HELP New sailor with new sailboat

[mhildebrandt]

I am just getting into sailing after 30 years of dreaming about it. So I bought a sailboat. And off to the race’s learning and fixing and replacing everything as I go through the boat. I’m in desperate help of people who know what goes where and what I should be replacing and how to run the sheets through the boom for replacement. The cunningham, vang as well as other stuff. I’m replacing or rather installing the new electrical system. Non existent for the most part. Anyone willing to lend a hand or give some good advice would be appreciated. The sailboat is a 28 foot Columbia 1969. I have 6 good sails certified by Kent sails. My boat is at boat works marina on the dry. I have been working on cleaning it and replacing the ropes. Halyards and sheets. I need to place some blocks but not sure what they all do or what runs where. I getting ready to paint the outside and time is running out. I’ve already painted the bottom with vr17 and with be painting above the waterline with total boat blue glow white starting Wednesday 10-23-24. Sanding and priming and hopefully painting Thursday and Friday.

[fox9988]

Welcome. Listing the boat and location in your profile would help.

[leboyd]

maybe you can find videos on YT or somewhere that will help you figure out your lines and sheets.

[mhildebrandt]

Yes. I’ve been looking at a lot of different things on YouTube.

[5BTM]

Your boat was build before the Internet and YouTube, when knowledge and experience was shared through books.

My favourite is "The Handbook of Sailing" by Bob Bond.

Resist the temptation of turning a 28 footer into a 36 footer by adding platforms, double decks, etc..

You need working navigation lights, VHF, bilge pump and some cabin lights.

Washer and dryer, induction stoves and hot tubs are options.

KISS.

[JPA Cate]

On a 28 foot boat, use buckets for laundry. Buckets are also convenient for hauling drift wood for a beach cookout, and taking tools up aloft for repairs. EVERY thing on your boat should have at least two useful applications.

Sail the boat for a couple of seasons. I wouldn't paint the topsides now. Your first season or second are the most likely times for harder than you'd like contact with berth sides or docks, or even rocks. I'd expect that if you pay attention, by the end of two seasons, you'll have a clear knowledge of which blocks do what, how most of the lines are led, and what you might want or most definitely NOT want to change. Please don't rush it. "Marry in haste; repent at leisure."

Ann

[TrentePieds]

Welcome Hildebrant :-)!

The boat you got, whether it's a V.1 or a v.2, is IMO very nearly the ideal cruising boat for learning on. I loved them half a century ago when I was an instructor. The boat is totally well-behaved and uncomplicated - unless you get carried away and complicate it unnecessarily, of course. Please DO resist doing that :-)!

You want to know "... how to run the sheets through the boom for replacement". I doubt that it's your sheets that run there :-) If you are talking about your mainsheet, then on this boat — for now till you gain more experience — I would simply run what sailors call a "luff tackle" from the end of the boom down to a tang at the centre of the fore edge of the transom locker. No fuss no muss no bother. There are reasons stemming from the boat's physical dimensions that a traveler mounted on the housetop isn't gonna serve you well.

One thing that she may not have now, but which I consider essential in ANY cruising boat is a "running" topping lift rather than the stupid little "rat-tail" hanging on the backstay that all too many boats are fitted with. If she doesn't have one now, prolly the best time to fir one will be when you launch in the spring.

She is not a racing boat, so you don't really need a vang. All you need is a "kicking-strap" to prevent the boom end rising up and then knocking you on the noggin as it comes back down again. You WILL, for sure, have such "irish gybe"s until you learn to do a controlled gybe :-)

As for the electrics: Good on ye, but how much do you really need? Keep it minimal! As for the low-ampage wiring, do not hide it behind the ceilings. let it run in tidy wire-gutters that you can get at in the future when repairs become necessary. As they will!

Anyway: One thing at a time. Don't be shy asking :-)!

And pay attention to Ann sez in post #6!

All the best.

TrentePieds

[Enfant Du Vent]

Ahoy Hildebrandt:


5BTM gave good advice on what's necessary and not necessary.
But he forgot to add RUM to the "what's necessary" list!
(And I guess the "second" use would be to placate the Pirates trying to make you walk the plank.)


Bon Voyage

[Don C L]

Welcome aboard mhildebrandt! Send us some photos and we can help you out with projects. I'd agree with Ann to hold of on painting for now. I know it seems like the natural thing to do to spruce up the boat, but it takes a while to do it right and it can really disable a boat. Sail her for a while! You'll be amazed how pretty she is already once she is sailing.

[mhildebrandt]

Thank you everyone for the advice and the support and encouragement. After a few rum cocktails “RRRR” I hit the ground running. Everyone thinks I’m a little crazy for buying a sailboat and not knowing how to sail but I have read some books and watched

and

learned a lot from YouTube and I did take a class at Delta college 20 some years ago. It’s not rocket science and if at first I don’t get it right I’ll just head into the wind and reset the sails. I figure it will come about by doing instead of just sitting dreaming about doing. Thank you all and hopefully I’ll see you dockside in one of the many Michigan Great Lakes ports.

[singlespeed]

A little late in the sailing season for your neck of the woods, but learn how to sail first. Seen far too many dreamers giving up because they bought a sailboat with too little/no sailing experience. Find a local club and learn how to sail in a dinghy. Dinghy sailors tend to be the better sailors. It develops a sense of balance and feel for the boat. It will also help you understand your rigging and why certain pieces of hardware exist. Once you learn to dock a light dinghy in a strong crosswind, it becomes just another docking on a larger boat, potentially saving you a lot of money and grief.

[sinnerman]

There is literally a ton of stuff on YouTube, Blogs (Google Search for a specific title will lead you to the blogs..). Websites, etc.

For example type in "Colombia 28 for sale" and you will see listings of other people boats. Look at the pictures and you can decipher how to run the rigging.

Example:
https://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/61436

cheers