Search options (Page 4 of 13)

Thank you mramos....she is indeed a "one of a kind"...and I am breathlessly waiting and hoping the listing will expire before she sells, as then I am released from one part of a legal agreement, shall we say, and I will be able to keep her.....I don't dare say that too loud......yet.......August 16th is the day....(can I hold my breath that long?)

Sailing into the sunset is looking like a viable option, I'll keep you all posted!

Did you try and hand start it?
I also found when I had a lowish battery, and also was being too kind to the engine, I didn't let it crank enough, and I thought it wouldn't start and I gave up...then the next day I was determined to start her, and after 20 mins of cranking and pumping...she started...this was before the rebuild too, so even though she had seepage and a hole almost right through the cylinder, she was still starting...  Having said that, in case yours gets worse with cranking....hmmm, a bit of a crapshoot...but....I would try and crank it a bunch of times, and they are harder to flood than gas engines, so not a big worry there... sometimes I have to pump my throttle 12 times before she'll catch (if she hasn't been running for a week or so)...and that's with her rebuilt engine.  So, lots of fuel, and make sure batteries are right charged up....but then you did say rings are slightly seized (varsol running right through) so....put a heater under it to warm it up?  I keep a light bulb under mine 24/7 in winter...keeps her warm....and if your mechanics are good, they know it's not stuck in gear somehow???, as then she will not start....
In the meantime, Jose, give the guys at Entec a call, they know their stuff and they are gruff but good guys - maybe they can give you a little tip that may help:
Entec West, Inc.
16710 SW 72nd
Portland, Oregon 97224
Phone Numbers:  Sales:  800-458-5065     Direct:  503-624-7118     Fax:  503-639-2764

Again, good luck...
(and no one can make my boat sell....)

Again, you have all been just awesome, (and I use that word in its truest sense)  and I have slowly gotten my sense of humour and spirit back because of you all! ;-)  I am a true, solo sailor, (ie: not many friends! ;-) but you have all become closer than any friend I have ever had...and I know now that is partly because of our common "love", the Co26, but also because we are all going through all these items and issues together! ;-)  So, before I get too sappy, yes, I'm still here, and I have mentioned to others:  I can't make her sell, and if I drill some gigantic holes in the transom for the windvane mounting...but then delay the mounting....oops, no one will buy her that way?! ;-)  And, if you don't hear from me for awhile, maybe I will just sail away from everything... ;-)

Here's a heads up: I had my mainsail measured by the loft that had built it, as I was registering for my PHRF, and he either measured wrong or transposed the numbers!!!  And that was after putting in the third reef, which I have not tied in yet (boat still on hard and mad at me) ....so I take the numbers the owner of the sail loft (whom I will not name yet!) and give them to BC Sailing who calculate PHRFs, and they head guy from BCS calls me and sounds kind of puzzled, and politely asks me if I know my dimensions of sails, etc...so when we examine the numbers, sure enough, the measurements are wrong!!!  So...my point is: what if I had gotten them to make a new sail at the same time?!?!  I now know to hover over and approve the measuring, then view it once its cut, etc!   Sheesh!  You don't want an upside-down sail!   
So, I would go with a loft who you feel comfortable with....if the guy seems distracted or nervous...which this guy did, I learned not to go there!  Especially when his neighboring business tried to pick a fight with me when I parked near their work truck they were unloading steel from....and the sail guy says "oh, that happens all the time" when I asked him about it!   I will never go back to that loft... they also didn't seem to be able to deal with women...I was there first, and some guy came in after me and tried to literally push past me and talk to who I was talking with....I had to actually say to both the loft guy and rude customer "Ummm, in case you hadn't noticed, I am talking about my sails right now"...sheesh!!!

I too had the bolts, and like a dope, I got new bolts, (not pins, which would make sense) my play is gone, for now! ;-)  So, I learned something, again....and will see what happens...if/when I need to do new ones...however, drilling through bronze to put the cotter pin to lock the nut one was a cinch...or did I mess up there too?! ;-)  I copied what was there before, and it had seemed ok for 22 years, so I figured the same thing would work again.

Jose knows this also: one of the newest Contessa owners - his uncle was THE JJ Taylor...Jim or James I believe...and he sold the JJ Taylor company before the Contessa 26 was even built here in Canada!  So, I think the boats should be called BB Jones or something?!

I always have visions of my boat going right over too....and yes, they can be knocked flat down so the sails are in the water if you have your boom, and therefore your mainsail, right in to centre line of boat.   It is always handy to keep the mainsheet right in your hand so you can let it out quickly and give yourself time to think!  She does have a big mainsail for her size, so you will notice her heel quickly.  Many times I leave the dock with the first reef already in, ready to hoist already reefed!   And I can roll a genny in faster than anyone, I bet! ;-)  So, "when in doubt, let it out", meaning the mainsail...let it out so far it is flogging and flapping, and then just pull it in so it just stops, and then you know you aren't in too tight...I was guilty of that too.  And, make sure both sails are the same width apart, ie: parallel to one another, so the "slot" between them is even...that makes a big difference, I learned that too!  And yes, in big wind, you do not need the big genny...go with almost the smallest sail you can...and then practice, see what she does...that's how I learned, by myself on a Tuesday afternoon...and yes, around here, no wind then 10k...good practice!  Have fun, and practice reefing!  A nice, tidy reefed sail will make you feel very safe! ;-)

Hi Kristin!
It's called a sail slide stopper; apparently you can buy for cheap ($8 or so) and it screws into the sail slide track and prevents the sail from sliding out of its groove.

Halyard: if you have an old one, take it in to measure, and just buy the proper one: for halyards, as Seeadler says, is low stretch.  Mine is 3/8, no problem fitting in jam cleats...it will seem like line is too big sometimes, but if you pull on line as you close lever, it will be much easier than if you don't...1/4 is too small of line, in my humble opinion! ;-)

Hi Jose;
I removed a huge, painted name off an awlgripped hull, Not Easy!!!  I used mostly VIM and Paint thinner!, and a CLEAN cloth with a light circular motion, being careful that all of the paint thinner was wiped off regularly.
If yours is just adhesive on a gelcoat hull, VIM and non-abrasive cloth will do the trick.

There is a dead space forward of v-berth, with a round inspection port...I mean, you could actually build a small "watertight bulkhead" situation there, if you wanted.   
The anchor locker is actually aft of end of bow, and it dips down into the v-berth, you can smash your head good if you want.