August 2011 - Last minute mods before Florida trip!

Lots of Last minute Mods in the last half of August!

I quickly added new shelves and drawers to Galactica in an effort to make storage easier to get to when using the Galley. No more tubs buried with plates and silverware in them.

Now we have drawers which lock closed and add a homey feeling inside since we tend to cruise and gunkhole a lot in our area. The drawers all stayed closed during sustained 40 degree healing out on the ICW in Florida!

I added a "pantry" with shelf for plates, big drawer for utensils and pantry storage.


Drawers and shelf added to the table.





Angie bought this plastic drawer for under the table and it worked great!



I added shelves in the vberth for books, phones, water bottles, etc....


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I replaced the 4 1/2 foot anchor chain on the Danforth with a 24 foot anchor chain!


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Fellow sailors in the MTLSA sailing association have mentioned the lack of Port info on Galactica... So I ordered inexpensive port decals from Speedysigns.com and installed it onto the Stern Helm Seat:

1. I removed the seat and brought it into the dining room; then tape it in position.


2. next, I used one of Angie's special cooking utensils to smooth out the bubbles...


3. Next, I peeled back the backing and remounted the seat:


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The next mod was to rebuild the carriage for the salute cannon to something more nautical looking and on an adjustable platform which I could tie to the Bow Cleats.

The old maple carriage is visible. Here I'm cutting out the new Oak carriage:


I test mounted the new cannon/platform.


Finally, I stained it and re-assembled the Cannon:


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The last mod was literally done at midnight before we left for our Florida trip! Angie and people with shorter arms, had troubles climbing up the swim ladder. I installed this new swim ladder grab bar in record time!!



And here it is with the ladder closed. I added 2" aluminum bar on the inside as a 'washer' to strengthen the grab bar.

Adding storage, preparing for cruise

Table storage project:

There is never enough storage; additionally, it can be said there is never enough convenient storage! We've kept silverware and many cooking items in plastic totes of various sizes. I decided to make it more convinient for cooking so I've added a shelf with drawers to the table.

Usually it's only the two of us 'overnighting' so we sacrificed a tiny bit of table space for much needed ease of storage. We've discussed what we'd want over many breakfasts on the water.

So I drew up plans based on those conversations. I built a shelf with 3 drawers out of red oak and poplar.



My dad and I cut it out. We added a biscuit to joints to add strength...



...I made sure to add some glass holders so that our drinks don't get spilled while under way... and we assembled it at his shop...



I brought it home for staining...



...and installed it into the boat. I still need to add clasps to lock the drawers so that they don't open when we're heeled to port.



Every drawer has a different type of nautical pull/knob. As I add more drawers, my thoughts are to make it easier to decribe what drawer to get something out... "it's in the starfish drawer...."

I'm not much of a finish-carpenter but I like this modification!

30 April 2011

Finishing up mods and preparations for the new season so that we can get on the water next week!!!



Following Sumner's lead (from MacgregorSailor's blog site), I fabricated the bracket for my new anchor light and moved the wind-ex to this bracket too! I welded a small gusset on the inside of the 90 degree bend so that the bracket will stay rigid.

I finally finished wiring up the mast and have moved to the inside where I'm installing a new fuse panel and switches!

Easter Weekend! Helm, pilot, trailer...

More mod work preparing for this season!



I removed the factory steering wheel and replaced it with a much larger 20" wheel. While it was off, I added a torque brake to the steering shaft--also known as a " poor man's autopilot ". Removing the shaft nut was easy. Getting the wheel off proved difficult. I tried rigging a steering wheel puller and thought I was going to destroy the pedestal! A quick search on the www.macgregorsailors.com site suggested a few sharp raps on the shaft with a hammer.

I ran the nut even with the end of the shaft to protect the threads. I used a hammer and gave a few tentative taps then gave it 3 or 4 more manly hits and the wheel slid right off.

Last year, I ran coated cabled encased in pex flexible pipes from the winch post to each goal/guide post in order to prevent wind and current from pushing the boat off the trailer when loading. Unfortunately, they scuffed Galactica's blue hull so I went back to the drawing board this year.

I began welding up the posts.


I welded up 6 new posts. One will mount a marine roller and goes a third of the way back on each side. Two for traditional bunks over each wheel.


Some of the posts required as many as 17 welds. My welds starting looking better after a while.


It took many test fits to try to make these look semi professional.


This is the port forward roller post.



This pic shows the LED clearance light on a roller post. I used plastic wiring gromets with the hope of protecting the wiring. I soldered each connection and tried to protect with shrink tube and electrical tape wrap.

Here are the posts installed after painting:


I backed the truck up to the boat, hooked up the trailer light cable to test.
The goal\guide posts have light caps I picked up on sale at Bass Pro. They are amber on the front side and red on the aft side.

April - Mods continue...Soon will be back in the water!

Seats, Mast Wiring & LifeLines


I've re-rigged the life lines as part of the Stern Rail Seat installation. After reversing the aft life lines, I lowered the connection to the pulpit rails and added a set of snap shackles mid deck so that I can open the lines during rigging. It will make is so that I don't have to perform the "mac dance" with the mast to get the spreaders above the life lines. It will definitely save time when rigging and de-rigging; additionally, the mac dance is hard on the lower back.

Installing the Stern seats was easy but time consuming. The hardest part was cutting holes in the hull to provide access to the nuts for the aft rail stanchions.

I used a dremel with cutting tip to cut an access hole once I located and marked the hole.

The floatation foam in the cavity needed temporarily removed so that I could put on a plate and tighten the nuts for the stanchion bases.

I had decided to add aluminum plates to spread the load. I used Deck Plates to seal the holes. The ring is sealed with marine 4200 and bolted. The cover screws into the ring and self seals.

Once the frame was completly bolted on, the seat was simply four screws. There are rings built into the seat frame which can have blocks connected to make lifting the rudders easier.

As soon as I can budget in a pair, I'll get them and re-rig the rudder lift lines!




With the mast off, I pulled Galactica to the house and gave her a very thorough scrubbing. She had collected a lot of dust just sitting in the barn for the winter. Here, she looks clean but naked without her mast. The new stern seats were visible.

I put the mast crutch and bimini back on. I test fit the bimini (pictured)and will have to slide it forward so that it doesn't block the stern seats.



Another mod involves adding a mast head anchor light. I found an LED anchor light cheap on ebay. Additionally, I found an LED steaming light with a built in Halogen Deck light. I ran 1/2" conduit the length of the mast.



I tied ropes into the rafters and lifted the mast--foresail, rigging and all. After pulling the boat out from under the mast, my son Damon helped me lower the mast down to saw horses. The last time out, I had foolishly switched the bolt holding the mast base to the bow pulpit to a quick pin meant for the mast base when under sail.


The thought was to speed up rigging time and reduce the need for two more wrenches during rigging. Well, apparently inertia bent the heck out of the base plate and rotating bolt--perhaps when braking to slide the boat the last inch to the winch crutch. I'm adding rollers and bunks to help prevent that need in the future. That's expensive mistake I'll not make again. The replacement base is on order from BWY in Seattle.

Using a dremel, I cut saw teeth in the end of the first 10 foot section of conduit. I drilled out the rivets holding the top cap in place and began drilling a hole in the foam core of the mast by pushing and twisting the conduit, pulling it out occassionally to clean the foam out of it. This was extremely easy...for the first 5 feet or so. Then I used channel locks then a pipe wrench to keep turning the conduit.

Finally, it got too hard so I switched to a soft mallet and began laboriously pounding the conduit in.



As I got the section in, I added another 10 foot section and pounded some more. In all, I pounded four 10 foot sections down the mast. I trimmed off the excess and ensured that the conduit was free of foam.

I decided to use the existing pos/neg wires on the new steaming light combo by using a three way center off switch. It saved me having to fish wires from the steaming light 10 feet up the mast to the base. I simply had to run two wires from the mast head down the conduit to the base. Easier said than done.



I don't own an electrical fish wire. I tried thicker wire, weed eater wire, electrical fence wire and more. Many times, I'd get it about 26 to 27 feet down the mast and no more.




Finally, I tried underground 3wire romex. Once I taped a 2' garden stake on the fron and carefully straightened the romex, I was able to push it all the way through. Next, I taped the two anchor light wires to the end. I rigged the wire spools so that they were on a makeshift axle, I simply pulled the romex out the base until I had extra wire on both ends which I tied off so that I could finish wiring the lights once the mast was safely back onto the boat.




I removed the foresail from the mast to make loading it back onto the boat easier. Fortunately, a large number of my son's friends held a surprise party for his 17th birthday tonight. I enlisted a half dozen of the young men and women to carry the mast out and hand it up to me on the boat! Whew! That was easy.

March 2011 - New Season, New Mods!!!!!

I've got Galactica pulled apart. The mast is off, the life lines removed for relocation. It's a new season and I'm adding improvements such as stern rail seats, masthead lighting, a poor man's autopilot, ez cleats for the Genoa and am reworking the guides for the trailer. I used coated cables in pex tubing but don't like the scuffing marks to her pretty blue hull. As soon as I locate some more box tubing, I'll finis new side bunks and rollers!

Here is the starboard stern rail seat!!!

More updates will follow as we hit the water! We plan on venturing out of state, both to the near west and probably to Florida and Georgia!

Mast Bearing and Trailer Roller mods

My mast had problem rotating consistently. It would stick in one position which makes the wind flow inefficient across the sail. While in Seattle a couple weeks ago, I picked up a mast bearing kit.

The Mast base is removed by removing the bolt which goes all the way through. The bolt head and nut are 9/16". There is also a phillips set screw in a smaller tab near the sail channel. The second image shows the bolt removed but the set screw still installed.

After removing the base assembly, there is a single 3/4" nut. The bolt is actually welded to the base so you only need one wrench.


Remove the three brass washers and replace with the bearing kit. Reassemble the mast base assembly. Note, I compared the heights and the bearing kit is a little taller, nearly the thickness of a single washer higher.


I found that the only way I could get the base assembly back on the mast was come in straight from the bottom. I had to persuade it a couple times with a rubber mallet as it's a very tight fit.

I removed several rollers from my old speed boat's trailer and fashioned a cross member out of 2" box aluminum.



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I drilled the holes and cut some steel spacers to place inside the box tube so that it doesn't collapse as I tighten down the bolts.

I've installed one for a test and will add another when I get back from San Francisco.