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Years ago when I was a yacht dealer, I used to truck boats cross-country
fairly often.Costs:
– Decide which boat yards you will use, then call them and ask for estimates
and for owner preparation suggestions. They’ve done this stuff before and
should know what it entails.
– Ask for trucker recommendations.
– Just for grins, find out what a professional delivery skipper would charge
to sail the boat down for you.Spars
– The spars will need to be securely lashed on the deck or coachhouse for
the trip. Be fussy about that; inspect them closely before the truck pulls
out, looking for areas that will chafe as the truck bounces along the
highway. Pad those areas very well. Otherwise you may wind up with a damaged
mast, boom and/or deck. Truckers and boat yards are not always as careful as
they should be about this detail.Trucker
– Shop around and let them know you’re comparing bids. You’d be surprised at
how much trucking charges vary from company to company.
– Be sure they regularly carry yachts, even if you pay a little more for
that experience.
– Ask the trucking company for owner/yard preparation suggestions.
– Obtain a copy of the trucker’s insurance coverage (in advance), and then
check with your insurance provider about coverage for the trip.Tanks
– Although for such a short road trip this may not be necessary, I’d use the
preparation as an opportunity to empty and clean the water tanks, and either
empty or top off the fuel (unless the insurance or regulations require empty
fuel tanks – the trucking company should know about that).Reef early,
Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
http://www.silverheels.us
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A handsome job, Chuck. I’ll bet you’re feeling real good about it, and
deservedly so.Tor
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Rich,
I agree that what you did will work just fine, and you can’t beat the cost. Most of my “improvements” have followed the same kind of approach: Work with what you have, don’t try to build a new Swan, and don’t sweat the small stuff.
Tor
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Rich,
Your mast step fix sounds smart, although I’m not sure a wood block is as
durable as some other materials might be. FYI, not all 424’s have mast steps
as far gone as you describe. When I pulled Silverheels’ masts in 2007, the
main step was rusty but not corroded or swelled, and the mainmast base was
corrosion-free. I cleaned it up really well, then prepped the clean metal
with phosphoric acid, then zinc oxide primer, and finally a couple of coats
of some super paint for steel boats that some Brits gave me, white so I can
see problems developing. Six years later the paint & step still look good
with no signs of rust. However, I rarely have water around it and when I do
it’s rainwater, not salt since my chain locker is sealed. I’m sure that
helps.If I ever had to replace that step (which I don’t anticipate in my
lifetime), I think I’d spring for a stainless steel version from a machine
shop.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
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Ken,
I changed the set-up on that anchor chain snubber. Some time after taking
that photo (back in 2009), it occurred to me that if I ever had to slip
anchor in an emergency, I would first have to retrieve about 20′ of chain
with the windlass in order to release the snubber. I could imagine
situations where this could be dangerous or even impossible. So now I run
the snubber from a bow cleat alongside the anchor roller, then down to &
thru the stem eyebolt (with some chafe protection) and back to the foredeck
again (photo attached). If it ever becomes necessary to let go, I can do it
instantly.It is a permanent joke at the boat yard that when I first arrived back in
early 2007 I announced I’d be there “a few months” whipping my old 424 into
shape, and then I was going cruising. Well, there is a popular saying among
sailors about planning boat projects: Make your best conservative estimate,
then double the cost and triple the time. In my experience that is a gross
understatement. 2½ years later I finally did set sail – with a much-improved
boat. The thing is, I had already been cruising quite a bit in previous
boats and so I didn’t feel so compelled to “get going” this time. That
turned out to be a great blessing. It allowed me to slow down, relax, focus
on one refit job at a time and actually enjoy the process. And I did! BTW,
most of that time we were afloat dockside, not on the hard, and that
certainly helped the attitude.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
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Tor, how big are the drain holes?
Hey Quent,
I don’t remember. Probably around 1/2″, but initially over-drilled and then
epoxy-coated to keep water out of the hull laminate.Incidentally, since I expected the bottom of the chain locker to be wet much
of the time, I made a pair of epoxy-coated blocks from scrap 2×4, drilled a
big hole through the middle, passed the bitter end of each anchor rode
through one of the blocks and secured it with a stop knot. These blocks act
as filler pieces, holding line off the locker bottom surface. Mainly,
though, they’re line stoppers to prevent an accidental loss of an entire
anchor rode overboard because I scoped out more rode than I have, the blocks
being too big to fit through the deck pipes.Tor
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I breed my pet mosquitos in that puddle. Very handy.
As for the anchor locker draining into the bilge, hello? One of Mr.
Pearson’s less brilliant notions. When you bring in yucky anchor rode from a
muddy bottom it can only drain into the bilge starting forward and
eventually, theoretically find its way back to the sump to be pumped
overboard – except for the last inch of sludge. Thirty years of that
nonsense doesn’t do much to sweeten the bilges. When cut out the original
anchor well and built a proper chain locker forward, I sealed the bottom of
the locker so it no longer drains into the boat. Then I drilled limber holes
through the hull at the base of the locker sides, port & starboard, angled
slightly down and aft to encourage water to drain out but not flow in. On
the outside I mounted small clamshell covers (see photo) to deflect
seawater. This arrangement works perfectly. Silverheels’ chain locker is
always dry, easy to rinse out with a water hose, and her bilges are clean –
except for that puddle forward of the mainmast, which I sop dry with a
sponge every once in a while.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
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There should be a thread on composting toilets in the pearson424.org
archives. One of our group did all the research and chronicled his
installation a few years ago. From what I’ve heard, it’s a great way to go.
I kind of wish I’d known about it when I was refitting Silverheels.I will say that my traditional overboard/holding tank system, which I
installed, never smells. In my experience, this is rare. I’d guess
90-something percent of head compartments stink, sometimes stinking up the
whole interior of the boat. The reason mine doesn’t (and didn’t on my
previous boats) is simply that I maintain a *20-pump rule. Whether you pee
or poop, it’s 20 pumps counted from when the bowl is first empty and clean.
By never leaving raw sewage in the system, I never have an odor. On the
occasions that I have to use Silverheels’ holding tank, it doesn’t smell,
either. That’s because I vented it properly, with both air intake and air
outlet hoses. If you google the subject you’ll find some excellent articles
on the subject. Hardly anyone vents holding tanks properly, including
builders, and that’s largely why they stink. (Old or cheap hoses are another
source of odor.)*20 pumps is not universal. IF that is enough to clear the plumbing
entirely, fine, but you have to find out. You do this by putting a couple of
squares of toilet paper in the toilet and having someone flush it while you
watch the discharge outlet thru a dive mask from the outside. Count how many
pumps it takes until no paper particles are emerging. That’s the pump rule
number for that boat.Tor
Silverheels, P-424 #17
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I agree with Ken, including that “some fiberglass mat replacement to the tab
would be the best thing.” As for the overlapping strip at the joint, I’m not
sure 2″ is wide enough. I’d prefer to see it 4″ or even 6″ wide, glued and
stagger-screwed.Tor
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Thanks, Pete. I stand corrected. I actually had a mechanic do the alignment
last spring when I re-installed my re-built V-drive. Very possible that I
remembered (or understood) the procedure incorrectly. In any case,
Silverheels has no vibration at any RPM and no wear on the cutlass bearing
so far, so whichever way he did it worked.I must remember never to offer mechanical advice. I am not a mechanic.
Tor
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Ken,
Unless you have a long way to go before you reach the boat yard, you may
want to just wait and re-align the whole drive train when you re-launch.The shaft between the engine and the V-drive, which I call the jack shaft,
is aligned by first bolting the coupling at the transmission and then using
the V-drive’s several positioning adjustments to align the forward coupling,
where the jack shaft couples to the V-drive. The Walter V-drive manual
explains exactly how to do that. If you don’t have the manual I can email it
to you as a PDF file.Once the jack shaft is aligned, you then align the propeller shaft to
V-drive coupling as you would any other prop shaft coupling.If the boat has been running out of alignment for a while, it may need a new
cutlass bearing now. (Let me know if you have trouble removing the old one
and I’ll tell you a few tricks I learned when doing mine.) If/when you do
replace the cutlass bearing you’ll have to pull the prop shaft. You may as
well have it checked and trued on the lathe at Coats’ Machine Shop at the
marina road entrance. Chuck Coats is a good ol’ country boy and he won’t
overcharge you. (He’s also great at working with you to create custom bits &
pieces during your refit. Tell him I said hey.)While you’re at it, it does no harm (and might do some good) to also have
the propeller “reconditioned” if the PO never did. It only costs about $100.
Just bring it into the marina office, tell them what you want, and they’ll
have it picked up and delivered back within a week.If your V-drive has never been rebuilt, consider having that done by the
Walter factory in New Jersey. It isn’t cheap, but those things don’t last
forever on their own.Have fun,
Tor
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Ken,
Someone else (or else the V-drive manual) can walk you through the alignment
procedure. I was just wondering whether you’ve checked the cutlass bearing
and prop balance.Tor
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I have occasionally seen sailboats towing a dinghy with its stern forward
and raised. It seemed more efficient than the more typical, bow-first
method.Pete, another consideration not mentioned here so far: If you intend to make
any offshore passages, the dinghy needs to be stowed on deck or, if
possible, in a locker. You certainly can’t tow it safely, and a davit-slung
tender can be precarious and become dangerous in heavy weather. My
inflatable, with its sectional floorboards removed, rolls up into a
manageable bundle that I lash securely forward of the main mast. I wonder
how 424’s fit an RIB on deck during passages. Has anyone done it?Tor
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Geez, it seems I have the smallest dinghy in the fleet. No wonder I can’t
get… Never mind, mine is a 9′ West Marine PVC made by Zodiac with
sectional plywood floorboards, pushed by an 8hp 2-stroke Yamaha. Planes with
one adult and a grandchild. Since I single-hand so much, this 9-footer is
adequate. Rides easily in davits with the outboard stowed separately on the
stern rail. Sure, I’d enjoy a bigger tender with a 15hp on it, but don’t
want to deal with such a large, heavy outboard.Thinking of adding a sailing dinghy to the repertoire.
Tor
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Congratulations on completing such a long passage to windward.
Tor
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