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Our Sailing Hideaway Blog and YouTube videos will remain active. Join the HideAways as we tell, through blog stories and videos, what life really is like on a small, 23' Com Pac sailboat. We'll show the joys, thrills and chills of the sailing life, but also what it takes to maintain a boat, trailer and truck. You are just as likely to learn how not to do something correctly as to do it right. That's important too! New! The Hideaways take to the road! Follow Traveling Hideaway: Winds of Wanderlust Transitioning from Sailing Hideaway to Traveling Hideaways as sailors learn to travel without heeling, well, not much, anyway. The Paint Wasters Society unlocks the art of paint squandering with sheer delight, free from the shackles of remorse or guilt. Trust me, a century down the line, nobody's going to bat an eyelash, so why not indulge in some paint splattering shenanigans today? Let's turn those pricey pigments into a canvas of laughter and joy.

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Making Hatch Boards Com-Pac 23


Select the right kind of plywood
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

Dog Ears keep most flying beasts at bay
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.


Drawing the line
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.

toe the line the right way
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.   

set your saw and cut a few samples
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....

use a lever clamp to keep  spring clamps away from saw
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.   

Mighty fine wouldn't you say!
CAN YOU SEE THE BEVEL CUT OR THE FINISH?  MAGIC

Monday, January 23, 2017

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.  



will waterweld weld?



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.  


filling the old bolt holes
"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!!

Sunday, January 8, 2017

HideAway Goes Home


After months in dry dock its time to take HideAway 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! 


Sunday, September 25, 2016

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.....