Winter Repair Projects

[Sailor Chlud]

Happy New Year, all!

While the boat is buried under a foot of snow, I'm getting my list of Winter/Spring projects together to complete before Spring launch. This year, I'll be repairing:

a cracked tiller - with new stainless side brackets instead of the weak wooden fork on my original tiller

a balky engine - the 1977 Chrysler 4hp needs a new cowling, repair a slow fuel leak, install new impeller, and tune up to get it humming.

patch a bit of gelcoat here and there,

replace a couple of rollers on the trailer,

And, of course, new finish for the floorboards and coamings.

Just enough to fill the hours that I should be putting to productive use selling real estate this spring!

What are you planning for your boats??????

[Alan]

Try out the samples of System Three Silvertip primer and water-based urethane that are on the way. Our weather right now is damp and foggy with daytime highs about 50, which seems to be ideal for applying water-based paint.

If the paint works out, patch the chips in my rudder and paint it.

Build a new mast crutch to replace the old one, which had an unfortunate meeting with the grape arbor next to the driveway. By the time that's done, the weather should be dry enough to epoxy and varnish it.

[Peterw11]

The wish list includes:

One more touch up coat on the coamings I refinished last winter.

Repair and refinish the floorboards.

Refinish tiller.

Build and finish new mast crutch using pintles to fit in rudder gudgeons.

Add topping lift.

Add additional mahogany trim to trailing edge of cuddy and top edge of centerboard trunk.

Install stretchable storage net to underside of cuddy roof.

This is the list I've made. I'll be lucky to get a third of it done. The boat's under a tarp, on it's trailer out in the back yard and the removable parts are sitting in my unheated garage. If it doesn't get a little warmer (it's 8 degrees right now), it'll be March before I even get started on it.

On the bright side, March is only 6 weeks away.

[UCanoe_2]

The trailer is in the shop getting the axle and springs replaced. I will gladly pay someone else to do this. I don't want to waste sailing time when the weather is good, nor to crawl around on the frozen ground doing it myself in the off season! This time next year I will have a new heated garage.

[Sailor Chlud]

I know how you feel. Living in New Jersey, we typically have fairly mild winters with long stretches of 40-50 degree days - but not this year! Temps in my unheated garage have been averaging about 30-35degrees for the high, much too cold to do any but the most necessary chores (I had even intended to replace a windshield washer reservoir that cracked on my Suburban - my tow vehicle - but can't get to that either). I thought by now I'd at least be able to strip the outboard down (spoken as if I had any idea what that means....)

[ctenidae]

Not so much winter projects as things to do before putting the boat back in the water:

Install new boom vang
Repair cracked coaming (one spot) and reinforce screw holes in gunwales
Install tiller extension
install rudder downhaul
straighten tongue of trailer (it got backed into a van while preparing to pull the boat out of the water this fall. I didn't do it)

[rnlivingston]

I purchased a new/old DS1 back in the Fall and I have a long list of things to do:

Refinish all woodwork...done
Fiberglass repair in the interior.
Paint interior
Repair crack in cuddy
Reinstall magic box for jib downhaul
Sand and paint topsides
Sand and paint trailer

I purchase new North Sails and a mooring cover from Sailors Taylor

I usually get to sail all winter in my ice boat, but there is a lot of snow here in the North East. Another 5 inches predicted today for Worcester, MA. Oh well...spring will be here in a couple of months

Roger Livingston

[algonquin]

To much to list at this time.

Will be making numerous cruising mods and adding a bowsprit. New LED lights for the trailer.

I like the mods on jdoorly’s boat and plan to use a few of them on mine. Brad

[jdubes]

I'm fairing my bottom and painting my CB go fast orange. I'm also cutting down a portion of my coaming boards re-varnishing them and the floor boards. I did the floor boards on my last DSI and they looked great. Made for sailing without shoes silky smooth on the feet. Turning my new DSI into a trailer queen fit for racing.

[kokko]

jdubes:

Consider replacing your coamings with a lower profile than trimming the existing coamings. Keep the old coamings safe.

That's old mahogany and it is not available anymore.
Last summer I had a mishap and destroyed the port and stern coamings. A bow line parted and the boat stern went under the dock.
I went to the local exotic wood shop and was told "I can sell you mahogany, but you can't get mahogany like that anymore".

[jdubes]

That make sense. The only issue is that I don't have any serious wood working tools like a planer. I've got a table saw, jig saw, skill saw and router. Can I get a piece of mahogany that comes close to the thickness and rough dimensions of what the DS has today? I've never researched so I don't know.

[kokko]

I too lack a planer, but the local exotic lumber yard was happy to plane the new mahogany to the nominal thickness of the old. 1/2"?

Any real lumber yard would carry some hardwood that would work, or you could purchase PlasTeak, or even 1/2" plastic lumber that is used for trim.

[kokko]

Thanks to google maps, here is a local lumber yard that sells exotics, and will plane to any dimension.


http://www.generalhardwoods.com/who_we_are.htm

[ptrsnmarc]

I know how you feel. Living in New Jersey, we typically have fairly mild winters with long stretches of 40-50 degree days - but not this year! Temps in my unheated garage have been averaging about 30-35degrees for the high, much too cold to do any but the most necessary chores (I had even intended to replace a windshield washer reservoir that cracked on my Suburban - my tow vehicle - but can't get to that either). I thought by now I'd at least be able to strip the outboard down (spoken as if I had any idea what that means....)

i know even my garage too is succumbing to the cold weather my windshields are taking a hit from this insane weather we have.

[GreenLake]

Not a repair per se, but I got the bug to build a rudder this winter. Halfway through by now.