Making Ex-Racer My Cruiser . . . Am I Mad ?

[Weyalan]

We still proceed, albeit slowly. We have been doing a bot of racing, including our first proper "offshore race" (i.e. liferaft required, etc). That has rather soaked up all our available funding - getting a boat to the required offshore AYF / ISAF standard is an expensive exercise... but we have sneaked in a few little jobs.

I have been removing old stainless wire 7 x 19 cables on the vang and backstay systems and replacing them with Spectra. I have done all the splicing myself, and re-used the thimbles from the old wire rope, so it has been a pretty cheap exercise.

Actually, going through the exercise of getting the boat up to standard has been good. It has forced us to do some things that probably should have been done, but we never seemed to get around to:

Replace the horseshoe lifer-ring
Purchase and fit lifesling
Replace the old crappy emergency VHF wiring and antenna
Properly fasten down engine box / saloon table


to name just a few

[Weyalan]

Just so you know she is still floating*
























albeit without a rudder, currently

[Jim Cate]

G'Day Imposter Insatiable!

Nice pic, Patrick! Looks like new sails since we last saw her... who did them for you? And what's with the rudder?

We're still buggering about in Broken Bay, doing too much socializing and not enough boat chores. Obviously didn't get to Tassie this year, but will mount a more sincere effort next season. Will be heading North very soon now, still unpainted, but with some of the canvas work completed. Our first attempt sewing Stamoid... difficult stuff!

Anyhow, cheers from the REAL Insatiables!

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Coasters Retreat NSW Oz

[speedoo]

For an old racer like me, no boat gets my blood flowing like a sleek, deep keel fractional rigger like Insatiable. A real stunner.

Best of luck and happy cruising!

[Weyalan]

Thanks speedoo.

While Insatiable has been without a rudder (over 3 month now), we have been racing and cruising on various other boats - its always good to see how other boats work.

We have one more racing commitment (this coming weekend), then it will be time to start winter projects on Insatiable. First on the list is to (finally) install the anchor winch... no more raising a heavy anchor and chain by hand - Yay.

[dennisail]

I just read this whole thread. I love your boat and am enjoying all the pics and DIY stories. Have you got any updated pics of the interior?

[Weyalan]

I'm hopeless with remembering to take the camera to the boat. One of these days I will get some nice shots.

Yesterday we (finally) started installing the anchor winch. There are 2 small (6") plastic portholes in the foredeck, that serve no useful function that I can see, so we decided to use one of those as the location for the winch (why make any extra holes in a boat, when there is one already there, I reckon). So we removed the porthole and have epoxied in a piece of timber that bridges across between the ring frames for and aft of the proposed location. We will glass this all in this week. This should transfer the loads from the winch to the frames.next weekend we might even be able to install the winch. Yay. My back is going to love me. When I first got Insatiable she didn't even have a bow rolloer, and I used to pull the anchor up, hand over hand, leaning out over the pulpit. When we fitted a bow roller it was like Christmas... it made the anchor hauling so much easier. Pretty soon it will be "push the button"! Times change, heh.

[Jim Cate]

G'day Patrick,

You woos,you! REAL MEN don't have windlasses (their wives/gf's do that). But, I must admit that I love our Maxwell...

Anyhow, sounds like your are doing your usual thorough job... enjoy the toe exercise!

Cheers,

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Lake Macquarie (for a couple more days).

[Weyalan]

The reality, Jim is that since we installed the bow roller, pulling up the anchor by hand is a chore that I can manage well enough, and really I don't mind doing it. But if I were to hurt my back (and I do have some history of back problems), Lisa probably wouldn't be able to haul the anchor herself. Of course we would manage using either a halyard and a hook, or a hook and rope run back to a primary winch, but on balance, having an anchor winch makes sense.

[Weyalan]

Am pleased to report that we have returned from a pleasant long weekend of cruising on the good ship Insatiable. The newly installed anchor winch functioned perfectly. I have approximately 40m (130') of 5/16" chain and an additional 10m (30') of nylon rode. We are now trying to decide what we should be saving for next. The options are new propellor, headsail furler, lazy-jack system and fridge. Current thoughts are in the order listed....

We are also mid way through a make-over to the ceiling in the main saloon... it was previously coated with some sort of flow-coat like paint, quite thick (average 3mm or 1/8") with such a rough finish it was like 36 grit sandpaper. The stuff is so hard that we could only get it off with hammer and (v sharp) chisels... 3 weekends worth.

[Wotname]

So you have a new rudder then!!!!

[Ex-Calif]

The choice between prop and headsail furler is a tough one. The max prop was the best thing we did to our boat. It made daysailing a complete pleasure upping forward boat speed from 3kts to 5 1/2 and giving is real astern propulsion over the standard folding prop.

OTOH - The furler is like having an automatic transmission. We've changed sailplan 3-4 times in a 1 1/2 beer can race. We've shorted through squalls and furled out again 20 minutes later.

Headsail changes are fun if you are steering and have crew. Single handed in crowded waterways it's tough, and in fact I could argue the furler makes boating safer in such conditions.

[Weyalan]

Wotname: Yeah - the rudder is in... still not quite finished, but usable YAY!

Ex-Calif: I hear what you are saying. For me the prop will come first, because the prop we currently have is very worn, and, frankly, under-size for the boat... to be able to motor off a lee shore in a decent chop and against the wind is a real safety issue for me, so prop first is kinda a no-brainer. Getting better performance under motar than currently will be a bonus too.

At this stage I am leaning towards the Kiwiprop 3-blade feathering prop.

[Weyalan]

Here we are in sunny Southport


Note the new (sexy looking) windows. We are now lighter by precisely 160 x 5/16 bolts, washers and nyloc nuts... that being what held the old ones in... guess that was how it was done back in the day.

The new prop / shaft is awesome - motoring performance is improved out of sight!

Still no interior shots, sadly, although the saloon is looking really good now (in my rather biased opinion).

The big news, however, is that we have taken a giant step towards becoming real cruisers, not just racers pretending to be cruisers... we have just taken delivery of a shiny new headsail furler! Yay!

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Weyalan

Here we are in sunny Southport


Note the new (sexy looking) windows. We are now lighter by precisely 160 x 5/16 bolts, washers and nyloc nuts... that being what held the old ones in... guess that was how it was done back in the day.

The new prop / shaft is awesome - motoring performance is improved out of sight!

Still no interior shots, sadly, although the saloon is looking really good now (in my rather biased opinion).

The big news, however, is that we have taken a giant step towards becoming real cruisers, not just racers pretending to be cruisers... we have just taken delivery of a shiny new headsail furler! Yay!

Ahhh, Patrick me lad,

You've just taken the first step to perdition... soon I suppose you will be fitting a microwave thingy or maybe a Jacuzzi or bow thrusters.

But you should also be practicing looking at your headsail, slightly reefed and slightly baggy, and saying " it doesn't really matter. it doesn't really matter".

Seriously, enjoy the furler. Having one, like skateboarding, isn't a crime!

Looking forward to seeing it in person... we've beaten our way to Moreton Bay, and will be continuing south next week.

Cheers,
Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Manly, Qld, Oz, southbound