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The Princess takes a bullet
Commander 227 was kinda handed her name by my friends around the marina.
"The Princess"
They have been calling her P.O.S. all summer..... I can only assume that means "Princess Of the Sea"
Here's The Princess finishing a fall race. She finished 3rd but PHRFed her way to 1st.
I have to race old man style as I haven't sprung for a spinnaker yet.
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Getting kinda lonley around here
I am also VERY interested in your repower with the...
electric motor. Can you give us some links to the equipment you plan on using?
Thanks for the update Commander 227...
Here's hoping it all works and you get the opportunity to show off your handiwork. I'm VERY interested in your progress on this mod. and the inclosed head project. The electric drive for me and the enclosed head for my admiral ;)
Please keep us informed on your progress for all of your mods.
SolidNav Electric Outboard
SolidNav has a line of electric motors for boats. Svend's in Alameda, CA has the "Traveler" model on display . . . an outboard. Stats in the owner's manual indicate an equivalent 4-hp from 3.0 kw. Here's the pitch:
"SolidNav proudly announces a real electric option for sailboats without an existing inboard, pontoon boats and for small craft that require reliable outboard performance. Our long shaft and remote engine controls make docking enjoyable without the dread of lethal oil sheens and clouds of foul smelling fumes. Actual outboard construction and solid frame construction position the traveler as the only choice for real world applications.
$2,499*"
http://www.solidnav.com/traveler.html
From my limited observation, the shaft and head should fit in the A-C well. Not sure, however, about the clearance distance from the aft bulkhead in the lazarette, as I did not have access to a measuring device. ;)
Excellent, serious progress is being made
Commander 227 can you post some close up pictures of the keel where you cut out for the prop and both ends of the prop shaft tube? I'm very interested in seeing what that area looks like.
Have you decided on all of the components for the elec. drive yet? I assume you are still going with the Mars brushless motor, Sevcon PMAC 48 volt controller, Sevcon DC/DC converter to power the boat's 12 volt systems. And what about the charging system? Do you plan to incorporate solar cells or wind generator to help with charging or will you use just shore power. If shore power what charger are you using? Did you decide on a throttle mechanisim?
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DISASTER in the heartland
Today after work Tim and I were installing the coaming boards on The Princess when disaster struck!! We had removed the gantry lift straps and moved the boat stand pads high up on the freeboard to apply the barrier coat. We looked at the boat and talked about it's stability before climbing up. I worried that the keel which was sitting on some 2x6s on the cement floor could skid out and the boat would rotate inside the stands, but the barrier coat was too soft to put the straps back on and I really wanted to get the coaming boards on tonight. Well, that is exactly what happened just as we were both on one side of the boat; Tim pushing on the board to flex it into position and me with drill in hand to pop the first hole. The Princess started to go over...Tim, the experienced scow sailor, started climbing to the high side and looked ready to jump over the rail to stand on the keel to keep her from turning turtle while I rode her down and jumped out just before she settled on the floor. No one was hurt and the damage seems limited to a couple of gouges from the boat stands amid ship, some dings on the toe rail in two spots, and the straps played havoc in the fresh barrier coat when we righted her, all in all it could have been much worse.
That has to be heart breaking....
You've been trying so hard to "get er done" and apparently pushing a wee bit too hard.
I'm really glad you and Tim are OK and the Princess can be repaired. Things could have gone far worse.
With the exception of the new damage she sure is starting to look good though. You're going to have a really fine boat when you do finish her.
Mike interesting innovations
I assume the underdeck furler enters below deck close enough to the bow to drain into the chain locker and then down into the keel. With the 2:1 purchase that has to make it easier to furl and unfurl.
I also like the center fixed block and cleat to keep the mainsail sheet always located at the same spot and not moving back and forth with the traveler. I may steel that idea on my commander. One thing I do with my traveler that I find very useful is a continuous loop on the control line. It is much easier when the boat is heeled to uncleat the leeward cleat and it gets rid of a lot of unecessary line in the cockpit.
You have come a long way and completed a lot of the major work on your rebuild. Mine is just beginning. Have you test fired the electric drive yet?
Thanks Mike for posting that...
I think it's really good to see what one can realistically expect to spend to get one of these boats into good condition. And the best part is while $20,000.00 may seem like a lot of money it is a drop in the bucket compared to what a new boat of similar appeal and quality would cost. And besides, how many new production boats are there that actually make your heart skip a beat when you look at them like these boats do?
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Beautiful sailing over the 4th
]6010[/ATTACH]The Princess took 1st overall at the SYC July 4th race, and 3rd in the PHRF II fleet at a WYC around Big Island race with a PHRF rating of 229 (subsequent whining has changed her rating to 273 for future races with WYC) With the new rating she will be unbeatable!!!!!
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Does anyone ever gets tired of looking at pictures of thier own boat?
Had a beautiful sail last Sunday around Big Island with the SYC's Commodore Cup Race. The Princess finished first in her fleet and Third overall 20 seconds corrected behind an Ensign and two minutes corrected behind an Express 27.
Princess reminds me of...
Danika Patrick fast and beautiful :)