Under what berth. The vee berth or the settee berth? Is the boat a Rogers or a JJT?
102 2005-04-04 09:28:52
Topic: harbor locations (3 replies, posted in General Questions/Comments)
A few years ago, when we had The Western Hemisphere Contessa Owners Groop, we shared an owner’s list with around 30 people. It had all the info that you mentioned along with a write-up of comments, modifications, upgrades that each owner had done. The info still exists but I don’t send the list out to anyone who isn’t on it. Maybe we could clone the list here but without the commentaries (to save server space).
103 2005-04-03 12:26:11
Topic: port bulkhead (1 replies, posted in Repairs/Modifications/Upgrades)
It isn’t a good idea to diddle with the structure. Bulkheads are not there to take only compressive loads but also counter the twisting forces that are common to sailboats. I know several naval architects that say that they often get requests from boat owners that want to “open up” the boat for less “enclosed” feeling below. Both react similarly. If the barge didn’t need the bulkhead, they would have saved money by leaving it out while replacing it with a post. It’s a bad situation all around. The guy that did it to the Contessa is most probably a hammerhead. Is the boat in Annapolis?
104 2005-03-29 16:17:36
Topic: Cockpit Floor Panels MOD (11 replies, posted in Repairs/Modifications/Upgrades)
If you replace the wood, don't use aluminum. It will be instant corrosion. Mine are made of Glass filled Teflon tapped for ten 5/16-18 stainless phillips head screws. No leaks in five years.
105 2005-03-28 08:34:35
Topic: Stern Dockline Chock Removal (3 replies, posted in Repairs/Modifications/Upgrades)
Are you sure that the chock is fastented through with a nut. Any chance that it could be just screwed to the teak?
107 2005-03-24 07:08:45
Re: Cruising with a spinnaker (5 replies, posted in Sails & Rigging)
Spinnakers seem to have a bad name in the cruising business. From the beginning, when the racing yacht “Sphinx” hauled up her “acre” of headsail, the spinnaker (Sphinx’s acre) has been considered a racing rag. For the cruiser, it can be the sail that makes those dog days of summer quite delightful. Sailing off the wind, when it’s down to less than 8 kts, can be a sloppy time but, with a ‘chute, you can be trucking along. Cruising chutes, although easier to set, don’t have the area and are not that effective in very light air and they don’t require a pole. The spinnaker pole is a multiuse item. At anchor, you can tether your dinghy off it so that it doesn’t keep bumping the hull all night, it’s a better whisker pole than the one with whiskers, and as a clothes line it beats the lifelines by keeping the clothes in the breeze. Don’t leave home without one.
108 2005-03-23 10:04:54
Topic: mooring (1 replies, posted in Technical)
Although you’re on the “rocky coast”, most mooring areas are mud and good holding ground for a mushroom anchor. The amount of chain that is attached to the mooring is just as important as the size/weight of the mushroom. Ask around and see what other people are using. Although the Contessa displaces over 5000#, it is low on windage. Everything will depend on the bottom conditions of the mooring area and its tides and currents.
109 2005-03-20 13:45:58
Topic: Sail Specs. (3 replies, posted in Sails & Rigging)
Thanks, Jose. I was about to copy your post on the PCBB and add it here.
110 2005-03-19 10:33:20
Re: Raw water cooled diesel (8 replies, posted in Technical)
The actual running temp of the engine is about 145 deg F. Prolonged running above 145F causes mineral build-up.
111 2005-03-19 10:13:35
Topic: Past History (11 replies, posted in General Questions/Comments)
The Contessa 26 entered production in England in 1966 by Jeremy Rogers in Lymington, with several hundred built. "Contessa of Lymington" (the real hull #1) was launched on April 28th, 1966. In the first three years of production 350? hulls were laid up. Moulds for the Contessa were shipped to Canada in 1969, with the first of the boats completed later that same year. J.J. Taylor and Sons Ltd. of Toronto. The JJT boats were renamed “J.J. Taylor 26” in the middle 1980s because of some problems between Taylor and Rogers. My guess is that a total of around 750+ boats were built in both Canada and the UK. There are deck, interior, and rig differences between the Rogers (UK) boats and The JJT boats. For clarity, the UK boat is generally referred to as a “CO26” while the Canadian boat is called a “JJT 26” (regardless of year).
112 2005-03-16 07:30:41
Topic: Fixing spider cracks in gelcoat (3 replies, posted in Repairs/Modifications/Upgrades)
It's generally called crazing and quite common in boats prior to the 1980s. There isn't much that you can do about it. Some have ground them out with a Dremel tool and filled them with polyester and gelcoat only to have them return. It's the nature of the beast where relatively brittle gelcoat lays over a flexible FRP base. The ones around stanchion bases could be due to flexing and may be helped by adding strong backing plates. Keeping the areas waxed is the common way of keeping moisture out.
113 2005-03-14 16:04:50
Re: Berth announcement (6 replies, posted in General Questions/Comments)
The For Sale info is updated whenever anyone with an advert tells me to change it or remove it. Most people never say a damned thing. I'll have to un-post some overdue adverts.
115 2005-03-11 08:57:13
Topic: Rigging size (2 replies, posted in Sails & Rigging)
I would follow the surveyor's advice with one exception. 1/4" for the forestay.
116 2005-03-11 07:53:26
Topic: Sailing Backward (2 replies, posted in Boat handling / Performance)
It can be done when the wind direction is roughly parallel to the slip but angled toward the slip edge. It’s essentially “heaving to”. After a double shot of grog for all hands, you crank the boat into the wind, come dead in the water, point the rudder towards the slip, and have the sheet tenders back the jib and fiddle with the main. The problem is in gaining steerage astern. This can be tough with a long keel. The tactic works better with a fin keel boat that gains steerage more easily. A crew of three is ideal although it can be done with two. One on the main sheet (or grabbing the boom in light air), one on the jib sheet, one at the helm. Keep in mind that this is a last ditch maneuver that will terrify your insurance broker.