51

(8 replies, posted in Technical)

I'm thinking bertinol is on the right track here.  There are other areas on the Contessa that you should consider long before you worry about the keel.  The number one problem that I saw was not water penetration through the solid fibreglass hull but the cored deck.  All boats I found during my search had wet decks.  Many had never had their rigging replaced.  Several had serious wiring problems.  At least two needed serious engine work (worth as much as the boat is worth).

Buy one, they are good boats, but don't worry too much about the keel.

52

(3 replies, posted in Technical)

I have never measured to be sure, but I would suspect it would make sense for it to be the light displacement.

I believe our answer was that we were calling the association "Lake Ontario Contessa Association" specifically so that Contessa 32 owners would also feel welcome.

There was some talk about extending the club to also include folk boats.  If I'm not mistaken, we all agreed that they would be welcome but we would stick to focusing on Contessa's in the Lake Ontario region.  Everyone is welcome, Contessa's from any geography, 26's, 32's and folkboats.  For the sake of keeping events organized, it will be locally focused in Lake Ontario.

Hi All!

Ok, so we were supposed to have a Lake Ontario Contessa Association meeting this Saturday and through busy schedules and the holiday season, we didn't get to the planning.  So!  A last minute invite to join some LOCA members for dinner on Saturday after the boat show.

The restaurant is located on the Queensway, just west of the Humber River.

When?  January 12, 2013 @ 7:30pm  (Yes, tomorrow)
Where?  Mama Martino's.  624B The Queensway, Toronto, Ontario

Mama Martino's doesn't take reservations so all you need to do is e-mail or call me prior to 7:00pm and I will hold a seat for you at the table.  They have a reasonably priced menu, all of their foods are made from scratch, wine and beer are reasonably priced.  Children are welcomed both at the restaurant and our LOCA meeting.

Directions:
From the east...  Take the Gardner to "South Kingsway" exit, then immediately exit onto Queensway west.
From the west...  Take the Gardner to Islington north exit, then turn right onto Queensway east.
** For anyone at the boat show, Oliver is leaving at 7:15pm.  He's a nice guy so you may be able to hitch a ride if you smile just right.

Please e-mail or call me to RSVP.
Cheers,

Jordan Harkness
jordan@omato.com
416.575.4632

Hi All,

Oliver and I were chatting and decided to get together for dinner on Thursday, December 13 @ 7:00pm and we would both be happy to have you fellow sailors join us.  Come one, come all.

We'll simply have some beers and good conversation over dinner in the cozy NYC restaurant at 7:00pm on December 13.  If you can make it, then great we look forward to seeing you.  If you can't make it that early, stop by after for a beer.  If you can't make it, please keep an eye out for a note on our next official LOCA meeting in January.

We'll save seats for everyone that RSVP's and for those of us that aren't members of NYC, just push the button and let them know you're there to meet us (Oliver or LOCA)

Hope to see you all then,

Jordan H

Hi Oliver,

You suggested the 3rd Thursday in January.  That's terrific.  Would you please set that up with NYC and Wayne... it'll be interesting even if it's just the 3 of us.

We'll also go over which race series people are interested in (LYRA, AHMEN, Lo300, LOSHRS etc) and be able to share information we picked up at the boat show.

Cheers.

Ohh!  Hi.  It's always nice to meet people in real life and then again online.

I saw South Shore was up for sale last year.  How's the new owner?  Is he willing to get it properly dredged or will you all have to find someplace else to keep your boats?

Fair enough.  But I'd like to have a cover to keep water out.  The battery box is right below the companion way where foulies drip, rain gets in and wet dogs lie... it collects enough water and would just as soon not have to reach my hand in tight cracks where water, electricity and potentially acid meet in order to sop it up.

And until I find some batteries with a smaller form factor, I'll just live with it as-is.

60

(0 replies, posted in For Sale)

It depends on your ice box.  The Contessa has numerous cabin layouts that vary from a half-sized ice box on the port side to a full, sliding cover icebox on the starboard.

I have not changed my icebox design.  Like yours, it does not insulate well.  If I need insulation, I bring a proper modern cooler.  Otherwise, it's just beer and drinks and ice lasts for two days in cold water.

Some other ice box lessons...
1) I learned the hard way to remove all paper labels of anything that goes in the ice box.
2) Do not bring items that require refrigeration.  It's a luxury, not a necessity.
3)  Packing ice blocks on the bottom with frozen items, then more frequently used items on top helps to keep items cold longer.
4) Do not accidentally block the drain or everything is swimming.
5) No glass bottles (no glass on the boat either.)

I'm curious to know how your icebox is difficult to access... all of the designs I have seen have been open from the top and easily accessible.  Please post a pic or description of your layout.

Interesting, interesting.
I have a battery compartment, immediately forward of the companion way stairs.  There is barely room even for two batteries and when they are in there, it is near impossible to remove them.  As far as I am aware, I have never seen a drain plug.  Any water that leaks in remains.

Further, there is absolutely no room for any sort of battery box.  In fact, the previous owner kept a battery that was too tall for the space and you can see where it has marked the cabin sole cover.

63

(6 replies, posted in Front page news)

64

(3 replies, posted in Non-Contessa Chatter)

Ian, there is a video floating around - I saw it on VHS tape - about a fellow who was rolled + 3 crew in his Contessa.  The video was shot from shore, the boat took a wave which put it on its side and then the second wave rolled it right over.  The mast stuck in the mud, broke off and the craft righted itself.

The skipper was still sitting at the helm, and in shock, while his 3 crew were over and swimming.

65

(6 replies, posted in Non-Contessa Chatter)

I've heard several theories about why HMS Bounty had left harbour.  They most popular theory is that the captain felt safer trying to skirt the storm, in open water, rather than be penned in and be crushed against land, shipping containers and so-on.  Land is not necessarily where you want to be during a hurricane.  Since the captain was one of those who did not return, we may never know the real reason... still waiting to hear from the crew.

I know that military ships leave port during mega storms like this, but they are fully manned, well maintained and performing a service that may be worth a life...  the Bounty, if destroyed at shore, would have been a shame but nobody would have died.

I guess some days it's just a coin toss and you make decisions on the best information available at the time.

I bought my boat in Bayfield... Even after they 'dredged' the basin, with spring run off, I reversed out of the slip for the first time and hit ground.  We had to drag the boat through the mud in order to get to the dock for mast stepping and then back again across the basin into the slip.  I moved the boat to Goderich after the first night.

If Django is in the same basin... yikes and good luck.

I managed to drop my engine oil filler cap into the murky bilge.  After quite some time of fishing around down there with the long grabbers, I gained 2 of somebody else's screw drivers that I still use today, a bag of zip ties, the oil filler cap and *almost* a credit card.  The credit card still lies in the deep...

The original Farymann K34 is still available for sale from the USA... as long as you aren't in the USA.  (Something to do with EPA requirements and they can't sell to boaters.)  They call it the 18W now but is the same engine.

There are also other engines you can pick up that will drop into the Contessa but many are 10+ hp.

One interesting note though, since the Federal government took over boat registration there is no longer a length requirement.  Therefore, if you stick with the original engine (or any under 10HP) you are not required to go through registration of your Contessa.

69

(3 replies, posted in Front page news)

Sorry we missed him in November.  Lets make sure we follow-up for our December meeting.

Oliver, you may wish to follow-up and ask about requirements for joining such a race.  I would imagine that most of us do not have PHRF ratings for our boats and on many long distance races there are very particular safety requirements that must be met.  These may preclude some of us from racing.

It's not so much that the boats may not be capable but the fleshy bits that steer them.

Hi All,

I've volunteered to help put gather feedback and ideas to put together a program outline for the 2013 season.

At the meeting on November 1, we generally agreed that we would try for 3 major sail events, 2 speaker events and monthly meetings to stay in touch.

What type of events would you like to see?  So far the following has been suggested...
1.  A fun "race".  The idea being to get some Contessa's on the water and improving your sailing ability .  It will all be in good fun.  We're going to make it possible for everyone to participate since many of the group have never raced before and almost none of us have PHRF or IRC ratings.

2.  A Toronto Area cruise weekend.  This will be fairly light and social as many of us already live here.  It will likely be hosted by one of the yacht clubs with our members in attendance.

3.  A Western Lake Ontario cruise.  This will be a longer distance cruise for those that live in Toronto.  The idea being that we can put our cruising skills to proper use and go new places.  We're open to suggestions on a pleasant destination.  Likely 10-27NM from Toronto... as far east as Cobourg, as far west as Hamilton, or as far south as Niagara-on-the-Lake.  We didn't talk about crossing the border but that's an option I suppose.

Also, bertinol is looking to setup a couple speaker nights.  Do you have any ideas on what topics you would like to hear/see?  Just to get the discussion started...
- Solo cruising ...
- History of JJ Taylor and the Contessa...
- Port reviews and slide shows from around the lake from those that have been there... (maybe several members can present photos from their area or places they've travelled?)
-  <Place your ideas here!>

Finally, would you prefer to have a fixed night for meetings or should we pick dates at each event?  For example, should we pick something like, "First Thursday of the month"?  Or should we leave it up for discussion?

We're looking to solidify the program outline by December and then begin picking dates in January after the boat show.  Please submit all of your ideas now if you want them included on the calendar!

Cheers,
Jordan.

It's too bad Kevin missed our ABYC meet.  That would have been a good introduction.

Anyway, Kevin, glad you've connected now.

73

(3 replies, posted in Non-Contessa Chatter)

I just started this lively discussion over at Sailnet too.

So far, the general consensus is that a 3-blade prop has less drag while spinning.

Two other points...
1)  A folding prop won't work correctly if it is spinning as the blades will open up and cause drag.
2)  The jury is still out on my question regarding the 2-blade prop behind my full keel.  How do you ensure it's locked vertically?

74

(3 replies, posted in Non-Contessa Chatter)

Interesting.  That goes against my intuition and gut feelings.

I sail with it locked in reverse (or neutral if I forget).  Definitely not in forward.

My intuition comes from this simple experiment;  As a fisherman, I toss out spinner lures and real them in.  There is significant drag while pulling in a free-wheeling 'propeller' as it drags through the water.  If the lure locks up and stops spinning, the pull suddenly goes light and I know it is no longer pulling.  That translates to my gut feeling that a spinning object has more drag than not.

Also, I have a 2-blade prop.  If it lines up with the keel (big 'if' I suppose) presenting no surface area then it obviously doesn't cause any additional drag what so ever.  Now, if it were spinning, then obviously it would present surface area and cause drag.

Now I'm interested to find out why their results differ from my intuition.

Air cooled in that tight space?!  Yikers.  You're going to need some good air movement to keep that cool.  I'm going to stay away from that.

Sailing near fresh water lakes that have really cold water, I'd say that would be my choice of cooling. Quiet, effective and plentiful.  On the ocean, I may reconsider.

Why not stick with a Farymann?  7hp, still available, solid lumps.  If you can live with 6hp, then you could live with 7hp and it fits right in without any rejigging.  The price is reasonable as well.  Although you aren't supposed to buy these for marine use in the USA (EPA regulations), they will ship them to Canada with no problem.