Atom Ant
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Posts posted by Atom Ant
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What my daughter does when she isn't tuning pianos
Excellent BP, she's a talented lady. Love the vid
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Bloody good job Richard, Much more usable cockpit now.
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Good stuff Richard. A really good mod to do.
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Carbon bog painted white? Or "bog standard" plastic jobbo? Fab job on the recreation of the boat. Hats off to you.
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Everyone is so much busier in their lives, disposable time and income is down and luxury items like boats are just getting unachievable for most people.
Couldn't agree more Booboo. Scary thought that the train wreck is about to happen, cos I thought it already had. It's gonna get worse? But the real killer was maintenance costs as the powers that be make it harder and more expensive to maintain your boat. I'm really talking about boats that live full time in the water here.
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I think Gulf Harbour is doing the same thing. My father just had to do a similar thing.
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Yes David is a first class host I can testify to that. I have been on BP twice, but motoring one time and tied up to the dock on New Year's Eve doesn't really count as boating does it?
I slept badly last nite as over and over in my mind I was flying a hull and blasting along at 16 odd knots like we were on rails. What a great way to lose sleep!
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A milestone weekend for me. It's been over a year since I set foot on a yacht. It's been nearly 2 1/2 years since I last sailed on a multihull. This has been due to injuring both my forearms. They will never fully recover. I've been asked plenty of times by good friends who have said that I could simply come along for the ride and do nothing. I haven't wanted to go sailing, not at all.
A couple of days ago a friend rang me up and asked me if I wanted to sail with him on his C Class cat in the local Weiti/Gulf Harbour winter race. In that instant I knew it was time to get out on the water again.
Today was a beautiful autumnal day - but no wind. The start was delayed for around 15 minutes, and then it got underway. The C Class is a little underpowered in the very light and so we never were able to foot it with the 40 footers. The wind slowly built but not soon enough, but it was actually a great way to get back in the saddle, so to speak. I was on the helm so that I had no injury risk and on a cat, the mainsheet can be a more critical role, so owner/designer/builder/friend was on the sheet.
After we finished we carried on sailing and went looking for some wind. We found it around half way between Gulf Harbour & Rakino. A whole 5 knots gusting 8. But on a C class that is enough!
We gybed over and headed back in. The wind was up and down and I needed to be quick on helm corrections but it came back to me like riding a bike - a bit wobbly at first but in no time I felt comfortable.
It was a great sail! Top speed was 16.2 knots when the wind puffed up to perhaps 10 knots. Once the windward hull lifts clear you feel the acceleration and the ride smooths out as there is no slamming against the waves.
I'm home now, happy, my arms are fine. Think I like this sailing thing.
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I had a southern pacific roll up for around 15 years. I used to roll it up and store it away over winter for the first 5 but after that it lived outside. I did make my own ply floor for it which made it a lot easier to get in and out of. Rowed fine for short distances, and motored well with my 2 hp DT2. Excellent boats and they last well.
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And for those of us who consider facebook a narcissistic wank fest?
+1 Couldn't put it better myself. That and twatter.
But I wish you all the best with your endeavours.
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Moonshine eh - it could well have been that. We'd never seen underwater bow sections like that before. Yep John SPencer put crap loads of people into boats who would otherwise never have been able to do it. And that Bruce Farr chappie forever changed boat design. Yep... Alot of good yottin things happened here in NZ. (And still do)
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I have fond memories from my teenage years of a Saraband my dad bought. It was called Mercedes. It was built with top sides 4" higher and the cabin top 4" lower than the original design. This was to stop them looking like a lollipop. They didn't go well to windward and I remember this frustrating my dad as in those days if you raced in the squadron, which we did, the Sarabands raced against the Townson 32's. Most days the fleet was split in two; all the T32's at the front then the 5 Sarabands racing their own race at the rear of the fleet. Except once a year when there was a reaching race to the bottom end of Waiheke. The Sarabands would take the first 5 places on line and handicap.
The one modification that we did was to move the side stays inwards. Originally they were mounted on the gunwhale with external bolt through chainplates. We had some flash ss chain plates made up and I recall dad being pleased with the result. It didn't help us against the T32's but helped us in our battles against the likes of Rasputin, Samarkand, Sheoke II. Rasputin had even higher topsides which had been made 6" higher than the original design, and she had a short cabin as well. I think she is still around today and may be up at Gulf Harbour.
We Spencer owners always felt like poor cousins to the T32 owners. I recall a new yacht turning up and it looked different to anything we had seen before. It was called Mountain or Morning Dew or something like that and it was designed by a young guy called Bruce Farr. I recall a crusty old T32 owner assuring his mates that it wouldn't amount to much. Needless to say it whipped their arses on any point of sail in any conditions except blowing a gale on the wind. The T32 guys were not happy. The Saraband guys were ecstatic! It made no difference to us but we were glad of something to knock the T32's of their perch.
Ours had a Ford 10 side valve petrol engine in it with no reverse. It motored well and you certainly learned quickly when it came to drifting in to tie up. We kept it at Okahu Bay near the breakwater and it was my job to row us out there. I didn't know myself when dad bought a 2 1/2 hp Seagull for the plywood dinghy.
The Saraband was a big bang for the buck back then. We sold ours in the mid 70's for $16K.
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Is it possible that there are only 12 Spencer boats racing in NZ?
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Awesome. Love the old Seagulls. Spent hours bombing around in an old ply dinghy with a 2 1/2 HP gull when I was a young 'un.
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There are grids at the Weiti Boating Club, not sure what the rules are for non members but give them a bell and find out. ts the closest place to you. 09 4245905.
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Made new thermal backings for and then hung new curtains. It ain't sailing...
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Did lots of little jobs on my boat. Bloody great on a nice day in the marina. Young lad helped me.
Hang on, not my boat
Does that mean I have to undo all the stuff I did? -
Clearly unstayed. Does that fit into the class rules?
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Jesus Wolfie 6.04am? WTF? You need a lifestyle adjustment Pal,
I think you havent changed the time setting on your forum preferences? Mine said 7.04 a.m. Entirely acceptable
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Lifted the boat out and did the antifouling, zincs and silicone paint job on the prop and shaft. (competing DIY product to propspeed) A big thank you to my Dad and a fine upstanding forumite who gave me a hand.
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Good on you! Looks like you're getting the hang of both very nicely.
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Nice shot of Silveraider in the back ground.
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Thanks Grinna, And here I was thinking I was missing out on knowing something useful
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Ok cool. What's a dipthong?
This Weekend's Achievements
in MarineTalk
Posted
Well done Richard. That is so good and is what was always needed right back from Dodge Taxi days. Stellar job mate, you must be pleased, and I'm sure you will see an improvement in race results due to improved ergonomics.