Scyph
Member I
I bought my first own sailboat this March, an Ericson 27. She's a solid boat, but not without her ails. The three major ones are: the dock power cord shares a locker with the gas tank + other electrical glitches; soft spot on the bow + other deck problems; the bottom needs cleaning and maybe some work. And of course there are tons of small projects, too: outboard, bilge, deck fittings, cockpit canopy, depth finder / GPS / maybe some other electronics, two leaky portlights, porta potty..... maybe some I didn't even notice in the 4 days I spent aboard during Easter break. My boat came with 3 sails (main, jib, and "Lapper" which I guess is another name for a genoa), an outboard that probably works but needs tuning, and a ton of miscellaneous items like a seat (can't figure out where to attach it) and what I believe is a tension meter.
I'll live aboard all summer. I'll try to get as many of the the projects as I can done during the first half of summer, and set sail as soon as possible. I'm ridiculously new to all of this, so, chances are, you'll be very annoyed by my questions and problems. (E.g.: the three basic sealants are polysulfade, polyurethane, and (ugh!) silicone---so which one of them is the mysterious "caulk"?). I posted Where is the bilge pump? and Recoring or repairing the deck on the bow of an Ericson 27 before. I'll be working on a lot of projects in sequence from now on, so I don't want to post fifty different threads.
Tomorrow (4/27/2012) I'll be driving 200mi to my boat to spend a week working on the electrical mess. In the week after that, I'm finishing up with classes, exams, research, graduation and moving out of my apartment back at school. The two weeks after graduation, I'll spend fixing the soft spot + misc projects. I'll leave my current marina near the end of May and "motorsail" to a nearby boat yard to get hauled out. I'll have a free week on the hard after that, and $60/month if I need to stay longer. That's when I'll finish everything I haven't done before, do bottom work, and set sail.
One other thing: my budget is ridiculously thin. If I sum all of the estimates below (especially the pessimistic ones), I'd be almost TWICE over my budget. For that reason, I had to drop solar and wind generators (and a couple other useful but expensive projects) off my list. Of course, the numbers below feature pessimistic estimates (no, I won't be spending $100/week on food and gas!), double counts ($300 for Lexan + $400 for bow repair), and generally the absolute maximum I'm willing to spend on any project. So, my overall list of projects is this:
WEEK 1 (exam week):
I'll live aboard all summer. I'll try to get as many of the the projects as I can done during the first half of summer, and set sail as soon as possible. I'm ridiculously new to all of this, so, chances are, you'll be very annoyed by my questions and problems. (E.g.: the three basic sealants are polysulfade, polyurethane, and (ugh!) silicone---so which one of them is the mysterious "caulk"?). I posted Where is the bilge pump? and Recoring or repairing the deck on the bow of an Ericson 27 before. I'll be working on a lot of projects in sequence from now on, so I don't want to post fifty different threads.
Tomorrow (4/27/2012) I'll be driving 200mi to my boat to spend a week working on the electrical mess. In the week after that, I'm finishing up with classes, exams, research, graduation and moving out of my apartment back at school. The two weeks after graduation, I'll spend fixing the soft spot + misc projects. I'll leave my current marina near the end of May and "motorsail" to a nearby boat yard to get hauled out. I'll have a free week on the hard after that, and $60/month if I need to stay longer. That's when I'll finish everything I haven't done before, do bottom work, and set sail.
One other thing: my budget is ridiculously thin. If I sum all of the estimates below (especially the pessimistic ones), I'd be almost TWICE over my budget. For that reason, I had to drop solar and wind generators (and a couple other useful but expensive projects) off my list. Of course, the numbers below feature pessimistic estimates (no, I won't be spending $100/week on food and gas!), double counts ($300 for Lexan + $400 for bow repair), and generally the absolute maximum I'm willing to spend on any project. So, my overall list of projects is this:
WEEK 1 (exam week):
Shopping spree:
epoxy %%% $150
bilge cleaner %%% $20
bosun's chair? ladder? %%% $100 pessimistic estimate
nav lights? %%% $300 pessimistic estimate
dinghy outboard %%% $300 maximum; any more, and I'll take a risk with my 9.8 hp
bilge cleaner %%% $20
bosun's chair? ladder? %%% $100 pessimistic estimate
nav lights? %%% $300 pessimistic estimate
dinghy outboard %%% $300 maximum; any more, and I'll take a risk with my 9.8 hp
food and gas %%% $100
marina fees %%% $200
pump out the bilge
fix the lock
safety harness %%% $???
Electrical: %%% THE BIGGEST PROJECT FOR WHICH I NEED TO DO THE MOST RESEARCH
pump out the bilge
fix the lock
safety harness %%% $???
Electrical: %%% THE BIGGEST PROJECT FOR WHICH I NEED TO DO THE MOST RESEARCH
dock power cord entry %%% $50 pessimistic estimate
automatic bilge pump %%% $150 pessimistic estimate
navigation lights (anchor, steaming, side, and stern) %%%
cabin lights %%%
spools of wires %%% $100 pessimistic estimate
automatic bilge pump %%% $150 pessimistic estimate
navigation lights (anchor, steaming, side, and stern) %%%
cabin lights %%%
spools of wires %%% $100 pessimistic estimate
fix the attachment of the outboard mounting bracket %%%
epoxy in new cleats %%% $40
refit deck fittings with backing plates and without the silicone mess %%% $200 pessimistic estimate
new chainplates and/or rebed that one leaky chainplate %%%
ONE WEEK ASHORE:epoxy in new cleats %%% $40
refit deck fittings with backing plates and without the silicone mess %%% $200 pessimistic estimate
new chainplates and/or rebed that one leaky chainplate %%%
take graduate math finals
Shopping spree:
Shopping spree:
Lexan (transparent stuff stronger than plexiglas) %%% $300 realistic estimate (see Grainger http://www.grainger.com)
foam toolbox (11x15" min inner dimensions) %%% $35
waterway charts %%% $50
flare gun %%% $50
WEEK 2+3 (main):foam toolbox (11x15" min inner dimensions) %%% $35
waterway charts %%% $50
flare gun %%% $50
install a new cockpit canopy %%%
Repair the soft spot on the bow %%% $400
exploratory surgery
recore? hatch? drill holes? this is perhaps my biggest project
service the outboard motor %%% $400 pessimistic estimate
mount a depth finder
attach motor to deflatable %%%
fix leaking portlights
put in a porta-potty %%% $100
food and gas %%% $200
WEEK 4 (boatyard):Repair the soft spot on the bow %%% $400
exploratory surgery
recore? hatch? drill holes? this is perhaps my biggest project
service the outboard motor %%% $400 pessimistic estimate
mount a depth finder
attach motor to deflatable %%%
fix leaking portlights
put in a porta-potty %%% $100
food and gas %%% $200
haul out %%% $190
clean the bottom %%%
fix any blisters %%%
repaint the bottom? %%% $???
paint with anti-fouling paint %%% $150
food and gas %%% $100
WEEK 5+ (sailing)clean the bottom %%%
fix any blisters %%%
repaint the bottom? %%% $???
paint with anti-fouling paint %%% $150
food and gas %%% $100
food and gas %%% $900 ($100/week)
sail %%% $priceless
OPTIONAL, LONG TERM and NEXT YEARsail %%% $priceless
tiny low-powered laptop
Lexan (transparent) door
repaint the deck
fix the bent rail
Lexan (transparent) door
repaint the deck
fix the bent rail
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