A Trailer Sailor's Nightmare: Does Your Sail Boat have Tires?

The HideAway has four, along with the attendant axles, springs, and rust.

Driven by a nonresident wet slip rate of close to $265 per month (just over $3100 per year) the HideAways were motivated to sprout wheels regardless of additional maintenance worries.     

  

The Florida sun has an insatiable appetite for trailer tires. 

It’s sneaky too.  A tire with plenty of tread can look perfectly fine with no observable spider web wall cracks, yet fail without warning, or a tire can have all the warning signs no tread and still hold air.  I should mention that the HideAway has only left the left the marina once and that on good wheels.

I LIKED THIS TIRE BECAUSE IT SLID EASILY 

  

A Maintenance Library

The rebuilt junk yard trailer of unknown lineage has kept the hull off the asphalt for a solid decade and provided a library of trailer maintenance experience.

The most important lesson I've learned is constant vigilance  

I do a thorough inspection every month and always before the trailer moves.  That way in all likelihood, I'll trip over a tie down line, discover a wheel chock still doing its job, or my 8 foot ladder bumming a ride to the ramp before I start the truck.  All these annoyances have occurred, mercifully not at the same launching. 

With these thoughts in mind I noticed this boat in the marina.

At first glance the tire looks fine.   In fact it made the journey from the far north just last spring.  

No cracks - Nice deep tread

As I walked by something didn’t look right.  Upon inspection --

If That Weren't Enough

About a foot off the ground

The cock pit was nearly full of water and the boat was sitting on its rudder. 

  

Cockpit bath tubs are over rated

I called the owner who sent someone to make emergency repairs.

SOME WATER LEAKED INTO THE HULL

As a sailor you have to be creatively resourceful – 

 As bad as this looks they relieved the rudder stress and prevented more damage

But Wait There's More!

Sometimes the universe just does not like you that much.

Glad it’s not my turn

SMALL BOATS ROCK!

Click here for Sailing HideAway on Zazzle-

Make your own sailing gifts

 

Sailing to the Moon via the Sun

SAILING DOWN HILL

Not all sailing voyages have to include screaming, rigging wind does it?

After all sailing is about quiet contemplation of your place in space and time, being one with the wind and waves and perhaps an adult beverage as it were.

Cruise To Your Dream- Sorta

You finally leave on your dream cruise with the full realization that you must reach a mark  on the chart before dark or you will not see the sun set under the yard arm while you sip  an exotic drink and your adoring crew fans you with fresh cut palm fronds.

Why is it that  a cruise to your paradise of choice is fraught with all this stressful planing and goals?  Sailing in modern times has little to do with practically anyway so why have a plan in the first place?

So I Ask You --

Is a 200 yard cruise as satisfying as a 200 mile voyage?

Is it more stimulating to run from a storm as it is a competitor chasing you around a triangle?

Is a lazy drift among zephyrs as fullfilling as a hard battle to windward in big seas and dense fog?

Shoulder Forecast

Many people travel the world during the "shoulder season"  to avoid crowds and higher costs.

A good shoulder season for the sailor is a day when the weather looks questionably unstable enough to keep the less risk inclined ashore, but not so fearful to keel and sail to give you pause.  Of course everyone has a different pause threshold, but you get my drift, I'm sure.

Night On A Shoulder Sail

On a steamy Fourth of July night on Boca Ciega Bay we lay at anchor in the gathering darkness to wait for the fireworks to start.   Well over a hundred lost souls of kindred spirits, many of whom had  insufficient knowledge of anchoring, made entertaining efforts to throw, rather than drop, the heavy anchor overboard.   Some of them had a rope tied to it, but several  anchors were tossed lacking that accessory.

Not that we were any better.  Upon pulling the anchor a miscommunication and a lazy outboard nearly had us in the custom boat business, narrowly missing a expensive fiberglass condo.

The fireworks preshow began with an impressive display of loud explosions that lit up the sky and strong gusty wind and rain that made our bow disappear.   A normal Florida summer storm with a 20 minute duration.  After it passed a third of the hardly anchored boats were gone and another third were untangling their rodes with the clear intention seeking land.   After an hour's delay, the city of Gulfport (FL) lit the match with only a precious few boats left to enjoy the show, the HideAways among them.

With these thoughts in mind we present our latest video Sailing to the Moon via the Sun- In Light Air

Whew! Who thought that one up?   Oh....

SMALL BOATS ROCK!

Hurricane Irma and HideAway - Just One Little Thing

We learned a lot about hurricanes this year, but Irma gave us plenty of dark nights without power to contemplate our place in the universe.

Com Pac 23 Keel Board Broken Gasp!

HideAway has sat on a 2x12x10 for at least the last 14 years or so.   I've noticed the boat seemed to set a little oddly.  The bow seemed to be down some.  C'ourse that shouldn't happen since the trailer jack tips the boat up.

There is always a cause of most anything and you can be sure if a boat is involved it will be something nasty to repair.

TAKING A STAB AT TRAILER REPAIR

So I thought I'd take a stab at it.  Can't be that much trouble can it?  

I've never seen wood do this in such a grand fashion, but you know the HideAways.

.

SEE THROUGH LUMBER INC. 

There's a fair amount of rusting going on as well.  The keel board was only held in place by one bracket neither looked healthy. Other than the large cracks the board was not rotted. 

ONE OF THOSE OH S MOMENTS

This keel board has a secret wish to become a teeter totter.  Just not on my boat trailer please.

NOT A WISE CRACK= COMPAC 23 KEEL BOARD

The crack was just aft the point of keel contact.  On this recovery the keel rested almost a foot further back towards the stern of the trailer.

There was a knot involved in the conspiracy to ruin my day.  The good news is we found it before the HideAway took a nose dive 

HideAway in her expensive wet slip retreat

SMALL BOATS ROCK!!

Your Custom Sail Boat iPhone 7 Case
by MACmedia

Put your boat photo here

Sailing HideAwayMast Stepping The movie

 Some thoughts on mast stepping before you tackle the job.  We've made several mistakes  so you don't have to.  What a deal!

St Pete Beach Florida Magnet
by MACmedia

SMALL BOATS ROCK!!

Which Doctor?

Original art by Matt Maloy  Sailing HideAway

As I was setting up the cameras to film the relaunching of our sailboat, the HideAway, I took a bit of a tumble.     The lens cap on my camera fell off and was rolling down the ways to the water.   Not about to let that happen, I made a diving lurch protecting my camera by holding it high above my head while reaching down with my other arm to corral the rolling cap.   

Off balance, I did a fine imitation of one of those rolly polly bugs you remember from childhood.   Meanwhile, my lower ribs slid under my hip bone.   It was every bit as painful as it sounds, but I saved my $5.00 lens cap and provided a bit of entertainment for the ever present dock watchers.

It hurt so bad that I thought maybe I should see my doctor.  So I dialed the number.  If you have hearing aids as I do you know how difficult telephone conversations can become.  The nurse said my regular doctor couldn’t see me that day and asked “Which doctor?….” and said some other stuff  I couldn’t make out,  but I said  “ok”.       

“Come on down then”  she replied.

The nurse escorted me down a long hallway deep in the clinic to a room I’d not seen in prior visits.  Glass beads hung in the doorway and the room was poorly lit.   Several large mounds of smoky candles were burning, their melting wax creating sculptured water falls onto the floor.   There were smoking sticks emitting strong, although not unpleasant odors scattered about in the room with walls of many colors. 

I sat on a stool

 in the middle of this room of wavering shadows and swirling fragrances waiting for the doctor.  As my eyes adjusted to the light and smoke I noticed an enormous man sitting on a higher chair that was adorned with things you may have dreamt about and fortunately failed to remember until now.    As I recall his name consumed most of the letters of the English alphabet and could not be pronounced anyway.

He began to speak but I could not fathom a word he said.  Granted, I may have had my hearing aids crossed and was hearing stereophonic sound backwards.  My mind by then was as smoky as the room.  

So I pointed to where it hurt and he poked at it with his finger.

“Ooooo….  Eeeeee!!!” I winced

“Ooooo Eeeee?” he asked “ Ooooo…    Ooooo…    Aahhh! He diagnosed.

Then he went into a long dissertation about going to Walla Walla in, on, or with a “Bing Bang”.

    

It may have been the candles or in may have been the smoldering sticks but I’d had enough. I got up, staggered through the smoke and glass beads and went home.  I took a couple of aspirins, but I didn’t call him in the morning.   

SMALL BOATS ROCK!   

Your Custom Bottle Cooler
by SailingHideAway

Use Your Boat Picture/Art 

Making Hatch Boards Com-Pac 23

ACQUIRE THE RIGHT WOOD- ITS THE $$$ ONE

On the HideAway our hatch boards have several uses.  They are our dining room table, chart desk, part bunk when sleeping on deck and solution to any problem that needs a flat thing.  Our hatch boards need to be strong, able to handle considerable abuse and weather a tropical climate.  And not so pretty that a gouge would bring a wet eye.

Perhaps the most important thing to consider about making hatch boards is your choice of wood or some variety of plastic.   If you choose Plexiglas, smoked or non, to add more light below consider making the bottom panel a solid color to maintain a level of privacy. (Don’t ask)   

 I Prefer Wood -

at least until someone invents a suitable wood-colored plastic. Unless you enjoy woodworking enough to redo the project every couple of years, Exterior Grade hardwood plywood with no voids is required.  3/8” plywood or the metric equivalent works fine.  Any thinner and it will warp - thicker will jam.   A little side to side play is good.

The Project Is Pretty Straight Forward

THE DOG EARS WILL INCONVENIENCE FLYING STINGERS

 I added a dog ear to both sides the top piece to inconvenience our mud wasp community.   It is not a tight seal but it is effective.   Trial and error is the order of the day.   I left a bit of room for my solar collector cord to pass on the starboard side

HOW I MARK THE LINE

Place your boards together and trace your old boards onto the new one.  It is a more precise project than it looks.

  Be careful to ensure your pencil marks are really 90 degrees from the wood.

LOOKING DOWN ON THE WOOD THIS WILL LOOK OK- IT'S NOT 

 It’s easy to add an eighth inch to each side without realizing.  An error you won’t discover until the first fitting.

KEEP THE LEAD TO THE WOOD INSTEAD OF THE PENCIL

Wood Working Tools

I do not have access to a band saw or a table saw so my wood working arsenal consisted of an electric, hand guided jig saw, my mostly plastic circular saw, metal drywall guide, spring clamps, angle finder, sander, bits of plywood, a deep breath and a straight arm.   

A TABLE SAW WOULD BE MUCH EASIER BUT LESS DRAMA

The original boards had a 22 degree bevel between the upper and lower pieces to guide rain water away.  Most of the information I found on the web used a 45 degree angle.  I did a practice cut of both and decided the advantage of the 22 was less exposed plywood layers and less likelihood of damage.  Some weeks later I noticed the top board had the same bevel.  This would make closing the sliding hatch cover easier, but I’m not likely to make the change soon.   All that epoxy and such....

LEVER CLAMPS!

 Fit and Finish:  

Make Sure Everything Fits Before You Finish It.

After the boards were sanded, cut and fitted I covered all, and I mean all, plywood edges with epoxy.  The interior panels are stained, followed by multiple coats of spar varnish.  The exterior sides received Cetol Natural Teak finish.  Consider making the lower panel interior side a darker color than the exterior for easier identification.   

CAN YOU SEE THE BEVEL CUT OR THE FINISH?  MAGIC

SMALL BOATS ROCK!

Sailing HideAway Navigation Binder
by SailingHideAway

Sailing HideAway GenoaTrack & Car Replacement

I knew I forgot something!

Filling the Old Bolt Holes

The thought of mixing epoxy and cramming it into 30+ small holes is not as appealing as it sounds. 

I found Waterweld, made by JB Weld, at a local home center.  
It looks like a tube of round cheese with similar consistency. Looking at the end of the roll you'll see the center is a different color than the outer part.  The procedure is to cut off a small slice and knead it until it is solid white. 

The clay like material can be formed into any shape  and worked great for plugging the bolt holes.  It's thick enough not to require support from down under for bolt sized holes. 

According to the Website

After curing, it can be drilled, tapped, filed, sanded and painted. WaterWeld has a set time of 15-25 minutes and sets hard in one hour.  Use of rubber gloves is recommended.  

It's too early to tell how well it works, but since it is made to seal leaks in anything except emails, I have no reason for concern. 

Track Sealer

I did not put any kind of sealer under the new track for three reasons. The original installation did not use sealer.   By drilling the holes slightly smaller than the bolt allowed the bolt to carve threads in the fiberglass that hopefully will prevent leaks.  The new "T" track has a concave bottom.  It would require a lot of sealer and probably make a mess without likely doing much to prevent leaks.  

"T" TRACK BOTTOM

You may have noticed the long shadows in the latter part of the video.  This was filmed late afternoon on a new years eve just before the Hoot.

What's a Hoot you ask?  Well here's one HOOT 

SMALL BOATS ROCK!!

HideAway Goes Home

A TIME TO REFIT AND A TIME TO GO HOME

There a major advantages to bringing your boat home to your work shop.  I’m glad we did. It saved a lot of frustrating drive time and made the work much easier .   However, as nice as it was to look out from my living room window and see HideAway perched majestically on her trailer, I somehow lost my identity of being a sailor for the same reason.    Watching my videos helped of course.  I made the videos to sail when I couldn’t, if you know what I mean.

Are Sailboat Projects Sailing?

Anyone who takes on a major boat project may tell you that projects are part of being a sailor.   It’s just not the same though.  You can’t just hop on board for a day sail when it takes more than a day to get the projects shut down, tools collected and parts stored.  Besides, while some of the projects are fun to do quite a lot of them involve long, hard, physical work in hot, cramped places. 

   

The Summer Heat Broke Late This Year.   

It was well past Thanksgiving before the fall/winter sailing season became possible.  It’s time to take HideAway back to her home.  There are still projects to do of course, but the major work has been completed as recently as New Years Eve.  The video may have to wait a bit – We really need to go sailing!

SMALL BOATS ROCK! 

The Truth About Chain Plate Bolts

You may think your chain plate bolts are solid and strong-They look ok don't they?

So did we until we broke the head off of one!  Then another- Then another.....