Fenix and I are on the hard

[fenixrises]

Hi All,

Fenix and I are on the hard here at Dockland 5, a hard stand and storage facility just downriver a few miles from the heart of Whangarei.

Minor repairs are going well. Had a couple of nasty gouges in the bottom of the keel from coral, also a number of minor scrapes and scratches to befilled and faired.

Got the prop and shaft out to replace the shaft. May install a new prop as well. The old prop is a 13 X 13, to me a 14 X 11 would be better.

While sitting in the Town Basin I made a new table for Fenix. Two simple planks, clear New Zealand pine, it fits on one of the steps of the companionway ladder. 42" X 22", a good size for me and the laptop or for eating. It can be broken down for ease of storage.

I found a local made non-skid product that paints on, so redid the decks and cabintop non-skid areas. Its white for coolness but will be a bear to keep clean. So far it looks good and durable and very good non-skid.

Got the new drifter made. 1.5 oz ripstop in lt. blue. About a 130%. Have yet to test it.

Found new valves for the stove at the LPG gas supplier. Exact fit and new knobs too.

Got the re-done trim tab finished and installed. Need only to attach the tiller arm. New wind vane design is just about finalized. Eager to test it out.

Got some painting done on the interior. And Fenix now sports a new cork covered cabin sole. Soft, warm and good non-skid. Found a good deal on 12" X 12" cork flooring squares here in town. Contact cemented them down . Left about an 1/8" gap between for caulk, black. Looks good but still need to caulk the outside edges. This will be white to match the interior paint.

Should be back in the water at the mid of the month, then on to Opua, Bay of Islands. Then on to OZ by about the begining of April.

Will take and post some pics next week.

There are a wide variety a cruisers, both people and boats, here in town. Some small and simple, some large, complex and expensive and some in between.

There are at least seven single handers here and at 58 & 1/2 I am the second youngest. The Americans: Me. There's Bill, a bit my senior on a Westsail 32 he's started his 2nd circumnavigation been out about 6 years so far. Russ, 60 something on a Tartan 27(getting a new centerboard, the old one fell off!) he's been out for 18 years. Patrick also 60 something on a 30' Stan Huntington(?) looks a bit like a Perry Hans Christen, been out 16 years. German: Hans,65+ on a Benetau 42(?) been out for about 2+ years. Peter also 65+ on a 38' steel boat been out about the same. English: Nick the youngster at about 35 has a 35' something of glass been out a couple of years. Of course I am sure there's many more. These guys are all here a Dockland 5.

Would guess many of you are anticpating the new sailing season. Hope you all have a good summer.

Take care,
Fred

[Warren Kaplan]

Fred,

Keep those stories coming. We all love 'um.
I'm curious about the cork cabin sole. How does cork do if a bunch of water gets below? Will it become soggy and start to deteriorate with long exposure to salt water??

[Neil Gordon]

Nice to know that you are on the young end of the scale there. There's hope still for the rest of us!

Thanks for the maint/upgrade info.

Yes, it's getting to spring here... temp in the single digits still. But... I suspect we'll have more typical March weather within a week. Next weekend might be a good time to take the cover off and get the season started.

[Steve Laume]

Okay Warren, there are no dumb questions. I too am intruged by the idea of a cork cabin sole. I am a bit surprised wine didn't come to mind when you posed the question as to weather cork would break down in salt water. Then there are my old Bergenstock sandals that have seen salt water enough to rust the buckles but not to harm the cork soles. Remember those cork fishing floats when things were made out of real natural materials. Come to think of it cork is pretty amazing stuff. Didn't they make cork life vests too? I wonder about sand and wear.
I was down at the boat the last couple of days and it was colder than it's been all winter. Up to the fifties next week. The gods have mercy. I am ready for some sailing and Daffodils.
Fred you are an amazing innovator. I would imagine you have had your share of learning experiences but you seem to get it done. I still worry too much about getting it right the first time and so often that amounts to not doing anything at all. Thanks for updating us on conditions on the other side of the big ball, Steve.

[Russell]

I have seen cork used as nonskid in a boats cockpit, I thought it odd at the time, but given more thought I really thought it a rather good idea. This boat I saw it on the cork was 10 years old and had seen many miles in a couple ocean crossings and full time cruising, and it was in perfect condition. Good nonskid and much nicer to sit on then painted on nonskid.

[M. R. Bober]

Several branches of Baltimore's Enoch Pratt Free Library used (20 or so years back) to have cork tile floors. Very quiet (unless you were wearing rubber ripple sole shoes) and pretty duarable; it was a good choice of material.

Mitchell Bober
Sunny Annapolis (where the sole savers use sandpaper), MD

[Steve Laume]

Whats not to like. It insulates and floats too, Steve.

[Neil Gordon]

I am a bit surprised wine didn't come to mind ...

You can drop the wine bottle on it, too, and it probably won't break! Plus, remember the thread about wind chill and heat transfer... a cork sole would be lots better to step out on in the AM than lots of alternatives.

[Steve Laume]

The bigger problem will to be to determine what finish to use. Varnish, cetol, oil or just let it weather. Although my cabin sole is in good shape this makes me think about the cockpit area. A grate always seemed like a classy addition but I worry about dirt collection and the bare toes of dogs and humans alike. A cork cockpit sole might be very nice. I would think it would help dampen engine noise too. Whoda thunk, cork starts to look like the perfect choice for many applications. Humm, cork deck core, cork tack board for navigational notes or grocery lists. At Cuttyhunk they have a cork board that is comprised of many wine corks to make up the dock side bulletin board. Okay so how much wine do I need to drink to do the cockpit sole? I have to at least look into what sizes are available if you buy the stuff by the sheet, Steve.

[chase]

Howdy Fred!

Sounds like you're getting geared up for more adventure. Bay of Islands looks like a nice stop. How do you like Whangarei and N. Zealand in general?

I seem to remember that you have a quarter berth in Fenix, is that where you use you new table?

The cork idea is a good one. Cabin soles get so cold, it would take the chill off but not get foul like carpet. Could sleep on it in a pinch.


The new 130, do I remember that you have another sail that size and you run them together downwind?

Hope your self-steering works out. I'm definitely going to build my own in the future. I'll be coastal sailing for many years to come and with the old Autohelm working after some mods, fabricating a vane drops down the priority list. I did recently read the online book posted by Didereaux; it was good. Seems like there was another one that was oriented towards fabrication. I'll have to search the archives....

I had not really thought through how I would handle multi-day coastal passages singlehanded. With the need for someone to be on watch at all times, I don't see how I can go offshore for more than a day at a time. I could do a 24-hour run once in a while to make use of a weather window but that would start to get old, I imagine. An autopilot is an incredibly useful tool but I now have a healthy respect for what can happen alone under auto-pilot/vane nearshore after hearing accounts of others on this board.

The age/nationality info is very interesting.

Safe Travels, Fred.

Chase

[fenixrises]

Hi Chase,

NZ and Whangarei are good but I have only seen a small bit. My pockets aren'tdeepenough to do extensive inland touring.

The people here in Whangarei are quite warm and friendly. Prices are not too bad. Great on a few things, quite high on others. i.e. Good bottom paint is less than $100/gal. Some food things are quite high but a lot of the local stuff is quite reasonable.

In light conditions I used the genoa and drifter...'till the drifter blew out. Its a good combination when the wind is too strong for the asym spin and too light for the genoa and staysail, say about 10-18 knots.

I rearranged the interior and have two semi-qberths, the table fits neatly between.

Coastal sailing is always a challange to the singlehander. I prefer to go offshore far enough to be away from land. BUT this is not always possible and there are sometimes shipping concerns as well. So far on this trip I have had mostly good conditions and not too many problems with close-in sailing. Just the one very frightening encounter with the reef off Jamaica. Shipping hasn't been a problem as most of the Pacific is wide open and the close in shipping usually is in areas near ports. So it isn't too hard to stay up for 24 hrs once in a while. However the leg from Darwin, Aus up to Phuket, Thailand is probably going to test me to the limit. Lots of fishing boats and coastal sailing.

In a previous post I put a link to a good site about building your own vane gear. It is simple, stout and works very well.

The cork thing has generated lots of interest I see. I also lined the inside of the engine box with the same thing though a bit thicker. Made a noticable difference in noise transmission, probaly help with heat transfer as well. Though that hasn't been a problem so far.

As for finishing the cork surface I know varnish has often been used. The only problem is there goes the non-skid. Cork is tough and durable but it can be "dented" by pointy objects. So no high heels on the boat.

Take care,
Fred