Arwen's meanderings

Hi everyone and welcome to my dinghy cruising blog about my John Welsford designed 'navigator' named Arwen. Built over three years, Arwen was launched in August 2007. She is a standing lug yawl 14' 6" in length. This blog records our dinghy cruising voyages together around the coastal waters of SW England.
Arwen has an associated YouTube channel so visit www.YouTube.com/c/plymouthwelshboy to find our most recent cruises and click subscribe.
On this blog you will find posts about dinghy cruising locations, accounts of our voyages, maintenance tips and 'How to's' ranging from rigging standing lug sails and building galley boxes to using 'anchor buddies' and creating 'pilotage notes'. I hope you find something that inspires you to get out on the water in your boat. Drop us a comment and happy sailing.
Steve and Arwen

Tuesday 19 January 2016

Small wooden boat winter maintenance chores

I have been listing some sailing season preparations to do. In no particular order and any question marks after a point means I am still undecided whether to or not... The more question marks....the more undecided!!

Stick some scrap lead flashing I have in locker with bonding glue....additional weight either side centreboard case??????

Tie little loops to all cleats....help secure rope coils

Sort out front locker hatch and catches...new catches Christmas pressie......make it easier and quicker to get on and off

Recut tent and eyelets....sort it out for better fit

Service trailer at local trailer centre. Needs new winch, winch strap....old one finally given up ghost after seven years sterling service

Fit clips starboard side deck for mooring pole and or punt pole.......thinking of getting a 3.5m long bamboo pole and reinforcing ends inside with broom handle and epoxy....useful for summer time creek crawling???

Sort side cleats......bolts not massive screws.....a sudden realisation in night that screws were big and into frame but not same as bolts through to bolt pad underneath??

Add Gopro mounts to centrecase top, thwart top forward, rear thwart top and side wall, rear inside transom coaming, tiller handle top and side, outside rear deck above transom, rear transom

Build boom crutch support stand for use in boat when motoring......so that boom and yard sit lower in the boat without interfering with tiller and extension and don't swing about above my head???

Alter tying on of outboard............rope through hole or around shaft and then attached to boat not bracket...in case bracket fails....well dur!

Check Anti ventilation plate is 40mm below hull bottom.....I think it is mounted too low and this is an issue in wind against tide situations at mouth of Tamar 

 Clew of sail tie onto side of boom, same with Mizzen and move clew slightly forward along it......will it help the sail set better on starboard side???

Replacing the elastic on forward part of boom......stronger to reduce bounce

Bigger tell tales like mini flags on shrouds

Tell tales onto rear of leech 

Sand and paint over dings and dents on thwarts and hull sides

Sand blast spare tyre rim and repaint and then get new tyre fitted

Make new cockpit sleep platform as per Joel's Ellie.

Build a camp kitchen box like the ones Roger uses 

Get out more with the Dinghy Cruising Association

Phew! Lots to do and sooooo little time to do it in!

5 comments:

Bursledon Blogger said...

Steve, I admire your detail and organisation. I recall that when we were getting Blue Clipper ready to go to the Caribbean I had a list of essential things to do, quite a lot of them were still on the list when we got back.

Happy new year to you and yours,

watch out for my post on toom many motorbikes - coming soon.

Max

Anonymous said...

Your list duplicates many of the things that I am planning to do to my dinghy. when it gets a bit warmer.....

Servicing your own trailer is not hard and worth learning to do, as if you had a wheel bearing fail when out and about you could always get home if spares are carried.

I carry a spare hub complete , to make life easier.

If you go to the local trailer center and ask for a scap indespension unit the same as fitted to your rig, then buy new bearings for it from them.

Cut the box section arm before it goes into the rubber bushes, drill 2 holes in it and with 2 bolts and a fabricated backing plate the whole lot can be clamped to the trailer frame.

you now have a spare wheel carrier bolted to you trailer that incorporates a spare hub.

Service the hub and change the bearings and pack it with grease and its good to go if disaster ever strikes on the road.

Cheers.J

steve said...

Max, a man can never have too many motorbikes, or in my case scooters. Let's face it, I just love tinkering!

J.....that is an all time classic good tip and has now got me pondering....thanks

Steve

Alden Smith said...

When I was building my 30 footer I made lots of lists like this. Sometimes when I came to make a new list I would write down a whole lot of jobs I had completed between list making, then instantly cross them off the new list LOL - always made me feel a whole better and a lot closer to the end of it all.

steve said...

Hah! Alden I bet you have created lists of the lists you have on your desk......ah a teachers life....!