Cape Dory 28 CHASSEUR back in Water after 13 Years.....

[psjanker]

I finally got CHASSEUR back in the water after a total of 13 years. Previous owner had it on the hard for 12 years and it took me a year to recore the cockpit, foredeck, strip and barrier coat the hull, repair the Volvo Penta 2002 reduction gear (blown oil cooling line), and rebuild the raw water pump. While I had the transmission out (done without removing the engine which is doable if one does not mind working in a coffin type environment while on one’s stomach with one’s feet elevated at about 25%) I decided to put in a new stainless shaft, replace my cutlass bearing and put in a dripless system. I’m glad that I started things out last June with doing the bright work since the gleaming teak kept moral up. That being said, its time to do it all again.

Ed Potter (Cape Dory 30 Skipper, thanks again Ed!! PS watch out for Ed's Mai Tai's, fair warning

At Slip

CHASSEUR at Dock - Copy.jpg (5.04 MiB) Viewed 383 times

) came down to assist in moving CHASSEUR from the storage area to its new home in Quantico Virginia and we had a very pleasant afternoon doing a combination of sailing and motor sailing (heading south on the Potomac against a steady headwind).

Lost coolant on the engine about a mile outside Quantico Marine due to the heat exchanger bolt backing out, I say bolt since I only found one. The loose heat exchanger caused the pressed in copper line to separate from both the heat exchanger and the engine. As a result I lost coolant via both ends of the copper tubes the provide water via the raw water pump. Two bolts at .62 cents apiece should fix thing right up and they are due in today. I’ve also ordered replacement rubber seals that go around the pipe……is replacement necessary and are there any suggestions as to removing the old ones? I figure I would use a tool to gently pry the old ones out but figured that there might be a trick to doing it. I ordered new ones but do they even need to be replaced after each removal or only if they are leaking?

Ed is going to do a story so I will leave out our warm reception at the marina after folks watched in amazement as CHASSEUR was sailed into the marine and directly to its registered slip…which was quite an accomplishment since we didn’t know our marina dock layout….luckily the slip was upwind which is where we had to go to slow down anyway, but that is all another story. Needless to say the sailing folks were all talking about the sailing abilities of Cape Dory drivers since they had never seen anyone actually come into the marina under sail. I will ensure that I come in and out during early am or late pm when nobody is around for a few weeks……sailing reputations are so fragile.

V/r

Pete
S/V CHASSEUR, Cape Dory 28