~~~~~~~~~~~~~~RAIN DOG'S BLOG~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Sunday, April 18, 2010

Look Out Look Out, Old Lady Comin Through!



Work at the hospital this week has been very exhausting, by Friday I felt like an old lady! My mom was kind enough to offer to help me with the boat projects but I just didn't have the energy for it this weekend..sigh. These are the days I wish Ocean Girl (the boat and the girl) was about twenty years younger:-). So the only project done this weekend was research and washing out the engine compartment.

I went to the SSCA meeting this Saturday, met a great group of sailors. I got a tip on a haul out facility up near Dickeson bayou called Hillmans. I am very relieved to find a place I can do my own work, most haul out yards around Clear Lake wont allow owners to do their own work. So, as soon as I get my savings back up I will haul her out and do a bottom job and replace all her T-hulls, whew will I be relieved when that is done. After haul out is done the work continues, she also needs all new standing rigging, the anchor roller with lateral bowsprit supports need to be fabricated, refrigeration installed, stove installed..I better stop listing, I am feeling like an old lady again :).

Right now I am practically obsessed with OG's ground tackle and anchor roller fabrication. I was up into the wee hours of the morning researching about it (I know, Saturday night and I am researching anchor loads and proper welding techniques? this gal needs a man!) Anyways, I spent hours and hours sifting through posts on the SSCA, Cape Dory, and Cruisers Forum (all sailing chat groups for you landlubbers out there). I also researched anchors and bow roller loads on various websites. Some samples of what I walked away with is.

1) new generation anchors are great for long scope but generally not for 2:1 (as you would see in crowded anchorages) and they like to settle before setting.

2) "off the shelf" anchor rollers wont have the strength I need if OG gets in a bad anchorage situation. I cannot always rely on a snubber to take the load, if I need to pull up or reset the anchor during a blow the anchor roller will be under tremendous strain.
** the spartan bronze roller is an exception being very strong for production made, but it will only fit one anchor at the bow and it has a metal roller which I do not like (I will see if they make a rubber roller that can fit the spartans).

3) I need a 33-35lb anchor min if New Generation, 44lb if a Manson Ray.

4) I need a min of 100ft of 5/16 chain, 200feet of line

5) I am too old and rickety to haul up 100lbs of ground tackle so I will need a windlass.

6) I think a manual windlass will be my ultimate choice due to simple/reliable design.(if I can't fix it, I can't have it aboard)

7) The kong swivel is not a good idea, will probably go with the crosby shackles that have excellent working loads and are cheaper anyways.(thanks to all the CF people for that discovery!)


I added about 11 inches of bowsprit length when I replaced the old rotten bowsprit. (I had to buy a big long plank anyways), I did this in case I needed to add J measurement to reduce the weather helm. I haven't moved the forestay yet and now will probably trim off about 4inches of the new sprit to reduce weight and get the anchor tackle load closer to the boat.

A fabricated anchor roller may allow me to fit two rollers at the bow and I could incorporate ss tubing from the end of the sprit to supports on the hull to add lateral strength to my plank style bowsprit. The only snag is my shear will not allow a strict horizontal support bar. But since the load would be lateral and downward, I think a mount that has a slight offset downward will work. If I sound like I know what I am talking about...fooled you! If you are confused - welcome to the party! I am flying by the seat of me pants, maybe that is why I am so obsessed with it, my brain is trying to figure out something but the poor thing is in way over her head (sorry for the pun:) ). In fact I think I will go dock walking and study the bowsprits again. I have been walking the docks for a few weeks now, looking at every unique anchor roller configuration for design ideas. I have been amazed how many bent, warped, broken anchor rollers there are on boats. All of the damaged rollers were "off the shelf" brands (except one), this is yet another reason I am leaning towards custom made.

Well, that is all from the exciting life aboard OG. Sorry you had to suffer through that long winded anchor stuff. I promise one day the posts will be about tropical breezes and blue water passages, but until then it is all about the refit. Hey it could be worse, at least you haven't gotten a play by play of the sanitation system replacement, oh the horror!

Cheers,
Erika

9 comments:

Ken n Cheryl said...

We just "hauled out" our sailboat and doing the sanding and painting ourselves. We, too, will be glad when this process is over! Don't work too hard and have a great day!

Travis and Maggie said...

Wow, I'm seriously impressed with your research and your work.

Erika (aka Ocean Girl) said...

Thanks guys, I will add the links as soon as I have the time. It is really interesting reading if you are in the market for an anchor, very boring if not :).
Erika

marcro said...

You can contact me on marcro@ihug.co.nz re anchor geometry.
Martin

Erika (aka Ocean Girl) said...

Thanks Martin will do :)
Erika

Neophyte Cruiser said...

It sounds like you're making tremendous progress in getting that beautiful boat ready. I'd like to ask your opinion of Kong swivels.

There was some discussion of Kong swivels in the 2009 letters in the west coast sailing rag, "Latitude 38". There appears some differences in opinion with regard to the suitability of the Kong swivels and their susceptibility to failure due to side loading. Just thought I'd add this to the mix.
Keep up the work; I look forward to your future voyaging!
Pete

Erika (aka Ocean Girl) said...

Thanks Pete!
I saw quite a few rusty swivels on my marina tour of bowsprits. I think it is the different metals interacting and also the ss swivels are too brittle for this kinda work. I was surprised by this finding considering they look so beefy! But most cruisers do not use those fancy swivels but something more like the Crosby line of shackles and swivels which I think they are forged and galvanized here is a link to defender's Crosby's swivel page
http://www.defender.com/productsearchresult.jsp?path=null&id=null&start=11&results=4&sort=none
hope it works, anyways if you go to defender and type in crosby, you will see all sorts of fantastic shackles and swivels with working loads similar to your chain and anchor..whew! sorry, get me talking about chains and anchor stuff and you can shut me up!
Cheers,
Erika

PS as soon as I can I will post the link to all the anchor tackle research. Kinda cool thing about boats, they even make research fun :).

Unknown said...

Hi, Erika

I saw your post on the Cape Dory site and read your blog. I started sailing on Clear Lake when I was a freshman in college (Rice) in the early 60's. Spent many, many days on that lake. A few years later, a professor friend let me use his Ensign which he kept in Kemah. I sailed in Galveston Bay then. After 10 years in Houston, I moved away to northern climes, but still think fondly of those days in Clear Lake.

I keep my CD 32 in the Chesapeake (on the boat right now), but for the last two summers I've headed north to the Vineyard and Maine.

Good luck in your adventures with Ocean Girl.

Bob L

Erika (aka Ocean Girl) said...

Hi Bob!
Was in the Hamptons and Sag Harbor a few months ago on a "girls weekend". The Atlantic looked so beautiful :).
Cheers,
Erika