Turning systems theory into practical knowledge of my specific boat

[MandM2040]

Hi, I am a decent local sailer and am certified through ASA 106 and soon through ASA 108. I recently purchased a 2005 Hunter 36. I can single hand confidently around the Puget Sound. Though, I have a long term dream to sail to Hawaii. As such, I want to learn the insides and outs of my boat in order to be confident that I can handle whatever is thrown my way offshore.

I am not naturally handy. I can read and have taken general maintenance classes on other boats, but find it challenging and time consuming to apply theory to the specifics of my boat.

Does anyone have any tips for me? Or does anyone know of a consultant in the Seattle area who I could hire without breaking the bank to spend time walking me through replacing systems on my specific boat?

Thanks! Michael

[Lodesman]

Get yourself a copy of Nigel Calder's Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual https://www.google.ca/search?q=Boato...Gl0LNIKOwLFSVM:

[barnakiel]

There is much disagreement on how very skilled a sailor needs to be. I am in the 'nil skill' box - rather than fix the boat, I concentrate on sailing it.

So, from my low tech no skills perspective, this is what can be done for / by guys like me:




1) SIMPLIFY

Simplify all high tech systems. Avoid complex solutions. Go for mil tech rather than high tech. Fewer gadgets, less energy, reliability before the newest latest bling thing.

2) GET RID OF

Get rid of systems that are not necessary to sail the boat. Systems you do not have onboard cannot break.


3) MASTER YOUR DESTINY



The stuff you do need: sailing skills (in any weather), nav skills, weather understanding, etc. - master these in out and 360 degrees backwards. If you use something, get to know everything about the bloody thing - because when you do so YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHAT CAN FAIL AND WHEN. And knowing the pitfalls will help you avoid them (well, some of them anyway).


LAST BUT NOT LEAST : get your BODY and MIND ready - exercise, exercise, exercise. Get fighting fit and learn to relax in tense environments. You want to be able to run a mile, swim two and sleep on a noisy subway train. The better your phys and psych prep, the easier the passage. For you know, out of 10 failures, only one is attributed to equipment failures ...


Last thing : DO before KNOW. Licenses and exams are for the authorities. The ocean is the only examiner that counts out there.



;-)


Welcome to the forum!


Cheers,
b.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by MandM2040

I am not naturally handy. I can read and have taken general maintenance classes on other boats, but find it challenging and time consuming to apply theory to the specifics of my boat.

Does anyone have any tips for me?

I think you've started on a good track... and it's not like "challenging and time consuming" should be unexpected when you start actually doing things you've only read about.

There are other threads around here highlighting boat systems books: diesels, electrics, general boat stuff, etc. and reading those -- or at least having them on hand for consultation when a specific problem arises -- can help. I've found softcopy best for most of those; sometimes searchable, and takes up less space.

If there's an active owners club for you boat, you'll often find someone with the same boat, same problem already fixed... and they can talk you through what to do and in what order, how to get there to do it, how to test results, etc. Almost invaluable!

And then YouTube can be your friend, especially for named bits of equipment (water pump X, etc.).

It also helps to go into a specific problem area by first learning the jargon (what's a "flange?" "how is a bolt different from a screw?" and so forth).

And occasionally your book-learning or classroom experience will lead you to know when best to solve the problem by just writing a check. Sometimes it helps to use that as a learning tool, as well, if the hired tech will let you watch without charging extra. I've met a few who will actually "teach" (a bit) while they do the work... very useful!

But just know that "slow" is sort of inevitable at first, often made even slower by access issues... and then assuming you do your own after-action analysis and take notes, expect that you'll do better the second time around each time.

-Chris

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Michael.

[belizesailor]

If you are not naturally handy and want to so long distance sailing then, as suggested, simplify/eliminate (preferably eliminate) all systems possible..and learn what you have very well. Its systems that occupy most maintenance effort. And you better learn them well for long distance sailing...because you will have to fix things.

The thing that is hard to teach/learn is troubleshooting and improvisation fix skills. Some of us are just born that way. If you are not, thats gonna present some challenges for long distance/remote sailing.

I assist a not so handy/experienced friend via InReach. You might look for someone who can provide similar assistance.

[TrentePieds]

As Barnakiel sez: "What you don't came can't break".

Get rid of stuff! Never forget that men navigated the glove for centuries before any of the gizzmos flogged to the ignorant through fancy advertising in the glossy mags had even been invented.

Some of those things may be "nice to have" but they are far from essential!

In addtion to the Nigel Calder boocited above, get Don Casey's "This Old Boat".

Take baby steps while referring to these books and before you know, you'll know as much as the rest of us :-)! There is nothing mystical or difficult about any of it.


TrentePieds

[Hardhead]

Just have confidence in who you are. Everybody else doing this - is just like you, and nobody was born with any experience at all. You've taken some good classes, now just jump in and start actually doing it. The learning curve on almost anything is very steep in the beginning, meaning you learn a hell of a lot in the first 8 hours you do something. Many things that seem extremely complicated on paper, or in a classroom, are actually surprisingly easy and remarkably intuitive - after about 8 hours of experience doing it. If you are successful enough in life to own a boat, it's impossible that using the boat is outside of your abilities. Good luck - you won't really need it though.

[Hardhead]

Also, as previously mentioned, I think youtube is actually a world changing resource. I wouldn't want to be in the repair business. There are literally thousands of good instructional videos posted, on almost any topic, and they're all free and easily available. Obscure parts are also a lot easier to buy now than they ever have been, and with just a little effort and smarts - it's possible now-a-days to tackle repairs and re-builds that would have been almost impossible for the average person back in the 90's. Same with almost any topic you are interested in. Just take everything step by step, and you'll be surprised how much you can learn on your own.

[Whosails]

All you need to know is how to sail, navigation and what to do if the rudder falls off, sails tear or if the boat is holed. If your engine fails as mine did, your electrical will be gone also. A handheld gps with lots of batteries and paper charts will get you where you are going.