SO WHAT DID YOU DO WITH OR ON YOUR C-DORY TODAY??

WOW!
I got my new NAVICULA graphics in today. I ordered 'em on the 14th and they were in my mailbox up here in the frozen north when I got home today. It feels like Christmas again! :xtongue So now I guess I'll have to make time to put 'em on this weekend. If the temps come up that is... it's still about 15F here.

Woo Hoo! I'm so excited!!

By the way...
DaveS, thanks for the info on the first aid kits. :thup I kinda figured I would be better off makin' a home-made kit. I just never have seen the need to spend $50 on a big box of Band-Aids (TM) and individually wrapped Tylenol (TM)... :crook
 
Today, Roger (Sensei), joined me for the trip up to EQ to visit the SSSS. Upon our arrival, Fred (Anita Marie) was in the EQ lobby. After we all left there (so Les could get back to his work) we met for lunch. While we were sitting there waiting for Joe W. (Betty Louise) to join us for lunch, in strolled Dusty (Man of Many C-Dorys). So, we all celebrated a MINI C-DORY GATHERING!
Our topics of discussion included past cruises, future cruises, Canadian cruises as well as a few brief dissertations of "what to do with outboard motor thiefs".
It was great to see you guys and if I knew how to post the picture the waitress took of us on this thread, I would, but since I'm not nerdy enough yet you'll have to go view the picture of our smiling faces on the Sea Shift Album.
 
Sat on the boat, just looking around at what I want to get done on it before taking back to the water. First time I have been able to sit in the sunshine in the C-Dory, even if it was still on the trailer. Just got the winter tarp off of it yesterday.

I use a spool to control the 600 feet of anchor rode I cruise with, but need some ideas on controlling the spool. I intend to provide a crossbar across the forward railing to use as an axle for the spool, because when the spool sits on the bow, I cannot see over it, but I can see under it when mounted across the railing. I see some folks use 55 gallon drum lower thirds, which I find unattractive, commercially made tubs that look like the lower third of 55 gallon drums, and milk crates. I had thought about a windlass, but don't think I have locker space for 600' of rode and 25 feet of chain, plus am a bit tight on spending money at the moment. I have tried to run the spool from the cockpit, rather better than going to the bow in rough water, but takes up precious space.
 
wilbe asea-

Hope you're still enjoying the warm sunshine of the Alaska Spring!

Your situation with the anchor issue cries out for an electric windlass with an enlarged anchor locker under the deck in the v-berth area. About 300 feet of 1/2" line plus 15' or more of chain is all that will fit in the factory equipped compartment, but to double the size of the wedge shaped compartment would only require moving the rear wall back about 8-10".

In the meantime, I'd opt for a simple solution that would add a minimum of equipment to your boat. For rode storage, I'd get a 120 quart or so cooler with a removable lid and drainage plug, and put it under the front hatch with a removable soft plastic cover over the v-berth. As you pull the rode in by hand, the open hatch with the cooler below would be easy to drop the rode into. (I can't imagine stuffing it into a little 3" x 4" pipe deck hole!)

After the rode is all in, I'd have a detachable link, or shackle, in the end of the chain to detach the rope section in order to seal the hatch. You'd need to be able to secure the chain on the foredeck, of course. The cooler can, when you want to, be taken out into the cockpit and drained, and even flushed with fresh water, when available. In rough weather, you might have to have a bungee cord system to keep the cooler centered and upright.

This will keep your vision unobscured, keep the weight off the bow and down lower somewhat, not compromise the appearance of the boat, and allow you to have the cooler for other uses later when and if you add a windlass.

Incidentally, what size of rope are you using on the rode?

If I were going to make this arrangement pretty much permanent, especially with the length of line involved, I'd go a step further and add a manually operated drum winch to the system. All you'd need would be a simple drum winch, which has a ratchet mechanism to hold the rope's weight when resting between hauling. It would have to be mounted on a 45 degree bracket, or be flat-mounted on the deck with a turning block (pulley) aft to provide a fairlead system to work properly. A ratcheting block, like the Harken Hexaratchet would work on line sizes 7/16" or smaller, but won't pass the shackle or chain, of course.

Hope this is useful! Joe.
 
Well-
The weekend was actually over, but it was warm enough so I could get the new graphics on today. :D

Let's see if I am nerdy enough to make links to pics of them here and here.

Well, it looks like I am.
Oh my... :shock:
 
Great Graphics Rod! What's that big aluminum frame growing out of your boat on the first picture? Looks like a great Radar Reflector, bet you can be seen for miles!! :lol:
 
Um... yeah, about that...
It's a... radar frame. Yeah. Gotta get the dome up high, you know.
No, no, it's a dinghy rack...No, wait...too pointy.
Oh yeah, It's a frame for my camper-back...I just have it deployed in the forward position so as to not interfere with fishing... Yeah, that's it. :D

What? You're not buying that? :?

OK, so it's not actually part of my boat. It's the frame for my greenhouse. I guess I need to be a little more observant of the background in the pictures :photo I take... :wink:
 
Joe of the Seawolf, thanks for that suggestion, as you guessed, stuffing rope down a small hole on a pitching foredeck is like pushing a wheelbarrow with rope handles. Which is why I have been trying to use a spool that rope comes on to handle the 1/2 inch rode. Since reading your suggestion, I am considering cutting the rode into 2 300 foot pieces and using shackles to join the halves if I need a longer rode. Stuffing the rest into a cooler in the v-berth seems like a good idea now. Moving the anchor rode locker back would make the v-berth to short for me to sleep in.
 
wilbe asea,

I bought a 600 ft spool of 7/16ths nylon anchor rode and cut it in half. I keep 300 ft and 30 ft of 1/4 chain in a 'milk crate' with plywood top in the cockpit for the stern hook. The other 300 ft plus 30 ft of 1/4/chain is stowed in a locker on the foredeck. I made the locker of 3 pieces of 3/8 ply plus a cover. It fits just in front of the curved foredeck and behind the cleat. You can see it in my photo album.

I use a 16.5 Bruce on the bow and a 15 Danforth for the stern.

I have found this gear to be adequate for the Pacific coast from So Cal to S E Alaska.
 
Larry- Nice job on the storage box on the bow! I assume you glassed the plywood and either finished it with resin loaded up with an off-white coloring agent or painted it with an epoxy or polyurethane paint (?) Does the box have a bottom or just drain better without one?

I like your rigid Bimini cockpit cover. Is it constructed of plywood, fiberglass sheet, plastic sheeting, or?

How's the trimaran coming?

Thanks! Joe.
 
Larry, nice job on the rode locker, think I may pursue that. Is it a complete box, or are the sides sitting on the foredeck? Ditto Joe's (Sea Wolf) questions. And what is it fastened to the deck with?
 
Moved the bilge pump to the rear of the boat, mostly. Have to wait for the rest of the ice to melt before I can move the mounting bracket. Another day like today and I'll have it done! Hello Spring :smiled
 
Joe and wilbe asea,

Thanks for the comments. The foredeck locker is made of 3/8" ply covered with 4 oz fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin and painted with exterior enamel. It turns out that my gel coat is the same color as Navajo White.
The bimini top is the same only I used 1/4" ply, doubled around the edges, the rails are 3/4 x 1 1/2" fir.
The deck locker is only the front and sides. They sit on the deck, fastened with three right angle SS brackets. The front has one rt. angle at the center and the sides have a bracket at the top rear corners. I only had to drill four holes into the boat. The top cover sits on the sides and front and is held on by a stretchcord from side to side with the hooks inserted into holes drilled in the sides. The top cover removes completely and has a 'leash' to prevent loss. When I use the locker, I lay the cover on the fore hatch.

I covered the curved cabinfront inside the box with stick on rubber nonskid(not the sandpaper type) to protect the fiberglass from the anchor chain.

If you want to build one, I suggest using cardboard for a mock up. Then use the cardboard parts as patterns.

The trimaran project is moving along..I hope to launch next year. I am currently installing the decks.
 
I spent another part of an afternoon hosing off the alder tree bud droppings. This time of year it's a daily task cause if you leave them the tannins start discoloring the gelcoat. Got to finish the cleaning and waxing before Catchlamet or Mikes going to turn me in to Martha. Can't stand the thought of doing hard time.
 
berween tree drippins and pollen a clean boat doesn't have a chance this time of year. Then later in the summer you have the salmon scales flying all about.

Going to try a little fishing tomorrow, loading up and takeing off for J cove on Friday, then off to the Snake river on Tuesday. It's a rough schedule but I think I'll survive. I think I'll stop at that casino in Pendleton and win enough for a new Wallas stove :) :)
 
soaked a few quickfish for a few hours down from Prescot Beach, no action, didn't see anybody else doing any better. The salmon are waiting to meet us in Cathlamete :)
 
Hull got washed today and with the aproaching sun tomorrow I hope to put on some wax and freshen up the bottom paint. Next week=end I plan on putting stuff back in the boat and get it ready for Cathlamet.

Stoped by the TyBoo house this morning. It was 11:30 and the curtains were still drawn so we backed out and let sleeping dogs lie since I didn't here Capt. Elliott or the Skipper barking. Sure glad we only have a 22 footer so I don't have to put in those 12 to 16 hour days that Mikes been getting. Hope they get that new mill junk up and purring pretty quick so Mike and Kay can spend some proper time out on the water. That many hours and they need it.

Tim
 
Yep, Tim, at 11:30 I was just fixin' to get out of bed. I got off work at 3:00 this morning, and I took me a little snooze. Sorry to have missed you.

As for my boat, there are a couple minor projects going on. I noticed last weekend that it had a pretty good list to starboard when at rest with nodody aboard. So, I have moved the batteries from the center hatch athwartship (I hope that means sideways across the middle!) to the back hatch on the port side against the wall. I am also going to build a storage bin (love that plastic lumber) in the space under the floor of the dinette against the port wall to hold the heavy stuff that is now stowed under the footrest at the helm station (tools and misc. hardware). Those two adjustments will move close to 200 pounds from the centerline and starboard side to the far port side. I hope it will be enough.

When I mounted the new trim tabs, I used all the same holes in the hull as the previous tabs used. To do that, the bottom edge of the hinges ended up about a quarter inch or so higher than Lenco said to put them. So, I made some 1/2" spacer blocks out of polycarbonate to mount between the tab and the lower actuator bracket. This puts the trailing edge of the tab just about even with the bottom of the hull, and will give another 1/2" of depth into the water. The 12 x 12 tabs work much better than the 9 x 12's did, but they are still at near full extension often. I am hoping that the spacer will give me just a little bit more useful trim adjustment. I am also hoping that they retract far enough to not be a problem in strong following sea conditions.
 
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