An updated Table of Contents for the Thelonious Blog is here. Recent entries do not appear in the blog module.
The routine of changing the oil on a sailboat is familiar, but how necessary it is is a good question. I seem to change the oil on my Universal 5432 four-cylinder diesel every 100...
Links to videos at the end of the post.
The "integral" Cape Horn vane connects the servo-pendulum gear by lines to the ship's quadrant by means of its own quadrant installed on the interior transom. Unlike other servo-pendulum systems, all the key control lines are belowdecks, for elegance...
I recently ordered a new wind vane, this one from Cape Horn. The decision required a review of my own thinking about self-steering, its value, mission and practicality. The Sailomat 800 had served me well on two singlehanded Hawaii sails, and proved itself across the board as a problem-free...
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Here in Southern California, hauling a boat out is easy to put off. It had been nearly four years for Thelonious II, and the hull was showing gray barrier coat underneath its hard black bottom paint. A dive service cleans the hull monthly, and I often wondered how much paint the divers...
Somewhere in the marketing mind of the Ericson design team,
way back when, was a sensation of lack. What distinguished the boats from their expensive competition? On the showroom floor, what was the close that could make the sale? After all, a $125K base price was more than chump change in...
My love affair with cheap, soft, user-friendly boat stuff--PVC cowls, vinyl cloth, polyurethane hoses--starts as glossy as a wedding on the Hallmark Channel, only to be followed by steady disillusionment and eventual disappointment. You could say expectation is too high, and that we all must...
After replacing my damaged Barient 19ST with a new Lewmar 30ST (described here), it seemed right to have a look at the four remaining winches installed by the Ericson factory in 1984. They functioned as intended, and I have been periodically removing the drums and cleaning and regreasing the...
With annual cleaning and maintenance, Barient winches have stood the test of time. There's not much to go wrong even after 35 years, and Barient parts are still available from an Australian after-market supplier--which ought to keep them cranking for years to come.
But maintenance is...
Showering on board a small sailboat isn't like bathing in one's suite at the Ritz, and there is simply no room for an attendant. Even so, there are benefits, at least according to my spouse and daughters.
The Ericson 381 carves out an actual shower stall, considerably more elegant than...
Boats with access to deep water are plumbed for overboard discharge outside the three-mile limit. They discharge only from the holding tank, unlike older systems which permitted direct flow from the toilet. Since pump-out stations are not always handy, overboard discharge is pretty much required...
Into the handy quarterberth go inflatable dinghy, Torquedo outboard, oars, and sometimes life raft, Jordan series drogue with chain, sea anchor and, if I think I'll need it, the Wedding at Sea Kit that goes with my ordination by the Universal Life Church. (The Temporary Marriage Certificate...
On many Ericson models the helmsman can't see the temperature gauge or the tachometer without a swooning, eye-bulging contortion that alarms guests and can cause them to cry out, "Is he all right?" That's because the panel has the ignition, glow-plug and start button on the bottom, and the tach...
I knew a music critic who bought a new high-end turntable and amp and passed me his expensive headphones to demonstrate. I listened and after a while cautiously said, "Joe, I gotta tell you, I hear a hiss." He replied: "If you do, that's your problem."
How much noise should a diesel make? How...
The original Ericson topping lift was heavy stainless wire, coated in vinyl. I've tossed it, but the effective diameter was 3/8ths or more. It was dirty--how do you clean a fixed topping lift? I was unable to easily check the top shackle. The swaged loop at the foot of it connected to the...
Visibility at the helm is fine on the E38, especially without a dodger. In fact, with a wheel pilot I'm seldom actually "at the helm," but rather nearby or next to it, steering by the buttons.
That means standing up, because if I sit down on one of the comfortable quarter seats, nicely...
I've had oiled teak and varnished teak, and in the end, for me at least, the maintenance comes out the same. Here in SoCal, oiling--after cleaning and bleaching, is best done every three months. Varnish--just two maintenance coats over a sound base--is every 18 months or so. Both are pleasing...
Yes, yet another cover. But the dinghy is wood, with Brightside paint and some exterior varnish, so a cover beats maintenance.
I have invented many arguments to skip the patterning steps for these canvas projects, utilizing my amazingly accurate eyeballs, a few quick measurements, a rough...
The Eastport pram is 7 feet 9 inches long, weighs only about 65 pounds, and fits nicely on the foredeck.
I reshaped the transom to conform to the camber, and padded it at the two contact points. The Taylor bumper rail makes a permanent soft landing for the bow. Two stern lines tie pretty well...