Hi Andrei, Do you store the outboard on the transom? My thoughts go along the line of getting the rigging time down to a manageable 20-25 minutes. Possibly combined with some 5-10 day stays (colder water = longer) in the water, when you feel you'll be able to sail more frequently, followed by a good wash down to get all the tiny whiskers off and a couple of days out of the water. I have been told to use bleach in the wash water for the portion of the hull that's been submerged - and do not wax - I followed that advice and kept the hull clean even in the SF Bay for 3-4 days at a time. How about the rest of you; Have you ever timed (real time) your rigging times? I believe the part that I improved most on was the stowage of shrouds. If you coil and then suspend with a bungee, and do it exactly the same every time, you'll shave quite allot off your times. That and the use of really, really long bungees so you can wrap the mast more efficiently. My M17 had a 6 hp Johnson which weighed close to 70 pounds (memory?) When I transported on the streets of SF, I pretty much had to remove it. After I found a place where I could store mast down and move from storage to the water, I left it on and that really sped up the process. If I had wanted to keep the M17, I would have purchased a Honda 5hp, much lighter. I did have the advantage of being able to walk the mast up, with only the aid of the jib halyard, and, maybe that's where a lot of time is lost for some. I have a terrible memory for the unimportant. I have to put things in a procedural order so that I can perform tasks in rote, as opposed to what is logically next. As a result, I go from step to step and allow no distractions to break my focus which enables getting around a boat pretty quickly. But that's just me. Some may call that using a checklist. However after I do the steps a few times, it becomes a habit and I do not have to read my script or try to remember what's next, it's automatic, and quick. Works for me and may not work for others in the same way. Bill On 10/16/08, Andrei Caldararu <andreic@math.wisc.edu> wrote:
Dear Monty sailors,
here is a difficult question. I own a 1982 M-17, and love it. It's never been kept in the water, and so the bottom is the original gelcoat, unpainted. I generally sail it one afternoon at a time, on the relatively small lakes here in Madison, WI, although every once in a while I would trailer it to a bigger lake.
This past summer (I got the boat at beginning of July) the boat was kept on its trailer, and each time I sailed I had to do the whole rigging/derigging game. I am now probably as good at it as I will ever get, and it takes about 50 minutes to put it up, and the same amount to take it down. Unfortunately I am also quite busy, with two kids and a full time job. Because of this, there were quite a few times I didn't go out because there was not enough time to put it up, take it down, and also sail a fair amount.
A friend of mine who has a house on the lake was kind enough to offer me to start using his mooring, for free, for the foreseeable future. This would obviously solve the above problem, but I need to start thinking about bottom paint. Hoopers in Minnesota, where the boat is now for some small repair, offered me the following options:
a) Just bottom paint, about $500. b) Interlux 2000E barrier coat (5 coats) + bottom paint $1750
On top of this expense I am looking at another $3-400 for a small dinghy and outboard to get to the boat. The main question I have is: is it worth it? Should I keep trailer sailing the boat (at a cost of about $250/summer for parking), get just the bottom paint and risk gelcoat blistering, or get the full deal. Any opinions? My gut feeling is that if possible I would like to try to keep this boat for a long time, I really like the way it handles. It's just that $2000 is exactly half of what I paid for it!!
(Unfortunately there is no place in Madison to keep a boat rigged near the water, and I don't have the time nor the place to put the boat up on a lift to do the bottom painting myself.)
Any advice will be highly appreciated.
Thanks,
Andrei.
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