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My iPhone does remarkably well.

I posted a couple of pictures of a UK Contessa and the chart table solution it's owner developed.  With the right drawer slides I think one could eliminate the metal support which appears in the foreground of the deployed table.

You could also hinge a panel between the icebox and the sink and lower it out of the way when not in use.

There is a great pivoting cabin table elsewhere on this site which might easily double as a chart table.

Good luck!

Thanks John!  I was worried about bottoming out if I go too light but now you've given me something else to consider.

That's great Stefan!  Now all I need is someone I can pay in beer and scintillating conversation to do the welding for me! 

You can see why I am keen to recycle my cradle -- the stands and pads are already there, as is much of the supporting steel.  Alternatively, I start from scratch and sell the cradle to finance this effort.

This is a fun project to think about this winter.  I want to sail my boat down to the Maritimes and am thinking a trailer to get it home is better than trying to buck the current in the St. Lawrence on my way back upstream to Montreal.  Sail downhill and drive back up...

Thanks for that -- it sounds like we have similar Marine Cradle Shop cradles.  I remember when I ordered the thing I pushed a heavy duty version and was discouraged -- in hindsight I should have pushed harder.  Mine is the same width but 121" long.  The main beams are channels 5x1.75.  This is one of my problems -- I fear that it might not be stiff enough for the weight supported with axles. 

Anyway, with respect to the transport cradle vs. storage cradle, your point is well taken and I will have to think about how to manage this.  Courtesy of Google I have learned that the most restrictive province for trailers is Alberta:  Maximum trailer width: 2.6 meters (8 feet 5 inches).  Maximum trailer height: 3.85 meters (12 feet 6 inches).  Maximum trailer length:  12.5 meters (41 feet).  Other provinces allow taller trailers and length is not a problem.

I guess I am trying to figure out if I can build a trailer for under $2k, given that the pros are all saying $5k.  Axles and brakes, wheels, lights, etc. are about $1000 based on what I have found on-line, so the unknown cost is the steel frame.  Using Torsion axles allows one to use a simple flat frame and not a drop frame as is required with leaf springs.  Should be very simple to build.  Note the operative word SHOULD. 

I guess I need to chase down a welder...

Nice winter dream project -- thanks for the input.

I think Ivan will have better info for you -- my 1976 mast is quite different from yours.  Good luck!

I am curious about the source of water ingress.  My bilge is usually pretty dry with the exception of the usual drip from the stern tube.  Where is your leak?

The Dana is pretty and would turn heads as you enter the harbour.  I suspect the wide Dana is a little slower than our slender Contessas.  Interesting to look at both boats -- each has classic shapes and configurations.  They are also scale models of the originals.  Wouldn't a Contessa 52 (a doubling of our current boats) be a spectacular machine?

I've said it elsewhere but in my opinion the key to a great offshore cruising boat is comfort.  Were it me with an additional $40k to work with I would be definitely increasing in size.  In general larger boats are more stable in waves, are drier, safer and sail faster.  Standing headroom on a long trip is so nice.  In addition, larger boats are often already better equipped than smaller boats and any required upgrades would cost about the same.  For example, a Cape Horn wind vane costs about the same for both 26' and 36' boats. 

I would look seriously at the intended trip and ask if I could do it without pouring money into the boat.  If I want a boat to sail from island to island do I really need a boat that can sail for six months out of sight of land?  I agree with Lin & Larry Pardey on this one -- go small and go now.  You can have the most tricked-out boat imaginable but if it takes you 10 years and thousands and thousands of dollars to get to the beginning of the voyage then what is the point? 

It is fashionable, particularly in the trade press, to poo-poo boats and systems which are not "current".  We often panic that our boat's systems are not up to "standard".  Standards have their place but it is important to recognize that many of our boats have served well for the last 30 years and continue to do so for a few more years more without changes/upgrades.

So in answer to your question, I would cut $30k out of the upgrade budget and put it into the acquisition budget.  Or if you are comfortable with "camping" aboard the Contessa then put $10k into the Contessa and bank the rest as spending money for the trip.  Wouldn't a hot shower and a good meal in a posh hotel be great after a bad passage?

Christopher

The main sheet arrangement on my 1976 Contessa starts at the end of the boom, down to the deck to port, then back to the boom and down to the deck on starboard (creating the A shape bridging the tiller) and then back to the boom end where it turns, runs under the boom all the way to the mast, then down to the deck at the mast base and finally across the cabin top to a cam cleat.  It is not fast to release nor is it intuitive but it does work and makes the mainsheet more central. 

I have seen a number of ways to manage the main sheets on our boats none of which seems to be ideal.  It makes for a pleasant doodle during a boring meeting though.  I think it would be cool to hide all the tackle inside the boom.

My friend cPaul just installed a traveller on his boat Lolly Jo and loves it.  I KNOW he will post here in due course to tell everyone about it.

Here is a question though.  My current arrangement is a 4:1 tackle.  Paul's new one is a 2-speed Speed-Sheet system that gives him a choice of 2:1 and 6:1 advantage.  (Paul correct me if I am wrong).  I only need the 4:1 level of mechanical advantage when close-hauled.  On a reach or a run I can pull the boom with little effort.  (Try it when you next sail.)  In order to provide 4:1 advantage for the whole range of movement of the boom A LOT of rope is required.  So here is my question to those of you who sail in far worse conditions than I:  do I need 4:1 or 6:1 advantage through the whole range of motion of the boom?  Assuming not, then I should be able to cook up something that gives the boom range of movement and has appropriate loading on the sheets for the whole range.  Hmmmm.  More doodles.

Christopher

On my boat the panel is secured by about a dozen twist fasteners (1/2 turn to release) and a rubber seal prevents water from passing between the panel and the boat.

I would probably install heavy duty plastic deck plates in the large fibreglass panel.  The panel could then be secured permanently and the deck plates used to access the storage area below.  The deck plates will be easier to open and easier to handle than is he large panel.  Large sturdy deck plates are on eBay all the time at low cost. 

I know there is great debate about the merits of inboard or outboard engines but were it me, I would be watching the classifieds here and picking up a used inboard for the boat.  I believe it to be a great convenience and will enhance the resale value of the boat.

Christopher

If it helps, I measured 50" at the top of the transom but it was a while ago and I don't know how accurate was the measurement.