireland and was subsequently sold to a Scotsman who took her to Irvine, on the Clyde. She was used there for a number of years before being found on the hard in a bit of a state. The chap we bought her from took her on as a project noting that ‘she was a mess’! That was in 2009. He moved her to Crinan harbour and boat yard to have her refitted. Between 2010 and 2013 she had new chain plates made and glassed in, new stantion bases, windows, standing rigging, re wired re plumbed, re upholstered, new Yanmar, pressurised hot and cold water to the heads and galley, and topsides and deck painted. He sailed her till 2018 when he had to move south with his work and put her up for sale. I suspect, from what I have learned on here, that he also had the bracket on the bowsprit renewed along with the jib boom tower but I am checking that with him. We bought her end of August last year. She needs new sails, which we have just ordered. Quite a history for a 28ft yacht.

[Keith]

I believe that the original engine was a Volvo MD7A 14.3 HP. That is what I have in my 1979 CD30 and it push it along just fine.

Keith

[Sailingscotland]

Bet a 30hp would do even better! Don’t think I have had her over 1500rpm since I get her. The trip from Crinan took 3 hours in sweltering heat and flat calm motoring all the way.