A Complete Rookie with a 28' Aluminium Hull and an Obsession with Living Aboard

[squirrel]

Hey everyone!

After a couple of years of dreaming and saving i got myself a bare Sarum 28 hull and was originally planning on turning it into a cruiser... At this point i might want to add that iv never sailed or been aboard anything bigger then a laser, but i learn quick and have a few experienced friends at hand to help me with the sailing aspects. But then while researching ideas for the interior layout i came across the idea of a "live-aboard"... Didnt take long for me to figure out all the advantages of living on a boat over getting a house just yet (or ever?), as im 22, n realise that i can easily deal with some of the "disadvantages" mentioned in the "You Might Be a Liveaboard, if...", in fact im actually looking forward to alot of them
Read alot about the friendliness of live-aboarders, and you guys do seem like a friendly bunch, so i thought id see if you have any advise on what are the key things to have on a live-aboard yacht?
I live in Scotland, for now, n it gets a lil cold in the winter, so i was thinking whether or not i want to insulate the hull, since aluminium is good heat conductor... Any suggestions?
How big do i want the holding tank to be?
Do you guys have a generator onboard or just solar n wind power?
What else should i think about?
Anyways, looking forward to hearing your thoughts and thanks in advance!

sq

[KayKay58]

I share your enthusiasm for living aboard, we have just moved up from a Cal 9.2 to a 41ft Morgan Out Island, and will be doing a lot of work on her, getting ready to live aboard. I may lead a rather sheltered life, but I have yet to meet any really bad sailors out there, although I am sure there are. Every one in both marinas that we live aboard are about as nice and friendly as can be! Everyone is ready to lend a hand to any and all newbies, and I, for one, am very grateful for all advice and help offered.
As for decorating and making you 28 more functional as a live aboard, I found that it helped me to keep priorities, like more storage for food, than I needed for clothes, (which by the way was one of the hardest part of living aboard, getting rid of my shoes, although, my husband was thrilled secretly I'm sure!) And more water storage, than holding tank storage, I found that a 30 gal holding tank was plenty good. But to each his own, just go with your best judgement, and once again, welcome aboard!

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
I just looked up Sarum 28 and it appears to be a popular boat where you are. Can you find others who have sailed or lived aboard them and ask them direct questions?
I recommend two books that you might be able to find in your library. "From a Bare Hull" by Mate and "This Old Boat" by Casey. They are not extremely detailed but will give you a lot of really great information about finishing your boat for your purposes.
One thing you'll want to do is make certain that on a 28 foot boat that you don't overload it with heavy extraneous gear that you don't need. Keep it as simple as possible.
kind regards,

[DaveC]

One thing to be very careful about with an aluminum hull is electrolysis. I'm not an expert with protecting aluminum hulls but I would make sure you have very good zincs on it.

I have heard that some people even paint the hull with a zinc based paint to protect the aluminum from slowly disolving through electrolysis. This is even more important when it is kept in a marina in close proximity with other boats connected to shore power.

[squirrel]

Thanks for the greetings!
KayKay58 thanks for the space tip. Was wondering whether i really need a wardrobe... And as for using my judgement, i have decent common sense but no experience, and i dont want to finish her only to realise that missed out or miscalculated some small but important detail... So what would be your recommendation for a water tank? Im planing on having a shower on-board, n looking at getting a water maker in distant future.
Thanks for the book suggestions SkiprJohn! I have a couple of books on restoration and renovation, but its not the same as dealing with a bare hull... Will have a look on amazon! I also ordered Pardey's "Self-Sufficient Sailor" n recogn it will be a good read. Iv spoken to a Sarum owner through email but he sold his on a few years back, plus dont think he ever used it as a liveaboard... But he was alot of help with my rigging questions. Heard of an owners club so trying to get in touch with them. And as for overloading, so much for wanting a washing machine
DaveC, iv read a bit about electrolysis and galvanic corrosion but i was never too good in chemistry at school so still find this subject confusing... From what i gathered, its a really big issue but provided i follow certain steps, like not using dissimilar metals n making sure all electrics are well insulated i shouldnt have a problem. Plus i think i can get a kind of a volt meter(?) to measure any stray current on the hull and hopefully find and fix the problem early enough. Anyone has any reading suggestions to clear up this issue for me?
Cheers,
sq

[Fishman_Tx]

Hey Squirrel, here's a bit on Aluminum hull galvanic corrosion and here's some links for tankage. I like the 2nd link better for selection.

Aluminum hull galvanic corrosion
http://www.seaguard.co.nz/corrosion.html

Plastic mart
Plastic-Mart - Marine Water Storage Tanks For Boats :

and Ronco
http://www.ronco-plastics.net/newRon...anks_2010_.pdf

WHOOPS, but then again your in Scotland, sorry.

[squirrel]

Fish thanks so much for the corrosion link!!! Totally get it now, like its a chemistry lesson that i missed at school, n i actually remembered the galvanic series thing from school... So totally makes sense to have zinc based paint. Found a competitively priced custom tanks company over here, but just need someone to give me a rough idea of the volume that id want...

Read in another post that spray-on insulation saved some guys boat after he ran her into a reef, as the foam is waterproof n acted as a water barrier. So think it also makes sense to have it... Can anyone recommend a good brand?

And lastly, got a bit of a controversial question... I know theres been loads of posts about it, but im still "tearing apart"... Tiller or wheel? Really wanted a wheel at first, but then after reading a few experienced opinions i decided to go with a tiller. But there is still that tiny bit of me that desperately wants a wheel, pretty sure its the dam ego... Is there any way i could have both?
Cheers

[Fishman_Tx]

Wheel or tiller? Boy you lookin to start a war here arent you? If your adding a rudder that doesn't exist, tiller would be easier. And a wind vane too.

Tankage:
Depends on what you want and how much room you got. We have a 100 gal Monel in the bilge and a 20 gal plastic under the v-berth. The 20 is higher and therefore gravity-feeds the main (through cutoff valve between) as water is pumped out so the 20 empties first. Dual fill ports and vents etc. A 5 gallon holding tank and 20 gallons deisel on a 34'. Really it's a matter of how creative you can be in the utilization of eveery cubic inch (centimeter?) of space and still allow room for stowage and lockers. When you build out, make sure you use hose and connections of the highest quality so you don't have to tear anything out for the next 10 years or so and keep it clean. Do that and you can put tankage anywhere.
In all you do....
Take your time, do it right, don't cut corners, and don't be a cheapskate. It'll last a long long time. As my favorite 'Trek character would say, "The rrright tool for the rrright job". (and you only get 1 guess).

Dang, now I got 2 Scots to deal with! My B-I-L is a Buchanan.

[DeepFrz]

Risking stepping on an IED, on a 28 ft. boat I would go with tiller steering. A wheel will take up way to much room, IMO.

Nice looking boat.

[squirrel]

Well Fish, im gonna have to disappoint you... Im not actually Scottish, just lived here for a while n planing on stayin for abit infact im actually Russian.
Interesting tank set up! Exactly the sort of a tip im looking for, no chance id ever think of that myself... Iv actually got a contractor who sounds like he knows what hes talking about in terms of the actual craftsmanship (www.bespokeyachtinteriors.info if anyone is interested), so i recogn he'll do a good job putting her together, but ive gotta do a good job of planning everything out.
DeepFrz thats what i was thinking aswell, however i did see a wheel on one Sarum that was up for sale online... It does seem like just another thing that could go wrong though... N considering its my first boat, think im going to go with a tiller... Cheers for the compliment!
Just to give everyone n idea of what she looks like without having to google it:
Sail plan: http://www.meonrc.org/PhotoHull/sarum005.pdf
Floor plan: http://www.meonrc.org/PhotoHull/sarum006.pdf
I think the layout is ok, except im gonna have a v-berth in the fore cabin and maybe replace the quarter bert on the port side with something more usefull... Anyone got any comments/suggestions on the layout?
Cheers

[Fishman_Tx]

Sorry dude, didnt see you had a pic. She's got a skeg-hung rudder already, I see. Go wheel. I have some pics for you of an equipped Sarum 28 and spec sheet from a ForSale site. I'll put them all into a zip and email it to you. PM me your details...

[squirrel]

Legend! PM sent! Only uploaded the pic last night so prob wasnt there when you looked...

[Fishman_Tx]

Naw, my bad, didn't look first.
Pics sent in zip file to your addy.

[SabreKai]

I'd say the quarter berth as laid out in the drawing is going to be a nightmare to get into. If its 6 foot long it appears that only the top 2 feet of it are inside the cabin. You'd need to be a snake to get in and out of it. In an emergency? Ouch. I like the L shaped dinette, and the galley layout. Perhaps you can extend the galley counter top to the end of the cabin and use it as a chart table with storage under. Put the stove up at the bulkhead, and the sink at the stern end. A small fiddle across the counter top, perhaps with a pole from counter top to overhead, will give you something to hold onto in a sea. The fiddle will keep food from charts. The vee berth is a good idea, makes better use of the space, and gives you a double if you use a drop plate in the opening. As for insulation, spray in is best in this case. It will keep you nice n toasty if you have a small heater on board.

I like the twin keel design, sure easy to put her on the hard and do maintenance without using a yard.

Sabre

[DeepFrz]

squirrel, Steve D'Antonio did a review on an aluminum boat built by Kanter in Canada. It was a good technical review of many things you need to keep in mind when building an aluminum boat. I think it was in Passagemaker magazine. Don't remember for sure. It would be worth doing a little searching to see if you could find the article.

A few of the things that I remember;
It is very important that you don't have any bronze or copper (including wire clippings) in contact with the aluminum hull and all other dissimilar metal should be isolated from the hull.