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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 85 total)
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  • in reply to: Is the GP14 Class in decline #24972
    Arthur
    Participant

    I do not race, to be honest, even if I wanted to, there is no longer GP14 class here in the States. With that out of the way, I single hand my little boat all the time, as such, I actually add two large containers of water, strapped to the thwart, to add weight.

    in reply to: Timber for mast step #24971
    Arthur
    Participant

    I believe that most of the wood on my 1964 boat is mahogany.  Oak is not a bad choice, but do try to source white oak, as red is more rot prone due to the cellular passages through the wood. White’s passages are encapsulated, red is like a giant straw.

    in reply to: Genoa Reefing on a Series 2 #23484
    Arthur
    Participant

    I have my roller furling on the jib run to the Starboard side.  I can agree with Oliver on the occasional need to be able to speedily reef the jib, but if that happens, I will be either turning into the wind to take the pressure off the drum anyway or letting the jib sheets go for the same reason.  I do not like swimming, I avoid it at all costs, especially as the water here is shallow, murky, and rather full of sticky mud.

    in reply to: Boom Tent #23287
    Arthur
    Participant

    Thank you, Oliver.  I will look into what the Wayfarer folk are up to.  I do own a larger boat with a cabin,  but it’s not something you can pull right up to the beach with.

    in reply to: Bow plate – access #22921
    Arthur
    Participant

    what of inspection hatches cut into the buoyancy tank?  I do not have  GRP model, I am guessing here, but it is possible to cut an inspection hatch into the aft part of the tank and then another under where the plate is bolted?  This could make maintenance easier in the long run.

    in reply to: Jib / Genoa wire halyard diameter #22911
    Arthur
    Participant

    Having played with Dynema on my big boat.  That is what I would use over wire.  It not only is very resistant to stretching, but it is nicer on the hands and pulleys than wire.  If also will not release “fishhooks” if a strand should break.

    in reply to: Centreboard removal & replacement #22746
    Arthur
    Participant

    I found with my Series 1, that by removing the top cover of the case, I could ease the board up and out without resorting to knocking her over on her side.

    in reply to: Dust free Painting #21665
    Arthur
    Participant

    Last time I painted a car, I dampened the floor before painting.  Even if wood or dirt, it does help keep the dust down.  You do not need to soak it, just make sure it is wet enough to keep any dust stuck to it.

    in reply to: Whisker Pole #21664
    Arthur
    Participant

    I have mine handy if you need closer pictures of the ends.  You will have to forgive the condition,  I have yet to refinish it.

    in reply to: Choice of Glues for Boat Work #20987
    Arthur
    Participant

    Glues are one of those impossible conversations as camps seem to pop up as soon as the word is mentioned.

    When I rebuilt Spark’s mast and redecked her, I used epoxy.  I knew it was strong, waterproof, and forgiving of improperly prepared surfaces. It was also what I had at hand. So far I have had no regrets in doing so, but I do hope I never need to intentionally split the mast or remove the deck again, as I doubt either would give up willingly. Used sparingly, it is a wonderful glue, but liberally applied it quickly makes a mess.

    in reply to: Sailing Spark #20872
    Arthur
    Participant

    I do lock the nuts.  You may be noticing the “safety” cable on the camera to keep it aboard should it come loose from the mast, it was clipped around the starboard stay and in view of the camera.  Unfortunately it could not be wrapped around the mast due to the mainsail.

    And yes, the Jib stay is loose due to the new furler.  I do not have enough adjustment on the forestay to take the slack out of it.  Life was easier with hanked on sails!

    in reply to: Wooden boat 4450 – new deck, etc #20865
    Arthur
    Participant

    Having done the deck on 5942 last year,  I can assure you that the ply is not 2mm, but much closer to 5.  While I have done a lot of building with Epoxy,  I only used it on my GP as a glue.  Rather than nailing the deck down, I used thickened epoxy and many 20 litre containers full of water to hold it down while it set and hardened.

    I did not “seal” the inside of my boat with epoxy, but instead used white oil based marine paint on the underside of the deck and on the inside of the hull, leaving the ribs and stringers in their varnished state. You can catch a bit of it here with my included pictures of my forward buoyancy and storage compartment I built.

    I still had some cleaning up to do in that picture, plus more varnish on the bulkhead.  The hatch is a large Compression Style Deck hatch,  it requires no hinges or latches, but turning the two levers screws in two arms that pull it tight to it’s frame, rendering it watertight.

    in reply to: Cruising boat advice please #20459
    Arthur
    Participant

    I would hate to think about how tight it is under the thwart of a later boat, Oliver.  My series 1 allows me to slip under it at 5’11 and 185 pounds, but once in position, I cannot roll over.  Granted this is with an inflatable mattress pad made for hiking and a sleeping bag, but still, it is a bit tight.

     

    As for my own hatch in the forward tank, I recently finished mine (not yet varnished) and came up with this:

     

    forward hatch

    This rather large hatch is a “compression” style, it has no hinges or threads, just a pair of arms behind the toggles that after it is slipped into place, you tight it up.  The integrated rubber seal is compressed tight and will hopefully keep out any water.  At 11″ high and 21″ wide, it allows me to access further into the under deck area than your smaller round hatch.

     

    Today I varnish, so it will look better soon.

     

    Much of Oliver’s advice I had already taken without realizing.  though I will not go so far as to install boom end sheeting,  I do love the option.  One thing I was surprised about, when I installed the mounts for the oarlocks, I discovered that my boat already had some substantial backing plates in place.  This made for a very easy installation.  As I would not cruise without oars even if I carried an engine, I would consider trying to row your GP first, I find she moves very easily under the “ash breeze”

    in reply to: Cruising boat advice please #20448
    Arthur
    Participant

    I have an older Series 1 boat I use for day sailing and cruising.  Not to Oliver’s standard, but I make do.  I cannot say on the newer glass boats, we got very few, if any of the “mark” boats here in the US.  If you scroll through the forum, I think you can still find talk of an outboard.  The older wooden boats were designed with the idea that engine could be fitted,  When done, usually a removable flap was cut into the aft deck to allow the outboard to clamp to the transom.  The only issue I see is that most boats are fitted with the full with horse, an engine hung off of the transom would get in the way of it’s travel.

     

    If you are truly interested in hanging an outboard,  I would consider bolting on a bracket to the transom itself that would move it out of the way of the horse.  You will not need a big engine, I would consider something like a torqeedo, ePropulsion, or even a trolling motor.  I use oars on Spark, so I know you will not need a lot of power to propel a GP any distance with an outboard. Lighter the better!

    in reply to: What's in a name? #20395
    Arthur
    Participant

    At least you boat came with a prior name or two.  As far as I know my Series 1 boat, built way back in 1964, had never been given a official name before me.  I can say this with some confidence as I bought her from the second owner and the first owner had been his brother.

     

    In the US we do not have the issue of boat names needing to be unique like in other parts of the world.  Name her what you will, but make sure it is not offensive,easy to say over the radio and easy to spell in case of official paperwork

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 85 total)