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First, well noted the comments on using the laptop for navigation.  I would be very interested to learn more details of your setup.  I agree about carrying paper charts as a backup!

Interesting to hear that some of you have a board to hide the head hoses.  Perhaps my 1976-built Contessa is more spartan because the hoses are all exposed!

Although I like the idea of making more use of the head area on our boats, I personally would be resistant to placing a navigation station here because of the increased motion in the bow, and because of the difficulty of balancing on the head when on starboard tack.  Being seated in the lee quarterberth is a relief when the conditions are bouncy.  There is nowhere else to fall!

Good question!  This is a project that I have been considering for some time.  I do not believe that there is any "right" solution.  However, my plan is fairly straightforward.

The V-berth is quite wide at its head and some of this area can be sacrificed without damaging the berth's comfort.  By assuming a standard double or Queen width berth, one leaves a triangle shaped footprint on either side of the boat.  Each triangle is formed by the edge of the standard matress, the bulkhead and the boat's hull.  Because of the taper of the hull, as you project these triangles vertically towards the deck their areas increase quite nicely.  They also terminate at the deck. 

My plan is to use your "hockeysticks and marine ply" to construct a locker on each side of this area.  One could either have them open by tipping outwards, or could simply cut openings in the ply like a cave locker.  I am still trying to decide if I prefer bins or shelves so it looks like this will be a spring project.  I am also trying to decide how to handle the forward termination of the flat panel.  If you follow it up to the deck then you have a long and fiddly curve to fit along with a lot of dead space behind, but if you terminate it with a transverse panel the installation is not as tidy.  I am leaning towards a hybrid at the moment -- follow the curve up to about 8" elevation and then truncate.

When planning this project, don't forget about the thickness of the cushion in your calculations -- it will dramatically reduce the area in which you can cut appropriate openings.

One other suggestion I will give you is applicable to all of these interior projects:  actually get on board the boat and try out a few ideas in cardboard.  I find that I often overestimate size and space on the Contessa.  For example, the distance from the hard V-berth surface to the deck is only 19".  Subtract a cushion and perhaps bedding and you have relatively little space left for the openings of your locker.

(Aside:  Another project that I have abandonnned involved replacing one of the quarterberths with a dinette such as can be found on boats such as the Tanzer 22.  Unfortunately, when I actually got into the boat and played with the dimensions, the proximity of one's head and the sloping surface adjacent to the cockpit pushed the aft seat so far forward that the only way to make the design work would be to cut out the sink cabinetry.  Too much surgery I think.)

Please keep us posted as to your progress -- I will be very curious to see your solution.

Christopher

My boat was looking quite tough when I took her on.  A friend who polishes boats professionally (along with repairing, refitting, painting etc.) recommended a polish by an outfit called Rolite.  The polish is generally used on aircraft.  Application is with a 7" angle buffer and a sheepskin pad.  It is a commercial product and not easily sourced.  Of course you want the fibreglass polish and not the aluminum formulation.

My boat shone right up.  Send me an e-Mail and I will send you a picture of the mirror finish.  My point is that your boat's topside finish may look like it is done, but it might shine up quite well if properly polished.  It seems to me that you have nothing to lose on a giving your boat a good polish.  Certainly less costly than Awlgrip.

Good luck!

Good day!

If your bilge pump is the same as mine then it is a Henderson Mark V (sometime it is written as Henderson MK V).  It is a black beast mounted on the inside of the port cockpit locker, between the locker and the lazarette.  To do the rebuild the easiest by far is to remove the pump.

I undertook the same project two years ago.  You can still source the rebuild kits for these pumps although it appears that they are out of production.  A caution:  the rebuild kit is fabulously expensive -- comparable to a replacement pump.  However, when I complained about the price at the marine store where I purchased the kit, I was told that the Henderson is a much better pump than anything else. 

The same pump, in white, is used as the prime mover for the Lavac heads btw. 

Having rebuilt mine, it has worked like a charm.  It is well worth the expense and effort in my opinion.

Good luck!

Good day!

I have been considering a small Porta Bote for my Contessa.  My plan was to have it slung against the lifelines adjacent to the cockpit so that it would appear (hopefully!) like a weather cloth.

While not pretty to look at, the Porta Bote seems to be a reasonable dinghy compromise for our boats.

Christopher

Good day!

I am looking for an electronic version of the crown sail insignia of the JJT Contessas.  Does anyone know the source?

Thanks!

Christopher

I have two questions about fuel tanks for Shannon:  which tank model do you have and where is it fitted?

I ask because I am considering fitting a tank in the bilge below the engine.  I still have to check into the safety/legalities of this.  My current tank is an 11 gallon Tempo belowdeck plastic tank mounted in the port cockpit locker.  It has been poorly fitted and I intend to move it once empty (I motor rarely though so this may take a while!).  I believe that the poor fit is because the plywood base on which it sits in the locker was intended for a Vetus tank of similar size. 

Anyway, my idea is to free up the port locker by shifting the tank into some of the dead space occupied by the bilge/engine room.

Thanks!

Christopher

If you are considering the Caribbean for this winter, perhaps a solution would be to pass through the Panama Canal in the early spring and spend the summer on the US and Canadian West Coasts.  When you eventually truck the boat to Thunder Bay, the truck will have done the hard work of the climb.  That is, sailing out of the Great Lakes and down the Saint Lawrence is much easier than sailing up because of the strong currents and prevailing Westerly winds.

You still see the same destinations, but in an order that is better suited to the Contessa.

Christopher

No doubt my jargon is wrong.  I've seen what I understood to be baby stays on larger boats but they have been permanently fixed.  Their foot was on a traveller on the foredeck and they were used not for sails but for pulling the midpoint of the mast foreward, inducing mast bend.

Do we really need the stay at all?  There is a fine piece of wire in the luff of the storm jib that would be sufficient for this purpose and would require less complexity for installation and use.  In this configuration all that would be required on the mast is a beefier spinaker topping lift, probably in spectra with a much stronger block and mast tang.  Depending upon the foot attachment point, backing plates may be required.

Thanks SMH.  Sounds like we would have an interesting conversation over a table littered with rum glasses and scraps of paper showing stability and strength calculations.  Perhaps I am attributing more effect than I should to the weight aloft. 

What would be interesting would be to see the impact the weight aloft and below has on the roll moment of inertia, and ultimately some of the boat's comfort.  For those who wonder what I am talking about, try moving around your boat before the mast is stepped.  The roll period of the boat (that is, the rate at which it tries to return to level) is much faster than it is when the mast is stepped.

Here is a practical thought on 350 pounds of ballast:  These boats are weight sensitive (hard to believe on a 5500 pound boat but there it is.  Note the height of the cockpit sole above the waterline.  Add 350 pounds of lead, fill all the tanks and take on all the gear for the adventure and I am all but certain that the cockpit sole will be awash due to backflow from the cockpit drains.  Since I have not yet installed the watertight seals that have been discussed elsewhere, leakage at my engine panel would be a real problem.

(Hey Christian -- you recently loaded your boat like this -- was scupper backflow a problem?)

I believe Christian's point on preparation is on track.  Know oneself and the boat, and try everything before you leave. 

It seems to me that the trick with this adventure voyage is to not pretend that one is going to set a speed record doing it.  By following a stepping-stone path and sailing in fair weather this trip could be made with relative ease.  Much as it is tempting to head to sea for a 5,000 mile passage, when one is exhausted and sick and generally fed up, a calm anchorage, a dry bed, a warm meal and a good night's sleep can radically change one's outlook.  Daysailing may not get you from A to B quickly but it is likely to keep one safer and happier!

Also, I agree that these boat are far from perfect.  My soggy poopdeck is a good example.  All boats have their faults -- that is part of the appeal I think.  It gives one something about which to daydream.  If someone knows of a perfect boat let me know.