CD27: Motor Mounts, Autohelm, Furling, Stuffing Box, Questio

[Al Andrus]

Motor Mounts: How difficult is it and how do you replace motor mounts?

Autohelm: Need recommendations for a tiller autohelm?

Furling: Need recommendations for headsail furling?

Stuffing Box: I tighten my packing nut to a drip rate about 1 per 15 seconds. And then after a short time there is no drip, either running or not running the engine. I repeat the procedure and the same thing happens. What am I doing wrong? Should I have a drip?

Cabin Structure Integrity: I plan to bring lines into the cockpit. Will the cabin structure support the stresses of installed blocks, stops, winches, etc???

Thanks for your help.



andrus@sprintmail.com

[Duncan Maio]

Al:

Furling: Need recommendations for headsail furling?

I have a Harken model 0 that has worked flawlessly - I had to replace a foil section (yard damage by former owner) and found their customer support to be excellent (although they do not sell parts direct). I would recommend doing it yourself if you have access to a rigging shop (to swage on the new fitting required).

Stuffing Box: I tighten my packing nut to a drip rate about 1 per 15 seconds. And then after a short time there is no drip, either running or not running the engine. I repeat the procedure and the same thing happens. What am I doing wrong? Should I have a drip?

There should be a drip; the last time I adjusted mine, it took several tries to get it loose enough. When the drip stops, does the box heat up?

Cabin Structure Integrity: I plan to bring lines into the cockpit. Will the cabin structure support the stresses of installed blocks, stops, winches, etc???

There is a space between the cabin top and the liner; you will have to cut the liner to add backing plates and bolt down the hardware. Alternatively, you could drill through the cabin top and liner, then use a hole saw to cut slightly larger holes in the liner only and insert compression posts to fill the space between the top and liner. The backing plates would then go inside the liner.

Good luck.

Duncan Maio
s/v Remedy
CD 27 #37
Bristol, RI



dmaio@meganet.net

[Neil Gordon]

>>Furling: Need recommendations for headsail furling?<<

CDI Flexible Furler. I've never heard a complaint from a user.

>>And then after a short time there is no drip, either running or not running the engine.<<

Try tightening so there's a little more drip and see if it slows to the rate you'd like. <g> You need a slow drip to keep the bearing lubricated.

>>I plan to bring lines into the cockpit.<<

With a furler, only the main halyard will be of concern. I've not had a problem, singlehanding or othewise, with working the halyard from the base of the mast.


Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167



neil@nrgordon.com

[Craig Urquhart]

Al,
Replaced my rear engine mounts many years agos due to corrosion and inability to adjust alignment. As I recall, I unbolted the shaft coupling, removed nuts from the rear engine mounts and pryed the engine upward using a small pry bar. As the engine elevated, I placed various pieces of wood under transmission to secure the engine until I got enough elevation to remove the old mounts.

It was not easy or fun. It took me a couple of days at an easy pace. The confined working space made it a tough job, but it was definitely worth the effort.

Craig
Satu CD27 #272

Motor Mounts: How difficult is it and how do you replace motor mounts?

Autohelm: Need recommendations for a tiller autohelm?

Furling: Need recommendations for headsail furling?

Stuffing Box: I tighten my packing nut to a drip rate about 1 per 15 seconds. And then after a short time there is no drip, either running or not running the engine. I repeat the procedure and the same thing happens. What am I doing wrong? Should I have a drip?

Cabin Structure Integrity: I plan to bring lines into the cockpit. Will the cabin structure support the stresses of installed blocks, stops, winches, etc???

Thanks for your help.

Satu@gwi.net

[Steve]

Cabin Structure Integrity: I plan to bring lines into the cockpit. Will the cabin structure support the stresses of installed blocks, stops, winches, etc???

Thanks for your help.

I am now on my 3rd Cape Dory, and 2nd CD 27. I currently am the owner of hull # 5, and she came with halyards led back to the cockpit. My 1st 27 had mast mounted halyards. With a capable auto pilot or crew, you ought to leave the halyards on the mast. It is a pain in the butt to manage the halyards from the cockpit. One sailor's opinion, but I've been in both places.



74200.163@compuserve.com

[Bill]

Motor Mounts: How difficult is it and how do you replace motor mounts?

Al

I replaced all four mounts on my 1GM two years ago. With help it was not that difficult. I used a small scissors jack to lift the engine (with a 2x6 block between the jack and the oil pan). Prior to moving the engine, I marked the location of the old mounts, to include counting the threads on the bolts teh engine sits on. I did remove the coupling, which means you'll have to re-align it. With a gopher in the cockpit, a helper in the salon, and me in the port locker it only took a short while. Not that bad of a job (on a 25D with a 1GM).

Good Luck
Bill



cd25d@rhapsodysails.com

[chuck yahrling]

Motor Mounts: How difficult is it and how do you replace motor mounts?

Autohelm: Need recommendations for a tiller autohelm?

Furling: Need recommendations for headsail furling?

Stuffing Box: I tighten my packing nut to a drip rate about 1 per 15 seconds. And then after a short time there is no drip, either running or not running the engine. I repeat the procedure and the same thing happens. What am I doing wrong? Should I have a drip?

Cabin Structure Integrity: I plan to bring lines into the cockpit. Will the cabin structure support the stresses of installed blocks, stops, winches, etc???

Thanks for your help.

I have an Autohelm ST-2000 tiller pilot on my CD-27, and it does the job just fine. It has been supplanted by the ST-2000 Plus, which has a built-in NEMA 0183 interface to connect a GPS or other position device. The ST-2000 requires the NAVDATA instrument to do the SeaTalk/NEMA interface.

Either way, with position info, you can hold a given course line. (It will hold a magnetic heading by itself.) If you have the Autohelm Wind Speed/Angle, you can set the tiller pilot to steer to a given wind angle. I think most brands offer the same features if you stick with their "family" of devices.




yahrling@cybertours.com

[Lee H. Hodsdon]

Motor Mounts: How difficult is it and how do you replace motor mounts?

I am tackling this task this winter. I plan to use the jack and blocking method to raise the engine, once the coupling has been disconnected, and all interfering hoses, controls, wires and the like have been identified and removed. I also thought I'd set up the new mounts as close to the elevation of the old mounts as possible. This would give a reasonably close starting point for the re-alignment of the engine. Take your time with the re-alignment.

Autohelm: Need recommendations for a tiller autohelm?

I have an Autohelm 2000Plus on my 25D. It works great. I've integrated it with my Raytheon GPS, a feature to consider.

Furling: Need recommendations for headsail furling?

No comment on furling, I use hanked on sails, with a jib downhaul run to the cockpit.

Stuffing Box: I tighten my packing nut to a drip rate about 1 per 15 seconds. And then after a short time there is no drip, either running or not running the engine. I repeat the procedure and the same thing happens. What am I doing wrong? Should I have a drip?

I use DripLess packing (West Marine). Works great, really doesn't drip. Only one season, we'll see how it works next year.

Cabin Structure Integrity: I plan to bring lines into the cockpit. Will the cabin structure support the stresses of installed blocks, stops, winches, etc???

I have run both the main and jib halyards to the cockpit. My turning blocks are near the base of the mast. The liner on the 25D was in contact with the cabin top, I drilled oversized through holes, filled them with epoxy, then drilled to size. I used teak plywood for the backing plates. No leaks, no problems, and it works fantastic. I'm pondering running the reefing line for the main to the cockpit as well, but I try to "reef often, and early" when I'm singlehanding.

Best wishes,

Lee

Thanks for your help.

lhodsdon@nh.ultranet.com

[Neil Gordon]

>>With a capable auto pilot or crew, you ought to leave the halyards on the mast.<<

You don't need either.

To raise the main underway... motor into the wind, put engine in neutral, take your time walking to the mast. Boat loses headway just as the mast is raised, then sits quietly while you slowly walk back to the cockpit. If you fall overboard, boat waits while you either crawl back on board or hang on and scream at other boats passing by. (Definitely better than watching auto pilot run your boat onto the rocks or sail off to Portugal while you watch the transom disappear over the horizon.)

Main comes down by just letting go of the tiller, slowly walking to the mast and lowering main as it luffs. Boat then quietly sits there while you furl the main.

Reefing is easy... either same process as lowering the main, or heave to by backing the jib. Boat sits there while you reef, have a sandwich, whatever. (Heaving to on a stbd tack gives you right of way over just about anyone!)

It's good experience to get to know your boat from a view other than from the cockpit. There are things that go wrong up front and imo more experience walking around up there is a good thing.


Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167



neil@nrgordon.com