"Daisy Cutter" to "Vee Jay 2" August 1
to Oct 1, 2009 |
Daisy Cutter amid the
weeds. |
At the end of
July Cap'n Vic stumbled across "Daisy Cutter" in Scituate, Mass, just south of
Boston. The owner just didn't have time to sail and the boat had been sitting,
unhappy and unsailing, in this weed patch for just over four years. It was what
is called a "Project Boat" designed for a retired guy to keep him really
busy.
Daisy
Cutter went into rehab Aug. 1, 2009 for launch in May 2010 Newport as Vee Jay
2.
Vee Jay 2 is
basically the same boat as Vee Jay, but instead of rigged for cruising and PHRF
racing ... it is pretty much a J30 as they were intended for One Design racing
with no roller furling and no self tailing
winches.
The First Week in August saw the hull ripped open
in three spots, and problems with damaged balsa wood core under the waterline
were resolved.
Many
boats from the 1980/90s used balsa wood as a light weight way to add strength
to a hull, but if the outer fiberglass shell cracks just a tiny bit -- water
creeps into the balsa. Years later the wood rots away leaving weak spots that
can spread feet in every direction.
Eventually the balsa
turns into a dark brown MUD, stops supporting the fiberglassed inner and outer
skins, and leads to the abrupt break of those skins under pressure. That's why
it is so important to have the J30 transom in decent shape as that area
completely supports the rudder.
Spiderweb -- indicator of balsa
failure -- most likely caused by wet core freezing during winter. |
Outer
skin of old transom ripped off and new core of
CoreCell
foam and
G10
fiberglass board patches were glassed in by Horatio, one of the builders of
the boat at TPI in 1985. Twenty-five years later, he now knows how to do it
right. Cap'n Vic will get another 25 years out of this transom! |
Repaired areas are
then sprayed with gel coat. |
Last step is buffing to a
mirror finish. That's the ceiling light fixture on the right and the transom on
the left. |
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The
Second Week in August was time for the second major
project: get rid of all the old instruments, which were too old to repair; and
the compass, which was showing signs of heavy exposure to the
sun.
Cap'n Vic spent
about six hours tracing wires and pulling electronics from all over the boat.
Now has a varied collection of power cords and coax for equipment that was on
the boat ... and for equipment that had been installed years ago and
un-installed years ago --- but the wiring was never un-installed leaving a
complete wiring maze. AND a cockpit bulkhead with a lot of holes on both sides.
Horatio said no problem
for the fiberglass work, and four days later Vee Jay 2 had like new cockpit
bulkheads. |
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Also eliminated were the
last pieces of electrical gear: the original water heater and water pump.
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The Third Week in August was time to start working
on "other things." Cap'n Vic vacuumed ground-up glass off most of the boat and
was able to get "on board."
First to go were
fittings and snap buttons for a dodger, then fittings for things not to be used
in the Vee Jay program. The result was nearly 75 holes from bolts and screws
removed from the deck.
25 or so other little
spots needed help as well. Most were handled by epoxy putty, a dab of gel coat
and sanded smooth.
|
Top Ten Tasks: 1. Replaced manual bilge pump 2.
Repaired manual bilge pump hose 3. Installed electric bilge pump and
switch 4. Two new batteries, tie downs, one cable and a soft rubber
cover 5. Serviced 6 winches and replaced spings in the two main 6.
Checked out Nav lights 7. Installed digital volt meter 8. Sent folding
prop off for rehab 9. Faulted protected the AC plugs 10. Two sail bag
zippers repaired. |
The Last Week in August was Punch List #1 time
with a lot of cleaning up and prep work for the launch in May.
DC voltage meter in action. |
Second Top Ten Tasks: 1. Started the motor up and ran
it for a half hour with no running problems 2. Trouble checked the wiring
for the autohelm and connector, and that now operational 3. Completed bypass
of where the water heater would be if replaced, but it is not needed for the
Vee Jay 2 program 4. Replaced electric water pump and strainer, checked out
system to galley and head sinks 5. Installed new head 6. Unfroze through
hull for head discharge, replaced Y valve as that has to be inspected for
operation in Narraganset Bay. 7. Took out the Stove/Oven as it was only used
a half dozen times on Vee Jay during 25 years and it is not needed in the Vee
Jay 2 program. 8. Took out propane tank and related fittings that would have
supplied the stove 9. Painted area where rusted out water heater had stained
the storage compartment 10. Repaired gel coat near engine cover. |
The First Week in September continued rehab on the
inside of the boat.
Stove lifted
out of the boat. |
Third Top Ten Tasks: 1. Matched Benjamin Moore's Iron
Clad oil based exterior paint to formica counter tops to paint inside bulheads
to match 2. Reinstalled instrument swing arm that had to be taken off for
new bulkhead work 3. Pulled out 25-yr-old depth sounder from hull 4.
Installed new AirMar depth sounder thru-hull in its place, ran cable from vee
berth to arm 5. Installed Garmin 440S GPS on arm and modified bracket to be
able to mount DSC radio underneath and microphone on arm 6. Ran 12 v power
cords for radio and GPS to separate fuses on power panel, did interface wiring
for GPS/radio, connected transducer to GPS 7. Ran new coax for radio to base
of mast 8. Installed [thru bolted] stainless steel hand grips inside of
hatchway as the old wood ones were destroyed when removed for bulkhead work
9. Reinstalled canvas pockets on port inside of bulkhead 10. Winterized
head and pressure water system |
The Second Week in September continued rehab on
the inside of the boat. The swing arm combines radio, GPS and depth
gauge |
So OK Enough
... too many things to list. So just some highlights. |
Acquired stainless steel antique tiller
extension to mount on new tiller. Bent shaft to conform to tiller shape. |
|
Used StarBoard to cover hole from original motor
control not compatible with replacement. |
Replaced wooden deck hand rails with stainless
steel. |
Had hull sanded and epoxy primed for same red "Vee
Jay" Naples stripes [left photo] |
And that completes the 2009
Revamp of Daisy Cutter into Vee Jay 2. April set for a new blue bottom paint
and into the water in May. |
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Cedar Point Yacht Club -- J30 North American
Championship Oct. 1 - 4, 2009 |
Drove down Thursday morning to get boat inspected, and sails
measured, for racing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Vic's Photo Coverage here. If
Vee Jay 2 can get enough crew and practice in by end of July 2010 -- will have
to allocate nearly two weeks to do the regatta in Marblehead with deliveries to
and back. |
Newport to Westport,
CT for J30 North American Championship -- Sept. 25/26 |
Rhapsody needed to be delivered
to Cedar Point Yacht Club in Westport, CT, "no-matter-what" Sept. 25. Just 100+
miles. It was a cold windy morning with temps in the low 50s and wind at 22 kts
from the north. Reefed main only and full speed right from the
start.
Blade went up as the wind settled, to be exchanged for #1, and
the main reef in and out to keep us busy with wind beam to broad reach for 16
hours. Arrived at Cedar Point Yacht Club just after 1 am. to find ourselves
locked ON the dock. Gates work both ways when padlocked with a chain. Cindy,
Skipper Bill's wife, picked us up in daylight for the return drive to
Newport. |
Into the sunset, but no green flash. |
Ted, Skipper Bill, and Vic |
Lighthouses passing by: |
Newport ... Cap'n Vic called out of Foredeck
Retirement ... June/July/August/September |
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I expected Newport this summer to be uneventful until Skipper Bill on J30
Rhapsody mentioned that he had a foredeck crew problem with his main guy out
for knee surgery.
Normally I start a year's blog in October with a 90-mile overnight with the
Naples/BocaGrande/Naples run.
But June, July, August, and
September we have worked mostly foredeck on Rhapsody for weekly club races and
three regattas and the annual Round the Island
Race.
Skipper Bill
driving; Jane trimming spin; Vic sweating a genny halyard with Warren at the
halyard winch.
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Foredeck crew
Ron and Vic Note that foredeckers don't get to look at the
sails.
Ron's other foredeck life
at the Newport Jazz Festival. |
Last Regatta of the summer... Two hours
under motor to get there, Four hours of
Drifting, Two hours under motor to get back to
Newport.
J30 Nemesis with full crew
weight.
Lisa, Vic, Ron and Bruce on
J30 Rhapsody |
Although
they have been on Rhapsody most of the summer Skipper Bill has kept me too busy
to photograph Kev and Joe in
action.
On the Around
the Island Race Labor Day weekend Kev managed to grind in nearly 40 fast tacks
as we struggled hard on the last short leg against a heavy tide. And Joe,
another Raytheon guy, has filled in whenever and whereever he was
needed.
The Vee
Jay 2 program next summer is going to need a half dozen of these guys.
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Member:
Naples Gulf Coast Sailing Club, Newport
Yacht Club Vic2009@CaptainVic.com
© 2009 by Captain
Vic, Naples, FL 34102 |