Featured blog entries
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E31 Independence
A New Home
It’s been five months since we learned of our parent’s diagnosis. We’ve dealt with many changes in that time. Obviously the biggest change was our parent’s move to a long-term care facility. As we’ve visited over the last few months, there are good days and not so good days.
Another big change...
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E27
First Haul Out
In early December of 2021 we hauled out our ‘72 E27 at Eddie’s Marine in Wilmington, California.
Work performed by me: Replacement of gate valves with Forespar 93 Series seacocks. Installation of seawater strainer. Re-packing of stuffing box. Re-greasing/shimming of rudder post.
Work performed...
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E32-200
How To Sew Fabric Winch Covers
Summary: I bought a fancy sewing machine and made winch covers out of Sunbrella canvas by following a how-to video from Sailrite. It costs some time and money at the front end, but this small project was doable (about 3-4 hours of sewing time in my novice state) and it’s nice to have another...
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Before...
...After
It's amazing what a little fresh paint and new gauges will do for an engine instrument panel.
And, a box of new marine grade wire, some fancy LED-backlit buttons, a grip of heat-shrink ring terminals, a heat gun burn on my upper arm, 1/8" weatherproof rubber matting...
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"Noticee"
It began one day when I arrived at the slip and found Rumour's shore power cord disconnected...
Spelling errors aside, I immediately wondered who was playing a prank on me and why they would do it this way. Upon calling the marina office I discovered the maintenance staff had...
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The image below summarizes the main projects completed on our 1981 E28+ during our first year-and-a-half of boat ownership (any boat ownership, not just this one). The various posts on this site were instrumental in providing guidance and encouragement to more boldly go where it might not have...
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This last week saw some good progress. The painting is definitely a two person job, and both have to know how to mix and apply the catalyzed paint. The stuff is really fussy about thinning, temperature, and etc. One person keeps running the 'gun' and the other mixes the paint components and...
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Last weekend I removed the heat exchanger as it looked to be in bad shape.
As you can see from the following pictures the zinc anode had vanished!
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I have enjoyed sailing quite a number of different boats over the years, and have been lucky enough to own four sailboats before purchasing my 1973 Ericson 25CB "Nordic Thunder". My very first sailboat was a tiny Sunflower sailboat with a single triangular sail. I spent many summers sailing...
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....(continued from part 1)
To get Makana home I knew I'd have to sail out of Langley, down a stretch of Saratoga Passage, across Possession Sound and into Everett. None of that seemed like a problem. But I wasn't sure what the best options were for when I got into Everett. My slip faces...
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I've begun to think that a good part of "seamanship" might is based on being able to pick the least-bad option out of a spectrum of sucky choices...
I spent a lot of time on Makana in June un-doing the effects of a very wet winter. Partly because it needed doing and was normal - albeit late in...
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YouTube link:
Demonstration of the 2014 "Sailomat 800"self-steering vane during a 6,000-mile transit LA-Hawaii-LA.
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Every proper cruising boat needs a windvane self-steering gear. Right? This is one of those things I thought I'd go full-mad-scientist on, some time in the future when other needs were taken care of. Those things are expensive, but plenty of people have successfully brewed up their own...
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Greeetings fellow Vikings! At last comes the build back of the side decks and with great excitement we realize that we are nearing the end of the balsa core replacement on the deck!!!! After the side decks there is only one small foredeck area left!!!
Fitting the Balsa Core
For whatever...
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Sometimes I wish I could retire now and spend all my time working on restoring my boat, and then take it on trips to Michigan, Florida, and the NC coast. It can be disheartening when weeks go by without any progress, I do love working on her. But I have a great job, and it funds our project...
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It's been almost two full weeks of living aboard Delightful now, here on Bainbridge Island. I still feel like I live in a fairy tale, most of the time. The Island itself is idyllic and gorgeous, and my marina location close to 3(!) quaint coffee and breakfast joints makes it easy to walk to...
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2017 breadcrumb trail here. Click on the day icons for log entries.
I spent more than a year outfitting and preparing the 1984 E38 for this solo sail from LA to Oahu and return. Upgrades included new standing rigging (partial), running rigging, uncoated lifelines, backstay chainplate...
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O34
New Dodger O-34
The new dodger is on. The new clutches and larger winches are in place.
This is a newer fabric, "RECacril" that is rated better than "Sunbrella" for weave integrity and QC. Since cost is about the same, and the canvas shop has been having great luck with it, we decided to give it a try.
This...
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I've had a lot of boats during my 56 plus years of being on this earth, most of which have been sailboats. Sailing is my favorite. At age twelve we lived on a small 100 lake in north Alabama, Pine Lake. My dad got me a Super Snark. It was Super because it wasn't just a hull of exposed...
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E29
"No Problem"
I guess it's time to introduce "No Problem," the ~1971 Ericson 29 Tall (double spreader model with inboard lowers) hull #8 I picked up two years ago and began to re(build)fit. There will be quite a few chapters in this blog due to the sheer volume of work going into her.
I want to preface...
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E31C
Brightwork Refinish
The appearance of the forward hatch on my boat was looking a bit tired. Even though the varnish gets refresher coats, I am always bummed at how quickly the gloss fades and if left alone too long, you're looking at stripping back to bare and starting over. I wanted to take the hatch off and...