Our dock does not float. Therefore, we find ourselves
leaping from a tall deck in a single bound or climbing Barnacle Dock
Mountain. Such sports are not listed in
our plan under “Fun Things to Do in Retirement”.
Humans, we in
particular, find the energy required to dock the Hideaway in a sea breeze with a cross
wind takes more than our available supply.
Sailing is not the issue.
The addition of taller keel guides and 72” trailer guides
have helped, in spite of this, the process of trailer sailing requires more
effort than our seventh decade allows.
Trailer Day sailing the Hideaway is meant for younger souls.
Preparing For the Sale
We have sailed the Hideaway these last three decades or so mostly
as a cruising sailboat, but lately, as day sailor. When I emptied the
storage spaces I found lockers filled with no longer used equipment. The reasoning goes something like this; a
cruising sailboat needs more gear than a day sailor, be that as it may, since
you never know with the cruising urge will strike - its best to leave that gear
on board. The Hideaway is now sits
better on her lines, ready for your new treasures.
Rewired Mast
Only the running lights were preforming their duties. The steaming and anchor lights have long
failed to report. An examination revealed
bare and broken wires leading into the dark recesses of the mast. Day
sailing does not require these lights, however you will.
The mast wiring had not been updated since the original installation.
I acquired some Marine Grade 18/2 cable and connectors for the
steaming and anchor lights. The old radio cable and antenna were removed. I left the mounting bracket should you decide
to add a marine radio. We have been using a borrowed hand held marine radio. The steaming light suffered from a broken
wire but was still functioning, however the lens was almost opaque. Fortunately,
the original is still in production, so now you have a nice shiny new one. The anchor light suffered from a broken wire
but works with new wiring.
 |
| Old and New Steaming Light |
Vanity
You can see the initial installation of the vanity on theSailing Hideaway YouTube channel.
Frankly, it was just put together for an upcoming cruise and never installed
as a permanent fixture, if there is such a thing. The water pump did not live
up to expectations, yet sufficed for the cruise and beyond. V berths should not, in my opinion, house
the head. So I rebuild the vanity,
changed the water supply to a bladder and rerouted the new water line. This particular pump has to source water from
the bottom of the tank in order to run efficiently. Apparently, I had not read
the instructions all those years ago, but managed to keep the owner’s manual.
I relocated the centrifuge pump. The repair meant removing the full OEM water
tank and the empty 5 gallon Sanipottie. (The Sanipottie was the first item we replaced when we acquired the boat some decades ago.)
Portapottie
The original set up was a direct manual pump overboard. This required a minimum cruise of three miles
offshore to legally empty. Not surprisingly,
this was our high on our urgent project list. I
plumbed the new 5 gallon Sanipotti for dockside pump out only. (I’ll leave it
to you to ponder the name of the cruise.)
Berths
With the addition of the vanity, the total number of berths
was reduced by one. The Hideaway, hull
#2, does not have cabinets under the side decks. The result is comfortable, wide berths in the
main cabin. I suppose, in theory, you
could assign someone you don’t like so much the port head berth. The cockpit is well designed for two and has
become a favorite summer berth under the Bimini.
The House Battery
By now you have seen the video of replacing the lead acid 60lb house battery and its replacement with a Lithium Iron Phosphate 12v Battery The new battery has 18 amp hours weighing in at about 5lbs and it has no acid. It has suited us well for day sailing, however may not be suitable for a long cruise.
Sailing Hideaway History On Youtube
There are about 200 videos on our Sailing Hideaway YouTube channel , most of which cover the last 14 years
of Sailing Hideaway cruising, day sailing and maintenance projects. You don’t need to watch them all, nonetheless,
they will give you a history unavailable anywhere describing what it’s like to
own and sail the Hideaway, Hull #2- Com pac 23.
A Word About Cabin Décor
The Hideaway does not suffer from wood cabinets that cover the hull-to-deck joint, nor does it worry about the cabin ceiling panels or water stains on wood paneling around the port lights. Slide out kitchen and sink – Not on the Hideaway! We prefer the safety of cooking on deck using our camping stove. The lack of these upgrades is a hidden advantage if you have to crawl under the cockpit for a repair. Yes, you will, eventually. See my video on leak detection.
We have been sailing for over 40 years, all in small boats
of our own and on larger cruisers. We always
come back to the small.
$9500
Includes boat, engine and 2020 Magic Tilt trailer w extender etc.
Leave a comment if you are interested
Tampa Bay Area
Sailing Hideaway YouTube channel
SMALL BOATS ROCK!
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