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Maintenance & Sailing Log:
6/5/04
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I looked forward to returning to the boat
today to take care of some nagging maintenance issues and repairs.
First and foremost was a more sturdy, and hopefully longer-lasting,
repair to the gooseneck which partial failure had so depressed me
yesterday. I also wanted to address my scupper issue: the
new scupper hoses
I installed during the winter were not draining properly, which allowed
rainwater to collect in the cockpit--and also prohibited me from leaving
the scuppers open while under sail, lest water enter from heeling and
then stay in the cockpit thereafter. This problem became
especially annoying when sailing in more exciting conditions, when spray
collecting on deck--or water from dipping the rail--would enter the
cockpit through the new deck scuppers, but would not drain. It
seems that I have spent an inordinate amount of time over the years
fighting these scuppers and hoses, so I hoped to find a better solution
once and for all.
Click
here to go back and read all about the scuppers, hoses, and seacocks
from the very beginning.
(Opens in a new window) |
Just after 0800, I left the house and headed
on a couple quick errands. My first stop was at the local Napa,
where I inquired about pre-formed radiator hoses. I had eschewed
these in the past because they are not as heavily reinforced as the
hardwall, wire-reinforced hoses that I preferred, but enough was
enough. I had tried nine ways to Sunday to find hoses that would
work in the ridiculously small, tight space beneath the cockpit, and I
was sick of it. I knew that no hardwall hose known to man would
properly bend to fit the curves required, and further knew that softer
hose would kink and be absolutely useless.
Flipping through the hose catalog at the
store, complete with pictures, I found a couple different possibilities
that looked like they might work. What I was looking for was a
short-ish hose that featured the type of "S" curve that I
needed to transition between the cockpit scupper fitting and the
nearby--but badly angled--seacock nipple. I was prepared to buy a
couple different shapes and find the best fit; my first choice was in
stock at the local warehouse in Westbrook, but the other type was only
available in Denver. I had the store arrange to get the hoses from
Westbrook; they promised they'd be in by noon. Pleased, I drove
just down the street to the hardware store, where I bought some
5/16" machine screws and a 5/16-18 tap for the gooseneck
track. The track was currently secured with 1/4-20
fasteners; the only fix I could think of was to re-tap the
existing holes with the larger threads and use the larger
fasteners. I didn't want to drill any more holes in the mast, and
needed only something that would work for a few weeks while I tracked
down a real fixed gooseneck. |
Armed with my supplies for the gooseneck,
but lacking my scupper hoses just yet, I headed to the boat. It
was a nice day; the winds were calm. Out at the boat, I
immediately set forth to repair the gooseneck, and succeeded--at least
for the time being.
Click here to read a detailed discussion
on the gooseneck--old, repaired, re-repaired, and, eventually,
new. |
 With the gooseneck repaired and seeming to
be secure, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and
pleasant, soft breeze to go for a quick sail. As much as I ached
for a longer sail in a relaxing breeze (as opposed to the more exuberant
breezes I had been out in so far this year), I definitely wanted to
address the scupper hoses today, so I decided to keep the sail
relatively short so that I could pick up my new hoses at Napa sometime
close to noon. I sailed off the mooring and enjoyed a lovely,
relaxing sail, cruising slowly clockwise around Clapboard Island.
The wind was about 10 knots, the skies were clear and bright, and the
bay was full of boats. The relative lightness of the wind made for
a low-stress test for my new gooseneck repair, and meant that even a
simple circumnavigation of Clapboard took close to two
hours--perfect. I sailed into the mooring and, after flaking the
main and cleaning up, headed to shore at about 1300 to pick up my hoses. |
I was back on board at about 1400, and
immediately got to work on my scuppers. I really hoped that these
hoses would be the charm. Before removing any of the
"old" hoses (they were only installed in January), I held one
of the new curvy ones up to see if it was potentially a good fit.
It seemed to be the ticket, so I removed the port hose (after closing
the seacock, of course). I was amazed at the amount of water that
the 2.5' length of hose held, which I poured into the bilge.
Click here to read about the new hoses,
and their successful installation.
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