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Topics - Dolce_Vita

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1
For Sale and Wanted / Canvas Cover for P27
« on: January 16, 2023, 09:41:25 AM »
Posting this for a friend of a friend:

---------------------------------------

I have a canvas boat cover (two piece) for a Pearson 27 that I have no use for down on the Gulf Coast.
Anyone with a P27 who is interested can contact me at 210-383-9840.

Robert

2
P323 / P323 Registry?
« on: October 08, 2021, 12:08:08 PM »
Where has the P323 Registry gone?  I recently went to look for it to lookup a particular 323 and couldn't find it.

3
Ports & Hatches / Another Ports Saga
« on: June 11, 2021, 06:32:43 PM »
This is how I dug myself into a hole.

One by one, all of my small ports in the V-berth and head (except the one I already rebedded), were developing small leaks.  They were small, annoying but managable. 

But the straw that broke the camel's back was when two of the fixed ports in the main salon started to leak rather badly too.  So back in September of 2020 I decided it was time to redo all the ports. 

For a long time, I've had my eye on some opening SS ports from Newfound Metals for the four small ports.  I had some cash in the boat fund, so I sprang for them.  This would require some modification of the openings in the cabinhouse walls, but it looked fairly straightfowward using a palm router and a template.  How much extra work could it be?   ::)

And while I would have all eight of the ports out, it really seemed like the right time to learn how to do 2-part linear polyurethane paint and redo the badly oxidized and worn bandit stripe.  After all, how much extra work could it be?   ::)

Turns out that the cabinhouse walls are too thin to mount the NFM ports without using their teak spacers, but the teak spacers are too wide to  clear the ceiling without some modification.  Oh well, I'd already have a palm router, but I'd need to get a bandsaw and a disk sander too.  Can't argue about getting new tools!  :)

And I ordered the reseal kit from Catalina to re-gasket the fixed ports in the salon.  So I was all set!

But by this time, it was already October, and it was becoming apparent to even my self-delusional thinking that this was shaping up into a project that would take some time, more time than I had good weather left. Especially with eight unprotected openings in the boat.

"No problem", I thought, "I'll just build a PVC pipe frame over the boat, and shrink wrap it, so I can work on it at my leisure regardless of the weather."  The yard wanted over $800 to wrap the boat while it is still in the water  :o, so I thought "I can buy the shrink wrap and do it myself!"

The saga of the shrink wrapping is a whole 'nother story in itself, but suffice it to say that, by the end of November, I had an ugly but functional blue "tent" shrunk over the boat without either falling in the water (barely), or setting the boat on fire.  I had chosen the blue film instead of the more usual white because it it is warmer.  This worked, but the blue light had the unfortunate side effect of making photography nearly impossible inside, so i wouldn't be able to photo-document the process.  :(

And the tent worked!  I was able to keep things up to 50 degrees inside with only a small electric heater.  As long as the sun was up.

And, predictably, everything took much longer and bacame much more complicated than expected, so that progress seemed to go at a snail's pace.  "At least I've got all winter", I thought.

Well, winter came and went, and I'm still not done.  The plan was to be done by the end of April, so I could haul out, de-winterize, and botom paint for the new season, but I've missed that deadline horribly.  I'm just hoping I don't lose the whole season!

At this point, I have all the openings reshaped, shimmed and epoxy filled,  the stripe sanded, primied, and painted (Its a "five foot" job), the teak spacers recut, reshaped, and varnished, and the four NFM ports all spacered, bedded and installed using "bed-it" butyl tape. 

The only thing left to do is the big fixed ports in the main salon.  They were a massive pain to get out, a massive pain to disassemble, and a massive pain to clean all the old silicone caulk off. But its done. I've gotten the frames back from the powder coater and they look great.  "Almost done!" I thought.

Shouldn't have said that.

Which brings me to my present problem.  I've got two of the port's gaskets cut, and have tried to dry fit them, and have a problem.  The gaskets go in very tight, and one of the corners of the frame halves is digging into the gasket and stretching it instead of allowing it to slide into the frame.  I'm stumped as to how to proceed.  I welcome all suggetions!

4
Deck Mounted Hardware / Deck fill O-rings
« on: September 29, 2020, 08:06:43 PM »
On the P323, all 5 deck fills (3 water, 1 waste, 1 fuel) seem to be the same size. Anyone know what size o-ring they take?

5
Deck Mounted Hardware / Bent Bow Pulpit
« on: November 01, 2019, 10:10:13 AM »
During our last Bahamas trip, we had an encounter with a dock that left us with a bent bow pulpit.  (Our Atomic 4 is so quiet at idle that it had stalled and I didn't notice!)

The port side is bent sternward about 2 inches, resulting in very slack lifelines, and two of the screws on the feet have been pulled partially out.

Any recommendations on how to straighten it?  I'd like to be able to do it in place, rather than try to remove it.

6
Cruising / Type I MSD
« on: August 27, 2018, 11:33:33 PM »
I am seeking the advice of the collective brain trust.

A major limitation on our last trip down the ICW was the need
to constantly (every two days!) find a pumpout station due to the
small size of our holding tank (10 gal).

One of the things that struck us while in the Bahamas was
the freedom we had to anchor somewhere and stay as long
as we liked because we were able to pump overboard.

In an effort to achieve some of this flexibility while
in the U.S., we were planning on installing an ElectroScan
(a type I MSD) in order to be able to treat our waste and
legally discharge it overboard (except in specially
designated "No Discharge" Zones). There are lots of these
up North, but only one or two small ones here on the
Chesapeake, and a couple on the coast on the way South.

With time running out for our next trip South this Fall,
I was just about ready to purchase
the needed equipment and supplies and start tearing into
the boat, when I discovered that ALL of the Florida keys
are a No Discharge Zone!! Since our current plan is to
spend the winter in the Keys, I'm starting to wonder if
we're past the tipping point in the cost/benefit tradeoff.
I'm estimating about $2500 in materials, and a lot of work
to get it done in the next 5 weeks.

So, now we're faced with a dilemma. Do we

1) Proceed as planned, knowing that we'll still need to pumpout
the whole time in the keys?

2) Scratch the MSD and just deal with finding pumpouts in the
Keys and everywhere else in the U.S.?

3) Scratch the MSD and the Keys, and go back to the Bahamas for the
winter, hitting Eluthera and the Abacos (which we missed last trip)?

4) Do something else we haven't thought of?

Recommendations welcome and eagerly sought after!

Also:
- What is your experience with finding pumpouts in the Keys?
- How often do you need to pumpout?
- Any opinion on the future viability of Type I MSDs?
- What about composting heads? (The Peat-Moss needed may be
hard to find in the Bahamas.) And you still need to deal with
handling and disposing of the liquid.

Thanks in advance!

7
Steering System, Hull Structure / Strut Coating
« on: May 23, 2018, 09:27:48 AM »
The bronze prop strut on my P-323 appears to be coated with something to prepare it for painting.  The material is white and is approx. 1/16" thick.

Some of it has flaked off of the bottom portion of it housing the cutless bearing, exposing the bare bronze and allowing it to begin corroding. (Yes, it is bonded, and I have zincs on the shaft).

I've done a lot of online research, but been unable to find any clear guidance on coatings for struts.  Some sources say to never coat it, especially with copper-based bottom paint. At least one suggested clear epoxy.  Others suggest Interprotect-2000, and then bottom paint.

I have examined all of the other struts in our boatyard, and they all appear to be coated and bottom-painted.

Any ideas?

8
P424 / Sloop vs Ketch
« on: September 15, 2017, 11:43:08 PM »
I have always wanted one. A cutter or sloop. There is a nice one on Yachtworld now. It was a ketch converted with advice from Bill Shaw. What is the story on the keel failures?

I'm looking at ketches.  As I get older, a big mainsail gets harder and harder to handle.  The ketch sailplan breaks things up nicely.  Plus, ketches usually have a shorter mainmast,  and there's some 55' bridges I'd like to be able to get under.

I hadn't heard anything about keel failures.  What do you know?

9
P424 / 424 Section Gone
« on: September 11, 2017, 08:23:36 AM »
The Pearson 424 section seems to have gone missing.  A permissions problem?

10
Website and Forum Suggestions / Mobile Site Problem
« on: May 25, 2017, 11:56:56 AM »
Whenever I access the mobile site, the "new posts" feature is not working properly. Boards that have new posts show up with a highlighted icon, as they should, but if I click on the icon, I get no new posts. On the other hand, if I click on the board name, the threads with new posts show up with the Orange "new" tag.

Using an iPhone 6, IOS 8

11
General Discussion / Merry Christmas
« on: December 25, 2016, 11:04:37 AM »
Merry Christmas to all!

12
Cruising / ICW South to Florida, Bahamas
« on: September 19, 2016, 11:36:56 AM »
Well, the time has nearly arrived!

In just 12 short days, on Oct 1, we will head out on our six month trip, down the Atlantic ICW to Florida, then over to the Bahamas for the winter, returning north on the ICW in the spring!

I've started a blog for the trip at http://sv-dolce-vita.blogspot.com

Meanwhile, I'm quietly going nuts trying to do the final provisioning in the last two weeks. In particular, I'm all over the map on spares and tools to bring, as there's very little extra storage on the Pearson 323.

Would love to hear specifics from people who have made this trip.

13
Interior Structures / Icebox Insulation
« on: July 19, 2016, 09:14:39 PM »
Afraid not.  My priority has been things I absolutely have to have done before we go south this Fall, down the ICW and over to the Bahamas, and upgrading the ports isn't one of them!

Currently working on adding insulation to the icebox/refer from the inside.  Yeah, I'll lose volume, but I already lose half the capacity because its so poor, I still have to use ice to keep foods from spoiling.  And it sucks power.

14
General Discussion / Annapolis Sailboat Show
« on: October 08, 2015, 08:18:27 AM »
Anyone going to the Annapolis Sailboat show this year?
Its looking like I'' be there on this Sunday.

15
Electrical Systems & Electronics / Solar Panel
« on: December 29, 2014, 08:13:20 AM »

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