Commander #65 "Lucky Dawg"

[MRH]

Congratulations on your new Commander. If you think you're enthusiastic now, wait until you get to know her. Great boat.

Now that you're thinking about the plumbing, its a good time to check the condition of the 2 cockpit drain hoses, each of which connects a cockpit drain near the companionway to a thru hull below. Check the hose clamps too. Most Commanders do not have seacocks installed on these thru-hulls, so if an old hose or hose clamp breaks, you could be in for a long swim.

Seacocks installed on these thru-hulls might provide safety in the event of a break in the hose, but most would be left open while the boat is moored unattended, or while underway to drain the cockpit as intended.

What do others think about installing seacocks on these thru-hulls?

[Bill]

What do others think about installing seacocks on these thru-hulls?

There are discussions of seacocks in the tech forum. Please do a search on "seacocks" for the many sites. Might want to begin with one on the cockpit drains:

http://www.pearsonariel.org/discussi...ead.php?t=1287

[Lucky Dawg]

Scott, to the best of my knowledge, that is a new oak tiller and newly fabricated tiller head. I took a picture of the head - Sealand model 960. Same as Mike's. See below.
One seacock onboard below the sink. Port and starboard cockpit drains are identical clamped (painted) rubber hoses - see below.
There is an unidentified (by me) drain in the bilge which I assume would accomodate a bilge pump. No pump - except a manual one - onboard so far. That seems like a must-do.
I want to bring a bucket to the yard next visit and with a spotter below, pour some water through the two scuppers and two cockpit drains.
Can anyone identify the fitting in the last two pictures? It is on Stbd a couple feet from the bow. Interior fitting leads to the chromed exterior fitting (sorry it is blurry)

[joe]

I believe the unidentified fittings are one fitting and it is a water tank vent. Most water tanks vent inside but some people vent them through the hull. That's as far as my mind goes on it.

[Lucky Dawg]

the genoa track through the toe rail is simply bolted through. No backing plates. Wonder if this is a problem. If it hasn't failed or leaked in 43 years....

Fore and aft terminations of the coaming-top rub rail. They end about 2 feet from the aft end of the coaming.

the panel in front of the head.

and (with all due respect, coming after the head-panel picture) my superb crew.

[Lucky Dawg]

Still waiting on the yard's crane to help step my mast... "Oughta be today" - have heard that several times now.

Lucky Dawg came with a load of sails! I have some experimenting to do. A main with one reef point, a "storm main" (that doesn't seem much smaller, but is beefy as all get-out.) A working jib, a storm jib, 4 genoas of various (but quite similar) sizes, and 2 spinnakers. The surveyor rated them as a group as "painter's tarps" which might be a little bit of an exaggeration, but that may remain to be seen.

All of my sails are boldly marked with "6091." Not sure what that particular number is in reference to, but every sail has it blazin' across. I'm thinking that white paint over those numbers and "65" placed there instead probably would look tacky...

My newbie-ness abounds, but I must admit that I don't know how to fly my spinnaker yet. I mean, I understand it in theory, but having never attempted, well... KW has lots o' learnin' to do.

[Bill]

All of my sails are boldly marked with "6091." Not sure what that particular number is in reference to, but every sail has it blazin' across.

Often, a number such as that is an "off shore" racing registration number. Yours is pretty early as the more recent ones are up to six digits, maybe more.

[Lucky Dawg]

Applied my new boat lettering today. Just used a buffer and rubbing compound to take the old name off (With all due respect, "Someday" was a little wistful for my tastes)

Will attend to the rituals of renaming* upon launch tomorrow at 3PM!! WAAAAAHHHHHHOOOOOOO!!!

(* Some personalized combination of http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/rename.htm and http://www.48north.com/mr_offline/denaming.htm)