 |
..left in Constance's wake since May 2010! Quite some distance, further than crossing the Atlantic Ocean between America and Europe! Time to reflect on the things I learned, since this is the first time for me owning a boat. So, here is my list of aha moments:
Buying a boat:
- You need to be clear what kind of sailing you will do. If you're planning to competitively race around the buoys with your friends from the sailing club: don't buy an old, classic boat. She may be beautiful to look at, but coming in consistently last kind of sucks. I wasn't quite planning on racing, but it is quite nice to hang out on the water with other folks, so I ended up participating in some races. For that, a more modern boat is more adequate. In the end it doesn't bother me much, but I could imagine some people would be disappointed by their purchase.
- Old vs. new: This is foremost a question on how much money you want to spend. I would love to have a brand new boat, or even one that is younger than 10 years (on account of not spending so much time fixing stuff). But then you need to spend 120k+ to get a boat that can also go offshore. For the value you get, a Tartan34c is a great deal, and you have beautiful, classic looking, very seaworthy design. No regrets!
- If you buy an old boat, get one with a new engine. I'm so glad that I made that one of my criteria. I've seen so many people agonizing over old engine problems. It really sucks if the engine dies when you're under way.
- Check the deck for delamination and soft spots. If you find any, this should be a no go. I kind of ignored the ones our surveyor found (still small, no big deal). It is like tooth decay, once it sets in you need to do something right away. Took a couple of weeks off our sailing life to deal with that. Still not completely fixed. Soft and rotten deck core is serious and very difficult to fix. To make it look nice afterwards is even more difficult. Having it fixed in a yard costs 10ks of $$$.
- Size: 34ft is just fine for double handing. The Tartan 34c is a little confined downstairs, modern boats are way roomier. I still like it, even though I'm missing a real navigation table with seat. One thing I didn't realize earlier: 35ft is the upper limit for the vast majority of marina slips. Any larger and you will have problems finding a slip in your favorite location.
Sailing & handling experiences:
- Be confident climbing the mast. More often than you like, halyards get loose and you need to retrieve them.
- Don't be a hero. Reefing the sail is done best exactly at the moment you're thinking about it.
- Reverse docking is for spade rudders and short keels, not for classic boats with tons of prop walk. Some scars on Constance to remind me of that.
- Get a folding prop. The difference to a fixed blade prop is amazing, especially in low wind.
- A good anchor is worth a lot. Our 30lbs CQR still hasn't dragged a single time, with 30ft chain and usually 60ft of rope out (90ft if it is deeper, never anchored in anything deeper than 20ft). Nowadays I sleep like a baby when anchored, and don't worry too much. I do check when the wind starts howling in the rigging, but never had any reason to worry. I did drag on a friend's boat and on charter boats before, never had a good sleep when anchored, on other boats. Sleep is precious!
- A good boat usually handles wind and waves better than humans. Since moving to SF I'm much more relaxed when it comes to strong winds.
- As soon as you feel just a little cold you need to go down below and start putting on layers. Once you get really cold there is practically no way of warming up on a sail boat (if you're in the cockpit).
- I used to be mortified by docking maneuvers. Once you own a boat for some time you get much calmer. Speed is your nemesis when docking. Do it slow and you won't get scratches. You'll still mess up docking here and there due to some unexpected gust, but at least there is no 2ft scar to witness your ineptitude.
- Most important rule when sailing: no yelling! Takes the fun out of everything and leaves stale feelings of betrayal and antagonism. Not worth it!
Maintenance:
- I think the most important thing when dealing with an old boat is to realize that you cannot fix all the things immediately. And there are lots and lots of things on an old boat that can be improved, fixed, or upgraded. Instead it is important to focus on the vital parts that keep the boat safe and seaworthy, while enjoying some time on the water. That's why I bought the boat in the first place! So many boats in the marina never move an inch for years on end, while the owner is busy tinkering around, fixing this, upgrading that and all the time never make it out of the harbor entrance. Having said that, the amount of time necessary to keep an old boat up and running can be daunting. And you really need to be able to do most things by yourself, otherwise you'll spend too much money and, worst, wait long weeks for boatyards to finish work, where you cannot go out on the water.
- Having said that, the little things that require constant attention and frequent monitoring: Heat exchanger zinc, prop zinc, anything around the engine (oil, coolant, leaks, chafe points, alternator belt). Actually it is a good idea to give the engine a good look over at least once a month. All lines and hoses have to be secured that there are no chafe points. The fuel line for example was touching a metal piece of the engine at one point and sure enough started developing a chafe point right there.
Electrical:
- Quite happy with my Mac Laptop Navigation solution. (MacEnc + GPS on USB connection).
- AIS is very useful, but next time I would rather buy active AIS (mine is passive, i.e. I can see commercial boats, but they cannot see me).
- Battery load is an issue. Even after installing the battery monitor, my house batteries slowly drain over time and need a good full charge once in a while. Just running the engine here and there is not enough. The thing is that the battery monitor is not catching that creep and needs to be reset every 2 months or so. First I didn't realize this, and while the monitor was showing close to 100%, the voltage was already down to 12.3V. I think it is a good idea to have a solar charger to avoid running the engine for long times if you don't have access to shore power.
