76 Reply by Bill NH

(39 replies, posted in General Questions/Comments)

The most important thing you can do to prepare to sail is SAIL!  Sail anything you can afford or talk your way onto, anywhere you can.  There's absolutely no substitute for experience when you're offshore. 

With the advent of GPS and tricked out cruising boats with electric everything, I've seen way too many people sailing in places they have no business being on boats they can't handle if anything goes wrong.  Way to many cruisers long on $$ and short on experience out there.  Learn to reef, steer, navigate, work on an engine, splice, sew, understand weather...  the list goes on, all things that only experience can get you.

While Ellen MacArthur sailed early on as crew on an open 60, she also owned several smaller boats that she bought herself (the first by saving her school lunch money). At age 18 she sailed round Britain in a 21' boat, the third she had bought herself and fixed up.  She had good singlehanded ocean experience by the time she did the mini-transat a year or so later, and even more before she started singlehanding the big sleds.

The point is, get out and sail as much as you can.  Buy a good boat that you can afford and sail it.  Crew on other peoples boats.  Help them work on them too!  And have fun!  Good luck!

Go to forum: General Questions/Comments

77 Reply by Bill NH

(11 replies, posted in Cruising)

Go to forum: Cruising

78 Reply by Bill NH

(8 replies, posted in Repairs/Modifications/Upgrades)

OK, here's a question to generate discussion...  how many thru-hulls does your boat have below the waterline? 

My project currently has 8, as follows:
Head intake, stbd fwd
Head discharge, stbd fwd
Speed log, port fwd
Depth sounder transducer, stbd midships
Sink drain, port midships
Engine water intake, port midships
Cockpit drains port & stbd aft
... plus the engine exhaust and bilge pump discharge within 6" of the waterline...

This is alot of holes in a small boat (I had fewer in my last boat, a 37' trimaran!)  I'd like to get rid of a few if possible - here's a few ideas I'm kicking around:

- Replace the depth sounder transducer with an inside the hull hockey-puck style transducer.  (The current unit is shot and needs to be replaced anyways).

- Chuck the speed log (also currently shot).  I don't race so don't need 0.01 kt precision.  While GPS only gives speed over ground (as opposed to speed thru the water) and so can't replace a log, I find that once I get to know a boat I can usually estimate speed thru the water pretty accurately.

- Tee the head intake off the engine raw water intake.  My concern here is drawing air into the engine water pump at high RPMs.  Is this a valid concern?  Would a check valve in the head intake line after the Tee solve the problem?

- I have also thought about switching to a porta-potti, as the current marine head isn't set up with a holding tank anyhow, but have mixed feelings on this one (a whole separate topic which I won't get into now...) 

Anyhow, I'm curious to hear other's thoughts and solutions!  Thanks!

Go to forum: Repairs/Modifications/Upgrades

79 Topic by Bill NH

(0 replies, posted in Sails & Rigging)

Anyone have a second mainsail that they'd be willing to sell?  At this point I'm just looking for something to get me out on the water.  It doesn't need to be in top condition but will hopefully have a few seasons left in it...  something to get me by until a new mainsail rises to the top of the priority list!

Go to forum: Sails & Rigging

80 Reply by Bill NH

(5 replies, posted in General Questions/Comments)

36 feet seems too long...  I was just looking up rig dimensions and the "I" value was given as 31.5 feet.  Since this is from the masthead to the plane of the deck (where the deck would be if the cabin wasn't there) the mast should be shorter than 31.5 ft.  Mine is in the barn next town over or I'd get you an exact measurement...

Does anyone else come across the same/different rig dimensions?
I=31.5   J=10.3    P=28.0    E=10.0

Go to forum: General Questions/Comments

81 Topic by Bill NH

(0 replies, posted in General Questions/Comments)

I'm getting the documentation papers ready to send in for my recently acquired 1985 JJT26, and am wondering if anyone with a US-documented boat would be willing to share a copy of their Certificate of Documentation that I could include with my application?  After reading the article about the documentation process on the site I'd like to try to make the process go as smoothly as possible...

I can provide a fax number or mailing address if that would be easier for anyone...

Thanks,
Bill
JJT #334

Go to forum: General Questions/Comments

82 Reply by Bill NH

(8 replies, posted in General Questions/Comments)

Go to forum: General Questions/Comments

83 Reply by Bill NH

(54 replies, posted in General Questions/Comments)

Also for the list...

Just purchased 1985 JJT #334, not yet named (old name is in the proccess of being vanquished and will not be written or spoken...).  Boat is on the hard in Moultonborough, NH, USA

And so another project begins...

Go to forum: General Questions/Comments

84 Reply by Bill NH

(3 replies, posted in Sails & Rigging)

Can anyone provide boom and spreader dimensions for a JJT Contessa?  Yes, the previous owner of my recently acquired boat managed to lose the boom and spreaders (among other things...)  Pretty unbelieveable!

Anyhow, I'm specifically looking for boom length and section measurements (height and width), plus a length on the spreaders.

If anyone has any leads on used ones, or recommendations for a supplier of new ones, that would also be appreciated!

Thanks,
Bill Burke
JJT #334

Go to forum: Sails & Rigging