View Full Version : Commander #155 'Mephisto Cat'
This is the Gallery page for the Carl Alberg-Designed yacht known as 'Mephisto Cat'. She was built sometime late in 1964, or early 1965 by Pearson Yachts of Bristol Rhode Island.
She is a model known as the 'Commander'. She is Hull number 155. The Pearson 'Commander' and the Pearson 'Ariel' share the same hull but the 'Commander' has a smaller cabin and the best 9' long cockpit on any boat, which is ideal for daysailing. The 'Ariel' has a 3' shorter cockpit and a larger cabin better suited for cruising.
Carl Alberg was born in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1900 and he grew up to become one of the legendary yacht designers of the 20th century. He drew some of the most beautiful lines for the many (now 'classic') Yachts he called his own. He always maintained his preference for the traditional Scandinavian style of narrow beams and generous overhangs. You can read a bit more about him here:
http://www.alberg30.org/CarlAlberg/
A few info bits & historical trivia:
'The Pearson Commander is a capable and stiff sailing yacht. It boasts a very large cockpit, which makes it ideal for daysailing.
Carl Alberg owned a Commander as his personal yacht in his final years as a sailor. He kept his hull #302 in Marblehead Harbor, Massachusetts, and belonged to the Boston Yacht Club, where he served as an officer on several occasions. Hull #302 was named after his wife, "Alma". (One of the launches at the Boston Yacht Club is named "Alma" today, in the Alberg's memory.) Mr. Alberg sold his Commander to his friend and fellow club member, Mr. Gene Collard in 1974.
Mr. Collard renamed the boat, "Hot Spur", and sailed her until 1979, when she was purchased by Mr. Tim Risk and renamed "Out a Gear". Hull #302 was purchased by Dr. Jack Mallett in 1985, and moved to his home harbor of Padanaram, Massachusetts. In 2002, Dr. Gil Stillings acquired "Acadia" (the name Dr. Mallett had chosen), and she now resides on the Kickemuit River in Bristol, Rhode Island -- just a few miles from where she was built and within eye sight of Mr. Everett Pearson, co-founder of Pearson Yachts.'
I bought the 'Mephisto Cat' in March 2006 for sailing in San Francisco Bay where she has 'apparently' spent most of her life. Lacking anything more appealing, and having learned that this had been her name for all her recorded history, I have kept the name, & hope to find out more about her pevious owners / history. I know very little, but I've heard that she spent many, many years in Tiburon and also on a mooring in front of the San Francisco Maritime Museum. -As evidenced by her appearance on main picture in the museum's brochure... If you have any information, please contact me.
The Mephisto cat has undergone a complete restoration (2008) and many upgrades since I acquired her. Here you will find a details of the work done on the Mephisto Cat, and also some tall tales of Sailing adventures by her and her salty crew.
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UPDATE: The Mephisto Cat is back in the bay! After the owner's wanderings to Hawaii, Australia, and So Cal... The Mephisto Cat spent a bit of time on the hard, but after some 10 months of working on her (and other adventures) we are now back in San Francsco Bay!
The Mephisto Cat is still undergoing a few upgrades, but she is now sailing as Carl Alberg intended. (Carl's personal boat was a Commander after all!)
Picture 1: is one of Carl Alberg And Everett Pearson sailing along in a Pearson 'Electra'. - Mr. Alberg is at the helm wearing the dark suit. (not typically my choice of sailing attire!)
Picture 2: This was taken during our last sail before I took the mast down and she was loaded onto her trailer while I went abroad for a bit...
Picture 3: A picture of C-155's restored Hull number plate. (I should have wiped it down!)
Here is what I've been trying to find the time to do for a while...
It was painful to see the little boat mastless... I was not very eager to take it out of the water. This Commander wants to be sailed. This owner is having a hard time finding the time... As you may have read on this board, I've moved from SF to Hawaii, (which greately disliked) then I went to Australia for a while, (which I always enjoy) and now I find myself in LA... (Huh?)
In any case, I hope to free up the trailer in order to hopefully make it available for transporting other Ariels and Commanders needing wheels. If you are in need please shoot me an e-mail.
I know of the Commander for sale here in the area.
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/showthread.php?t=1549
I do not think I can adopt another boat so I hope that someone here is able to save it...
I saw it and it looked like a very solid Commander. The interior is spartan, but it is good basic shape. I am very interested in its 180 Genoa if the buyer wants to make it available...
More details soon. As soon as I get a bit of time, I will post the construction data for the trailer as fabricated as well as details on the progress.
The work is progressing smoothly as could be expected...
I hoped to take more pictures, but I was short-handed at the boatyard and quite busy to get everything ready for the trip...
After assembling the mast carrier and building the rear mast support.
All the bits lashed and secured...
Good news! It seems to have made the initial run in one piece...
For details on the trailer's design and notes on how to have one built see post #11
one more for now...
These little boats are not so little!
commanderpete
01-25-2007, 10:52 AM
Riding in style
My Commander is till in the dry and I've had the itch to go sailing!
Notice that there was no-one else out in San Pablo bay on this day... you can see the whitecaps up the bay (North San francisco Bay) It was a great sail...
This is the only picture I have of C-155 sailing (that is not taken from onboard the boat, that is...)
A nice day to spend in Sausalito...
Picture #4
An iconic shot. What any boat on any trailer aspires to.
That IS a really nice set of boat wheels.
What a trailer ought to be.
Love the rollers up front.
Complements the cargo.
Every eye will turn to admire that rig! And aluminum too! Right?
That Commander of yours shows once and for all you don't need a swayback sheer to have a classy sailboat that is the quintessence of, that symbolizes, what a pure daysailer really is.
Commander is a joy to look at from any angle.
When you need an example of the word FAIR (as in fair maiden) to describe a boat's lines, this Alberg design is the embodiment.
Mephisto Cat looks stripped of all the glitz we have come to expect as salty and beautyful. Doesn't need any. This is as deft and fresh a sailboat form as ever devised.
How fantastic that it is a joy to sail as well!
Thanks EBB!
More pix to come soon... It has been a year since C-155 has been afloat.
I am happy to say that I am almost done with an esentially bare-fiberglass restoration and the Mephisto Cat will soon be back in the water. Sailing.
I'll be posting pictures of the process and some specs that hopefully will be useful to others.
The Mephisto Cat remains totally glitz free though. The highest tech elements of C-155 are still the original nav lights! (other than the outboard!)
Basic is beautiful!
- Where is my sextant and lead-line?!
Can't wait!
I had a trailer built when I found out I would have to move out of the country and had to store the Mephisto Cat out of the water for a while...
It is interesting that the best source for trailers of this sort is nowhere near the west coast...
The trailer is all steel galvanized with sealed wiring, and flush-equipped brakes for safe dipping in salt water. It is also equipped with an extra axle at the front end. The intent of this additional axle is to be able to launch the boat from the beach... Hopefully somewhere in the gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) someday (sailing down in Baja!) where there might not be a lift or an appropriate ramp available.
I would probably do the recovery at a location where a lift, or crane is available.
I have not used it in this manner yet...
Hull Profile / Dimensions for trailer or cradle.
The sketches/dimensions on the attached .Pdf will be helpful to anyone wanting to build a trailer or a cradle specifically for their Pearson Commander/Ariel.
(NOTE that the Ariel and Commander SHARE the very same hull design.)
This same measurement method is good for any other boat... provided you take these actual measurements for the intended hull!).
I had my trailer built with bunks for more gentle support while towing, but this information will also apply if you wish to use pads.
Credit for the ability to take these measurements should go to 'LITTLE GULL' which was on the hard, fairly level, and not too far from me in San Rafael. (And to her owner Ebb, who quickly made her available when I was in a bind to provide these measurements to build my trailer in a rush...)
Ebb, you may have noticed a few nail holes and pencil markings on the asphalt in August 2006... I used these to lay a grid on the ground below 'Little Gull' in order to take my measurements.
PICTURE: Sample from document below (attached as PDF)
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These are some notes on the dimensions and drawings in the PDF:
Drawings #1 and A1 (1-of-3 and 2-of-3)
Note the marked dimensions related to the descriptions below:
(A) Width (Thickness of the Keel)
The shape of the keel (in horizontal section) is similar to that of a wing. It has a bulbous leading edge measuring about
9" at its widest (Location 'a2' in Drawing A1). This tapers back to a mere 2-1/2" at its thinnest (Location 'a1' in Drawing A1). This is at the trailing edge as the keel ends to allow for the rudder. This dimensions occurr at a section close to the lowest point of the keel. If your trailer will have 'guides' to float the boat onto the trailer, you will need to allow for this width.
(B) Transom To back of Keel
Pretty Self-Explanatory; This Dimension is 82.5"
(C) Tansom to Center of Keel
Translation: Location of Center of Gravity (CG) This is a critical dimension for trailers as this will dictate where the trailer's axels are to be located. This will be an important one for your trailer buider. Easier to 'eyeball' on a fin keel; harder with a full keel as the ballast location is not so obvious. I calculated this approximately with a bit of math, but find that it must be fairly accurate as I am able to end up with a tongue weight of about 700-800lbs with the boat nicely centered on the axels.
This may seem like a big load on the tongue (it is!) but these boats are not light loads! Less tongue weight will leave you with potential uplift to the rear of your tow vehicle in uneven pavement, and this is not good as you might end-up FOLLOWING your boat down the freeway.
The Land Cruiser's max tongue weight is 900Lbs with a Load leveling device (Highly recommended! As it nicely transfers the load to the front of the tow vehicle and makes for a wonderful tow!)
Brakes on the trailer are also essential!! The boat and trailer will likely weigh WELL in excess of you & your tow vehicle!
(D) Bottom of Keel to Hull height
Not so critical for a full keel boat... Dimension D2 on Drawing A1 may be useful to someone...
(E) Transom To Bow length
LOA (Length overall) Dimension: 25'-7" (it really is this; just like the book says!)
(F) Length of Keel.
Translation: Bearing surface length of the Keel. I did not want to have the rudder shoe bearing any load as the boat sat on the trailer, so I deducted dimension 'H' from this measurement as noted in Drawing A1. The trailer's steel structural member goes the full length, but the treated 2x6 that actually bears the keel load is shorter, leaving the rudder shoe nicely up in the air.
(G) Bottom of Keel to Deck
This should be the dimension from the bottom of the keel to the bow eye. - I decided against installing a bow eye. My trailer has bunks, which in their cradling shape provide quite a bit of resistance to back/forth displacement on the trailer.
If I ended up relying on a bow eye to hold the boat, I'd have quite a few BIGGER issues to worry about...
The dimension I used is good for the Bow stop element incorporated into the trailer which you can see in the pictures above. I might have to slam on the brakes -but I do not think that I run the risk of accelerating out from underneath the boat...
Keel bunk measuring Guide (Page 3-of-3)
The dimensions listed are pretty accurate, but since Trailers/cradles have adjustable bunks or pads this accuracy is not that critical... although you do not want to be too high...
If the drawing might not be obvious or easily read; so here: the measurements are the dimensions of vertical lines starting from a horizontal plane at the bottom of the keel to the point where they intersect with the curvature of the hull.
One set of dimensions is taken from a line offset 20" from the centerline of the hull (inner set of bunks), while the other is at 30" from the centerline (outer set of bunks).
All measurements (towards the bow) marked 'Side' and those appearing to be missing are points that intersect with the hull plane above the waterline (where the nice paint is), or do not touch the Hull at all. (- For example; at 27' and 30' from the Commander's transom there is no longer any boat for pads/bunks to reach!)
Other Dimensions (Page 4 in the .Pdf)
This page adds a few additional dimensions not listed in the previous drawings that may be useful to both Ariel and Commander owners.
Please let me know if you are using this as reference - Just so I know if it is useful - AND especially if you have any different findings from the dimensions / data that I need to update.
Lucky Dawg
03-15-2008, 06:26 PM
What a trailer ought to be.
Aw man! You don't find my trailer inspiring???
(I have huge trailer envy!)
I just ran into this picture of the tow while at a much needed rest stop...
I was stopping to check the load VERY often initially. After a while I got a bit more comfortable...
AND
A picture of the 'Mephisto Cat' racing down the freeway! (notice the puny prop). No issues with hull speed... had 'er up to some 50-60 kts!
The Mephisto Cat looks MUCH different now!
Kyle; Your trailer looks quite sturdy - and versatile. Mine will only haul boats!
My Commander's mast Base was in pretty sad state (the original was some sort of wood laminate). It did its job appropriately enough, but its best days had long since passed.
I remember reading posts where the Design for the Ariel's mast base (Included in the owner's manual Pg. #166) was confused by some of us with the Commander's. They are indeed DIFFERENT. I myself started going down that route, but was lucky to notice this early on... (Phew!).
The Ariel's base rests on a level part of the deck, while the Commander's base sits on a slope resulting in a significant angle that the base needs to compensate for... hence the design difference.
Below is a .Pdf with a fabrication drawing for reference. My submission for the 'Commander' portion of the owner's manual! If you deliver this to a fabricator / Machine shop, they should be able to deliver exactly what you need (as long as you have a Commander - see the manual for the Ariel mast step).
I do not know if my old mast base was the factory original piece. It was nicely worked out of a piece of wood laminate, but it had not been maintained and the top layers were weathered badly. It was solid and fortunately still managed to do its job properly, but it was not pretty...
After considering several materials for the replacement base (I considered a similar wood laminate, a solid piece of hardwood, or a piece of high-tech plastic), I decided to go with Aluminum. Apparently, Pearson offered an aluminum replacement base for the Commander at some point. Durability and ease of maintenance ruled the day. I imagine the aluminum base will last longer than I will...
As I came out of the educational egg as an engineer, it was also a bit of welcome challenge to design and have this puppy fabricated... A few friends in the trades helped keep costs low by helping with finding surplus materials / fabrication / machining skills. Thanks to all!
In the end I had to buy a NEW small slice of an 8" round aluminum billet the minimum charge was more than I thought it would be initially, but there were not many scrap pieces of 8" round Aluminum billet laying around...
The hardest part to machine is the slight radius (R= 64") on the botton of the base. (this is true for both the Ariel & Commander bases) This radius was accomplished largely by hand, as proper machining would have been quite pricy $$$... But a great fit is achievable with a bit of sweat...
My hand written dimensions on the drawing attached are my AS-BUILT revisions. This matches the dimensions of the base currently on the Mephisto Cat...
Here are a few pictures (Pics# 1 & 2) of the Hinged Mast Base / Tabernacle plate that I was contemplating on using.
For reference; the 'Ballenger Spars' part number is HMB M30 - 1/4" SS
I think that Garhauer makes a similar part.
This base will allow you to tilt your mast for removal or passage under a low bridge while keeping control of it. Thiis particular plate will accommodate a Mast that is up to 4" x 7"
This model incorporates the punched flanges on the upper plate as a deck organizer. Very nifty.
This thing is beautiful solid stainless. I intended to use it, but I decided to go with my plain, fixed, round, non-hinging aluminum base as seen below.
<img src=http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/attachment.php?attachmentid=5501&stc=1&d=1232849480 />
<img src=http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/attachment.php?attachmentid=5502&stc=1&d=1232849524 />
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Pictures # 3 on... The final outcome on my Mast Base: (Fabrication drawings posted in the Pdf in previous post)
A few side, by side comparisons with the old base (note the silicone used by some PO), and then a fit test after being acid-etched, primed, and painted with a two-part polyurethane... It is now sitting on a nice bed of polysulfide awaiting the mast.
I gave the polysulfide under the base about 3 or 4 weeks to allow curing Prior to stepping the mast. It is a bed of polysulfide that is at least 1/16" thick which is there to eliminate point loads on the cab itself. This is important as the polysulfide cures very slowly and will tend to squirt out under load if not properly cured when loaded.
I was sure to include a the tradidtional coin for good luck under the mast. I actually added two... One is a 1 (French) Franc piece with the female figure of France in a flowing dress and a nice Canadian (or was it from the UK?) coin with a pretty Sailboat on it. In any case, if anyone else unsteps the mast in the future, they are surely to be confused...
Wow! Very verrrrrrryy niiiiice! :D
That aluminum mast base is absolutely gorgeous! Lucky Boat!
You came out the egg, as you say, an engineer - how you created such a controlled and sharp-edge curve on the bottom is masterful.
Actually unbelievable.
We have a Grizzly vertical milling machine now in the shop here and Mike has just set it up with a digital controller. I mean I can visualize machining process now that I see how it's done in person and do menial tasks on the thing - but he too would be impressed with the difficulty of producing that curve on the bottom of the mast step.:cool:
Since my egg was cube shaped, my method would probably be something like a half-round metal file mounted on a swing arm activated by a bicycle pedal crank and chain and a sort of tilting table that the operator by eye would move into the swing file. The machine would be marketed under the Chimp logo.
Altogether the piece is brilliant:D
Thanks for the comments above... The process was actually much less graceful than you'd imagine. It is actually closer to EBB's Chimp branded contraption! It involved an angle grinder and some patience. I cannot take much credit for the piece other than the design, final fine fitting/sanding, the holes, etc... Others (who shall sail with me soon!) took care of the Fabrication & machining.
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The Dinghy:
I found a beat-up old fiberglass dinghy which I thought had a nice shape to complement C-155's hull lines...
- A 'Fatty Knees', or 'Whitehall Dinghy' it is not, but it is very light (about 75 lbs) and it has a handy, built-in retractable keel for sailing. I just need a mast & Sail. I do have a nice 'shippy' mahogany rudder for it.
LOA = about 8' and it looks like it should tow quite well (This is yet to be determined). It was apparently made in 1990 by "Jolly Boats" (?) per a logo moulded on the seat.
Since it had a very 'attractive price', I ended up with it...
A bit of Glass and gelcoat handiwork by my friend 'Schilaka' and it ended up looking amazing. I should polish the gray gel coat a bit more to get the real shine out of it, and I'll need to find a mast & sail for it.
...but I've dilly-dallyed enough! - It is time to get the 'Mephisto Cat' in the water already!!
This should really get a nice BIG rubrail - Anyone know where one buys 'rub-rail'? to prevent any dings & scratches on the Mephisto Cat's shiny new Gelcoat... I have also been considering getting a beat-up old 8' or 10' inflatable as there would be much less risk of dings & scratches towing a rubber inflatable. But I'd likely sell this nice little sailboat in that case, and it would be nice to have this for gunkholing...
I do not think that I need a dinghy on a regular basis for day sailing and coastal cruising, (I never had one while I was in SF bay) but I'm thinking that on the trip from Mexico to San Francisco it would be wise to have one.
Any thoughts on the issues in BLUE?
Ah, the shiny bits!
I was very lucky with respect to the shiny bits... I really had no expectations of being able to get all these parts this pretty, but an acquaintance of my aunt's pulled through on this one...
I went with the idea of getting the bow fitting re-plated or maybe just polished... and MAYBE do the same with the tiller fitting as I looked at that, (and felt sorry for,) the most while sailing!
The gent that owned the shop ended up telling me he'd be happy to re-plate them... And his price was not bad at all... then he proceeded to tell me to just leave the whole box of parts I had with me and he'd do the LOT... To top it off, the work is amazing!
This was around x-mas time last year... I wonder if... Santa...??? - Naaah! - I wasn't that good!
The pictures do the parts no justice. I think I want to have one of these winches as a desk ornament in my office!
Note the Stern light fitting. My original was in sad shape. It was hanging on by the wires, a bit bent, and green as all the chrome was gone...
I got this replacement by chance off e-bay which came from a 1950's Chris-Craft motorboat. This was shortly after I bought C-155... It sat around for quite a while waiting to be useful again!
The design is almost identical, (the size pretty much the same) but this is significantly heavier and a bit curvier (prettier) than the original Pearson Fitting.
C-155's Flagpole fitting had already fallen off when I came upon her... I have the original 1" Dia. Aluminum part, but I struggled wether to use this original, or go with larger fitting that would allow me to use my flagpoles; A small 3' one that came with the boat, and a lovely 4' -maybe even 4-1/2' long one that my rigger gave me. These are both great and made out of Teak.
I went with the shiny large chromed brass flagpole fitting to match the rest of the shiny parts... With a BIG backing plate as I do not want it falling off again!
S-W-E-E-T!!!!!! :p
Of course we'll be expecting lots of pictures of C-155 showing off all her shiny bling... ;)
Tony G
07-09-2008, 08:08 AM
Sweet indeed! WOW!!
That dinghy looks simply fine. Have you had it in the water yet? If so, did you like the stability? Looks like it should get you to the beach and back, haul groceries and a little fuel/petro....maybe some spirits if you so desired. The ability to sail it would be a big plus. Add the rub-rail without a doubt.
Yeah, an inflatable would sure be nice. An eight footer would be about as large as you would want to tow don't you think? And if you were to deflate for stowing on deck I'm not sure if there is a 'big' difference between eight or ten footers rolled up but there isn't a whole lot of room up front anyway. Wait a minute...you have that king-sized cockpit.
Then there's locomotion to thnk about. If I recall correctly, hard bottom dinks with a little chine/keel row better. If you want to carry a smaller outboard the inflatables (with rigid bottom) plane better. I think someone here once proposed using the mothership's outboard for the dinghy. That might be practical with a 6hp, but, anything bigger somedays the back sez, "no you don't, fool!"
That's just my two cents, Rico.
P.s. I really like the shiney stuff! Send more pics.
epiphany
07-10-2008, 09:53 PM
Oh, wow.
Rico is winning the picture contest, hands down. :D
The Mast before:
Note globs of silicone...
And the corrosion on the sheave plates. They were not too bad off considering, but I decided to clean them up and paint them.
<img src="http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/attachment.php?attachmentid=4893&stc=1&d=1211568660" />
The mast After:
Acid-etched, Primed (2 coats), and painted with Interlux "Perfection" 2-part Polyurethane (3 Coats) -This stuff is Very Shiny & HARD!
I had some one-part polyurethane paint in red that allowed for further procrastination... Now this commander will be recognized from a distance...
I also painted the propeller red, but then I put all the paint away before I got carried away!
- Note the nicely cleaned rigging and new topping lift block & windvane (the old windex was reduced to the rear end of the arrow and some twisted bits of metal - it was very sad.)
I also replaced the Jib Halyard block as the one in place had a sheave for a wire halyard. It is a nice block and is in great shape. This is now to be the muilti-use spare block on board.
The windvane & my handheld VHF are the highest 'tech' pieces of equipment on this Commander!
The nicely finished Teak coambings are now installed and I plan on installing my new traveler base & tuning the rig this weekend.
Yes... the mast is on!
Commander227
08-01-2008, 05:52 AM
Thats it, I'm taking my mast down today and copying you!
You may have started something there!!!!
For instance I have a little bird outline that would fit perfectly on A-338:cool:
In case anyone missed what I found on 338's mast -
That fitting that attaches the jib halyard block to the mast over the big wire sheave was badly corroded. Dangerously corroded.
(post 23 - on the underside in the before shot
and on the top of the spar in the after shot.)
The tang was held on with 4 #12 machine screws. On my mast the aluminum was just about completely reduced to white powder under the fitting.
I think it's worth taking a look under this tang.
Ebb; I saw the same type of isolating material underneath this tang as I found underneath the sailtrack on the mast... I am puzzled by the apparent switch in production tactics by the pearson factory... e.g. Aluminum vs SS spreader bases; Al Rivets, vs SS screws for the mast track, etc.???
Perhaps a previous owner's solution for the fastening of your mast's tang??
I think that the little bird outline will look great on 'Little Gull's' mast. I knew I wanted to do something there... but it took me a while to figure out what to do. Then the obvious came to me!
It is amazing how hard it is to spot familiar boats out in the bay... I figure this would be a great help. Maybe this way I can actually get some pictures of the 'Mephisto Cat' actually sailing!
C-227: Feel free to copy... but royalties may be in order! :)
The Mephisto Cat is now wet, the mast is stepped, and it is ready for a bit of sailing to tune the rig...
But we are NOT there yet... I'll first post a bit about the improvements in the lazarette...
The middle picture is the 'before' condition.
I'd not yet taken the mast down from the carrier and we'd already started to dig into the demo scope. (This picture was taken about 8 months ago!!) The first step was the famed weak point: The Backstay chainplate in the lazarette...
But in getting to this and since I'd had my eye on this bit of a moist spot on the floor of the lazarette we got a bit distracted; A bit of poking around resulted in what you see... Water had found its way into the void under the lazarette floor and the foam filling was pretty soaked on the starboard side.
This was cleaned out, to find everything else in good order. The floor of the lazarette was replaced with new plywood & glass and then new foam was injected.
This brings us to the initial issue - the backstay chainplate:
Note the small Brass screws in the 2nd Picture. These are the standard fasteners to the small knee /brace. There are 3 of these bolts, but I had already removed one before I remembered to take a pic....
You can also see the top edge of the knee... Not the strongest design. There was not really any sign of stress or fatigue to indicate an issue, but this element always seemed to be a bit undersized... A jolt could break this structure and I can imagine the whole thing pulled apart...
Note the original Pearson finish in this pic. - I wish I knew the history of this Commander, but it seems to have been pretty well taken care of considering its 40+ year history.
The new design is seen in the 3rd picture. Some strategically placed plywood and fiberglass. All covered with a bit of mat for good measure.
This was taken before we decided to fill the small gap between the rear edge/lip of the well and the transom. This area is /was always hard to reach and tended to collect muck... It is no longer accessible... Now the rear 'lip' of the well continues aft where it meets the transom.
I feel much better about this configuration. Likely overbuilt for a production run, but we only have one backstay!
Now I will have many other things to worry about, and will likely need to abandon ship before even starting to worry about this chainplate failing... :) -Knocking on wood...
The old and the new...
The original chainplate is 1/8" SS plate. I used 3/16" 316 SS plate for the new one. This was mostly because I wanted some increased torsional rigidity as I thought that this was the original design's biggest weakness. A sudden jolt that pulls in a direction that is out of line with the axis of the thin plate would make it twist and fail... Unlikely, but this is how this would fail...
In the picture, you can see the 6 little chainplates to replace the original bronze ones, and the original backstay chainplate lying between two copies of the new design. (Which I'll .pdf and post for reference.) Missing is the top plate. The one that covers-up the opening as the chainplate comes through the deck. This ia also a bit larger than the original which is only there for looks...
There are two new chainplates in the picture. I still only have one backstay, but I ended up with two copies of the new design due to an order mishap...
I cleaned & polished the tips so that they are shiny-er on top...
In the next picture you can see the finished reinforced lazarette. (Note the covered area behind the OB Well).
You can see how I ground off a portion of the lateral reinforcing in order to fit the new chainplate. In the end I covered the exposed wood with fiberglass and made up the difference by grinding a small curve into the back of the chainplate. This worked quite well...
I drilled the new holes and used SS bolts to complete the assembly.
Lastly, you can see the final results...
(See Post #37 for the files containing the template for this bigger backstay chainplate)
commanderpete
08-05-2008, 06:55 AM
Oh, wow.
Rico is winning the picture contest, hands down. :D
Now he's going for the prettiest Commander and Dink Award
Very nice
For the dinghy rubrail maybe you could use some sort of white rubber trim. Took a quick look at McMaster.com...something along these lines, with or w/o the core, and UV resistant
Self-Gripping Vinyl Edge Trim with Metal Core
Tony G
08-05-2008, 09:22 AM
Isn't there some folklore, legend or tradition that states we should have a star on board for good luck? Painting one on the mast that high up seems like a very good appeasement. Not to mention it looks really cool!
I like your idea of filling in that space between the collar and the stern. May have to steal that one too!
mbowman
08-05-2008, 10:20 AM
Hey man ... great stuff.... can't wait to see it in action with all the sails up....!
mike
Commander227
08-06-2008, 09:00 AM
I used cushioned dock edging and corners on my tender. it may not be pretty but I'll never leave a mark on my boat no matter how hard I hit it. It's all looking great. When do we get to see pictures of the whole boat??
The dissasembly of the mast was one of the most daunting projects... But looking back, it was not too bad...
Painting / Sailtrack
The etching / priming / process semmed complicated as it was my first time doing it... And the instructions are not as clear as they could be...
I did scratch my head at the prospect of pulling the sailtrack off, but looking at the state of the old (presumably original) aluminum rivets made the decision easier. Taking the track off made the painting process MUCH easier too looking back on it.
I described the painting process above briefly, but in summary, it goes something like this:
1.- Clean mast to bare aluminum
2.- Apply etching primer (diluted)
3.- Let dry for more than an hour, but under no circumstances more than 24 hrs. Failing to adhere to this requires going back to step 1. I never found out why... maybe the mast will turn into a pumkin... (?)
4.- Apply 1st coat of Primer, let dry.
5.- Sand & clean & apply second coat of Primer.
6.- Let dry for 24 hrs.
7.- Apply 2-part perfection. Do not forget to paint spreaders, boom, or new aluminum mast base (Check!). I should have also painted the propeller. I forgot that.
Now it is red...
8.- Stop applying paint and leave the area altogether... lest you screw-up your beautiful work.
#8 is likely the most important step. I managed to comply with it and only managed to forget to paint the propeller... Not too bad.
The materials I used are pictured.
The sailtrack attachment.
This was a bit tricky. The hardest part is to determine which darn rivets to use...
-I decided to go with SS rivets. Alternate arrangements on other A-Cs are Aluminum rivets (what I had originally), and SS sheetmetal Screws). But picking a material and type of fastener was the easy part...
The hard part is that Rivets are not very flexible in terms of suitability of use. Their grip range and allowable hole diameter is limited to each size, so for proper fastening, JUST the right size rivet has to be used. AND unfortunately, no one seems to have a trial kit so that you can do a bit of testing /looking/feeling.
I was lucky to find:
a) A supplier that had a good supply of rivets in terms of Materials, size & selection (Diameters, head sizes, grip range, etc.) (mandrel material is also an issue as you can have a mess if you get SS Rivets with a plain steel mandrel, for example...)
b) A supplier that let me grab a couple of each of the potential correct sizes and did not require me to buy a minimum of 100 of each (as seems commom practice).
I believe that the total number of fasteners on the mast (for the sailtrack) was close to 105 each. Buy at least a handful of extra rivets...
I had to account for the thickness of the mast wall, the vinyl isolating material, and the sailtrack. The mast is Aluminum, the sail track is SS... I went with SS Rivets because of the durability and fastening strenght... If the Aluminum rivets held fine even in their old age and corroded state. (some of my original rivets were at the point where most of the head had corroded off!... )
The key is to isolate these materials. I used a nice thick coat of paint and a vinyl material on top of that to isolate the sail track from the mast, and then I used the same coat of paint and a nice glob of Lanocote to isolate the rivets from the surrounding material as well as the sailtrack itself...
Pictured are the rivets I ended up using. I used a hand riveter. (Yes my hands were quite tired!) I am very happy with the instalation. The sailtrack is quite solidly attached.
I managed to paint the stars only a few hours before taking the whole thing to the boatyard! Painting these on the bosun's chair would have been a bit tougher!
This is my 15 min assembly of the mast... (Which took a full day - by the way!) This is just prior to stepping.
The detailed eye will note that I still managed to leave one part of the halyards on the wrong side of the spreader! What can I say... The pressure was on!
AND here is a Sneak peek at the Mephisto Cat as it sat in mid-July...
It is now almost done... (Genoa track remains to be installed, and the tools & rags & random stuff replaced witht he proper interior furnishings). But it has logged about 6 hours of sailing so far!
-Hint on the picture below: the Mephisto cat is the smaller boat with its eyes covered!
The antifouling was refreshed around the edges and where little repairs took place. The difference in color is due to most of the antifouling having been underwarter for a season, but now that the boat is wet, the color difference has disappeared completely...
In the next pictures you'll find proof of this Commander's identity and that it is in the water awaiting an upcoming passage (300 Miles) Ensenada Mexico, to Marina del Rey California...
I already bought my little courtesy flag!
Rico, GREAT stuff on the mast! Thanks.
Commanders look real sexy stripped of nearly all the usual geegaws and bling. Even forehatches.....
But are you going to reinstall the wood seat backs?
Yeah... They are on. I left them off until I stepped the mast. See picture below.
Here is a pic during the first 'test' sail a few weeks ago!
I've already completed the first leg of the passage. (Picts on that soon... )
C-155 is currently at Newport Beach Harbor in Orange County. We head up to Marina del Rey tomorrow.
Backstay Chainplate From post #28
I had no more room above so I posted the template for the backstay chainplate attachments here. If you print at 1:1 scale you will have it in full scale.
RE: Pic no. 2 above - it's interesting how even Commanders with their small cabins look sort of "top heavy" in the profile view without the coamings. Nice coamings make such a difference on these boats.
I don't suppose you'd mind posting a full blown glamor layout of Mephisto all rigged and assembled? She must look absolutely gorgeous!
Did you paint the topsides as well?
MBD - It is all new Gel-coat all around... Outside, inside, underneath, etc... I got some bits that the Pearson factory even missed...
I even Gel-Coated the lead pigs! - A bit carried away - I know... but is is so much nicer to handle these blocks of lead when they are covered in nice gel-coat.
As I mentioned above - the trick in these matters is to know when to stop painting (coating, in this case!)... I only stopped when there was nothing more to coat!
Pic: This is the very first outing with sails... (a couple of hours before the next picture below was taken), We were just going back & forth in the marina... just to see if something important had been left off (or fell off) before going out on the open ocean!
Finally! Evidence of the Mephisto Cat sailing once again!
1.- This is the first sail after some 18 months out of the water (10 months of weekends working to get it back in the water...)
I really like this picture... The feel of it. Big ocean - little boat.
2.- Getting close to San Diego.
3.- Full body shot about 3 weeks ago...
As you'll notice in the picture; not all work is completed yet... I have yet to install the little scupper gratings (these will be a pain to keep clean...), the Genoa tracks on the rail (Currently using the new tracks on the cab for the 100% and rigging something off the stern cleat for my BIG genoa), the navegation lights (running with emergency spares in the meantime) and I also need to tidy up the interior.
I'm debating whether to install the hand railings back on the coachroof. I've cleaned the originals and they look quite nice, but I was trying to keep the clutter minimal.
Having to go forward with little to hang on while in a stiff wind is a bit of a challenge without them. I'm now leaning to putting them back where they belong...
commanderpete
09-09-2008, 11:25 AM
Sweet
Looks like in one photo you have the jib sheet outside the shrouds. Try it with the sheet outside the foward lower and inside the others.
Without the handrails, you might be able to use the cabintop winches for the jibsheet ( but there's no cleats there)
Probably best to put the handrails back on to avoid second-guessing
I'm thinking of installing longer handrails so they reach further forward
Boat looks great
Commander227
09-12-2008, 06:29 AM
Wow... really looks nice.
Seeing that last picture makes me wish I would have held out for a boat with the old style companion way, Its so awkward going below in 227 and your cockpit seems so much bigger.
Very nice job on the boat, I hope you can get out on her often after so much hard work.
Lucky Dawg
09-16-2008, 09:04 AM
The old cockpit does offer easy cabin entry - for a sailor as well as for a cockpit full of water. To date, I haven't taken in water that way, but I could see it happening. I bungee in a couple boards in the door on bigger days.
Rico, Mephisto Cat looks absolutely glorious. That mast is sharp!! Nice, nice work. You've earned extra credit from the sea gods! GO SAIL!
Nice paint, like the gray!
Seems to me that a bridge deck the height of the seats would be possible, wouldn't it?
Make below access more difficult, but it would increase the safety factor.
It would also open up the space below if included in the remodel.
Lucky Dawg
09-16-2008, 09:44 AM
As C-277 was saying, it was included in the later hulls. See a pic and some discussion at http://pearsonariel.org/discussion/showthread.php?t=1668. You may be saying it could be added in. I rather like my huge unsafe cockpit!
Thanks all for the comments! Work is still progressing. More on that soon...
Commanderpete: Good eye! I usually do route the sheet outside the foward lower and inside the others as you describe, but this is only with my working (100%) Jib. In this picture we were approaching San Diego in light winds and I had my nifty large Genoa (180%) in use in order to catch as much wind as possible. With this headsail running, the sheet goes around all the rigging -and then some (it is BIG)... The reason you see the sheet going thought the cabintop block is that it helps to keep the leeward sheet out of the drink while it is not in use. It is just storage! (No need to tack on final approach that day!)
I think I've decided to put back the handrails... I just need to get to them! Having them a bit longer would be handy. I have to picture that...
I feel quite safe with my lanyard arrangement while heading forward. As safe as if I had lifelines - I suppose since I would not want to rely on low lifelines supported by stanchions with a large cantilever...
Mr. 227 / EBB: I'm with 'Lucky Dawg' on the cockpit issue... I'll admit that the bridge deck option seemed appealing when I first saw the possibility of taking on a open(er) water passage, but I do feel good about the configuration now that I have some heavy-er weather nautical miles under my life preserver. These boats are stiff, but they do pop-up quickly on top of rushing water from the stern. I'd say that the bow has more of a tendency to go underwater (had that happen!!) but the resulting deluge is in the correct direction to prevent flooding underneath.
As pointed out, there is the option of putting a board, or two in the companionway if things get really nasty to prevent flooding...
Some info on the topic here... http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/2358/b_hull_tips/b19.html
Specific bridgedeck assemblyline discussion here:
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/showthread.php?t=1932
Just to catch-up on my current location in Marina del Rey; here are a few pictures of the cruise up from Mexico.
PICTURE 1 We shoved off at 1:00am on Sept 30th, a Saturday Morning (I'm not all that supersticious, but this 'getting going' bussiness takes a LONG time!) This is a picture at about 8:00am the next proper 'morning'. It was a DOLDRUM'S sort of CALM... Not a stitch of wind. It seemed as if you coould jump off the boat and walk to the coast! You may be able to notice a huge feeding frenzy going on in the distance behind the boat and towards shore. We actually sailed though it, but it was so amazing that I did not even think of the camera until we'd passed...
PICTURE 2 In the light winds, we tried to stay entertained... Here we are trying out the spinnaker (only for show really since I am not properly rigged for it yet...) but I'll figure that out later... we are also showing our little courtesy flag as we were still in Mexican waters.
PICTURE 1.- Leaving San Diego after checking in with customs. This is now Saturday afternoon. I would have rather have continued straight north taking advantage of the afternoon breeze, but I did not want to get in trouble...
The point you see is San Diego's Point Loma. The harbor entrance is just to the south (Right) of it, and you can see Downtown far in the distance.
PICTURE 2.- The next picture is of the following morning about 10:00. It is of the approach to Dana Point. Had to make a quick stop here since my crew needed to head off to real life... I dropped off the guys and caught a few winks and shoved off on my own for the Dana Point to Newport Beach stretch.
PICTURE 3.- (Forgot to rotate this!) Heading offshore from Dana Point. I had a great sail in a mild breeze.... I flew the 180% Genoa. I was a bit hesitant at first because I'd be in a struggle to switch sails on my own, but it worked out great. I was eager to sail, so I caught a reach towards Catalina Island (West) which is the scenic route (longer) to Newport which lies only 15 mi to the north.
PICTURE 4.-On the way to Newport Beach! I took this while I was changing underneath. I rigged up a little auto pilot to help me with the tiller while I tidied-up and got rid of the clutter. This worked really well, for the few minutes at a time that I needed...
PICTURE 1.- I've made it to Newport Beach!
Here is the Mephisto Cat at the Harbormaster's (Police) dock. It took me a little bit to get settled as I could not find an available guest dock (which are FREE). And I did not want to deal with the anchorage, as I really did not look forward to worrying about anchors in the night after only 4 hrs sleep in the last two days... (There are two or three free anchoring areas within the harbor.) And I also did not have a Dinghy in which to get to shore...)
Lacking a guest dock; I returned to get my luxury $5 mooring, but had to wait as there was an issue that the harbor police had to attend to... There was a 50-60 year-old skipper roaming around the harbor... This guy was completely toasted and he was running around the harbor (tight quarters - lot's of traffic) on a 50ft sailboat!!
It was one of the dozen or so 20-year old non-sailing women on the boat who got so scared when he started getting awnry and having too many close calls with other vessels that finally made the call to 911... I wasted some time, but it was entertaining at least... Only in LA...
PICTURE 2.- My Mooring. I spent the night on the boat, but decided to leave the boat there until the next weekend when the forecast called for a bit more wind... I had a lovely night's sleep on the boat. I think it took me 5 seconds to fall asleep.
Accommodation at the house pictured behind the Mephisto Cat was sadly NOT included in the $5 mooring fee. (If people pay $1m for 800sf in the harbor, I wonder how much this little chateau went for...) I found out later that my mooring was in front of (behind me as I took the picture) John Wayne's old house, which was later owned by Nicolas Cage the actor. There was a 100' or so motoryach parked in front of that...
The next Saturday I made it to Long beach - We had great 15-20kt winds in the afternoon. I though of sailing into the night make it all the way to Marina del Rey, but I did not want to subject my willing crew to this... I did not take any pictures that day but we finished up at a nice restaurant with a guest dock in Long Beach. We celebrated with a few drinks and they I went to sleep right at the guest dock... They were picked-up in Long beach...
1.- The next morning I set off at about 6:00am and motored past the Queen Mary and the spruce goose dome in Long Beach Harbor.
2.- Here I am rounding Point Fermin on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
3.- Finally getting to Marina del Rey after the day turned into a great day for sailing. I was escorted into the harbor by an Alerion Express. They were curious as to what the new little boat in the neighborhood was...
Finally; the Mephisto Cat at it's new home in Marina Del Rey where I've been for about two months now...
Marina Del Rey is the largest man-made harbor in the world (At least until the guys in Dubai finish working on theirs!) It is home to almost 6,000 Boats of all shapes & sizes.
I've done no more work on the boat... I've just been sailing! The weather is still great around here... (Not to rub it in... ) I took this picture last week when it was in the high 70's low 80's as usual.
Now that I've caught-up the posts to the new location, I will post some more pictures of the different projects and the work in progress...
Well - so much for the new home! Time to move on... I am getting worked up about making it up to SF Bay before Thanksgiving...
Has anyone done that run mid-November early December? Please let me know if you have any insight on the topic, or know someone who has done this at around this time... I'm told going around Point Conception can be hairy in the wrong weather...
Chance
11-09-2008, 05:00 AM
Rico,
1st, I want to commend you on the quality work and attention to detail you have bestowed upon Mephisto Cat! I am currently working in the lazarette / motor well area our our Commander, #256 and have a couple of questions for you:
1) Where did you find the replacement rubber seal that goas around the top edge of the fiberglass (aka: knife edge to some) opening? I have been searching for a seal similar in profile to Pearson's original, but no luck. Do you remember where specifically you obtained (source) and part number and / or description for the gasket you used?
2) Did you modify the original small drainage hole? The approximate 1 inch hole centered at the base of the forward motor well mount. Did you leave it well enough alone, enlarge it, or add any others?
Respectfully,
Chance
Thank you very much Chance!
I also looked hard & wide for the seal. I am sorry to say that I ended up using a roll of material that the previous owner had bought and supplied with the boat a few years back. The stuff is beautiful, but at first I thought It would not be enough to do both hatches, bit I did have just enough! That material is by far better than anything I was able to find.
I did buy a length of similar material from one of McMaster-carr catalog (Picture below) but did not use it. -I would not reccommend it... (It seems not nearly as solid - flimsy actually... The material I used is all rubber - no aluminum core in the channel as in the catalog - you are welcome to have it if you need it).
The profile is as pictured and the specs follow the original material. They are as follows:
<img src="http://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/114/gfx/large/1120a36c1l.gif">
This original material mirrors these same dimensions as the original Pearson Material very, very closely, but the original stuff is all solid rubber, The material pictured has some sort of soft foam at the top - not hard rubber, while the bottom part is a hard plastic with an aluminum core... I am afraid that the material pictured will not last very long for this application.
The Dimensions are as follows:
Edge ........A.........B ............C ...........Cat #........Price
3/16" ..... 5/8" ...17/32".... 1 5/32"....1120A332.....$1.73
I will try to contact the PO and will provide any info I get on the original version (as provided by the PO).
I did not modify the drain hole beyond cleaning it up. I remains about 1" (minus a thick coat of Gel-coat) diameter and it seems to work fine... Looking back on it, I guess I would have spent a bit more time on this to work in a more pronounced slope towards the hole. I get a few ounces of water just by the hole that fail to drain when the boat sits in the slip not moving after being hosed off -But this is just me being picky...
I hope this helps.
A number of years ago, the association had the Pearson weatherstripping reproduced for the lazerette and forward Ariel hatches. It is now sold out, but if there is interest, we can order it again. The minimum production run equals 50 or 60 sets. With the recent price for poly anything going through the roof (and postage rate increases), however, the price is unlikely to be as cheap as it was before. Here's the write up from the old order form:
The Association has reproduced the weatherstripping used by Pearson on Ariel yachts. It is being made available in kits containing ten feet of a larger extrusion for the lazarette hatch and six feet of a smaller extrusion for the forward cabin hatch. Each extrusion is cut longer than necessary to allow for possible variation in hatch rim circumference. Shipping is via Priority Mail. (Note: forward hatch on the Commander is 6'-6" in circumference. We will be cutting this length.)
Weatherstripping Kit (2 lengths) $ 48.00
Packaging and Shipping 7.00
Total Per Kit: $ 55.00
Chance
11-09-2008, 02:43 PM
Rico,
Thanks for your prompt reply and the offer. Because I'm not launching anytime in the near future, I'm going to hold out and try to locate that which you have used. That would be great if you get the information from the PO, for sourcing, etc..
Bill,
Most definately I would be interested in purchasing one set of the the rubber extrusions (Pearson weatherstripping) to address the two areas I'm in need of restoring. Even with the price increase, I'm in. Hopefully there will be enough interest within the community to justify / pay for the custom order so we (those that need it now and for those that will need it in the future) can get the right material.
Respectfully,
Chance
Oops. Couldn't see the picture well. I thought it was split in the middle
Nevermind
You would think there would be some automotive product that could be used.
I guess the Association already looked hard for a substitute
As a matter of fact, yes we did. We obtained about a dozen samples of weatherstripping, but none were, shall we say, "free form" enough to fit the hatch lip on our yachts. Ended up sending samples to a rubber extruder who was able to duplicate the two forms. That was 2001 and we shipped the last of the weatherstripping sets in 2005 or '06.
I've not had time to post regarding my decision to head North to San Francisco... I've been in a mad rush trying to get myself & the boat ready.
I'll be starting the trip (Marina Del Rey to San Francisco) at daybreak tomorrow. I'll be singlehandling on the first leg from Marina Del Rey to Oxnard... this is about a 55 mile sail.
I expect to reach Oxnard late in the day tomorrow in warm, but light winds (the ones that seem to be fueling the current fires in several places in California). I'll meet-up with the trip's 'first mate' Carol there. She will be joining me...hopefully all the way to San Francisco which is about 470 miles North of Marina del rey. This will make the trip to the San Francisco Bay a total some 700 miles in total accounting for the distance from Ensenada where the boat was launched into the water.
We will make the trip from Oxnard up to Santa Barbara - 33 miles The following day where we'll meet-up with my second crewmember, Kristin, who will come aboard for the rounding of Point Conception (55 miles east of SB) hopefully in the wee hours of Sunday morning. We are lucky to have a favourable forecast and a long enough weather window for rounding the point and sneak into Morro Bay which is some 85 miles further north.
Kristin will stay with us until Morro Bay which we should reach aided by a light (and unseasonable) southerly wind - as opposed to the Nor-Westerlies that are typical for this time of the year. Unfortunately, these light southerlies tend to happen just before the weather kicks-up into a storm...
As of now, the forecast calls for these 'favourable' winds for the trip North - important at the time of rounding point conception especially. (read: not on the nose, as it is predominantly as the California coast runs up in a northwesterly direction all the way to a point just South of San Francisco Bay).
Rental EPIRB is on board along with a bunch of other gear (safety gear, spares, foulies, tools, etc.)
I've decided to leave the hard dinghy behind... as I do not want to deal with a swamped dinghy in tow... I do have a tiny inflatable - just in case someone asks... 'cause I do not think it will really do much for us in the middle of the ocean. At least it will be something we can climb on to...
I am looking forward to this voyage North along the California coast... I will post some pictures on this thread as I am able.
Wish us a bit of luck!
Beautiful boat,
fine crafted upgrades,
you've done right by Mephisto,
she'll get you thru the Golden Gate.
Ed Ekers
11-21-2008, 11:14 AM
Rico, I am located in Santa Cruz and thought I would give you a heads up for your trip north. Today (Friday) we are seeing swells in the 7-10 ft. range. The forecast for the next five days calls for a weather system coming in early next week, which has the potential to build even bigger seas.
I have sailed down the coast a few times over the years and the area of Conception can be a real ***** as I am sure you are aware. If I was making the trip north over the coming days I would be watching the sea condition with a weather front in the area. It could turn ugly fast if you are in the wrong spot. The sea condition around Conception can and will get very confused as they build.
With that said, I and the rest of the folks on this board are wishing you a great time as you trek your way north……ed
commanderpete
11-24-2008, 06:56 AM
Good luck Rico! Hope the weather cooperates
Send postcards
Reporting in on progress:
Had a very enjoyable sail from Marina Del Rey to Oxnard. I shoved off at sunrise. It quickly became a nice warm and pretty calm day. I was able to go up front and do a bit of reading on the bow for a bit. The morning haze wore off right away and I could see some of the billowing smoke from the remaining SoCal fires far away.
Picture #1 Had an amazing sunset by the channel islands on my approach to Oxnard. At the time of this picture, I am still a couple of hours out. I did not make it to my assigned slip until it was quite dark...
It was fun trying to make my enty into the harbor. Dredging operations were underway in the entry channel that night and it was hard to make out the anchor bouy lights from the background. The handy 1.5M candlepower spotlight came out to light our way. (This is a handy thing to have on board if sailing in unfamiliar waters!)
Unfortunately, the key that was to be left for me in the 'hiding place' by the friendly marina staff was nowhere to be found. Fortunately, I ran into a few of the locals enjoying a nice community dinner on the dock and they provided a loaner key for the night. Their BBQ'd fish smelled great... They also had a bit of mellow live music going on... They extended an invitation, but I had an early start and it was already late...
Carol arrived at the marina around 9:00 pm. She was not feeling all that well ... (Hmmm, not good...) and was a bit tired so she went right to bed as I grabbed a quick bite. Fortunately she was feeling better the next morning. We cast off at around 7:30am for Santa Barbara.
Picture #2 is as we approached Santa Barbara under Sail... Certainly a beautiful day and unusually warm. (Read: 'not cold'...). We pulled into the fuel dock sometime after 3:00pm and after fueling-up and having a chat with the locals about the weather forecast at Point Conception, and thoughts about rounding the point over the next couple of days we were pointed to the guest dock where we could hang out for 3-4 hours until our departure scheduled for a few hours later. It was the prime spot for people watching... It was nice & warm (in the mid 70's) in the Marina.
Kristen showed-up after we'd had a nice dinner and Carol had a nice nap... We chased after a 2.5 gallon jerry can to store some extra fuel for the 130 or so mile passage (- just in case) and set off towards Point Conception at about 7:30pm. I hate these new so-called 'safety spouts' on Jerry cans. They are not safe, contrary to their promises (they leak!) and are not very convenient to use...
Our goal was to round the point in the very early hours of the next morning . The next two pictures are of Point Arguello, and were taken soon after sun-up just after rounding the points.
Picture #3 The camera flattens out the largest seas... The swells were impressive around the point, but far enough apart so that they were not a major issue. (Compare with the next shot and see how much land you can see...) The swell reflections from each of the two points caused a bit of a mess even at 15-20 miles out at sea where we were on our approach to Point Conception and Point Arguello in order to avoid this very condition. We took a bearing close to due North as we reached past Point Arguello and actually got fairly close -to the point where the installations of Vandenberg Air Force Base were visible. (Picture #4).
The reflected swell made the seas quite messy. It was impressive to see the large swells coming at us from both the West AND the North East (reflected off the cliffs).
We took down the main after the winds clamed in the early morning and rode the washing-machine around the point. Not the most comfortable ride, but I guess it is better to have too little wind here rather than too much... We really cannot complain... We were clear of the point at around 7 am and we had a further 85 miles or so to Morro Bay.
Prior to rounding the point it is important to check the missile test schedule at Vandenberg Air Force Base as they test all sorts of projectile weapons there... On top of the weather, wind, swells & current issues you also have to worry about being blown out of the water by a stray missile! :eek: Fortunately, no missile firings were scheduled for that night.
-Further details on the rounding of Point Conception are included in my next post below.
As I write this post, we are sitting in Morro Bay Yacht Club Guest Dock (1st picture in my next post below) enjoying a nice calm lazy afternoon after a 130-some mile sail from Santa Barbara which included the rounding of Point Conception. We consumed about 7 gallons of fuel and had 3 to spare on arrival.
Around sunset, we decided to skip Port San Luis on the coast west of San Luis Obispo and sailed a further 23 Miles to the Morro Bay. We came over the harbor bar at Morro bay Harbor at about 9:30pm last night.
It was a very DARK moonless night during the climb up from about Port San Luis to Morro Bay, and it was a bit of a slog as the northerly winds developed -albeit lightly in the late afternoon along with a steep 2ft swell -both right on the nose slowing our progress by at least a couple of hours overall.
We were running low on fuel and we decided to re-fuel mid-Estero Bay as I did not want to risk running out of fuel going over the bar at the entrance of Morro Bay harbor. Fortunately, the bar was not a problem that night . A quick hail on the VHF to the Coast Guard informed us that there were only 3 ft swells, with an occasional 5 footer coming over the bar but none were breaking.
The Morro Bay harbor has a relatively narrow entry, but as a result it is very sheltered from weather providing almost completely still waters once you clear the bar.
We were feeling good about completing the long passage, but quite tired, and after tying up at the dock and a quick run to the bathroom, we enjoyed a bit of wine and some great food on the boat (everything was closed by this time). After enjoying some re-living the events of our passage and some tales about Kristin's previous adventures, we promptly fell asleep - as the proverbial rocks.
We had barely eaten anything over the last 24 hrs, we noted. But we really did not feel very hungry over the previous day... Probably had our attention elsewhere - especially coming around the point!
It was a relief to be past Point Conception. It is amazing how much of a psychological barrier it represents and how the 'lore of the Point' keeps many local sailors firmly either North, or South of it. Many never even think of attempting a crossing. I heard many words of warning about the Point; curiously and consistently from people who'd never been even close to the area. Those few sailors who I found had done it were only encouraging - as long as I watched the weather...
Kristin has sadly left us as of this morning. She could only manage to free herself from other comittments for this short portion of the voyage, and we were all sad that this leg was over so quickly. We were actually a bit ahead of schedule as I had included a weather day on the schedule for this leg... so Kristen felt as if her trip had been cut short. - But now she has many good stories to tell over thanksgiving dinner!
Ed - Thank you for the weather insight - We were a bit luckier down south as far as the weather over the last few days. I am still about 300 miles away from you in Santa Cruz, but I'll be getting further north and checking the weather closely as we make our way.
We have checked the weather this morning and I do think we will sit out this front for the moment as it seems like there are a couple of storms which will kick up the wind & swells - not to mention the rain- over the next several days.
The next stretch is also a long one (About 120 miles to Monterey) without much in the way of ports / anchorages / places to hide from the weather... So we will wait for the next suitable weather window.
This weather delay suits us nicely as we definitely need a day, or two for rest after this long leg. And Morro Bay is just the place to do it. It is very peaceful and most things are conveniently within a stone's throw of the harbor. We rented a movie last night, but I fell asleep with about 5 minutes to go...
I hear Big sur can be a bear also, do you have any insight on that area? Thank you very much!
Our next leg is also a long one - Morro Bay to Monterey - 120 miles. There is the anchorage at San Simeon, but this is only 20 miles north of Morro Bay. After this there are no other safe nooks until a small anchorage just west of Carmel, but this is only a handful of miles South of Monterrey.
I have found that the local advice from the fishermen, the fuel dock attendants, the local sailors etc. is invaluable. While attempting to ask the people who 'should' know best (harbor officials / Coast Guard, etc.) this produces only non-answers to any questions... I assume for fear of liability or (???). I wonder where this sort of general attitude will lead us eventually...
Thanks!
Ed Ekers
11-25-2008, 06:10 AM
Ricco, glad to hear you got around the point, and assume it was a mild passage.
Big Sur is an area that I do have a little more insight to. The winds and fog can be tough in the summer but this time of year the main issues again would be the seas and temp coming from the north. If you have ever been to the Big Sur coast area you know that there are huge cliffs all along the coastline. These cliffs can cause for a very confused sea with the swells reflecting off and washing back out to create steep peaks. Staying in deeper water is a general rule of thumb.
If you find that you want to get out of the weather, there is a great little anchorage called Still Water Cove in Carmel (Pebble Beach Golf). The cove is protected to the north and the anchorage is walking distance to the town of Carmel.
Hope this helps and let me know if you think you will be coming into Santa Cruz…..ed
Ed Ekers
11-26-2008, 09:11 AM
Rico, Here is some shots of what is going on up in this area. If you don’t know, Maverick is just south of the Gate at Half Moon Bay…..ed
http://www.maverickssurf.com/Common/PhotoGalleryCenter.aspx?albumId=3570
Thanks Ed,
I heard about the 15ft breakers - it looks like fun - on a surfboard! (maybe...)
I will wait for the next weather window to continue North. It looks like this system will bring 10 - 12 ft swells... with the wind on the nose. There is no fun being in that.
I am planning to make a stop in Santa Cruz. I'll keep you posted. It would be great to meet a fellow A-C owner.
Thank you for tips on Point Sur, I can use all the info I can get...
The rounding of Point Conception was a great adventure. It was fairly mild as we were shooting for what looked like, and ended-up being a very good weather window (Certainly by Point Conception terms) but it was still a long passage and a lot of work.
We left Santa Barbara at about 7:30pm and I went to sleep at about 9:00pm. Up until that point, it had been a clear, starry night. My watch started at midnight when I was awakened. It was quite different then. I was surprised to feel the boat moving quite a bit in the swells and the sound of strong winds. I went up on deck and assumed watch with Kirstin. We were feeling the swells and wind as if funneled around the point already.
It was a very dark cloudy / foggy night which had Kristin & I navigating by instruments only while Carol slept. This is not the best way to hold a steady course in such messy seas... (Our GPS track proves this!) Our intended course took us about 15 miles offshore and the scant lights on shore were no longer visible. In fact the fog was so thick that the only light we could occasionally see was the glow from the offshore drilling platforms. This gave us at least a temporary reference to steer a course by before they quickly disappeared in the fog... Not even a faint glow was apparent for reference after that.
There was supposed to be a bright moon out that night, but he cloud cover was so thick that the glow of the moon was not at all visible, and the oil rigs were obscured by the fog just as quickly as they appeared! We could only see the glow from a distance of about 1-2 miles away. Further away it was just pure darkness everywhere. I did the 'hold your hand in front of your face' test - I could not see a thing!
We had some spectacular sightings of whales & dolphins. It was particularly impressive as we experienced bright luminescence which showed the trails of dolphins as they speeded underneath us, and jumped around the boat leaving ribbons of light... It was a spectacular sight!
The hightlight happened at about 3:30am as a bright luminescent glow became apparent, and then grew brighter just underneath and all around us in the boat... This became increasingly brighter & brighter... As I lifted my hand to point it out to Kristen -who was staring at the lit GPS a this time-, this huge fin rose out of the water only a couple of feet away from the starboard rail, and up to some 4 feet above the level of the deck! (This was at about 3:30am and it was pitch dark as I described above... but I could see the large shape of the whales due to the bright luminescent glow created as its body disturbed the water.) I could not make out what sort of giant it was closest to us on that side; but it was BIG.
I tried to hold a steady course as it was now apparent that we were in the milddle of a pod of whales of some sort... I could see them swimming all around us. They were holding our exact course...
I was uncomfortable at the thought of ending-up between a cow and her calf... or having one of these giants come up directly underneath us! - Just as this thought gelled in my mind... a loud BLOW screamed loudly just at the port side of the boat. This loud breath from a whale's blowhole and the sight of a big FIN coming up from the water caused Kristin to scream and jump down to the middle of the cockpit! I was It was quite a rush! I was too shocked to say anything and just held on to the tiller! Then, just as fast as they had appeared, they dove and as they did so, the glow faded back into darkness...
The whole thing happened quickly, but it seemed like it was much longer... It was an exciting moment during this long passage! It certainly made the time pass quickly as we talked about it for the next hour or so.
Carol slept through the whole thing... (fortunately Kristin's reaction was one of excited laughter - and not fear!) We almost woke Carol to tell her about what we'd witnessed, and so she could see this in case that they came up again close to the boat, but decided not to... Warmth & sleep are so highly valued! And I was hoping that they would not come up that close to us again!
About 30 min later I let Kirstin know that it was time for her turn to have a bit of sleep, and she responded: "Are you kidding!! I cannot sleep! After that I feel like I'm high on drugs!" this was followed quickly by: "Oh, and you are not going to sleep either!!" as she quickly realized what my next thought would be...
So Carol got lucky and got to stay asleep through to morning. She awoke at sun-up, eager to take over the steering; a task she is not only good at, but she seemed to enjoy for long periods at a time.
I performed our first refueling at-sea as the sun came up a few miles after rounding Point Arguello. We took advantage of calming seas while I re-fueled and managed to not spill a drop...
Pictures -
a.- The Morro Bay yacht club. I've been here a few times now and the people are great. There's not a lot of room, but everyone is very accommodating. This is their clubhouse. The whole waterfront is very picturesque and active - but calm & quiet. A great spot to spend some time.
b - Morro rock in the morning after our arrival. The light had an amazing quality for most of the morning... It reminded me of Holland.
c - My relaxed and fearless crew who made the trip very enjoyable... There are not many people I'd feel so comfortable having as crew. This picture was taken just after rounding point Conception (Point Arguello is visible in the background). I was incredibly fortunate to have Kristin and Carol along for the trip. It is amazing how many people said they'd want to join the crew, but in the end very few actually have the courage to do this sort of thing... Courage not because it is dangerous (although it could be!), but courage to get out of one's element and go do something out of the routine for a few days.
d- The Morro Bay Yacht Club's Resident Otter having a little snooze. We felt very welcome at the yacht club. We stayed there for three days a the guest dock and then left the boat out on a mooring while Carol & I headed up to San Francisco for a few days while the two weather systems passed...
We met couples from a handful of other boats that were cruising past (heading both North & South) during our stay. I was happy to see others out there as even freighter sightings were rare... Everyone seemed very comfortable, and having a good time. The weather was certainly
cooperating at this time...
We had a great last sail yesterday and last night. Our course took us about 20 miles offshore as we rounded Point Sur. The rounding took place at sun-up this morning, and due to the nice conditions, we decided to pass on Monterrey and came directly to Santa Cruz which lies about 25 miles North of Monterey.
The decision to skip Monterey made for a Looong leg - the longest non-stop boat ride I've had on the 'Mephisto Cat'; about 150 miles... but it also saved us a bit of distance overall as Monterey sits a bit inside Monterrey Bay.
It was just Carol & I on the stretch from Morro Bay to Santa Cruz and I am happy to say that we managed quite well double-handling aided by beautiful conditions.
The seas became a bit choppy at the Northern end of Monterrey Bay which made for an uncomfortable motor into Santa Cruz once the winds died in the mid afternoon.
I think we would have enjoyed a stay in Monterey, but we felt we should keep going as we still have a bit more than 100 miles to go and the weather forecasts seem a bit more unsettled.
As they say - It was worth the wait... Once the weather cleared towards the North; we set off from Morro Bay in the early morning and had a beautiful day's sail in calm seas. We also had the most amazing night... Carol took the first watch to allow me an ealy evening nap with the intention of letting Carol sleep through to the next morning.
When I awoke around midnight, I was amazed at thow calm and clear it was. The stars were clearly putting on a show for us! The sea was so calm that the stars reflected off the still seas and made for a pretty amazing sight. Carol was wide awake enjoying the whole thing and she was not that eager to go to sleep. We both enjoyed the incredible sights for at least an hour or two before Carol finally went to sleep...
We had a few visiting dolfins who stayed with us for quite a long time. We had bright luminescence once again, and the ribbons of light that the dolphins weaved underneath the boat were even more impressive than before as this time we had very still seas.
The overnight temperatures were so warm that I was wearing less then than during the previous day!
My biggest concern for starting this trip during this time of the year was that the weather would turn COLD before we arrived in San Francisco Bay.
I definitely decided to take the trip a bit late in the year, but we clearly lucked out with the weather on the trip overall.
Part of the incentive to do the trip diring this time of the year in spite of the potential cold & storms is that the predominant NW winds are much lighter in the winter than during the warmer months.
We were fortunate to have the flexibility to wait for suitable weather, and were only delayed for about 7 days in Morro bay while two weather systems passed. We did spend a couple of very pleasant days in Morro bay waiting for weather, but once we realized that it would be a while, we caught a ride up to San Francisco where we spent a few days. All the other legs went like clockwork...
- In the first picture you can see us sailing in the middle of Monterey Bay towards Santa Cruz.
- The following Picture (Taken a moment later) shows the Monterey peninsula behind us.
- Finally, at the dock in Santa Cruz. We arrived just in time to sort ourselves out and then watch the x-mas boat parade. And then to sleep... I really enjoy sleeping on the boat after a good sail.
Ed,
I am at the end of Q Dock in the small craft harbor.
We are currently planning on taking off tomorrow. Sorry for the short notice. Hopefully we can meet. I've e-mailed my Ph number ...
We'll be roaming around town and the boardwalk in the course of today. It is beautiful out.
Ed Ekers
12-08-2008, 11:55 AM
Rico, Glad to hear you made it to Santa Cruz. I don’t find an e-mail with you number. I did swing by the harbor around 1100 today (Mon.) and did see your boat. I will drop by again in the afternoon and see if I can find you. Feel free to give me a call my number is in the book. ………. Ed Ekers
The Mephisto Cat is now safely in SF Bay. Just in time too as there are several COLD storm systems coming through starting tomorrow. (The bar at the Golden gate does not look too pleasant even now...)
We postponed our departure from Santa Cruz for a day due to a bit of heavy-er weather, but because of this one day delay we fortunately got to meet Ed Ekers and had a great chat. We visited 'Pathfinder' (Ed's Ariel) and another Ariel in the SC Marina.
It is great to see more of these great boats. Another benefit of the delay was that Kerry was able to join us for the last leg to San Francisco. And were still happy to have TWO day's rest to enjoy Santa Cruz after the long haul from Morro Bay!
We set off from Santa Cruz on December 9th at day-break (Pic #1 below) and covered the 50 miles to Half Moon Bay by 8:00 pm. A bit later than expected, but generally on-schedule.
Half Moon Bay is a tricky harbor to get into especially when you've never been there before - and especially when the first time is during a dark night... There are some shallow reefs to get around and we spent a lot of time trying to figure out which lights were channel markers and which were lights on shore...
We approached from the South, as it seemed like the safest approach, and thought we had it right as we approached the harbor entry; but suddenly Kerry had an inkling of a doubt and then we all simultaneoulsly concluded that we, in fact, had it all wrong! :eek:
Out came the big spotlight and we shined it all over... as we neared the shore, the navegation lights became more obvious against the backlit scenery and we corrected our course. We were actually headed into an anchorage area on the wrong side of the inner harbour jetty... we made a quick turn and finally made it into the harbor.
There was no-one to be found, so we tied up to what appeared to be a guest dock adjacent to the fuel dock. It all seemed deserted.
Kerry & Carol were eager to go grab a warm bite while I looked forward to a bit of sleep before we shoved off again to cover the remaining 26 miles to the Golden Gate and San Francisco. I poured some more of our spare fuel into the tank and got ready to have a bit of sleep in preparation for our departure for San Francisco scheduled for a few hours later... 2 am, to be precise. This is so that we can take advantage of the flooding current into San Francisco Bay).
Kerry & Carol were much happier after sharing a good meal in front of the fire (they shared a Cioppino, I found out later...) in a warm little joint at the harbor. Once they ate and warmed-up, they returned to the boat and went right to sleep.
We planned to leave at about 2:00am, but around midnight Carol woke up 'not feeling so good'... I guess she was unlucky and ended-up with the 'bad clam', or something else in the stew. She was quickly feeling completely miserable and soon became violently sick. Kerry & Carol went off to the on-shore facilities to take care of things (although from the sounds, I gathered that the side of the dock had to do initially! :eek: ), and after a painful while, they eventually came back to bed.
After a couple more trips to "take in the view" at the edge of the dock, 2:00am finally came around and we faced the decision wheather we'd continue north or not, considering Carol's state... She had clearly eaten something bad, and it'd been bad enough to stir up her strong stomach.
No one on the trip had any trouble with seasickness even as we faced heavy seas in the pitch dark, but bad seafood is a different issue...
The call for a colder front for the following days made me a bit hesitant to delay our departure, but I was also very aware of Carol's misery and did not want to go if she was not up for it... I was hopeful that she'd be fine since whatever had made her sick was probably now long gone.
Carol decided that we should continue and she'd try to sleep it off...
We shoved off at around 2:00 am from Half Moon Bay to match the early morning flood tide into the (Golden) gate... 2:00am is certainly NOT the most desirable time for a departure, but attempting entry into the bay during an ebbing tide would be most frustrating and futile... The timing also allowed a morning (daylight) entry into the bay through the often busy ship's channel.
Again, we enjoyed very nice weather and calm seas on departure, but after a few hours, the wind started picking up... Until it eventually got quite a bit rough around Montara point with strong Easterly winds gusting at about 30-35 knots at around 4:30 am or so. Fortunately, this blow only lasted for about 1 hour just before sunrise as we passed the slot opposite Coyote point which typically funnels the wind the opposite way.
These were the worst wind conditions of the whole voyage and coincidentally came with the coldest temperatures of the whole trip. Uggh! The reported temperatures were in the high 40's (Brrr...) as reported by NOAA over the VHF. Winter was announcing its arrival, and I eagerly awaited the sunrise...
Carol was managing to sleep fairly soundly down below, and she was being spared the wetness up above (although there was a leak or two that had remained undiscovered until these heavy seas, and the drops landing on her head contributed to her misery...)
This was definitely the wettest portion of the trip as water kept splashing on the bow and was blown across the boat. The easterlies took most of the water directly across the bow, but some of it would inevitably get Kerry & I in the cockpit - just often enough to make it annoying. I am glad it was not too severe... Just before sunrise, and once things started settling, Kerry readily agreed to go back below into the cabin and try to get warm & get some sleep after sticking it out with me in the cockpit for quite a while.
I am not attempting even a remote comparison here, but as we were being tossed around, I thought of the comments of the crew of the 'Gitana 13' upon reaching SF bay on their record breaking NY to SF run around Cape Horn. -They mentioned that the worst conditions they encountered on the whole voyage were the during the hours just prior to entering the bay from the South, and as a result they recorded their second slowest day in that stretch.
Pict #2
So close to the Bay entrance that we can taste it! -Do I really want the trip to be over!?
You can just barely see the top of one of the towers of the Golden Gate bridge rising above the hill... (Look for a reddish speck poking above the hills at about 1/8" aft of the forward-lower stay)
We were running with a favourable current and about a 15-20kt wind under a reefed main... After the sudden winds we saw at Montara Point, my crew felt more confortable if we left the jib down... As we were doing about 7kt over the bottom (accounting for the aid of the flood-tide current) I did not feel too bad about leaving it down...
Pict #3
The Gate is in full view and we are now under a full Main. Still making about 7 kts. over the bottom. Carol was feeling much better and she joined us in the cockpit at around this time to enjoy the view. It was nice to see her come back to 'life'. We were about to reach our eagerly awaited destination...
Pict #4
We have the Golden Gate in full view. The picture was taken just shy of the middle of the channel, as we headed towards the North side.
There were a few large ships awaiting their entry at the convergence zone outside the Gate, but fortunately not a lot of traffic under the gate at this time.
We had a bulk material freighter cross into the gate just ahead of us, but we were well clear of traffic on our stern. This gave us the ability to take advantage of the wind and crossing over to the North side of the channel and into Sausalito without having to worry about the traffic in the ship's lanes.
We passed underneath the Golden Gate at about 9:30am on December 10th. It was a beautiful sight on an absolutely beautiful morning... (I was tempted to go for a sail around Alcatraz, but I got the impression that my crew would rather wait for another day...
We went straight to Sausalito, and got a slip to spend the day there - and that night. We had lunch sitting on the docks while I tried to get some of the salt off the boat and sails.
We walked to town to hang out for a bit and to see Carol off on the ferry home to the city. We were looking forward to a long restful night after a good dinner in town, but the flood tide that would aid our sail to the North Bay forced a departure time of 4:00 am the following morning (Dec 11th). Yeech!
For the time being, the Mephisto Cat will be at the Vallejo Marina while I complete some remaining odds, ends, and little projects. I may tie up at some other locations around the bay to see what suits us.
Upon arrival, I noticed that my old slip there was available, so I parked in the same spot I left almost two years ago...
We are in!
It was much calmer inside the Bay. Beautiful day in the bay, but it seems that everyone is still asleep.
We went only maybe 1.5 more miles to Sausalito and got a slip for the night. It was about 9:30am at the time.
We rested, had a late breakfast/early lunch at the slip, shipped off the EPIRB, (and Carol too...) and after roaming around town for a bit, and a nice long hot shower at the marina, we went for a nice celebratory dinner!
-Had some Sushi and a good deal of nice warm Sake! Then off to sleep as we need to ride the flood tide at 4:00am or we'll be going nowhere!
Picture #1
Almost...
Picture #2
Woohooo!
Picture #3
Looking back at where we came from...
Picture #4
We are back!
Looking east from the entrance to the Sausalito channel:
1st point is Belvedere Island (home of the Maltese Falcon's owner)
2nd Point is the Tiburon Peninsula where (-I was told) the Mephisto Cat has allegedly spent most of its life... I left this as the 'homeport' on the stern as it was when I acquired her.
- I'm such a vagabond that I would not know what to put on there otherwise...
Beyond this is a bit of woodsy Angel Island, with the east Bay (Berkeley) beyond that...
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your journey with us Rico! Great trip, great pics, and a great boat!!! :)
Commander227
12-18-2008, 06:27 AM
Great trip, thanks for sharing. The idea of actually going somewhere is very appealing to we poor inland lake sailors.
Glad you enjoyed - Thanks!
Here are a few more... In my hurry to post updates I screwed-up the sequence and left a few good ones out.
Picture #1
A little company is always nice when lacking wind... I felt like tossing them another towline. The point pictured is Point Dume, just east of Malibu. (the coast runs east-west on this stretch). Note my nifty winch booties... - $6 on e-bay...
Picture #2
An earlier shot of the sunset above. The islands seen here are (from left to right) low-lying Anacapa Is, Santa Cruz Is, and San Miguel Is. is just visible to the far right
Picture #3
Offshore drilling rigs just south-east of Santa Barbara. These are similar to the ones we were happy to see due to their bright lights during our thickly clouded passage around Point Conception as these were the only points of reference we had to hold a course by. -I was not so happy to see the ones pictured, however, as they left an oil slick, were smelly, and I had to clean some globs of crude off my bow after passing through the area!
Picture #4
Point Piedras Blancas Lighthouse Approx: 35°39'50"N 121°17'10"W - about 6 miles north of the well-sheltered San Simeon Anchorage. (There are not many places at all to duck into along the Central California coast. This makes the weather considerations that much more important...)
The Anchorage at San Simeon was our original destination for the day, but distances, wind, and timing for a daylight arrival at the next port suggested a departure time about the time of our arrival there. Being fairly fresh from our short sail from Morro bay, we just kept going...
Here is a re-cap of the miles traveled from my initial route plan. I've adjusted some distance as shown by my GPS track (the easier ones to get data for), others I've used the expected route mileage. The total mileage (GPS vs Plan) turned out to be very close so any variation in any one individual segment should be fairly small.
The boat was launched in Ensenada(Mexico) on July 12th, 2008. I spent the next few weekends (about 7 or 8) Commuting about 550 mi r/t) from Santa Monica to step the mast, install all the deck hardware, coambings, sails, rigging, do the mast tuning, fit out the interior, and do a bit of sailing prior to departure.
I even participated in a couple regattas held by the 'Ensenada Yacht Club (A small, informal group of sailors who I ran into at the marina where I stayed). A good reason to procrastinate on all the work I had to do...
The commuting was a bit of torture, (especially the crossing at the Border!!)but I was somehow determined to sail the Mephisto Cat to 'Todos Santos Island' and then head North crossing an international boundary as once I gotback to San Francisco, the opportunity to do that would not be readily available...
Anyway - here is how the miles stacked-up approximately:
Leg..................................Distance.... Cumulative Distance... Length of stay...........Facility...................Crew.... ...... Destination Arrival / Departure
Depart Ensenada (Marina Coral Resort)........................................... .................................................. ...............................Shoved off @ 1am on a Saturday.
Ensenada to San Diego.................. 75m..........75....................2-3 Hrs...........Customs /police dock..... Agustin & Guillermo...... Arrived SD:2pm / Departed for Dana Pt: 4pm
San Diego to Dana point................. 65m.........140................. 2-3hrs ................ Guest dock ................ Agustin & Guillermo..........8am / 11am
Dana Point to Newport Beach..........23m........... 163 ................4 days ............. Mooring .................... Singlehanded .................5pm / 11am
Newport Beach to Long Beach ......... 20m ....... 183 .............. Overnight ....... Restaurant guest dock ....... Denise & Michael ........12pm / 5pm
Long Beach to Marina del Rey......... 34m .......... 217 .............. 3 months......... Del Rey Marina .............Singlehanded ...................6am / 3pm
Marina Del Rey to Oxnard............... 54m .......... 271 .............. Overnight ...... Channel Is Marina ........ Singlehanded .................. 7 am / 8 pm
Oxnard to Santa Barbara ............... 33m .......... 304 .............. 4hrs ................ SB Guest Dock ........... Carol ............................ 7am / 4pm
Santa Barbara to Morro Bay ............ 128m ........ 432 ............ 10 days ....... MB Yacht Club / Mooring .... Carol & Kristen ............... 8pm / 9pm
Morro Bay to Santa Cruz ................ 143m ......... 575 ............. 2 days ....... Santa Cruz Marina .............. Carol .......................... 8am / 5pm
Santa Cruz to Half Moon Bay .......... 53m ........... 628 ............. 5 hrs ........... HMB Guest Dock ............. Carol & Kerry ................. 9pm / 2am
Half Moon Bay to Golden Gate Brg. .... 26m .......... 654 .......... in transit ......... in transit .................... Carol & Kerry ................ 10am / 10am
Golden Gate Brg. to Sausalito ........... 6m ............ 660 ......... Overnight ..... Schoonmaker Pt Marina ....Carol & Kerry ................... 11am / 4am
Sausalito to Vallejo ........................ 25m ........... 685 .......... Homeport .......... Vallejo Marina ................ Kerry .......................... 2 pm
And a few more pictures:
Picture #1
Cruising along the California coast around Ano Nuevo Island (East of Santa Cruz once again, the coast runs east-west on this stretch).
This is the start of the cliffs that Richard Henry Dana describes in his great sailing book "Two years before the mast".
Picture #2
The Pigeon Point Lighthouse (Note Kamikaze seagull in picture)
Picture #3
Fort point in San Francisco and the silhouette of Alcatraz Island beyond.
Under the arch at the South end of the Golden Gate Bridge lies Fort Point. This fort was completed just before the American Civil War, to defend San Francisco Bay against hostile warships. Funny how one generation's most advanced formidable defense is another generation's mere obstacle to public transportation...
Picture #4
The city comes into view through the morning haze. You can see the top of the spire of the Transamerica tower in the middle of the picture.
commanderpete
12-23-2008, 07:51 AM
Excellent adventure and some great pics. Thanks
Ok... Now back to our sheduled project documentation program -already in progress:
The Coambings
The Mephisto Cat came to me with what I assume are the original coambings. They appear to be Teak (evidenced by Smell, feel, & grain) and although they were well weathered to the gray patina commomn to weathered teak, and had a bit of mold in the areas not exposed to sunlight. Fortunately, they responded quite to just a bit of cleaning-up and looked relatively good for the next year without any oil or varnish.
They were untreated, but in great shape. I would guess that they had been varnished at some point long, long past, but it seemed that they had received only oil -if anything- in the more recent past, and nothing for at least the last few years.
I do not have specific 'before' shots (I missed these...), but you can see them in some of the previous pictures of the boat on this thread.
After a couple scrubbings with a bit of Ajax cleaner (A bit odd, yes... But it works great on teak!) they came right back to a nice light brown color. This encouraged me to do a bit of work on them and to eventually get them all varnished-up.
Originally, I thought I would not bother removing them, but since I had already taken everything else off of the hull, I thought I might as well...
In hindsight I am glad I did. Taking them off allowed me to be able to get a nice prep on all surfaces while working in comfortable positions, and to do the repair described below.
It was a bit of a bear to get them off as they were quite solidly attached to the boat. There was a bit of well-cured polysulfide against the fiberglass and this held them on quite strongly even with all the fasteners removed.
Reinforcing/Repair of the coambings.
The coambings are positioned with a slight curve to them and this provides a bit of rigidity against bending of the wood plank in the vertical plane, but it still remains a wide piece of wood that is only supported laterally at the cab attachment, and at the winch stands, and at the bottom edge (at the3" or so...) as they are fastened to the fiberglass.
As I mentioned, my coambings were in great shape, but a bit of eager help in removing one of them caused a longitudinal crack along the sharp corner cut into the coambing as it transitions from the deck onto the cockpit's side. (See last picture below) The removal of the polysulfide bond responds much better to warmth from the sun, small wood wedges, and some guitar strings (think cheese-cutting wire) as opposed to brute force...
I did not want to have a weakened coambing as I thought the crack would only get worse over time, but I also did not want to have an obvious repair with wood or metal reinforcements visible.
I thought of using a loooong stainless or bronze wood screw from the bottom edge as this would remain invisible. Failing to find such a beast I used a length of coarse-thread 316 stainless-steel allthread rod and epoxy.
First I glued the cracked surfaces together. Then I took a 5/32" drill bit (9" long, I think it is...) and drilled a hole through the middle of the thin dimension of the coambing. I smothered the sides of the hole with epoxy (using a twig from a natural broom) and then used my drill motor to screw in the length of 3/16" stainless steel all-tread rod into the pilot hole.
This not only pulled the two pieces tightly together, but it should provide solid reinforcement against future side-load stresses that may cause cracks. Especially towards the front where the Commander's coambings are up to 12" tall... and towards the very rear where the stern-most few feet remain unsuported.
After seeing the results, I proceeded to put four more pieces of rod into this coambing. two more as further reinforcement where the crack was and another at the unsupported rear end close to where there is the rear sharp corner cut into the coambing.
...then I put another three pieces of rod into the other coambing. - Just for preventative strengthening...
The holes look large because I drilled a 1/2" hole about 1/2" into the coambing to allow for the jaws of my drill to drive the rod below the edge surface of the coambing and then filled this in with resin.
The driving/screwing of the rod takes quite a bit of torque, as you can imagine. The trick is to keep the pilot hole in the middle of the material - a bit tricky with such a long drill bit / rod.
Out of the six holes I drilled, I only sort of screwed one up. The rod actually came onto the surface but only at the very tip. I ground this down to make smooth and left it. (Somewhat visible in the third picture) - Not too bad for work with a hand drill...
I then cleaned the wood up, did a bit of sanding, and over the course of the next few months sanded and applied some 8 coats of Epifanes clear varnish. The pictures were thaken sometime in the middle of this long process so the coambings do not look their best at this stage.
Epifanes is wonderful stuff. (It is made in Holland - one of my of my most favourite former homes!) I've had good results with it and it is amazingly long-lasting. It really brightened the coambings up nicely... They look pretty amazing and it is one of the first-things that people comment on about the little boat.
Like the wrinkle of your driving the allthread in with the driver.
Should be locked in there til kingdom come.
I believe it may be better than what 338 got which were two 6" long 1/4" bronze rods in each of the corners. Drift pins!
I'll wager there isn't a single Commander or Ariel that doesn't have this splitting problem coming out of the knotches.
The rod may be all that is needed - yet the coamings get a lot of bending moments on them - not from sitting against them so much, but sitting on them, and sometimes standing on them.
The aft end might also have a small corner block added on the deck at the end - with it screwed into the coaming and the deck, Something to make absolutely sure the top can't be moved on these 'open ends'.
Tony G
01-02-2009, 03:29 PM
That is one of, if not the best fix I've seen in a long time. Besides, anyone who so aptly uses the word 'smothered' gets my vote.:D
Thanks TonyG. It was not to hard to do... and I think that the rod will certainly help the coambings.
Here is a bit on the issue of outboard performance addressing some of the most common issues brought-up on the board:
The 'Mephisto Cat' is a 'Well in the lazarette' / outboard model' from the factory. :) I am happy to not have to deal with an oily bilge! Although I could learn a thing or two about diesels... And I salivate a the big & handy storage space that is available in the lazarette to those of you with inboards... Hmmm... :(
I can only dream of the day when a nicely suited electric motor is available!
In any case; So far I've used a 2003 NISSAN 6HP, 4-stroke outboard engine with the long shaft (20”) on the Mephisto Cat. This NISSAN model, as well as some other brands (Mercury?) is apparently made by TOHATSU so they share the same mechanicals - only the marketing bits are different...
I’ve used this motor for a handful of seasons in San Francisco Bay, as well as at Marina del Rey (Santa Monica), and on coastal voyages from Ensenada, MX, to San Francisco as described in previous posts on the Mephisto Cat gallery thread.
I can only wish that a 2 piston motor will become available soon - for reduced vibration!
The typical issues faced with outboards on Ariels & Commanders seem to be the following:
1.- Will the motor fit in the outboard well?
The 6 HP Nissan fits quite nicely in the well being able to rotate pretty much throughout its full range. The lazarette cover closes, clearing the top of the motor by two to three inches. (I am unsure if the internal tank version of this motor would fit as the internal fuel tank cap is located at the top of the motor cover, and sticks out at least a couple of inches...)
The bottom unit is thin & slender (unlike some other brand's models) allowing for an easy fit in the well (there are maybe 3" inches to spare around the widest part of the lower unit as you lower it thought the well...) The slenderness of the bottom unit also helps in reducing hydrodynamic resistance while sailing with the motor in the motor well – which I often do….
This motor only weighs 55lbs (Per Nissan) which makes it easier to handle. I think that this is the heaviest you can go while still being able to (relatively) easily handle an oddly shaped mass as an outboard motor - especially at the point where you are lowering it into / pulling out of the lazarette.
2.- How much power do you need to power an Ariel / Commander (HP)?
I find that this motor moves the boat quite well. It will cruise at about 4 to 4.5 knots at ¾ throttle, and will reach hull-speed (~6kt) at a bit less than full throttle.
While sailing in SF bay in the past, where the winds and currents are not to be ignored, I have found the need to use the full power of this motor while fighting a strong current, or while motoring into a channel with a strong wind on the nose.
While using the motor during coastal cruising, I found that when faced with strong winds on the nose - and the resulting long-reach wind swell - the going gets slow... Mostly because out in the open, the wind swells easily kill your forward momentum.
In these cases a bit more horsepower might help, but these are unusual circumstances for these boats. AND I would argue that if you find yourself in this situation at that point you’d be MUCH better off sailing-off with a reefed main and a storm headsail as this will improve your ride and likely progress as well, so the benefit of a bigger outboard in these cases may never be enjoyed… while you’d ALWAYS be burdened by the big outboard’s weight. **
However, in my time spent in coastal marinas, such as Marina del Rey / Santa Monica Bay where currents are negligible, I found myself wishing for a little (maybe 2-3 HP at most) two stroke motor that I could pull out in a jiffy… This would be more than enough to get in and out of the marina when the winds were blowing. If I were still in this environment, I’d definitely go with the tiny motor. If you are in a lake environment doing mostly daysailing, I'd really consider this route...
** As I've learned more about this issue, I found that the solution in this case (from a hydrodynamic standpoint) is not really more horsepower, but rather a larger prop diameter at a lower pitch to increase efficiency of the available power... Providing what is known as increased 'bollard pull' -the equivalent of more torque in a car engine- with the same horsepower...
Unfortunately, these motors will not physically acommodate a prop much bigger than what comes from the factory...
Another wishlist item: An outboard with a BIG - FOLDING prop!!
3.- How fast will the boat go?
6HP will get you to hull speed in most conditions. There is no need for more horsepower. - 20HP will maybe give you hull speed PLUS maybe 1 or 2 knots more, PLUS a big bow wave in front of your boat… and this while using MUCH MORE Fuel. In short, there is no need… (unless, as I described above, you will be ONLY sailing against very strong winds in sheltered waters -with no wind swell. These conditions would allow you to enjoy the extra horsepower to fight the wind, but these conditions are unlikely…)
4.- Shaft length
My motor has the 20” long shaft. (Note: For 2009, Nissan is offering a 25” extra-long shaft.)
I found that the 20” long shaft works really well on these boats. The steepest swells faced were while motor-sailing around Point Conception where we saw 8-10 ft ocean swells that were far apart enough to not present a problem (11-14 seconds). Big swells are not a problem for the motor, but when these swells are reflected by the concave coast between Point Conception and Point Arguello, and become 4-5 ft swells coming in opposing directions, plus toss in a 1-2 ft wind swell… All of these combining at random can present a tall chop which can be a challenge, mostly for your comfort.
Even in these conditions the prop managed to stay in the water but did suck in some surface air for an instant a couple of times as the conditions above combined to produce a steep/deep chop. Note that when the cavitation happened, it was quire unexpected based on the behavior of the boat at the time, and never due to a severe pitch or roll - the prop seems to stay in the water while pitching /rolling. What seemed to do it was simply a very tall / steep chop, in my case, resulting from a combined wave/swell.
The cavitation was only for an instant causing the revs to increase, but only for an instant. I do not think that the motor had time to reach max revs. I do not think that cavitation is an issue for the 20" shaft length based on the amount of time that the motor had to work in these conditions...
In short; If I were in the market for a motor, I'd stick with the 20" version...
The 25” shaft would provide a slightly increase in the safety margin against the above situation, but most of us would not be in this stuff as a matter of routine… (hopefully!!). The down side of this extra length would be a bit of additional drag while sailing, a small bit of added weight, and the 5 extra inches increasing the required storage space.
Thoughts?
Hey Rico! That's the spirit - great report!
mbowman
01-28-2009, 07:16 PM
Hey Rico, your boat looks great! That spinnaker looks familiar. I guess the sails are working ok? Where you get the storm jibs outfitted. Looks like they did a good job.
mike
I got the UK-Halsey loft in Venice, CA to put the hanks on. They seem to be doing pretty well. I tested out the Storm sail briefly when we had a bit of a blow. I have not used the 135%, but I did try it on for looks at the dock...
I have to get my act together and complete the installation of the Genoa tracks to be able to use all my sails properly... I know I'm going to regret not having this done soon, but it has been wet recently and I somehow have been lacking the motivation to dive into this project...
I am glad this 'lazyness' did not hit me when the boat was all torn apart!
I am currently rigged for my working jib & storm sail (tracks on the cabin top) and I can also rig up my 180% Genoa (with a NOT-very-elegant arrangement involving my greatly reinforced stern cleats) I took advantage of this rigging arrangement in the Three Bridge Fiasco race (See relevant thread for the story of that race here: http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/showthread.php?t=1930).
BUT Yes - my sail shape and ability to trim the sails suffers with my limited set-up, but I am happy to be sailing, and seem to not be so eager to keep working! I just seem to want to sail :o
In any case, I' sure will get on top of it shortly... I'm sure that a bit of nice weather will get me on top of it! (I hope!)
I already have the track and hardware, but I need to look into the different rigging arrangements out there to get some ideas... I got some simple track blocks on cars, but I am wondering what the options are...
Second picture below (Picture after the B/W aerial shot) is a big zoom shot of me going out into the Carquinez straits in a light breeze recently... I am singlehandling with the 180% Genoa. This was taken from the bluff at the point where the Napa River joins the Sacramento River at the Carquinez straits.
This sail is big... (The clew is just behind my shoulder in the picture) I bought it used in almost new condition. It was tailor made for a Commander. I really like it, it is well made, clean, and the price was right... - It works great in a light breeze as you can see by the bow wave, but quickly looses efficiency as the wind picks-up above 12-13 kts.
I guess it won't see much use in the summer!
Aerial Picture (B/W) and Picture of the Mephisto Cat at the Cove Docks
I recently landed at Ayala Cove (on Angel Island in SF Bay) for the first time. We only spent an hour or so there as I wanted to figure out the rules of the park, docks & Moorings... You can use the docks only during the day, but you can spend the night on a first-come-first-serve mooring for $20. It is a beautifully sheltered little cove and is a great place to spend a quiet weekend hiking, picknicking, biking, while the boat is a mooring!
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Angel_island_features.jpg/655px-" />
Picture of other Commander (Below on the right)
While on the island, we walked around for a bit. and while dissapointed that the beergarden was closed, we just happened to run into 'Wave' - another Commander! (Which I have not seen on the board...) I do not know the Hull number, but the owner is from Argentina and is based out of Sausalito! He had a bunch of kids out for a fun day...
commanderpete
02-22-2009, 10:43 PM
WOW!! Great pics
Do you have lazy jacks and pulpit running lights now??
Sure would like to hear about the installation
The Mephisto Cat looks sweeeet
carl291
02-23-2009, 09:40 AM
On post 19 photo showing the replated hardware, what is that thing that looks like an offset wrench under the hull ID tag? I bought some used tiller hardware and that piece was in the parts bag I didn't recognise it so I threw it away, now I feel foolish! :( Thanks
kendall
02-23-2009, 11:23 AM
Part of the lock/latch for the forward hatch
Mounts on the roof, then the screw and wing nut on the hatch itself slips into it to allow snugging it down.
Ken.
carl291
02-23-2009, 01:32 PM
Thanks Kendall, since you pointed out what it is and where it mounts, it's embarassingly obvious:D Now that I've discarded it I'm sure I will need it! :rolleyes:
Kendall go it right Carl! Do you have one on your boat currently? (Other than the one you tossed?)
I had mine re-plated in the batch along with the screw & nut, but I did try to find another sort of fitting for this application and nothing turned up...
Commanderpete;
Thise are indeed lazyjacks... The PO had them made by a rigger - who did an excellent job of them. They have a nice plastic covered wire for the tops, and a single line for the jacks themselves. The little blocks even have little leather booties!
They are growing on me... I was not so convinced at first. They are a simple install. I will look through my pictures and post that.
The Pulpit nav lights are the handheld emergency LED set that I have mounted while I sort out the originals. They are ready to go, but I am stubbornly scheming to convert these to battery powered LED bulbs. The unit on the bow squeezes about 4-5 full nights out of a set of batteries and they are quite bright. This is the direction I'd like to go. Original nav light fixtures, but with an LED adapted into it...
Does anyone have any insight on this?
The old bulbs in the nav lights are adecuate enough, but they run down my battery. I am trying to get away from using the main battery for anything other than my future autopilot.
This idea will bring me to a conflict when I get to the nice original light fixtures... The little shades grip onto the actual light bulb... I hope I do not end-up putting an LED inside a light bulb in order to be able to keep these fixtures!
UPDATE: For a description of my solution on LEDs see posts further down this thread. For more details on the specific bulbs look at the 'Navegation lights' thread here:
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/showthread.php?t=913
carl291
02-24-2009, 08:55 PM
I think I have one, I haven't been too concerned because the boat came with two new Bomar hatches.:D
I am slowly catching-up on posting the many little projects that I've undertaken. Here is one more:
I have noticed that some boats come with Spreader brackets that are made out of aluminum, or some sort of alloy.
My mast came with nicely stout Stainless Steel spreader brackets. I found it odd that there was no compression pipe spanning the gap inside the mast, but it is most likely that the design did not require these.
Pearson did build these little boats with a proportionally large mast that has a very strong section... I do not think that Alberg's drawings, or Pearson's production design included compression pipes in our masts, but I thought it prudent to install these as an upgrade...
The Spreader brackets are fastened by 2 bolts that go right through the mast. The lower bolt also secures the upper end plates of the forward & Stern lower stays. The role of these fasteners is not an unimportant one, so one would like these to be stoutly in place, but tightening excessively will weaken the mast at the mid-point (where the spreaders are located).
The idea behid the compression pipe is that this pipe will act as a strut and take the compression load that comes from tightening the bolts at the spreader brackets relieving the mast from this pressure & avoiding the risk of weakening the mast ...
The installation is quite easy. The hardest part is perhaps finding the correctly sized pipe, as your average hardware store does not carry stainless steel pipe - you'll need to look at a rig shop, or industrial supply shop.
- I went with stainless to match the material of the bolts that will go inside the pipe. I was lucky to find a 14" or so scrap piece in the stainless scrap pile which I got without charge from a friendly rigging shop. - If well isolated, I suppose aluminum pipe will work... but you have to take care to use plenty lanocote to isolate the different metals.
Picture #1
The pipe that tightly fit my fasteners came with an 0.75" OD (outside diameter) which gave me a nice thick pipe-wall as pictured. Pipe is sold by specification of the inside & outside Diameter.
I had a machine shop cut the pipe for me as it is important to have paralell cuts at the ends. I made the cut marks a bit generous as I needed a close fit. (Cannot make the pipe longer after it is cut!!) I used a grinder to fine-tune the length, and to achieve the appropriate bearing radius at each end.
Picture #2
It is important that the inside diameter of the pipe matches your fastener's diameter closely, the outside diameter dimension can vary more as long as you get a nice stout pipe... but not too big... I'd say the size pictured is about as big as you'd want to go... Half that thickness would be strong enough... Note that the pipe-end in this picture remains flat as I had not curved the end to match the mast extrusion curvature.
After painting the mast, I covered the base of the brackets with several layers of vinyl tape to avoid scratching the painted surface and to isolate the Aluminum from the stainless. I then cut the pipe to the appropriate length and added a curve to the ends to match the mast's profile.
I drilled the hole in the mast that is just big enough to insert the 0.75" pipe into the mast. Enlarging a hole can be tricky - you do not want to 'move' the hole - just enlarge it. I used one of those sheetmetal drill bits that have a number of stepped diameters and I found it to be the ideal tool to do this as it keeps you well centered when using a drill motor by hand.
Picture #3
You can see the old hole and a new hole with the pipe & bolt in it. (I did them both the same way) -It is hard to see, but the pipe end now matches the outside curve of the mast. See folowing post for a close-up of this.
(I used red paint to cover-up the bare aluminum as all the white paint I had was two-part - I did not loose any fingers on this project, I am happy to say!)
Picture #4
This is essentially how the whole thing fits together... (I took this picture at the time of testing for pipe length and you might notice that the end of the pipe is still flat at this point.) When complete, the pipe only extends out of the mast by only a bit and matched the mast's profile curve.
Picture #1
Shows the pipe with the appropriate end profile for final installation.
Picture #2
Final assembly of the mast in progress (that topic posted earlier in the thread); the Spreader brackets/spreaders are installed and include the lower stay plates and are now well torqued into place with a nylock nut and a bit of thread-lock for good measure.
We spent a beautiful weekend at Angel Island (mid 80's -at least- and bright blue skies...) and ran into TWO other Commanders. I've never seen so many Pearson Ariel/Commanders in one place at once...
Unfortunately, I spotted them as we were returning from a hike on the South side of the island and did not get to chat with the group, who'd apparently tied up at the dock for the afternoon and sailed off on a course in the general direction of Berkeley...
I do not know if I they even saw the Mephisto Cat tied-up out on one of the moorings at Ayala cove... (See Angel Island map on post a few posts up). It was a busy day and there were MANY boats out there, both at the dock AND on the moorings.
Picture #1 I think I see 3 crispy new sails among the two. Hopefully We'll see them out more often. Note the tripod style winch bases... I'd never seen this type of base on these boats before.
They are both early-ish Commanders as it appears they featured the full companionway opening. (I am sure about the blue one - 95% certain about the white one.)
Note the transom O/B mount... :confused:
- While Posting this I noticed the Pennants on both boats' rigging. On other pictures I can make out the letters 'CSC' and looking at the 'Cal sailing club', website, they do list the Commander in their fleet list... So I imagine that this is where they come from...
Picture #2
While we are at it, here are a few more pictures...
Here is the Mephisto Cat settled in for Sunday evening's rest. We stayed until Monday and we essentially had the whole mooring field to ourselves come late afternoon on Sunday... I took the picture from the trail looking towards Richmond.
Picture #3
A view from the 'perimeter road' looking towards the Golden Gate. I was REALLY HOT at this point... We may have been into the 90's - Rare for the bay...
Picture #4
View towards the west end of Racoon straits. Belvedere Is. and Sausalito in the back. The Angel Island Ferry from Tiburon is visible.
Chance
04-27-2009, 03:23 PM
Rico,
Thank you for taking the time to post photos and great naratives of them. I, among many others I'm sure, really appreciate it. Plus you talent and love that you have and continue to bestow upon Mephisto Cat help keep me motivated.
Thank you Chance,
I am glad that you are enjoying reading about my little adventures... I am really enjoying being back in the bay and its great sailing environment. I really enjoy sailing these capable little yachts and working on them is part of the fun (most of the time anyway!). I only hope that more people get inspired to restore more of these great little yachts.
This was altogether an outstanding sailing weekend! :)
The highlight was definitely the Hoppe regatta on Saturday. It was a bunch of fun and look forward to participating again! It is not often that I get to sail with fellow A/Cs.
The weather was beautiful all weekend and the winds just like those that the SF bay is famous for...
I set off for the central bay on Friday and had a great singlehanded sail to Berkeley. I decided to take the sails down outside of the Berkeley marina... (Mistake!) It was blowing quite a bit and I got pummeled and soaked as I tried to get the sails down... Note to self: There is plenty of room INSIDE the protected marina. Next time WAIT to take the sails down until you are inside!
The Mephisto Cat participated in the Association's Hoppe Regatta on Saturday. You can read about the competition and see some more great pictures here:
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/showthread.php?t=1989
I especially like the first picture taken as we headed off towards San Francisco. The other is at the crossing of the finish line (below): (Photos courtesy of our own Bill Phelon).
On Sunday we had a perfect warm, clear blue sky sail with with south westerly winds back to Vallejo. It was one of those sails that make the day go by too fast...
Just prior to our departure on Sunday, we had a chance run-in with Sean Faul. He is the former skipper of Commander 'Faith', (C-239), whose great voyage from Chicago to Berkeley - via the Panama Canal is documented at:
http://www.geocities.com/sjfaul/Sailing.html
His log is beautifully written and tells of a great adventure. When planning my trip from Ensenada headed North I looked at Sean's log for insight on that section of the passage. When finding the site to post the link here, I found myself reading it again! It is very detailed and entertaining - there are many exciting tales from their trip nicely woven & documented on the site such as:
Running from a hurricane, underwater repairs on the high seas, in addition to the typical Pirates, ports-of-call adventures, sea monsters, etc. (I made-up the sea monster bit :p). In any case, I wish I could keep a log like that!
We spoke for a while about 'Faith' & the 'Mephisto Cat', and among other anecdotes he mentioned that he had just completed a beautiful refurbishment of 'Faith' and that he'd just sold to a friend up in the Pacific Northwest. He was doing the delivery and had so far had sailed 'Faith' up to Fort Bragg. - I saw pictures of the end result of his restoration, and Faith did indeed look beautiful.
Hopefully he'll chime in with some pictures of the nice work... And maybe the new owner will post pictures of some PNW scenery!
He also mentioned a few details having to do with Pearson's development of the Commander's bridge deck, but I'll let him share that story...
Ed Ekers
06-18-2009, 05:49 AM
Rico, I thought you might enjoy this picture as well..........ed
http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2009-06-17&dayid=286 - scroll down
Commander227
06-18-2009, 06:47 AM
Nice breeze, flat water, beautiful weather. All enjoyed from one of the prettiest boats on the planet. Count your blessings Rico...you're a fortunate man.
Ed - I do believe that the boat pictured in the link is a Bristol 27 (or similar) - not a Commander. But it is a good picture never-the-less... :D
C-227 Thanks! When I am out there, I wear a full-time grin! :)
The Sail Track
If you saw my query in the 'Jib Track placement' thread (http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/showthread.php?t=283) , you know what my most recent project was; I am happy to announce that I have installed the sailtrack. It seems like a simple enough task. -Just drill some holes and screw them in - as someone who should know better put it... :(
This is where I started:
I had more questions than answers and I was all over the place... - could come up with reasons for all sorts of angles for the track... (The only part I knew was the location of the Genoa track - the purple line on the rail - which remains un-installed! - not needed yet due to the Bay's consistent summer breezes...)
<img src=http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/attachment.php?attachmentid=5763&stc=1&d=1239823274 />
Having sought tons of advice from racers, members of this board, and pretty much anyone within earshot about these &^%$% tracks. - I SLOWLY learned what the important bits were AND most importantly whats bits to ignore. - At least enough to think that I did... which allowed me to start thinking about drilling holes.
I also learned a bit more about sail geometry and trim, and started to get information enough to proceed and determine the location for installing the jib track. - Credit must go to Ed Ekers for turning some key lightbulbs on, on the topic!
I am happy to report that it appears that I got it pretty darn close to correct... I am very happy with the results. I am using twin-sheet track cars on these tracks. My sail trim ability is much, much improved! (See pictures in post above with tell-tales pointing straight aft from top to bottom of sail...) And all sheets run free and clear of everything.
As I previously predicted I would, I've repeatedly told myself: I wish I'd done this sooner!! :D
I started by reinforcing the Winch bases - for good measure - as the loads experienced by the jib sheets with proper sail trim are expected to be greater than those seen to date with the use of the cabin-top tracks...
The winch reinforcement went something like this:
Session 1: Remove winch bases, Re-drill for oversize holes in deck, fill with dense epoxy resin, grind epoxy filler flush with deck, add matching gelcoat color-coat on top, redrill final holes.
Session 2: Install winches @ coambings, Find previously made aluminum backing plates that remained un-installed from before, set in bedding compound, Install winch bases, seal, re-fasten, wait a couple days and tighten.
After finally deciding on what should be the desired location for the 4' length of racing jib track, I proceeded in a similar manner as described above.
The track installation was essentially as follows:
Pre-work: Add Polysulfide to track sections as bedding compound/sealer, buy aluminum plate 3" x 3/16" x 10'. Sand, prime, & paint backing plates, Cut plate to size, add 'base' polysulfide bedding compound to backing plate accounting for noticeable peaks & valleys and let cure, find previously bought fasteners.
Session 3: Measure at least 20 times (accounting for adjustments for possible sail trim variations, track car locations, OTHER potential future sails, sheet routing, curvature of the interior's surface (where the backing plate goes), AND bulkhead location), Mark track fastener locations, ponder all of the above, then close eyes, cross fingers, and drill locator holes.
Session 4: Re-drill for oversize holes in the deck, clean out balsa core bits and prep holes, fill with dense epoxy resin, grind filler resin flush with deck, add gelcoat color-coat to match.
Session 5: Redrill final holes, cut backing plate again to fit/straddle bulkhead, drill holes in backing plates, paint backing plates - again, test plates for bedding compound profile & fit.
Session 6: Install track with additional (fresh) bedding compound, Find fasteners, loose the fasteners, fasten track to deck & install backing plate underneath with fresh polysulfide, pack tools laying everywhere, vaccumm bits of dust everywhere. Wait a few days for fresh polysulfide to cure, re-tighten fasteners,
By the time I finished on Session 6, it was late & quite dark... It was all fuzzy... Don't remember getting home... The next day I went to the marina to find a track on deck - (and there was another similar track on the other side of the boat!)
Picture 1: The oversize holes in the deck. I am happy to report that there was nothing but BONE dry balsa in all the holes... - You never really know what has been going on for the last 40 some years!
Picture 2: The backing plates with offset holes to better match the interior profile. -The Angle cut on one end of the plates is to match the angle of the bullkhead. Note the initial polysulfide application to compensate for peaks & valleys and as pre-cured bedding. I like to provide semi-cured bedding on initial installation of any load bearing surface underneath a fresh layer immediately before installation.
Picture 3: The final results.
Picture 4: Picture of the backing plate in its final location. (3 more bolts are beyond the bulkhead) Note that the little lampshades are now in place after being in a box for about 3 years. I'm told we look 'more civilized' now...
When doing the Gel-coat, I re-did the clear epoxy coating on the forward hatch. The stuff does not like the sun and although the Gel-coat still looks GREAT, the hatch is looking a bit dull in spots... I'm thinking I might gel-coat it gray or white.... Hmmm....
Commander 147
06-24-2009, 06:29 AM
I want mine to look similar when I get done with it. (like I will ever get done with it, after all it is a boat).
Are you using a block at the aft end of the new tracks behind the track car to create a fair lead to the winches? It is hard to tell from the pictures but it looks like if the track car was forward to much it would cause the jib sheet to rub against the combing boards.
Thanks 147, (just had a 'Get Smart' flashback..!)
I am. - I measured everything and found what I thought was the right location for the track. - After debating whether to adjust the track location for the inboard tailing of the starboard winch in order to avoid rubbing, I decided to maintain a consistent track location and use an additional block to route the sheet and keep it off the coambing.
(I've sailed on a boat where the track location compensated for this winch issue and as a result the pointing abilities were different depending on the tack... - not good.)
You might be able to spot it.... It is barely noticeable on the first picture in post #96. I use one of the cars intended for my Genoa track. I'll never be using BOTH tracks at the same time... so it was not a big issue.
I remember some skipper once befuddling a newbie sailor as she wondered about the direction of rotation of the winches on each side of the boat. He told her that when he bought the boat could not quite afford the 'optional' counterclockwise-turning winch for the port side... ;)
- I'll post some 'action shots' - once I take some!
Picture 1: The sail track location looking forward.
Rico, thanks for the great pics and set up information! I'm taking copious notes for when I finally get around to re-mounting the genoa and jib tracks. I'm going on three seasons just attaching the blocks to the stanchion bases. (I'm obviously not a racer!) :o
No worries mbd - Thanks. All that matters is that you are out on the water sailing!
The Plastic classic and getting beat-up in the dark
The ‘Mephisto Cat’ participated in the ‘Plastic Classic’ regatta a couple of weeks ago. The regatta is intended for boats designed more than 25 years ago… It was a fun-packed sailing weekend which included a bit of a beating /soaking during a windy and very wet / chilly sail on Friday afternoon & night.
I do not have any pictures of our night sail, but here is a picture of the Mephisto Cat sailing in the South bay in the Plastic Classic regatta:
<img src="http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/attachment.php?attachmentid=6040&stc=1&d=1249333556" />
More details and pictures posted on the Plastic Classic Regatta thread on the 'events' board:
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/showthread.php?t=2041
BTW - You cannot see them in the pictures above, but the shiny Original Pearson Nav light fixtures with LEDs are now installed: See picture below of the light at a 45 deg angle.
For details and more pics on the LED installation along with product info, an order discount, see the Navigation Lights thread:
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/showthread.php?p=20064#post20064
<img src="http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/attachment.php?attachmentid=6058&stc=1&d=1249625289" />
- the scupper covers are finally on too.
**More pictures of the track installation are now added to the posts above. More project postings soon...
I've finally installed my little chart table!
One of the simpler projects on the boat, but one that took its time...
I knew I wanted a little 'salty' looking chart (multi-use) table, but could not find the right 'chart' to use. I got one of the channel islands and then one of San Francisco bay, but none really looked right. I finally saw this one and I knew this was the one!
It is also the chart I used to navigate my way north... :D
(I do not know why people look at me funny when I tell them this!) :cool:
It is a very interesting little chart I got somewhere on the web... Unfortunately, I do not have a date or author. Interestingly, the chart includes 3 scales; Dutch 'Mijl'*, Spanish 'Leguas' and English 'Miles' .
It is quite accurately labeled as far as the best known & well traveled areas (settlement ports & Islands) of the North westernmost part of what was known as 'New Spain'. Cities/towns from Colima to Cabo San lucas in the South to San Diego, Santa Barbara, & Monterey in the North ...
The islands of Catalina, San Clemente, San Martin, & the channel Islands are all well labeled, as well as some of the major landmarks: Magdalena Bay, San Quintin, Todos Santos Bay, Pt. Conception, Point Reyes, Drake's Bay (San Francisco Draco) and the Northernmost Point Blanco. But as you go North, the accuracy is lost and the 'imagined' takes over...
I guess that at that point no one had made it all the way North in the sea of Cortez to the mouth of the Colorado River, and no one had sailed North past point Blanco (Oregon) hence the assumption was that California must be an Island...
Conspicuously, San Francisco Bay is missing altogether from the chart as it must not have been discovered at the time this chart was drawn! The approximate location is shown as the mouth of an ambiguos river mouth... This would date the chart from about the early to mid 1700s.
- A bit of Wiki history: San Francisco Bay was First discovered by the Europeans on November 4, 1769 when Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolà, unable to find the port of Monterey, California, continued north close to what is now the town of Pacifica and reached the summit of the 1,200-foot (370 m) high Sweeney Ridge, where he sighted San Francisco Bay across the peninsula.
Portola and his party did not realize this was a whole un-discovered bay thinking they had arrived at an inlet of Drake's Bay. At the time, Drake's Bay went by the name Bahia de San Francisco and thus both bodies of water became associated with the name. Eventually, the larger, more important body of water fully appropriated the name San Francisco Bay.
The first European to enter the bay is believed to have been the Spanish explorer Juan de Ayala, who passed through the Golden Gate on August 5, 1775 in his ship the San Carlos, and moored in a bay of Angel Island now known as Ayala Cove. (See Angel Island map in post #80 above).
Sorry for the digression onto history - but it is all pretty amazing that we are still visiting the same virtually unchanged (fortunately) places -by sail- that these guys visited hundreds of years ago...
Anyway, Back to the table... I disassembled the table, cleaned it up, sanded the teak and applied several coats of varnish.
I also sanded the original formica table top to remove some stains and roughen up. I have to say that had I wanted to keep the interior totally original, I could have just polished the formica and it would have been as good as new. It really cleaned up well... Instead, I roughened the surface up a bit for best adhesion and proceeded to epoxy the chart onto it!
I wanted about 1/8" of clear epoxy cover over the whole table (This meant I needed about 1/2 liter of CLEAR epoxy).
I tested the chart print for color-fastness and fortunately the ink on the print was not affected by the epoxy. I stuck the whole table in the oven to warm -up & accelerate the curing while I carefully mixed the clear hardener & resin.
As it turns out, I did not need accelerating the cure... Due to the large volume of epoxy, it went off quite fast. I used a bit of epoxy to set the print on the table and then I poured the rest on top. I poured and almost immediately after spreading the epoxy and achieving a level surface - it set. Had I taken 15 seconds longer I would have had a complete mess on my hands. Instead, it came out very nicely.
Due to an inexplicable late start to this little epoxying project, I ended-up going to bed at about 2 am...
The results are pictured below:
Picture 1: Photo of the chart.
Picture 2: The table installed and in stowed away position.
Picture 3: The table deployed.
Note the nice glow of my warm-light LED bulb under the little lamp shade.
In addition to providing a flat surface for all purposes; I am convinced that this table is good for at least one knot over the water!
*A bit more on the Dutch 'Mijl':
mijl = about 5 km
The mijl was the equivalent of one hour of walking. It was a variable measurement that differed from region to region. One commonly used measurement was the "Holland mile" (Hollandse mijl). The mijl is usually assumed to be the equivalent of the English league, which was also variable but was about three English miles or about five kilometres.
Other equivalents of the various miles in use were the French lieu marine (5,555 m), 20,000 Amsterdam feet (5,660 m) or 20,000 Rijnland feet (6,280 m). Between the introduction of the "Dutch metric system" (Nederlands metriek stelsel) in 1816 and the reforms in 1869, the word "mijl" was used to refer to a kilometre.
Commander 147
08-22-2009, 07:01 AM
with a touch of class and attention to detail.
Your chart table is very nautical and looks great. Nice job.
minksf
09-10-2009, 06:40 PM
I always wondered about those four islands were I sailed to Utah.
Thanks! -
I'm sure that the last time I saw those islands, I was driving well inland....
I've been taking advantage of the great summer we've been having. The strong summer winds are calming a bit in the San Francisco Bay... We'll be looking forward to their return, but there is plenty of sailing to be done until then. We are still looking forward to a beautiful weekend coming-up for the Fleet Week festivities...
Plans for next weekend (Oct 9 to 11) are here:
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/showthread.php?t=2068
Here are a few pictures of some summer 2009 sails so far:
Picture 1: A nice warm day out with a salty crew... We had a great sail in mild winds and warm temperatures. Lack of high-wind duties had the crew well into the grog by mid-day. We had planned a stop at the neighboring port's watering hole, but by the time we reached it, there was clearly no need...
Some of the crew fared better than others upon our return to the dock late in the afternoon due to the 'excesses', but it was still a lot of fun... (NOTE the off-the-shelf 'Mephisto Cat' gear...)
Picture 2: A typical gray but breezy summer day in SF at the Master Mariner's regatta in the Bay; an mazing old ship's race held since the 1800's. The best weather for sailing! (no need to worry about the sun!)
Picture 3: Camping at Angel island. We had a campsite for the 2 boatloads of landlubbing 'passengers' (only one load shown in pic.) while some of the crew planned to stay on the boat at the mooring.
We unloaded everyone's supplies, but did not manage to get too far before stopping for some refreshments. Had we known we had quite the hike to the camp site we would have spent less time 'at the dock' and would have also spent less time fighting in the dark with the raccoons for our dinner !
It is at times like this when you wonder where all the boats/people in the bay have gone to... (-no complaints though!).
Picture 4: Chased by a bigger-badder boat on a wednesday night beer-can race.
I decided to coat the forward hatch on the Mephisto Cat with colored gel-coat... - the renewed 'transluscent' (Clear epoxy) coated portion of the hatch was not doing so well in the sun, as you may imagine... It was good for a few months, but then it started looking as old as it did before the restoration...
I wonder how this transluscent portion did out of the factory back in the day... (You can see a 'Before' picture on Post #94)
Anyway, now has a nice thick coat of white Gel-coat on it! I'm pretty happy with it. It does not let quite as much light in, but it still lets some in. In any case, it is really not a problem as there is enough light coming in from the portlights. It certainly looks better from the outside.
News update:
Somehow I've ended-up the owner (rescuer) of another Commander...
As it turns out it is C-187 and it is in excellent shape.
More details here:
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/showthread.php?t=2072
And speaking of Gel-Coating, here is a bit about the much delayed documentation about the gel-coating work on the boat itself:
I've many pictures and trying to pick a few is hard, but here goes...
We started by taking EVERYTHING off. Everything.
C-155 was sitting naked whithout a stitch of hardware (Picture #3). My Friend Guillermo did the bulk of the fine work of the fairing necessary for the gel-coat finish to look smooth and he was also the master of the Gel-coat spraying.
I was fortunate to have his spraying skills available as evidenced by the mess I made when I tried it myself... :D From early-on, my spraying was limited only to spraying the Gel-coat curing film (Part-all).
After the repair and structural upgrades came the sanding. Lots of sanding. Some poking, reparing, and structural upgrades also happened at this stage, especifically at the hull / deck joint, at the stern chainplate, and at a few dings & scratches that had been collected the boat's lifetime. We also eliminated MANY screw holes of all kinds. A bunch at the companionway bulkhead and house as I deleted all bolt-thru connections. (Picture #1)
When that was all done, we sanded to a rough finish (good for a strong mechanical bond) and applied the first few coats of Gel-coat.
THESE few coats did not turn out so well, as billions of little fish-eyes stared at us from the hull... :mad:
- Utter Disaster.
These are tiny bubbles that formed within the original factory Gel-coat / resin and then show-up when the surface is abraded. They were really evident when a good coat was applied to the surface. (Super zoom Picture #2) This was not good... actually, it felt like defeat at the time.
Needless to say, we wanted no more of this, so we went deeper with the abrasives and then, using stiff plastic cards as a spatula, I went over the whole surface with a strong filler in order to avoid any more tiny surface irregularities... (While Guillermo smirked & drank beer, I might add...).
- Then we sanded ALL of THAT OFF, and that left only the tiny bits that were actually captured within the surface irregularities... Uggh! (Picture #4 shows the paste partially sanded off. (-That is about when the first sander died!) The pictures were taken at different stages - we eventually went below the waterline with the prep & the new gel-coat.
I will say that having someone - anyone - to provide a hand with a bit here & there, or even at least help drink a few beers while working makes the most daunting chore much easier. If they have some skill, then the advantage is exponential. Working by yourself is not nearly as much fun...
COLOR
I wanted a light color to avoid high temperatures in the california sun, but there were few stock colors available that seemed appealing to me.
I ended-up buying some dark gray and a bunch of white gel-coat and mixed my own colors. I ended-up with a light shade of gray for the hull and a much lighter shade of gray for the non-skid. The rest is a sort of creamy white - but not near anything like BEIGE...
More to follow shortly...
Here are a few more shots of the gel-coating process. There are no action shots because of the time constraints of the gel-coating. If the resin sets-up while still in the equipment it is just all bad news...
So we'd prep like crazy and then spray like mad as the days were short. Guillermo would spray while I did my best to keep hoses & ourselves away from any surface already coated.
We did several coats at each area applying a nice thick layer each time, in order to up with a nice thick shell.
After the resin was in place we raced to apply a curing compound that keeps oxigen away from the surface allowing it to harden properly and preserving a quality surface finish (we still polished afterwards!). Then came the clean-up.
We usually finished late in the day, and by the time I got around to taking pictures, it was already dark.
If I remember correctly (It is all a bit fuzzy now!) We applied several coats going roughly in this order (we did come back to do more coats on several areas):
- Port side topsides
- Sbd side topsides
- Non-skid
- White areas on deck
- Waterline stripes
- Hatch covers & other bits
- Cabin interior and any other nooks
We did several coats at each area especially at those areas that see the most wear. The waterline stripes received only two coats of the red gel coat.
Picture #1
Spraying the pretty rear end yet again... (This is the closest thing to an action shot!) We started with the transom as a test area, and tested Gel-coat a few times for color & consistency. With all the resin back there, I could get rear ended and most everything will be able to be buffed out! (Not that I'd like to try!)
Picture #2
I believe this is the second two-coat application of the white areas on the deck. The greenish tint is due to the curing compound. I got the green tint version so that we would see where we had a good coverage with the compound and did not leave any gaps. This all washes off easily with just water. It is like a thin coat of Jell-O. I love the stuff... If it is not used, the oxygen exposure prevents the exposed Gel-coat from curing properly resulting in a sticky surface that is quite hard to deal with.
Picture #3
A bit closer to the end... All colors in place. We also mixed that pretty red as the base red was a bit too 'lipstick'... (Note nicely painted outboard plug in place). The waterline stripe at the plug looks a bit weird in the picture, but it is fine in reality... an optical (Photo) illusion. (I checked after looking at this pic!).
Picture #4
Testing looks with the lazarette lid in place. Non-skid is done along with all other colors. No hardware at all is in place yet.
I took this picture when the lid was completed. At that time, I was also installing the new companionway teak and you can see the teak dust everywhere! Note also the ton of dust inside the lazarette due to a dusty Santa ana wind....
Commander 147
12-01-2009, 05:41 AM
These shots really show off your pretty gray topsides. Thanks for posting them it has made me lean more toward doing the same color on Destiny.
Since I don't personally know anyone else that has done a re-gelcoat to their boat I have a few questions to better understand the process. I hope you don't mind.
1.) After the gelcoat has cured I assume you have to sand with progressively finer grit and then buff it out. Is that assumption correct?
2.) How exactly did you handle the non-skid? Do you have some kind of pattern in the new gel-coat on the non-skid?
3.) What kind of prep did you have to do to the smooth and non-skid areas prior to shooting the gelcoat?
4.) How long ago was it that you did the gelcoat and how well has it held up?
5.) Have you been waxing the boat on a regular basis to keep her looking good?
1.) After the gelcoat has cured I assume you have to sand with progressively finer grit and then buff it out. Is that assumption correct?
-The finish is quite smooth after the initial spraying and due to the use of the curing compound there is no sticky residue on the top layer. Having said that, the gel coat spray is quite thick and in order to end-up with a glassy smooth finish, you do have to sand (1200 grit+) & then polish. It works quite nicely.
2.) How exactly did you handle the non-skid? Do you have some kind of pattern in the new gel-coat on the non-skid?
-C-155's non skid (the original texture) was in amazingly good condition so we simply cleaned these areas up using a soft wire brush in order not to damage the basket-weave texture. This only got a couple of light coats as to not drown the texture. We did this as a trial initially, but saw that it worked pretty well, so we called it good... I did not sand, or polish these areas.
It is not comparable to the sandpaper-like finish on some other boats I sail on, but I'm pretty happy even with the wet performance on the original texture. I imagine that eventually, I'll have to go with a non-skid coating on those areas, but this will be quite a few years down the line. Since I've done this I've seen many coatings used, and some are much more appealing than others. I am very happy with the results.
3.) What kind of prep did you have to do to the smooth and non-skid areas prior to shooting the gelcoat?
-See #2 above for the non-skid areas on the deck.
The boat was in very good condition structurally - there were no areas that were weak or suffering from delamination, and no major dings or impact damage. We sanded down to clean and uncompromised material. It is amazing how well the materials have held-up!
After applying a few coats on the topsides and discovering the little bubbles in the original gel coat we sanded some more and then used a filler to make sure we had a completely smooth surface.
We then sanded the filler away (except where the little bubbles captured a bit of filler ensuring that we left a rough surface and removed all dust and residue before spraying the new gel-coat.
There was a bit of a scar from a ding on the stern rail and here we had to do a bit of skin surgery (glass work) to make sure that it was solidly repaired and smooth for paint. As they say - all the work is in the prep. It is very true.
Another area that we focused on was the hull-deck joint; Since I wanted to do away with the rubrail trim pieces... In this area there was quite a bit of focus to seal the joint stoutly and then fair the surfaces so that it would look nicely finished once the Gel-coat came on. The visual transition made with the trim was made instead by the change-in-color line at about the same line as the deck joint. You may have noticed that there is a bit of an angle change at the rail as you come up from the hull curve, we followed that line for the color change.
4.) How long ago was it that you did the gelcoat and how well has it held up?
-The Gel-Coat is two and a half years old now, and it is holding-up beautifully. I've heard some horror stories around the marina about gel coat jobs that cost a fortune and then fall apart in a year. I've personally never seen any like this, and would recommend the gel-coat work thouroughly. Of course; if you do not do the work yourself, the cost to simply disassemble the hardware on the boat is outrageous! You may be able to paint around stuff, but gel coating around stuff would be a disaster.
5.) Have you been waxing the boat on a regular basis to keep her looking good?
-I gave the boat an insanely good wax job prior to launch, but I have not done so since then - been too busy sailing! I am planning on doing this soon. I am a stickler for wax on my cars and feel guilty about not doing it on the boat more often. The boat does not look like it needs it, but I'm sure it will help to reduce the potential UV damage. BTW - I really like Collonite's fleet wax. It is a great product intended for marine and aviation applications.
6.) What products did you use & How much?
-I used Valspar Coatings' Gel coat. I bought a dark gray (1ea. 5 Gal. Pail) and their nice basic white (2 ea. 5 Gal pails - I bought the second pail only AFTER I decided to re-do the interior...) and 1 qt of bright Red for the waterline stripes. I mixed my own colors using the colors mentioned (with the addition of a few drops here & there of Gel coat coloring agent to tweak the red into my desired shade)
This was enough to do all the coats we ended up doing on C-155 (probably 3 times the minimum thickness needed!!), plus all of the interior in white (VERY thick), and a bunch of odds & ends (e.g: the lead pigs & a metal grating door -not on the boat!). I figure that the second pail went mostly on the inside. We only had about 1 gallon of White & 1/2 Gallon of the hull gray, and about 1/2 qt of red left over. We used all of the light gray mixed at that time, but I've since matched a bit I needed when installing the sail track.
147 - I'm glad that the pictures helped. If you still need more please let me know.
Commander 147
12-01-2009, 03:30 PM
That was very helpful in understanding the process. From the pictures I've seen I agree with the guy that said you have the only new commander in existence. :)
Just beautiful work,
really is amazing!
I don't recall anybody on the net handling and spraying on gelcoat to the extent you guys have. Never seen it done at the yard.
It's so professional it's like you do it all the time!
If you came cold to this miracle and didn't reinvent the wheel so to speak....
REALLY IS AMAZING.
Restoration at its finest.
Thanks! -I'll be sure to pass along a fair share of the compliments.
I was fortunate to participate in the 2009 edition of the Baja ha-ha Rally from San Diego to Cabo (at the tip of the Baja Peninsula) at the end of October.
I am working on a bit of a write-up about the adventure... but while I finish here are a few of the pictures I took.
To keep this thread on topic I'll leave most of the details on the 'S/v Mystic - Seattle to Calais' thread in the Sailing & Events section which is focuses on this portion of the Voyage. (Link below) Please add comments there where I've posted a few more pictures and a short video taken as the conditions built showing some big swells:
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/showthread.php?t=2077
Here is the link to the little video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlqZpBYer2Y
Picture 1a: Arriving at Cabo. - The arch at the entrance to the cabo harbor. (This should be the last picture, but linked pictures show-up first... I'll plan better next time!)
Attached pictures:
Picture 1: Day 1; Great weather at the start this is a picture as we sailed past the Coronados (Northernmost Mexican Islands). We had our spinnaker up as the gun went off.
Picture 2: Great sunrise & nice weather after some 24hrs of 20-25 kt winds, gusts to 30kt with 15-20ft seas. This picture was taken on our approach to Bahia Santa Maria. We went far offshore chasing the wind as conditions lightened and approached our anchorage pretty much heading directly East.
One boat went to the bottom due to an impact with a whale while surfing down the face of one of these waves (all crew OK). Another got some sort of heavy line wrapped around the keel, and it dragged for some 4 hrs. Several goosenecks broke on gybes.
We were short-handed due to seasickess among the crew but fared well. We were quite tired, but had quite a bit of fun. (Not so bad with following wind & seas) We hit 11.7 knots several times while 'surfing' - in a 'Passport 40'. I imagine the Passports' hull-speed is around 6-7 Knots???
-See video on linked thread above.
Picture 3: Most of the time we had 'Perfect' sailing weather that allowed for fishing. We caught a Tuna (22") and two Dorados (Mahi-Mahi) (both at 44")
Most boats had very good luck with the fish. We made Sashimi & Ceviche, as snacks. Fish tacos, and nice fillets (Grilled /in garlic sauce/ Pan fried) for lunches and dinners.
We also caught 2 small Albacore tuna (twins at about 14"). We decided to let them go... I've seen them top 100lbs and I felt sorry for the little guys... plus we already had lots of fish at that point.
Picture 4: A relaxing sunset... The coming night was my first experience flying every stitch of sail at night. The radio often sounded with comments from people saying how this particular passage was the best sailing of their lives... Pretty darn perfect. This was taken during our last night before arriving in Cabo. During a slight calm (Warm!) we had to cool off overboard - 80 miles offshore! Shorts and T-shirts were our cold weather gear for the night.
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/attachment.php?attachmentid=6384&stc=1&d=1262237025
Unlike the coambings, the Mephisto Cat's companionway teak was not in great shape... It did not look horribly bad for 40 year-old wood, but it had remained unprotected for quite a few years and was showing some threatening cracks.
The side companionway board rails, the hatch rails, and the piece at the bottom (that typically serves as a step) also showed significant wear. If one piece had to come off - It all had to come off...
Replacing the wood felt as the most daunting process even though there is not that much of it... I'm comfortable working with wood and would have liked to do the fine work myself, but I did not have access to the right woodworking tools, and I also thought that the teak would cost a bundle. Fortunately, I found a shop that had some nice leftover scrap pieces and I bought enough to complete a new companionway and traveler base. (just BARELY enough as it turned out!)
I asked a carpenter who had done some nice work for my parents to replicate each of the pieces -generously- as I planned to do the fine fitting as I installed the new wood in place... This is not the most efficient way of creating a new companionway (or anything) and the resulting fit was not factory perfect, but it turned out MUCH better that I thought it would. This method also made the installation take much longer than it should have...
Picture 1
Dry-run install & fine fitting of the teak companionway pieces before applying any varnish.
-I made sure to remove the beer bottles from view, but forgot about the bottle caps!-
You can see that the companioway BOARDS were in VERY nice shape. They are also made of teak, and although weathered a bit they seem unafected by age. Over time, they have developed a great texture. I made sure to NOT sand this away...
A few pieces are missing in this picture. The bottom plate (under the step piece) really adds lots for looks.
Picture 2
All the new pieces getting a little sun after a few coats of varnish -after they've all been trimmed, drilled, and fitted. The boat still on the hard at this point. It all seems so long ago...
It is right about then that I started thinking that tearing into the interior and putting in a nice coat of Gel-coat all over the interior would be a good idea... A project in its own right! Should have started with that!
Picture 3
Almost a full view of the finished product sortly after the initial 'mastless' splash, and the post-splash installation of the mast, coambings, deck hardware, traveler & base, etc. I'll have to take a picture of the full companionway... shiny wood certainly adds a ton of 'looks' to any boat...
This picture is before the first sail - note the missing winch base on the port side, nav lights, scupper plates, etc. There is also no boom yet.
... There are some more companionway pictures in the next post(s).
Commander 147
02-23-2010, 12:00 PM
you have one of the best looking commanders out there. My goal is to make Destiny look as good as Mephisto Cat. I remember the first time I saw your companionway after it was redone. I thought to myself back then "I can't wait until mine looks that good" :)
So your companionway boards were teak huh? Mine look original and were all mahogany just like the combing boards. I wonder if Pearson made a change somewhere along the way but your boat is only 8 hulls away from mine. Now I have to wonder if maybe mine were replaced somewhere along the way??????
Thanks Jerry!
- Yes; The Mephisto Cat's (C-155) brightwork is ALL teak. I imagine teh Mahogany on C-147 must be original as the upgrade would have been VERY expensive... But who knows. It seems that Pearson offered different trim options for the interior layout, Interior fixtures, deck equipment, and I/b or O/b motors... Perhaps the choice of wood used was also an option?
C-187 had all Mahogany brightwork, which looked like it was the original brightwork... - and it will be getting all new Mahogany during refurbishment. It was hard to find THAT material as it was...
- I cannot imagine what a 1'-2" x 3/4" x 10'-6" teak board would cost - even if you could find it!!
Finally sailing after the 2010 very WET season!
The Official season opening race on the bay is in two weeks... Last year we had a very mild winter and it was not hard at all to sail right through. We even some 80 degree days in February and did quite a bit of sailing around the bay even before opening day.
This year, on the other hand, is has been VERY wet, and it was not until this past weekend that I managed to get a full weekend-sail in nice weather -after enough dry days to complete a few projects -in addition to 'spring cleaning'...
- As we all do; I do still have a long list of pending upgrades & little projects.
I had a sailor friend in town, and not only did we manage a sail down to Sausalito; but he also helped with a couple little boat projects. What a pleasure it is to have a bit of help now & then!! - At least to help dirink the beer!
We took off in light winds (about 10kt) on the ebb tide in bright sunshine, but it slowly picked-up as we got closer to the central Bay. We were entertained by some large ship trafffic while in San Pablo Bay. By the time we reached Richmond, we had 10-15kt winds with a few puffs and we could see a few other sailboats.
We reached Sausalito and had a few other friends meet us for a beer at the slip before we headed off to dinner at one of the cafes. We spent a great night on the boat, and after a good breakfast on-shore we went sailing again. We spent a bit of time in the central Bay and then headed back home riding a nice strong flood. We lost the wind for a while, but then a light westerly set-in and we swiched to the mighty 180% genoa and sailed wing - on - wing.
Picture 1: Great sailing in mild conditions... A bit of wind - plus the ebb tide pushing us along... The ebb tide pulls a lot of river sediment along making the water murky.
Picture 2: Another shot right after lunch and a beer...
Picture 3: Having a rest after stowing the boat away for the night.
Picture 4: These racers did not stand a chance against the lightning fast Mephisto Cat!!! (-relatively lightning fast!)... We flew past all of them before they took off towards Angel island. It was fun watching these little sailors cruise along in the little dinghies - and we did make sure to stay well clear.
- I wish I'd gotten into sailing that early! These sailing kids are doing drills, rounding markers and enjoying some excellent sailing in Raccoon straights; An area that is well respected by sailors in much larger boats!
Picture 5: On a Strarboard tack
A quick one to share a bit of news: The Mephisto Cat now has a slip at the Berkeley Marina!
I've managed to snag a slip in a great location...
A short video of the great sail I had on my way down is here:
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/showthread.php?2171-Commander-Ariel-Video-Gallery
The move is about 16 miles to the South West as the crow flies - or a 30 mile sail from the Vallejo Marina in San Pablo Bay (North San Francisco Bay) down to the Central Bay.
I am really looking forward to spending much more quality sailing time in the middle of San Francisco Bay... I found that although I really enjoyed the day-long sail down to the bay, it seemed that I spent most of my sailing on the trips back & forth and only spending typically 1/2 day cruising SF Bay... as it seems that my crew thought it to be a bit too much sailing at once -apparently... :confused:
In any case, I am eaker to explore some of the central bay's offerings. Plus I'll be sailing with a lot more company since everyone flocks to the central bay...
Just in time for the great weather... Actually, we are looking forward to 4 days of rain next week! :(
Just on my very dock, there are TWO Ariels and one Commander. One of the Ariels is right next door! (See Picture #1) Usually, I'm lucky to see one on a dock somewhere, or see one sailing off in the distance.
The Ariel next door ('Ya never know'; A-192 / CF 0583 KX) is in Excellent condition - Lots of upgrades, and very well maintained. I've had a few nice chats with the owner Jerry when scoping out slips. He continues to keep her up and sails often when he is in town. (UPDATE: Jerry has decided to take the boat down to Moss landing -deep in the Monterrey bay between Santa Cruz & the town of Monterrey.)
The Commander ('Galatea'; C-??? (hull number is higher than 223 as it has a bridge deck)/ CF 6957 SL) - It looks old, but it is in good shape and all the bits are there... This could be a great boat. I've been told that it serves as someone's self storage locker. :mad: That's all I know. It sits there very lonely... (UPDATE: This boat has been chained-up and will be likely sold by the marina. I never did meet the 'former' owner...)
The other Ariel ('Horizons'; A-35 / CF 1234 CA) - well... it is not pampered as much... :mad: It sits unrigged with a pulpit sitting upside down on deck... I've noticed someone spending nights occasionally. No contact yet...
A few pictures of the new digs:
Picture 1 'Ya never know' and the 'Mephisto Cat' share a double slip. We agreed to tie the boat's sterns together in order to keep the boat off the single fingers. It works beautifully. The Mephisto cat has its cover partly off as I was working on my latest project... (I am almost done!)
You can also see a few of the lovely trees that block the wind making this a very calm area in the marina. Gotta love it.
Picture 2 Looking Northwest towards the yacht club building and the harbor entry.
Picture 3 A view to the Northeast of the secondary fairway where my dock is located. I like this fairway becasue the main fairway can be quite busy. The Entrance to the harbor is directly east of the Golden Gate and the wind typically vigorously blows directly into the harbor. Most everyone likes to have all sails hoisted on entry and exit to ensure staying off the seawall!
Picture 4 View to the north. These boats are between the secondary fairway and the main fairway.
Tony G
05-22-2010, 08:35 PM
Good on ya! living vicariously through others is what I'm currently about!
Commander 147
05-23-2010, 05:30 AM
Rico
Maybe if we can help you get C-187 sold you could buy the commander/storage locker and go at it again. You do such a nice job of the rehab on these boats. Your helping to keep these fine boats sailing and we all appreciate your efforts.
Hey Jerry -
Thanks, but working on your OWN boat CAN be entertaining - but I'd still rather be sailing... Working on a second boat is much harder work as it keeps you from working on your boat AND keeps you from sailing! C-187 is coming along nicely though!
The Mephisto Cat & Crew participated in the Hoppe Regatta (Pictures & general recap available in the Sailing & events section thread link below):
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/showthread.php?2177-NOTICE-of-JULY-2010-SF-BAY-HOPPE-REGATTA
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/attachment.php?attachmentid=6829&stc=1&d=1279311332
Picture 1: The Mephisto cat & crew finally cross the line in ligth winds. - There was not a lot of wind at the start / finish line, but this was not the case at the far and of the course of this year's Hoppe Regatta!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We also joined in on the festivities for the 'Plastic Classic' regatta held by the Bay View boat club. "A drinking club with a boating problem"
http://plasticclassic.com/
This is the Mephisto Cat's second appearance in this VERY fun event.
I am happy to announce that the Mephisto Cat managed to do quite well...
3rd Place in the 'Single handler' category in the Concourse D' Elegance
1st Place in PHRF Non-Spinnaker (18 Boats)
1st Place OVERALL (64 Boats)
1st Place Fastest Pre-1970's Boats (?? # Boats)
1st Place In Class (?? # Boats)
- Woo Hoo!!
The last two categories in RED I found out about only when I received the loot! (medals & trophies in the mail)
I did not manage to get a slip close-by for the night following the race so it was a nice long day of Sailing activities as we sailed there and back... The only downside was that I could not hang around for the festivities and the awards cerrmony...
Shoved off from Berkeley at about 6:45am headed to the Bay View Boat Club's facilities just south of San Francisco's South Beach neighborhood. Half my crew was on board and we sailed nicely in about a 12kt breeze.
We arrived at about 9:30 am and hung around until the judges came around. Then we hung around for a while longer waiting fot the rest of the crew to show-up... They finally showed as we were dangerously close to missing our start! (We started 15 minutes late last year! but this was due to a tactical error!). We waited until the last minute because this was the part of the crew that was responsible for the food & drinks!
We shoved off in a hurry headed to the start line and got the boat ready to race just in the nick of time. I struggled with an urge to go with a larger headsail, but I decided to stick witht he 100% jib despite many boats carrying sails in the 130% to 150% range... I was hopeful that the wind might pick-up a bit more and considering the course, I thought that our ability to point would be key to a good showing...
We had a relatively good start in very light air and crossed the line within a couple of boat lengths of the first two boats. We were on port tack and had to tack clear just before the line... Grrr.
The breeze freshened to a steady 5-6 knots just a few hundred yards from the start, just enough to get us moving properly towards the first mark. My able crew was focused - on passing around snacks & drinks... Two of us were racing - the other 3 of us were socializing... (I have a VERY relaxed crew!)
We were racing in close quarters with the lead boats all of which had 130%+ headsails. We barely managed to stick with the group and then started to slowly reel them in as the breeze freshened and we were able to plot a better course to the mark... Very exciting stuff for those of us racing...
We positioned ourselves to windward right after the start, and by the time we reached the 1st mark we were in the lead and pulling ahead in the freshening breeze now in the 10-12 kt range.
We enjoyed a great run to the 3rd and southernmost mark. Admitedly, after a slight panic trying to figure out where the next mark was! After rounding this mark, we felt the effects of the flood tide/current which was reportedly in the 2 kt range and came almost perpendicular to our course. We (I) did not plot the best compensating course at first, and we lost a bit of ground there... An Alberg 35 and a couple of Tritons were now threatening... but we were still in good shape.
We were the second boat around the 4th mark and I think that our choice of course as we headed back to the 1st/5th mark in the prevailing wind/tidal conditions was the key to our good showing. We were being reeled in by a Triton just before the turn, but then we called a tack to veer off to the next mark (this time taking better account of the current) and next time we saw them, they were quite far behind...
The last couple of markers were a repeat run, so we dialed it in as we headed to the finish.
We crossed the finish-line in heavy traffic of boats finishing and boats that started later (and perhaps a few boats that were trapped in the area where the mark sported a motorboat populated by scantilly clad (or not clad...) women...) As it turns out, this is a bit of an obstacle course!
I dropped off my crew at the Club to enjoy the festivities, while I enjoyed a nice single-handed sail back to Berkeley. I made it into my slip at about 7:00pm - too late to try to make the awards presentation. This was necessary because I was leaving town the following day.
I knew we had done well, but I did not expect it to be quite THAT well. It was a great outcome to a great sailing day...
As I made my way back to Berkeley, I spotted C-151 coming up behind... I waited a bit and we enjoyed a nice chat while we sailed along until the crew had to peel off to head to their homeport.
I have no pictures OF the boat this time, so here are some pictures FROM the boat:
Picture 2: A Picture of C-151 just after they peeled off towards Treasure Island post race.
Picture 3: A Bit of Racing; 'Nemesis' beating a nice triton to the first set of marks.
Commander227
08-21-2010, 06:56 AM
Rico,
Thank you for spending so much time getting a Mid-Westerner out on San Francisco Bay.
I've read about sailing on the famous bay my whole life, what a hoot to finally get to sail on it.
The Mephisto Cat is a beautiful and capable boat.
We had a great time in your fair city. Highlights:
1. Searching for street art by graffiti artist Banksy.(Found 4 and the spots where 2 have been painted over) A great way to see all the cool neighborhoods in S.F.
2. Biking across the Golden Gate to Sausalido.
3. Independent film by local artist at The Castro Theater.
4. Watching the hang gliders at Fort Funston.
5. And of course, sailing with Rico.
Thanks again Antonio, send me a PM with your address, I got a little somthing I'd like to send you.
Mike
C-227
Triton106
08-31-2010, 09:05 PM
Rico,
In your third picture you were beating "Answer", one of the best Tritons in the Bay Area owned and sailed by Dave Wilson. Dave works at Svendsens and goes out all the time. If you are beating Answer, a larger boat with an experienced captain, that is saying something.
Thanks T-106,
The Picture is of C-151 'Nemesis' racing along with 'Answer' at the approach to a mark. The picture was taken by my crew after we had rounded that mark. At this point we were a couple of hundred yards ahead... :cool:
I think we were lucky with the breeze early on, and on the outcome of some tactical decisions. Despite a few things we could have done better, we managed to hold our lead...
I do remember 'Answer' clearly. In addition to being a beautifully kept boat (nice color too...), they managed to reel us in later in the course.
We could see them creeping up from quite a distance on a long port-tack reach. I remember deciding to climb-up above his course shortly before they overtook us as we were planning our tack into a close hauled (starboard tack) course towards the next mark. If I recall correctly, 'Answer' continued further on her course before tacking into the wind. We benefited from a very nice lift on that run, and I also believe our ability to point higher was crucial in the wind & current experienced that day.
I lost track of 'Answer' after that, but was surprised to see them down in the course when we finished as they'd been so close to us.
Dinghy Sailing
Recently, I've finally completed the construction of my little Cat rigged sailing dinghy. You may recall this dinghy as my intended 'tender' for the Mephisto Cat (see post #18 on this thread), but since then, I've decided to go with a tiny 6' zodiac inflatable dinghy. This size is not made anymore, but I managed to find a used one...
The inflatable is not so nice to row (I do not carry a motor for it), but it makes-up by being VERY small when deflated (or when inflated for that matter!) and it does quite nicely carrying two people... I am very happy with it.
Since the hard dinghy was already prettied-up (to match the Mephisto Cat - by the way); I decided to make it into a nice sailing dinghy. I installed a mast tube, and new gudgeons for a rudder and spruced-up the convenient hinged retractable keel.
I found and fitted an old 14' wood mast (two piece) and boom from an old dinghy and spruced that up by rebuilding the rub surfaces where the mast is joined by the connector tube, and where the base of the mast wears as it spins in the mast tube.
I also fixed-up and adapted a nice aluminum hinged rudder. (The hinged design proved its worth while sailing in close quarters in Tahoe!)
Add a few control lines, and a little block -or two, and we wre off sailing! The pictures are of my solo maiden voyage - very exciting! My little nephew joined in the fun later... My Girlfriend & I spent about 2 hrs tootling around in the dinghy later that weekend - it took more wind to move the both of us, but it was fun. You just have to pay attention as the winds are very shifty and gusty at Lake Tahoe... and can spill your beer! (and the water is cold!)
Ariel 109
09-16-2010, 03:24 PM
That is so kool!
That dingy looks great! Why the change of mind to buy an inflatable instead for your tender?
That is so kool!
It is a TON of fun. It really gets going too!
C38 - I opted for the inflatable because of convenience. The little inflatable fits in a nice bag that is easily stored below when we need to take it on the boat. It is small & light (<35lbs) - It is just big enough for two people - and maybe a dog. I only have it with me when needed.
It does not row very well (no inflatable does...) but I only use it to get from a occasional mooring buoy to shore or a dock while overnighting somewhere. It does this job sufficiently well enough and I think it is the right choice for this purpose.
On one occasion, I forgot the pump - and after thinking it was a horrible, horrible, trip-ruining mistake as we were on a mooring, but I actually blew it up by mouth in less than 15 minutes - breaks included... - it was not that hard to do!
The hard dinghy, I'd have to tow behind the boat as it is too large (8' LOA). A sailing dinghy is definitely the best use for it. This must have been its design intent as it has a nifty retractable keel - which I quickly learned to REMEMBER to lower after going DDW since sailing without a keel is quite difficult! :D
The little hard dinghy can still be used as a dinghy without any effort; All I do is pull the mast out (It is held in the tube by gravity and secured with a small line in case of a capsize), pull the rudder (secured by a clip), retract the keel, and detach the mainsheet. And Viola, is is now a plain dinghy again...
2010 Sailing Highlights:
Picture 1
A bit of Sailing with the pooch... She is quite good on the boat shifting to the low side on her own. Still I believe she is a bit large for the boat - and the paws also tend to slip a bit much. She is fine in light weather, and just snoozes in the sun, but I don't imagine she'd enjoy a typical SF Bay sail in the Summer.
Picture 2
Ahhh - Spending the night on the Mephisto Cat... One of the great joys of having a little boat. Sausalito is one of our favourite destinations.
Picture 3
Some more spectacular sailing weather in SF Bay. We have some of the fastest fog around! (Obviously not apparent in the still picture!) We had planned a meeting up with some other boats on Angel Island. This boat turned out NOT to be my friend's blue boat. I did get lots of pictures of it though!
Picture 4
The Mephisto Cat at the entrance of Racoon staits on a calm day
Picture 5
Running south under the asymetrical on the 2010 Baja-ha-ha. (San Diego to Cabo Rally). Here we are some 500 Miles south of San Diego some 80 miles offshore. (Right... I did not do this on C-155!)
2010 Sailing Highlights (Continued...)
Picture 1
Assisting in an offshore distress call during the Baja ha-ha. We were relatively close (1 hrs sail) by and went to help out. This was sorted out, but the next morning we got another call from another boat in the group. A sailor from SF Bay who was actually heading north had missed his alarm and ended up on the beach... There are some tricky currents in that area and the beach is littered with hulls... Efforts by the locals to pull the boat back in were unsuccessful. At least there were some 50 people that volunteered to take as much equipment off as possible... This is just North of Isla de Cedros in Baja.
(Note: BTW - No, we did not do the Ha-ha in my Commander! It was a friend's nice big cruising sailboat) :)
Picture 2
A nice sunset at anchor...
Picture 3
Arriving in cabo at sunrise - 10 days after setting off from San Diego... This is the arch at the tip of the Baja Peninsula. The conclusion of the 2010 edition of the rally... The snd of a sailing adventure is alwas a bit sad.
Picture 4
Nice group during 'racing start' practice... This is how the pros do it!
I had the opportunity to do a bit of sailing with some top bay sailors (some big name world-class ones too!).
We also helped with some of the TV telemetry testing of the systems to be used for the America's Cup races in SF in 2013. Pretty nifty stuff... It is quite exciting to sail with some of sailing's most serious rockstars! - I was very focused and made sure I did NOT screw anything-up!! :o
Picture 5
A bit of a tour of Alcatraz Island.
I always sail around the island, but rarely get close enough to really have a close-up look... Pretty neat!
The "Mephisto Cat' has done two (Singlehanded) races this year; The Three Bridge Fiasco and the Singlehanded Sailing Society's 'Corinthian' Race. We've also done a bit of daysailing / touring around the bay despite the persistent cold / wet weather.
I am happy to report that Spring has officially arrived in the Bay.
Pictures and recap of the 2011 3Br Fiasco race are in the 'events section' - Post #8 here:
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/showthread.php?1930-3-Bridge-Fiasco-anyone
As usual, I decided to undertake a project at the most inopportune time... A week or so before the 3 Br Fiasco, I decided that I HAD to replace my main hartch sliding rails BEFORE the race. My rails worked fine, but I was not completely happy with the way they'd turned out originally. - I'd lived with them perfectly well for a few years, but suddenly they'd become a priority. :confused:
Since I was removing the rails, I took advantage of the opportunity and reinforced the area around the fasteners by drilling BIGGER holes and filling with thickened epoxy & a bit of chopped strand. I drilled new screw holes in the same locations. Although I may add an additional (3rd) fastener on each side later just for added 'snugness'.
I applied some epoxy to the rails and the interior trim pieces, and then added a handful of coats of Varnish (Epifanes clear - of course!).
The hardest part is fitting the rails in the right location so that the hatch rails ride securely in the hatch sliders. Obviously the rails need the be parallel; but if the rails are placed too close together, the hatch won't grab, and could come loose / fall off. If they are to far apart, the hatch will not fit or will be too tight to slide.
Since I made my rails a bit beefier that the originals, I ended-up in the too tight range. But a bit of fine tuning made things work out nicely.
Picture 1:
The rails and trim pieces all pretty & ready to be installed
Picture 2:
Fitting of the pieces. You can see a hint of my need to renew the varnish on the rest of the companionway. It is not as bad as the area where the board slide, but it is time for me to spend a bit of time on this... My coambings with 10+ coats are still looking beautiful, but I did only 3 or 4 coats on the companionway and I'm paying the price now... (will be taken care-of shortly!) When it comes to Varnish; getting lazy clearly leads to more work!
Other pictures:
Nice company during a day sail...
Ariel 109
05-06-2011, 05:38 PM
Thanks for the pictures Rico. I sanded, refasten, bedded and varnished my Ariel's companionway woodwork last month. It was all raw weathered wood when I started but ten coats of varnish later and it's almost beautiful.
I love the Herreshoff H-28, one of my favorite of Francis' designs. I sailed on a California built Francis Herreshoff designed Didikai double-ender out of Newport Beach back in 1994. Similar boat, just a different stern. My friend Hans later sailed that boat from Newport to Miami, pretty good for a boat that could have been in a B. Traven story.
The International One Design was the "boat" on Long Island Sound when introduced back in the thirties. They still race on the Sound with the other one design keel boats, although their numbers a dwindling at the moment. Beautiful boats!
agua dulce
05-06-2011, 08:55 PM
Rico, I think I may have the same make of pooch, with a different paint job. Mine adopted us after being lost/abandonded? in the woods. Is yours a rat terrier?
agua dulce
05-06-2011, 09:07 PM
Really beautiful pictures, by the way, but my recycled rat terrier has stolen my heart.
Lucky Dawg
07-24-2011, 07:29 PM
Hey Rico,
You mentioned somewhere having powdercoated your portlights. Curious why and what the benefits are of doing so. Looking at the pictures I could find of them, it looks like you must have powdercoated them to something close to their original color. Mine are in good shape, but not chromed. A friend owns a powdercoating firm and so I have ready access.
Thanks!
Agua:
Do rat terriers get to be 100 lbs?
I was told by the people at the humane society (where my pooch came from as a 3 mo puppy we were to foster - temporarily...) and also by my uncle (who is a vet) that the pooch is some sort of German Shepherd / Labrador mix. She is quite big! She loves water & is very playful & also does have some shepherd behaviours.
Kyle:
No powder coating for my frames... (I do recall someone on the board going that route...) I just primed & painted C-155's frames - and they are holding-up quite nicely. And yes, they are painted in an aluminum color...
If you can get it doe cheaply - I do not see why powdercoating would not work well. - unless the coating is not impervious to moisture... (??)
SkipperJer
08-11-2011, 12:19 PM
Rico,
I'm about to install a headsail track similar to yours and your work prompted two questions:
1. How has this worked out? The sailmaker who just made a 125% for me like this but identified a point about 12 inches further aft that he felt would be ideal for the new sail.
2. What kind/make of track is that?
Beautiful boat.
Rico,
Maybe I'm the guy?
I had all aluminum frames powdercoated in a 'bronze color' - including the little ones
Used 'lab metal' to fill most of the damage: rage holes drilled in crooked from outside, corrosion, broken screws, old fastening holes and so forth.
You'll remember these unique frames are all the same except the minature screws made the windows "handed" because the fastening, the clamping of each pair, was done from inside with tiny machine screws.
I drilled each dedicated pair of frames thru and chamfered the holes outside. However I decided against using the set because I didn't feel that this method of installing a floating lens was ultimately strong enough. Big loose lens, fragile aluminum frames. Not for ocean voyaging or the MORC.
Also, after the powder coating was done I realized I had not put in enough fastenings (9), nor positioned them very well around the frame. Did like the fact the holes were slightly oversized so that the powder coating became the insulation for the stainless machine bolts. And was unwilling to drill in any more holes. After deciding to go with slab-on carbonate lenses, these nice and professionally coated (Miller Powder Coating, Santa Rosa) frames are consigned to limbo.
The cute little aluminum opening ports came out really nice and are small enough imco to use on an offshore boat. Famous last words.
Thanks SkipperJer,
The track is a 1" Schaefer 'racing' track (the 'racing' model has more notches for sheet car adjustment) that the standard one. It has worked beautifully so far. I use the twin sheet cars on the track.
I suspect that your sailmaker is about right on the location... I have a 90-100% jib and then a BIG genoa. I do not have any sails in the 125% range. I would appreciate some pictures to see where your sheet cars ends-up with a properly trimmed 125%.
Feel free to shoot me an e-mail if you need further details...
SkipperJer
08-17-2011, 06:52 AM
My 100% works well sheeted to the tracks on the cabin top. It's an old style high-cut jib that looks just like the one on the cover of old Commander brochure. When I got the boat in 2002 it had the 100 and a 170% that worked well on the toe-rail track aft of the winches. The problem was that I often found myself in the situation where I had one sail too big and one too little. Worst case was when the wind blew up after I had launched the 170 when sailing single-handed. The boat became quite a handful rather quickly if I got caught out near the lee shore. Did I mention I'm a rookie who did that a few too many times before I learned not to ever fly the big sail by myself? There were a few times when that boat proved it was tougher than I was by getting us through that.
I finally got a used 150 that works OK but is sheeted too far back when fastened to the old track. I can never close the top of the sail. The old 170 was pretty beat so I had it cut down to 150 and I use it downwind as a second headsail. Keeps me from getting caught out with too much dacron flying too.
I think of this boat as an vintage car with crank windows, stick shift, and no AC. I've learned to not try and make too many "improvements". With that in mind I think the best solution for me may be to simply extend the toe-rail track forward 3-4 feet and sacrifice a little in-board angle in order to keep the decks clear. The Commander decks are skinnier than the Ariel's. Your track tucked in close to the cabin trunk addresses that well but I need something to go further aft. My 125 would need track mounted just forward of the winch base overlapping the ends of the coamings and would take up what is now a narrow but clear section of side deck. Rig-Rite has the same flat track and fittings as the original track. I think this is going to be a winter project. I'll keep you posted.
Thanks for the response.
Here are a few snaps taken during outings in 2011. It was a good year...
I did a few offshore races (on other boats) in addition to the races I do on the Mephisto Cat...
The 2012 edition of the 3 Bridge Fiasco just happened. It was another good one. They always are, although some can be very frustrating. -I won't spoil it here, but I'll have the race recap write-up shortly on that thread. I'll put a link here when it is done.
Picture 1.- The Commemorative plaque at Angel Island. We go there often as it is one of my favourite destinations in the Bay. There is a lot of history there...
'European ships had sailed up and down the California coast for more than 200 years without sighting the fog-shrouded entrance to San Francisco Bay. The first ship ever to enter the San Francisco Bay was the San Carlos, a Spanish packet-boat under the command of captain Juan de Ayala. The San Carlos reached the entrance to the San Francisco Bay on August 5th 1775, but the strong current pushed it back out to sea. Eventually, the boat slipped through the Golden Gate guided by the dim light of a half moon at 10:30 pm.
The San Carlos dropped anchor behind an island which was christened 'Isla Santa Maria de Los Angeles' (Spanish for 'Saint Mary of the of the Angels'); It is now known as 'Angel Island'. Over the next forty-four days, ship pilots set out in longboats to chart the various arms of the Bay.'
Picture 2.- One of the personalities inhabiting SF Bay; the USS Potomac (AG-25), formerly the USCGC Electra,[3] was Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidential yacht from 1936 until his death in 1945. It is one of only three still existing presidential yachts. On August 3, 1941, she played a decoy role while Roosevelt held a secret conference to develop the Atlantic Charter.
In January 1964 she was purchased by Elvis Presley for US$55,000. He gave it to St. Jude Children's Hospital which sold it that same year for US$ 75,000. By 1980, she was involved in drug smuggling and was seized by the United States Customs Service in San Francisco, then towed to Treasure Island, where she sank.
After being refloated by the U.S. Navy just two weeks later, the Potomac was sold to the Port of Oakland for $15,000 and underwent a major restoration. She is now preserved by the Potomac Association, and berthed at Jack London Square in Oakland
Picture 3.- A (fast) 'mini' waiting for a race start off Crissy field for the Half Moon Bay Race
Picture 4.- Racing out to the so called 'Lightbucket'; the former location of the old lightship that used to mark the approaches to the main ship channel leading into San Francisco Bay. The location was originally described as: "Off San Francisco, 8.6 miles and 244 degrees from the Point Bonita Light, and 3 1/4 miles outside the bar in 109 feet, with Alcatraz and Fort Point lighthouses in range." The station was replaced by the San Francisco lighted horn (LNB) buoy "SF".
Picture 5.- Other 'sailors' out on the bay do a 'fly-by'...
The Mephisto Cat not only managed to complete the course (FINALLY!), but Placed 3rd in Class on the 2012 edition of the Three Bridge Fiasco. Here are a few pictures taken on race Day.
For a detailed race recap (Including pictures, and a video of my finish -sailing backwards... :) ) you can go the the Three Bridge Fiasco thread here:
http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussion/showthread.php?1930-3-Bridge-Fiasco-anyone&p=24419
Picture 1.- A Pearson Triton ('Darwind') heading towards Red Rock. 'Darwind' is now in very PINK livery and has become quite active in Bay Racing. The skipper plans a circumnavigation next year to raise funds to benefit Breast Cancer Research.
Picture 2.- Following the Spinnaker... These guys covered much more ground that we did, but would re-join the Mephisto Cat at the Bay Bridge at the same time later in the day.
Picture 3.- The fleet rounding Red Rock. The great majority of those boats are faster than the Mephisto Cat. And they are coming after us! (fortunately they had lighter winds tha we did.)
Picture 4.- Spotting 'Jessica Rabbit' following her spinnaker.
Picture 5.- Heading home at the end of a very good day... This is not a bad place to call home. (This is the Sunset picture; - it refuses to obey & go to the very end of the picture series where it is intended to go!!!)
Sitting pretty!
See you at the races tomorrow!
More pictures coming soon...
Well good mates, I've really gone & done it...
The Mephisto Cat has a new owner!
Now, now - no need to fret. She has actually acquired a great group of stewards. She is going to a very nice family of sailors (including two very young boys who were -pound per pound- by FAR the most capable & eager crew I've seen in a looong time! She is in good hands and will be sailed & taken care of as she should. I could not have wished for a better outcome.
She will be going to a new home in Sausalito... or vicinity (New owner looking for slip there) So keep a sharp lookout for her and please shoot me any pictures you may be lucky enough to catch of her. She is quite fast for her age, and now especially with such an eager crew - so better be at the ready with the camera!
I hope to get back to the bay sometime and get to sail mighty C-155 again... I'll definitely miss her, but I am convinced that this was the right course to follow. As skippers we all make hard decisions all the time... and no decision is taken which involves too much room for doubt! :cool:
We spent a ton of time enjoying the salt spray, steep chop, fog, and chilly nights under sail, - as well as those picture-perfect days (& nights) when hard as you may try, there is not a single thing you can think that may possibly be wrong in the world! A pretty boat, flat water, painted skies, nice stiff breeze, and good crew for company... I had gathered a good pool of friendly crew and I will certainly miss this. (even when Singlehandling in sole ocompany of The Mephisto Cat). - Ahhhh. Good times.
I've been busy moving and finding out about east coast earthquakes & these things called 'hurricanes'... Also learning something about some stuff needing 'winterizing' over in these parts... (Does this stuff come in 'spray', or is it more of a 'paste' product? - in any case - It appears I'll need a tub / can or two...)
In any case; we are off to a very good start to a new adventure!
I do not know if the Mephisto Cat's new crew will like to adopt this thread... or perhaps I'll continue it with other sailing adventures and maybe a suggestion - or two regarding a good sailing book to read!
Whatever the verdict; I'll still be roaming around here... As you know; this is the best messageboard anywhere! I'll be requiring lots of sailing pictures, of course.
Now, I'll have more time to share other things besides boat projects... So stay tuned!
Although... I do have a buch of boat project pictures I still have not shared... Some good practical stuff there - if I say so myself! This, alone, will be enough to tide me over until 'sailing season' starts again... (Another funny thing; people actually stop sailing for part of the year around here... :)
More soon... (including sailing pictures!)
Cheers!
Lucky Dawg
11-05-2012, 07:34 PM
Ah, Rico - you'll be missed. Please do drop by and I hope Mephisto's new owners - energetic as you describe - will keep us updated. Cheers, cheers, cheers!
Commander227
11-06-2012, 03:25 AM
Congratulations Rico,
I'm happy for you and the Cat. Wonderful that she is not hidden away on the hard in the back corner of a boatyard aging and waiting as so many good old boats are.
Good luck on your new chapter, hopefully you will find away to explore some of the awesome sailing venues that will be so near by.
Mike
C227
I think there is water on the East Coast
And Commanders to be found!
Fervently hope we find you here again
with Mefisto Cat II.
Will miss you, your photos and your posts!
Until we meet again........
Ed Ekers
04-25-2014, 07:06 AM
Hey Rico, I hear there is a boat for sale........... http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/boa/4438722305.html
Good Catch ED - Thank you...
Wow! - Clearly -A bargain at twice the price! :)
- What a beauty!
I'll have to check-in to see what the story is with the current owners...
I'm not one to buy into the 'It's a Sign' bit... - but if one were at all of that sort of persuation - one could well argue that good ol' Craig is encouraging the notion of a return to the BAY, eh?
Hey - that's even me and my crew in the picture!
Lucky Dawg
04-25-2014, 09:41 AM
I'd venture a guess that fetching $16k might be a world record A/C sale!
"16,000 U S Dollars of 2013 are worth 2,810.02 USD of 1965."
Asking price is a bargain.
Maybe not even enough!
epiphany
04-25-2014, 02:40 PM
Heck, care to venture a guess what it would cost to have on of these hulls laid up to original schedule with comparable quality materials at todays prices? A bare hull would set you back multiple tens of thousands, would be my guess.
It's not a cost, it's an investment. :)
Hey Kurt! Get some idea from the 'Largest Class of Full Keel Boats in North America'.
Pearson built 1775 of them between 1962 and 1983. In 2000 Zeke Durica in Florida
began building The Classic Ensign to Class rules. Boats were numbered beginning 2000.
Ensigns are 22'6" X 16'9" X 7' X 3'. Weigh in at around 2850 to 3000 lbs.
Chad Lewis now builds and refurbishes them in Marquette MI. On the
ENSIGN SPARS site he has a used new era Ensign #2016 for sale at $26,500.
He's got Ensign #146 for sale at $12,000.
Assume they're ready to race.
Remember seeing new Ensigns for sale at a much higher price, $35,000 ???
Some idea what a brand new Commander might cost (if the tooling existed) !
($50,000 - $65,000 - more?) :eek:
Ed Ekers
04-26-2014, 07:10 AM
Rico here is one more for you. I think they are calling!!!!!!......ed
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/boa/4440849422.html
Lucky Dawg
04-28-2014, 06:39 PM
I cherish her every day I'm at the helm. Zero dispute on value. By a long stretch, I couldn't afford this beautiful yacht from a cheeky 2014 boat show.
raymondrains
09-18-2018, 12:08 PM
Thank you so much for documenting the trailer dimensions. I am in the process of altering a trailer for our Pearson 26, "Zephyrus".
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