Hello!
First of all, I want to say that this forum has been a huge resource for me in the last year or two... got the silly notion some time ago to buy myself a cheaper/older sailboat and eventually live aboard/cruise on it, so I've done a lot of lurking here trying to learn about all that. I like the "vibe" here, in a world of
forums filled with trolls and egomaniacs, this forum stands apart.
Despite the wealth of sound, logical wisdom available here, I've gone and bought myself an "interesting" vessel... a Hanna "Tahiti" built of
wood in 1978, rigged as a gaff
cutter, complete with running topmast, deadeyes and lanyards, etc. No wire
rope, no winches.
I have very little sailing experience, and it was ages ago... but I will be proceeding cautiously, with the goal of eventually sailing her solo. She will need upgrades toward that end, but for now, she needs attention to "deferred maintenance", having not been hauled out in about 10 years !! Last owner motorsailed her up the
ICW from
North Carolina, and she's been sitting at a private seawall in NJ year-round since then, and not sailed much at all during that time.
Yeah, I bought her without a pro
survey... I know, I know. But it was a right boat/right place/right
price sort of thing. And she cast a spell on me, dammit!
I've started making arrangements to
haul out and take care of the
hull, mostly , and to get a C&V while she's
on the hard. I plan to do as much of the
hull work myself as possible (good boatyard labor ain't cheap)... I have an extensive woodworking background (but not much with boats), and I have access to the
internet, so what could go wrong?

Anyway, the last hurdle to the haul-out is finding crew (for a ten-mile
motor sail on Barnegat Bay, with a good
engine and ad-hoc, minimal but workable sail plan).
I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid, so I will need a couple of hands for that (at least one who has some suitable experience). I have gone through my short list of friends who sail, and none willing or available so far.
Ideal window is next week... failing that, it'll have to wait until third week of September.
So if there are any NJ-area members here who are interested in helping with the repositioning, let me know! Note: if all goes well, she will go back to her slip in Point Pleasant in mid-Oct., before the
repair yard fills up with
winter residents (and I have to pay for the whole season). So help will be needed then, also.
Here is a picture of "Nina", at her last haulout/survey in 2013... not much has changed, except for condition of
paint and seams(and plenty of
marine growth; but I will be
diving on her this weekend to scrape off much of that). White cedar on oak, teak-on-ply
deck, spruce spars. 30 feet on
deck, 4'6"
draft; disp. 9 tons. All hull fastenings were replaced, around the time this
photo was taken.
The cordage/wood
rigging is pretty dry, but holding up well. The tanbark
sails are much the same. The
bilge is pretty wet, LOL, but not too bad. Currently the primary
bilge pump goes off for a few seconds every hour or so (as it has since re-launching in
North Carolina and a motorsail up the
ICW ten years ago), and there is a backup automatic
pump, as well as two manual pumps.