January to Pre-launch - Launch - May to October - October to 2009
Repair/maintenance: 118 Hrs to Dec 31st
Time to start the very nasty job of removing all the antifouling from the floats, particularly the sides as it looks ghastly. After some research we bought some International Paints remover and off we went... The first quarter of the Port float went pretty easily but then it went downhill fast from there! We found that the remover is highly temperature dependant and needs to be kept 'wet' or else it dries making a bigger mess than the one we wanted to remove!
We found the best conditions/method was warm air but not in direct sun shine and to cover the treated area with news sheet, only tread small areas and work fast once you start to scrape the antifouling off. We also used those Stanley blade paint scrapers to remove the bulk of the coating before using the remover.
Once the paint was off we had to bring the gelcoat back to a nice high gloss finish - easy... Well, no, not really - it was blinkin hard work! We ended up getting some very expensive polish/wax stuff and using a heavy duty buffer for what felt like days at a time, by the end of a session I couldn't lift my arms above shoulder level for some time. So, after a shed load of hard work we had the Port float striped of antifoul and re-polished to a high gloss, now all we needed to do was repeat the process for the Stbd one...
After a time this too was done, pretty much in the same time scale and with the same issues arising. Next we had to clean up the rubbing band on both float as the previous owner, not content with slapping nasty paint on two perfectly good floats, also seem to think that painting the flippin plastic rubbing bands would really 'set the whole thing off'. To do this we needed to use small paint scrapers and sloooowly work our way along 14 metres of the damn thing, which did take quite a while.
While doing this we thought "we know, lets contact Corsair and see about ordering some replacement banding"... Sounds like a good plan, yes? Well, no actually. I've ordered stuff and spoken to suppliers in the USA when I was building the car and with out exception they were helpful and professional, if they couldn't help they'd happily put you on the another company that could - a great experience and I thought Corsair would be the same.
Silly me, I don't think I've come across a more unhelpful and disinterested bunch of 'people', really, it was that bad. The vintage boat we have is well built, well designed and works well, shame the same can't be said of the company that exists at the moment, if they think that what they do by way of 'Customer Service' is in any way acceptable I'm shocked they're still in business. Long story short - got nowhere.
The solution was to clean up the bands as best we could (which was pretty good) and the swap the inside band for the outside one. So, if anyone out there has about 15 metres of the stuff sitting around, please email me and we'll come to terms.
Removing the paint from the floats was a terrible job that was hard physical work, dull and slow, so much so that we are going to put off doing the main hull until next year. Well that and we're running out of time.
Designed some graphics for the floats and hull, just got to get them priced up... Also, Dadtm sanded down the tiller and re-varnished it, looks smashing now.
Decided to splash out and get some new sails... Main, jib and Screacher. Contacted several sailmakers and was met with varying degrees of keenness and the quotes started to arrive. After many telephone calls to all involved we decided to go with Quantum Sails, who seemed to know what they were talking about and were enthusiastic about their service and product. So, order was placed and the chap popped along to measure up and a very complete job he did! Took him over half a day with him asking shed loads of questions about how we wanted this and that, taking a quite amazing number of measurements and talking about what kind of sailing we did - most impressive! Just got to wait until April for the damn things now.
Had another look at the rudder and also popped the dagger board out... All last season we knew when the boat hit 7kts as it started to 'hum' at us and while it did make you grin, it was slowing us down, so, it had to go! The trailing edges of both foils are squared off and quite 'thick' being about 5mm max for the rudder and 10mm for the board, sanded to off to a taper. The rudder had some scraped in it as I'd not looked at the case after fairing it last time, so didn't notice (or expect for heavens sake) the rivet tails the previous owner had used to fix the downhaul block. This meant the moment you lowered the rudder, the tails graunched the gelcoat I carefully repaired last time, it happened the on the first sail last season and I thought "next time the rudder's off" and here we are.
Took the case to bits and fixed the downhaul block on properly and the turned my attention to the foils. After fairing them both off to a good smooth finish I was about to start polishing up when I came over all 'safety conscious' and decided to paint them in a bright colour, just incase the very worst happens and we end up in a spot of bother. A bit of work to get the finish I was after but they both came up very well indeed - and I'm sure it'll make the boat go faster 
Got a mate to make me up some big axle stands to support the boat with the floats unfolded and what a fantastic job he did! Ordered some of those scaffold screwjack thingies and we now have a system that will support the boat with the floats unfolded when it's on the trailer. They' also lift the boat up so we can pull the trailer out from underneath, absolutely brilliant. They made re-antifouling the main hull a breeze (admittedly, a slightly gibber inducing one when we first started). We used the VT70 stuff, which is reportedly pretty good - at that price I really hope so.
We can't live with the original green nets anymore - they are horrible. First idea was to make our own... Dadtm is an expert in making/repairing nets so we thought, "buy the cordage, die it and off we go" and it was working well with a lot of effort going in, but they were turning out pretty heavy and very time consuming to do (this was towards the end of last season)... So, plan B. Found a company that does 'Safety netting' and after a chat the advice was 40mm squares in 6mm (blue) net, order placed and a few days later it arrived. After scratching our heads for a while, we worked out what needed to be done, Dadtm set off to do the difficult bit which was the shaped bow nets and I went to find some cheap Dyneema to make the net border - I like a challenge. Once we'd sorted that out, we had a go with the stuff and were very pleased with how it all turned out (and it only cost about £250 all up).
Time to sort out the bow sprit... With some of the spare Dyneema we made up a 2.5:1 tackle system with a cleat actually on the sprit for simplicity. Spliced up the side lines, again in Dyneema and used some 2mm Spectra cord to whip the Dyneema to the bow eyes - a job well done! We also installed some eye bolts (as a direct replacement to the beam/float bolts and hull/folding mech. bolts) so we can cross brace, again using the same system as for the sprit side lines, the floats/beams under the nets - looks good.
Removed all the masthead stuff I did at the beginning of the year and designed up a strut to mount on the stern to take a stub aerial. Used some 24mm dia. GRP tube with the joint between the tube and the base being filled with epoxy to add a bit of strength, also fabricated a new stern light mount so we could use the holes the old one had made to save making more. Really has simplified the wire runs and with some brace arms is pretty sturdy - we'll see once we are sailing.
Right, pretty much everything is done on the boat, just got to get the graphics done... Got the quotes in and went with a company we've used for all out boats and the job they did is easily up to the best efforts. Took two chaps all day, the plastic was cut exactly to my design and .... it fitted (I know, I was shocked too). We're very pleased with the results.
Now all the jobs are done and tomorrow in she goes!
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Repair/maintenance: 80hrs - Total = 198 Hrs to end of March
We picked the perfect day... Sunny with the wind coming from a protected direction, all went off with no drama although when we first arrive the sky did not look 'happy'! The new engine is great but takes ages to run out of petrol, oh, wait, that's good isn't it... Started first pull and pushed the boat along at a fair clip, once we cleared to inner harbor we hoisted the sails and had a freezing sail to Brighton - god it was cold, sunny but cold. We also hit 16kts in a Northerly fresh breeze which was a hoot, we also stalled the rudder (see piccies) which was interesting. The foils now are silent, so my sanding them out to a taper seems to have worked.
The nice thing with this boat is even when she's hard pressed, she is impeccably behaved, if we'd stalled out the rudder in one of our racing boats in those conditions we'd have been over on our ear and soaked.
Arrived at the marina and got ourselves sorted out with a mooring... Summer here we come!
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Repair/maintenance: 5hrs - Total = 203 Hrs to April
Ha, 'summer'... having even a nice weekend would have been good, such is life.
Quantum delivered the sails and came out with us to make sure they work as designed. Great sails (the main is huge compared with the original) and great service! Main and jib were great as was the Screacher even though the new sprit needs some work doing - Think the Dyneema is too slippery and is creeping off the cleat, a simple fix I hope. The quality and service of Quantum is great, a pleasure doing business.
Sorted out the sprit: Changed the 2.5:1 to a 3.5:1 and used some 8mm braid on braid to replace the Dyneema - and it works, so does the Screacher now
Met a chap who'd just bought a MK1 F-24, went with him to collect it and that w/e we gave him a hand launching... They really are very different to one another, everything from the rudder through the mast step to the sprit, nothing was the same between them, odd stuff. Once he was off with the sails up we nipped back to Brighton and went out to meet him coming in and to our delight we had company, at least two (very large) Dolphins came and had a play! See the piccies for one just coming up for air on the bows of the other tri... and no, it's not 'shopped and was taken with an old 2 megapixel Sony, honest.
Decided that the 2:1 mainsheet traveler control is not up to the task, so changed it for a 4:1, much better and this also was the first bit of carbon I've managed to 'install' on the boat! Made an 8mm flat plate of epoxy/4x4 carbon and used it to take the camcleats - very nice.
After an interesting experience trying to make way directly into an Easterly F6 under power, we came to the conclusion that the 5hp is fine for day sailing out of Brighton and is more than adequate for 99% of the time, a bigger engine when 'cruising' would be a good idea. SO we had a chat with the same supplier who did us the 5hp and got a very nice 9.8hp Tohatsu and while it's a bit heavier than the smaller engine, it's not that bad. Under power it is fantastic and once we had it run in nicely it happily pushed the boat along in a small chop at 8kts.
And that pretty much was the summer, we had some great day sailing and a 'reasonable' number of distance trips but nothing like we had planned, the new sails are great, the boat is a hoot to sail and nothing else broke or needed 'improving' for the whole season. We did CS1 and back a couple of times with one reach back inshore being a 10 mile blast with the boat not dipping under 12kts for the whole time. The boat regularly exceeded 15kts with seemingly little effort in quite lumpy seas, in fact it was a strange season as the sea seemed never settled even in low wind speed conditions.
Did Littlehampton and when we arrived we needed some fuel, so a long walk for me was on the cards... Instead, the Harbour Master ran out to the petrol station in his car. What a great chap - many thanks! The run back to Brighton was an early morning event and boy was it cold, we both ended up wearing all our gear with as many teeshirts on as we could manage. The end was good though, had a RBFYBtm in one of the restaurants on the front at Brighton, couldn't move afterwards.
We had a great days sailing towards the end of the season with the other F-Boat, touched 19kts with the main, jib and Screacher up, did make us jump when we buried the leeward float and the boat started to put the brakes on... Still, no fuss, it popped back up and off we went again.
We had a great idea though... The plan was to put the old sails back on and use the boat well into November - some nice breezy days, should be a hoot. Unfortunately the weather had other plans, first day out there was no wind and from then on, OK you had the breeze but in abundance as well as sideways rain! Still, a damn fine plan.
Pulled the boat the second weekend of November... Went fine and the weather was great, we also broke the record and did berth to ramp to home in under 3.5 hours... So, jobs to do:
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Repair/maintenance: 7hrs - Total = 210 Hrs to end of October
Boat out of the water and safely tucked up, heater running and stripped of all her gear, now we can start on the 2008/9 'improvements!
Made the bullet camera mount: wound some 4x4 carbon strips around some plastic tube, pulled it off and faired them up. From there it was just a quick job to cut and bond the new tube and I'm very pleased with the results. Also ordered and received the new sprit tube, I was looking in to making it out of carbon but the cost was high (by a factor of 10!), so this time around we'll stick to ali.
Christmas coming up, so there'll be little work done this side of the new year...
Stats for the year: Peak speed 19kts, highest average over a 'long run' 13.8Kts for ten flippin miles (and we only stopped because the land was getting in the way)! Year average excluding 'to and from the berth' 7.6kts
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Repair/maintenance: 15hrs - Total = 225 Hrs to Dec 31st
© Copyright J.B.Cobb 2008 All rights reserved
