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Messages - selene

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16
General Discussion / Re: Standing rigging
« on: March 20, 2022, 03:49:00 AM »
FWIW, I pulled my chainplates and sent them to Garhauer to use as templates. As always, they did a great job, at a reasonable price.

Mine looked fine, but after 40 years, I thought better safe than sorry. If you can see rust I would not hesitate!

17
Mast and Spar Issues / Re: Spreader Failure
« on: March 02, 2022, 06:26:20 PM »
Ed - yeah, it's a puzzler. The rig was tight, I tune it every year. I think I may have bumped it during a raft-up, which cracked the base, and then under the wind load it parted. I'm just hoping the RigRite parts will fit, otherwise I'll have to get the new bases fabricated.

Greg - I'll let you know the cost when all is done. Right now there is a ~4 week lead time on new rigging, as the weather has been mild and many people are out sailing! And the SF Bay is not a great place to benchmark prices, as EVERYTHING here seems to cost a premium over other parts of the US.

I was also very interested in Dyneema, but nobody local deals with it - there is an outfit in LA (https://www.colligomarine.com/) that specialises in Dyneema standing rigging. They recommend a product called "Dyneema Dux", apparently heat treated to reduce any initial stretching. I have to say, the product looks very good - lightweight, easy to repair, and super strong.

18
Mast and Spar Issues / Spreader Failure
« on: February 23, 2022, 09:33:04 PM »
Okay, this is a weird one. Out sailing - brisk, 18kn (reefed). Nice sail for a few hours, then large bang.

Connection between spreader and mast broke. Oddly - not sure yet, mast is being pulled as we speak - the spreader on the other side seems also to be showing a crack in the same place. I was on a starboard tack, and it was the starboard spreader, so it would have been under pressure. But...

Fortunately it was the spreader that I fly my burgees on, so I was able to retrieve the spreader itself from ocean using the burgee line. And some quick maneuvering prevented more damage to the rig - as coincidence would have it, I was on my way to the yard to replace the $tanding rigging (it's been 20 years, so seems like time).

So:

- Anybody else experienced this kind of failure?

- Any idea where to get a new pair of spreader-mast connectors?


19
Standing & Running Rigging and Fitting/Tuning / Re: Jib Car replacement
« on: September 10, 2021, 12:39:25 PM »
Yes, looks similar to my setup, except that I don't have a cheek block just a regular block slightly further aft, which I use for the spin sheets.

20
Standing & Running Rigging and Fitting/Tuning / Re: Jib Car replacement
« on: August 24, 2021, 12:19:52 PM »
I actually installed a pair of turning blocks aft of the cleat. I use these to control the spinnaker.

Basically the spinnaker sheets go though a block on the track (so I can adjust the angle of attack), then back to the turning blocks near the stern, and then across the cockpit to the winch on the other (windward) side.

Although this configuration sounds awkward, it works well - I installed it after looking at a number of different boats with a similar setup, as Selene was not originally rigged for a spinnaker. It means that the person flying the kite is on the windward side of the boat, opposite the kite, where they have good visibility and can manage things more easily.

It also separates out the jib sheets and the kite sheets. Sometimes I blow the tack, other times I unfurl the jib to blanket the kite (asym) before socking it. The person flying the kite is on the windward side, unfurling the jib is on the leeward side. Has to be done with care to ensure the furler does not interfere with the spin halyard, though. I got into a right snarl once...

21
Standing & Running Rigging and Fitting/Tuning / Re: Jib Car replacement
« on: August 18, 2021, 10:16:21 AM »
I also repaired the sheaves on mine, but then replaced the two primaries with new cars from Garhauer. Internal bearings = lower friction, wellimade and reasonably priced. I keep the older ones as backups.

22
Ports & Hatches / Re: Another Ports Saga
« on: July 27, 2021, 08:26:56 PM »
Yes, I am also a big fan of Butyl. And thanks Ed for such a comprehensive report - I am lousy at taking photos, but your record is both interesting and informative! I wish you dry ports for many years to come!

23
New Member Introductions / Re: new member introduction
« on: July 27, 2021, 08:24:40 PM »
Cool story - it is great to have the boat kept "in the family". Enjoy!

24
Ports & Hatches / Re: Another Ports Saga
« on: June 16, 2021, 02:25:42 AM »
Not so much suggestions, as sympathy.

On the plus side, the NFM ports are great. I hope that you are as happy with yours as I have been with mine.
Like you, I filled the space between inner liner and cabintop with thickened epoxy, routed it out, and then bedded all the portlights (including the fixed ports) with butyl. I have to say, I am not sure the small machine screws holding the fixed ports in place are the most robust solution; the NFM design seems a lot more robust, but that is what we have...

As with you, there was no smooth insertion of the gaskets for me. I got sealant everywhere.

I ended up using two clamps to gently compress the glass, gasket and frame together, but as you said, I stretched the gasket. I pair a lot of attention tot he inside track (where the gasket seatc) to ensure it was totally smooth and clear of burrs. Liberal application of the sealant at my second attempt did help somewhat as it acted as a lubricant (which is why I got it everywhere), but I was still not overly happy with the result. Having said that, despite some stretching of the gaskets, the ports have remained watertight for ~6 years, and the gasket has shown no sign of deterioration.

Good luck, and please let us know what solution you end up with!

25
Sails and Canvas / Re: New to flying a spinnaker
« on: June 16, 2021, 02:12:36 AM »
I am probably  not going to be much help, as I only have one pair of winches (no secondaries) and fly asym. But a kite is a sweet sail with the right wind angle - and strength!

FWIW, I ended up drilling holes in the boat (!) to mount a couple of turning blocks on each side towards the stern. I also added another couple of blocks on the jib track (Garhauer). The blocks were positioned to cross over to the winch on the opposite side - so the working sheet comes down to the leeward track block, back to the stern turning block, and across to the winch on the windward side. This normally works well for an asym as I sit on the windward side controlling the kite.

Hope this helps (somewhat)

26
General Discussion / Re: Need help finding a leak
« on: June 16, 2021, 02:04:02 AM »
What Ed said. I had the same issue. Replaced the foot pump, leak went away. Hopefully your experience will be similar!

27
General Discussion / Re: 1978 Pearson 323 Gel Coat color
« on: May 22, 2021, 10:21:30 AM »
I am not sure, but I think Pearson may have offered a range of colors...Selene's hull is "ivory", i.e. off-white with a slight brown hue. I would love to hear from others as to the color of their hulls.

As far as I know, you have three options:

1) Buy a gelcoat matching kit, and try and match it yourself (tricky, or rather, personally I don't have the color sense)
2) Go to a good yard with prerequisite experience
3) Locate a decent sized gelcoat chip, and send it to a gelcoat matching service. There are quite a few which advertise online.

If anybody has done (3), and has an Ivory colored hull, please do share!

28
General Discussion / Re: Post Video
« on: May 22, 2021, 10:14:51 AM »
We are all eagerly waiting to see the video :-)

29
I'll be honest, I don't worry about recalibrating for capacity loss. In theory a modern battery monitor will deal with this automatically, continuously monitor battery usage, providing feedback as to the state of charge, battery health (available capacity), an indication of remaining capacity (based on your typical usage) - as well as other stuff, such as the obvious (such as volts and amps!).

But Ed is the electrical oracle!

As for the panel, I measured (twice) and it **should** fit (I think). Obviously check yourself! The real gotcha is that there is not a lot of real estate on the aft of the bulkhead, and the panel will eat up a lot of available space. This will require planning not only for the live circuits (connecting to the switches) but also the return/ground circuits. When I installed the secondary panel, some of the wires were the wrong length, so I put in a connection block between the existing wiring and the new panel. I bet you will also need some intermediate connection blocks.

Many other learnings from adding the secondary panel; I could go on, but key ones were:
- Connectors are expensive, there are a surprising number needed, and $ add up fast! Look for bulk deals, not many little boxes of 5. Ditto wiring. A spool length of Ancor (marine-grade) wire may be worthwhile.
- It's a good opportunity to label wiring! And a good opportunity to clean things up generally, and make the wiring runs and grouping clearer and more logical.
- There are a lot of ground circuits involved! I set up a row of grounding busses, mirroring the live circuits.

Oh, yeah, a good crimper and wire stripper is essential!! :-)

30
Between Ed and Michael I am totally outclassed...so back to a few basics from me!

- Selene still has the two 110ah batteries, I don't have a fridge (yet) and my cruises are normally short, 3-5 days, so with solar and a bit of motoring that suffices. But I do plan on adding a starter battery when I find the right place for it.

- BIG fan of battery monitors - very useful. I have a spreadsheet with power consumption for each circuit, useful for monitoring, planning and more. Installed by the PO, Selene has Xantrex link monitor (coupled with Xantrex Truecharge charge controller).

As an aside, have you discovered https://marinehowto.com/? Great site (IMHO), he recommends a Balmar battery monitor.

- I went for the Morningstar Sunsaver Duo PWM controller (works well with two batteries). I only have a small 45w panel.

- I quickly ran out of switches, and added a secondary 8-switch 12v panel at the chart table seat back. Bluesea 8370 Circuit Mini Switch Panel. If I were to do it all again, I would go for something like this: https://www.bluesea.com/products/8380/DC_Main_%2B_22_Positions_White_Toggle - I think it will  fit the space where the current panel is. Incidentally, 22 switches seems like a lot, but I am now at 18 circuits, and ideally could add one more.

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