Dear Abby . . .

[easterly38]

Originally Posted by Hud3

Just as a point of reference, 3" of waterline in my former 38' cutter equates to 4,500 lb. Assuming your 38' sloop is similar, that's a lot of spares!

It's a Med deck, so the boat is actually more like a 36 footer when it comes to the waterline. But, yes, I bet my wife and mother-in-law threw away well over a thousand pounds of junk, not even broken parts, just household junk in the first few weeks that I made the decision that it was worth restoring. He had lived on the boat for over twenty years and lived there by himself for probably the last ten...you could barely walk in there!

[easterly38]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

Having to fit all the equipment necessary for a long trip will clear out that space. Not only is it all the equipment and provisions, but the fact that *everything* needs to be mounted in such a way that it doesn't break loose and smash into something else.

The plug-in power tools will be of little or no use depending on your electrical profile.

Every time we rig our home for sailing it takes two days to go from home mode to underway mode. The more time I spend underway at not at the slip (especially conditions that beat the crap out of the boat) the less stuff I have on board. All that junk takes a back seat to the gear you do need, and when you're bouncing around underway it's really frustrating to have to wade through a bunch of old blocks and rigging that was taken off for a good reason.

OK, let me get this straight. Are you saying I really don't need to have a 1,500 watt portable electric heater under the nav station next to the 110 volt shop while sailing in the Mississippi Sound on a 99 degree day in August?

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by easterly38

OK, let me get this straight. Are you saying I really don't need to have a 1,500 watt portable electric heater under the nav station next to the 110 volt shop while sailing in the Mississippi Sound on a 99 degree day in August?

What I'm saying is that you should go into the gulf stream and watch that heater nearly take someone's head off as it flies out. And in regards to someone earlier saying they needed a lot of spare parts, very few "spare parts" are really qualified for that. There might be some legitimately "spare" items like an in-the-box lift pump, but more likely a lot of those spares were crap when they were replaced and a hoarder just couldn't bear to throw it in the dumpster where it belongs.

[Opie91]

Easterly38,

I really feel for you. It is going to be close to impossible for him to voluntarily part with that stuff. Since he lived on the boat for the last 10 years every "piece of junk" has got some type of memory for him. Its a tough spot to be in, I am sure you don't want to break the guys heart, but it is also difficult to understand why someone would need 8 broken bottle openers.

My father in-law is the same way(although he lives ashore). One day he asked me to help him clean up his yard. Since he was selling his house and building a new one I figured why not. He had to go away for the weekend so my wife and I helped my mother in-law. He had 6 former vehicles, one van was full of 2 X 4 lumber that was full of nails and 20 years old. The yard was also littered with old lawn tractors and assorted junk. My mother in-law said everything had to go, so I called up a friend of mine and got it all towed away to the salvage yard. Also made about 6 trips to the dump in a mason dump.

When he got back I was expecting a big thanks, but he wanted to know where all his "valuable" stuff was. He got over it after a few weeks.

BTW he does not ask me to help him clean up anymore.

[easterly38]

Opie and Rebel, Amen to both of you!

[zeehag]

ROFL.... get it down to one and a half sets of GOOD spares, then stop. unless spares include water pump">raw water pump and fresh water pump--just keep 2 of those.. you know what is gonna go as soon as ye chuck the spares-- so keep one and half full sets and poof the rest. that boat will ALWAYS be HIS boat---but it can be made usable by doing just that--have fun. DONT INVITE HIM TO ANY MARINE SWAP MEETS.

[thinwater]

About once per year, I dig to the bottom of EVERY compartment, and ruthlessly take stuff home. Things slowly come back, to be certain, but only as needed. Often when things get home, it is more clear they really had no place on the boat; it was simply an idea that didn't prove out.

You are aware you have duplication, but that may not be clear to him (memory) until it is all laid out on the ground and catagorized. Once he sees 5 hammers he might be willing to let 3 of them stay home.

A stowage list might help, since many horders are afraid they can't find something, so they add one more... 5 times. It also helps prove that "yes, we do have XXX spare or tool and we know where it is."

So consider bringing most everything home. You will find some plain trash in the process (20 year flares) and some things that can be used-up at home. The excuse? "I want to learn seamanship and to do that I need to know what is on the boat" or something along those lines.

No, it won't work, really. I had a grandfather much like that; a lot of good stuff, and a lot of not so good. We didn't get to clear it out until he needed to move to assisted living. However, it was all in the basement, because his late-wife kept the living area pin-neat and had pounded that habit into him, and so we felt little pressure.

Best wishes.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Hud3

Just as a point of reference, 3" of waterline in my former 38' cutter equates to 4,500 lb. Assuming your 38' sloop is similar, that's a lot of spares!

Ted Brewer explains PPI & MTI and more:
➥ Ted Brewer Yacht Design
http : //www . tedbrewer.com/yachtdesign.html

“It (PPI) is calculated by multiplying the LWL area (.67 x LWL x Beam) by 5.333 for sea water or 5.2 for fresh. The PPI usually increases as the hull sinks into the water as the LWL area is also increasing due to the shape of the hull above water.”

Check out the Pounds/Inch (& more) for your boat (& others) here:
➥ Sail Calculator Pro v3.53 - 2000+ boats
http : // www . image-ination.com/sailcalc.html

* POUNDS PER INCH IMMERSION (PPI)
MOMENT TO TRIM 1 INCH (MTI)

[zeehag]

gord--you take all the fun out of bs...... lol.. gotta love ye-- have equations for everything.. were ye a math or logic prof???
or an engineer like my dad and momma's poppa??

[s/v Beth]

I like the inventory idea. When he sees it all at the docks, tell him what a great mariner he is, and that you are putting everything into ordered inventory so you can get at the spares easier. Then rent a shed and have most of the inventory go to the shed- to be put on craigslist late on a sunday night....

[Shala]

completley irrelevent but it seems to be the place....

dear abby dear abby my ship is a mess
my head wont pass poop and its causing me stress
the cause of my angst is a big wad of paper
dear abby please help me to end this #@&% caper
signed.....poop wadded
poop wadded, poop wadded, your problems quite clear
your head briefing sucked cuz you drank too much beer
a small stick of dynamite will probably do
then off to the chandler to scoff a new loo
signed...dear abby

im a big fan of spares but there is a limit i suppose

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by Shala

completley irrelevent but it seems to be the place....

dear abby dear abby my ship is a mess
my head wont pass poop and its causing me stress
the cause of my angst is a big wad of paper
dear abby please help me to end this #@&% caper
signed.....poop wadded
poop wadded, poop wadded, your problems quite clear
your head briefing sucked cuz you drank too much beer
a small stick of dynamite will probably do
then off to the chandler to scoff a new loo
signed...dear abby

im a big fan of spares but there is a limit i suppose

damn, yer good..LOL

[serah]

... and now we will all have John Prine stuck in our heads

[bljones]

Pre-arrange for a crew of friends to come in and clean the boat out, then take the old salt out for a long dinner and movie, or a round of golf, or some lengthy jaunt away from the boat. While the old salt is away, the crew can swoop in and clean the boat out. make sure they leave the companionway open. When you return from your pleasant outing, gasp loudly and exclaim, "we've been robbed!!!"
The boat's clean and you're off the hook.

[perchance]

Mea culpa. I had occasion to dive the lazzarettes on the boat a while ago and found a bunch of what was I thinking stuff.I slunk off to the dumpster and disposed of it. I still can't bring myself to dispose of my old jib sheets and halyards I think I have a rope fetish.