On the hard. VHF antenna.

September 17, 2021 by Lukasz Kumanowski

Windy but moderately warm day, 10 degrees, a bit of rain. I take Motoko up for winter season.

We started as soon as Anders arrived. Lifing the mast went smoothly - if not counting the crane shutting down itself a few times.

I prepared the mast for winter storage and moved on to change electrical cables for the mast top-light. I used old cable to take in the new one, together with VHF antenna cable.

I was prepared to drill and tap new holes for antenna mount but it turned out that I already have a place bracket to mount my antenna.

The hole on the mast top was just big enough to fit 2 new electrical wires and VHF cable. Thanks to Shinya, my dear friend from Ericsson, my VHF cable has, professionally mounted, super-thin connector which I could squeeze through the hole in the mast.

Unlike on Motoko where threading this cable took us several hours and acrobatics with lifting the mast up-side-down from the crane - on Meriaten’s mast there was no need for sweating. It is a plain, fully open-inside pipe, with styrofoam insert which dumps the noise from dangling cables. Old but neat.

Threading started. It would be easier if I had someone to help at this stage but I managed to do it myself. It required very frequent walks along the mast, from one end to the other. I think my daily dose of walking steps was fulfilled by the time I was done with cables.

I took off the mast foot which made this hole operation much easier. I remember that it was riveted on Motoko’s mast and we struggled to get cables run through small opening on the mast.

Coiled cables went inside the mast, winterised with electric tape.

Top of the mast prepared for winter, too

I need to change this bolt which keeps lantern and antenna arm. Seems that this is not stainless steel that someone has used here.

Meritaten got lifted from water.

To my surprise there was hardly any fouling on the bottom. I have not painted her underwater this season - and we were hardly sailing this summer - yet Trilux paint kept critters away from the hull.

With that quality proof I bought one more can of this same paint for the next season.

Opening dyviken showed that it is time to change this plug: brass became brittle and there was a risk that next year I will not be able to unscrew it. I bought a new one, complete with through-hull. This winter I will change existing through-hull valves and seal all which are not needed.

After it stopped raining Anders took Meritaten up onto winter storage area. She is waiting for him to shuffle other boats so that I get my favourite place deep inside the hangar.

The whole operation took ca 4 hours, including chit-chat with Ulrika who was working on her small, beautiful wooden snipa. I went home when it started raining again.

De-rigging

September 13, 2021 by Lukasz Kumanowski

Typical for me - when there comes time to finish the season and pick the boat from water I suddenly want to sail. Last weekend didn’t work out: there was rain almost constantly and hardly any wind. But today, Monday, the weather was perfect: sunny, chilly with moderate wind.

I left work early, pick the kid from school on my way home with a plan for nice evening sail. With hard time at work I wanted to chill out with Meritaten, especially that the season for mahogany boats is ending very soon.

By the time I arrived at the waterfront the wind was gone. Motoring to open water - where probably was some wind - is not fun on my boat. 8HP Yanmar-san is noisy and hardly strong enough to give 4 ton hull any decent speed.

Neighbour sailor was packing his sails, he will go up in a few days. We chatted a bit and I was considering what to do. It was still sunny and not cold but the evening was coming and there was no chance for any wind today.

I took his advice and packed my sails while they are still dry. Removed all running rig and prepared the boat for lifting on land.

We planned with Jim to remove antifouling paint using the old trick with paper-wall glue mixed with caustic soda (NaOH). I did that on Motoko but she was GRP boat. I have some doubts if we really should do that on wooden hull: sodium hydroxide is damaging wood and making it spongy. If one keeps the mixture too long on the hull the wood will be damaged.

I also remember that while doing that on Motoko I made a mental note to never attempt it again: it is a messy and risky job, with concentrated NaOH splashing all over the place when one swooshes the mixture with Karcher. I think I will stay with traditional labour: steel scraper, gas mask and elbow grease.
What do you think Jim?

While working with the rig today I added a few more items onto ToDo-list:

I need to make adjustable outhaul for the main. Right now the clew is fixed with a piece of rope. In lighter winds the sail is unnecessarily flat.

I need to make or buy a proper mast collar. Taping the mast before every season is a bit lausy although it works quite OK

VHF installation on mast top. I will try to thread VHF cable through the mast while it is accessible on land. Last year it was raining cats&dogs so I skipped it. Maybe this year I will have more luck. Handheld VHF works for much shorter distance and I already have all parts (saved after I sold Motoko) of the system
Autopilot installation. Let’s face it - I almost exclusively sail alone. Having my trusted Ray(marine) holding the tiller frees me to do work on deck or prepare food while the boat is keeping her course. I need to make a holding arm and pull electricity closer to the tiller. All parts are lying in my storage and wait since a few years
Cockpit coaming on starboard - I need to change the board there. I will also make a storage space there more seaworthy - now it is open to sea
Engine room covers / cockpit sole. These boards are just sitting with gravity. I want to secure them with bolts or lines running below them so that they cannot be lifted should we get lots of water in the cockpit. With my sailing this is very improbable but… it needs to be done
Fo’c’sle sole: mahogany to match the rest of the cabin
Encapsulating toilet in mahogany box so we don’t need to see this plastic thing
Permanently closing unused sea-cocks in fo’c’sle
Reinforcing sea-water intake in engine room - the one which failed after launching
Changing the remaining 2 seacocks which drain the cockpit and kitchen sink. They are massive but I never changed them. I think previous owner didn’t do that either. Their life-time is not indefinite
Additional bilge pump / crash pump. So that I feel better.
Varnishing shelves in the cabin. Someone before me oiled them with linseed oil. When it gets warm they become sticky and leave stains on clothes or books. A coat of diluted varnish should seal them all right
Battery box. I need to secure it better - it kind of sits well but moves a bit when the boat is lying on her side.
All the rest I have on the list - too long to write here. Wooden boat is never completely finished, there is always something to fix or improve. That’s part of the charm.

Fanny booked me for coming Friday. We will lift the mast and then, hopefully, also Meritaten. End of season and the winter fun starts!

Last days of vacations with no sailing

July 31, 2021 by Lukasz Kumanowski

Family is away for a few days so I planned for some sailing these last vacations days. I wanted to stay on anchor somewhere in Archipelago and test handling of Nano in different scenarios.

But no, it went the other way: partially due to lousy thunderstorms which rage above us since 2 days but mostly due to vaccination. This time my system is reacting, thank you very much, turning me into zombie.

To keep myself occupied I took this cherry-red beauty into the workshop. Some details and photo gallery can be seen here.

Wooden boats and typewriters?

July 27, 2021 by Lukasz Kumanowski

On the first sight there is no clear connection. Wooden boats need water to exist, typewriters hate water.

How come I have them both on this web page?

Well, if you think about it more - it’s all about slowing down and taking time with doing something valuable. And beautiful. That’s how I see it.

Sailboat - and especially wooden one - is by far inferior to GRP motorboat regarding time needed to cover sea miles. Yet we admire them and some of us chose to maintain old sailboats. It’s a lot of work and dedication.
Why do we do that?
Is it only because they are beautiful, organic and we feel better in wooden interior than in plastic space? Or is it sanding and varnishing which gives us time to freely think while the body is busy with swift but simple movements?

And typewriters - why bother? Word processor is by far quicker and simpler to use, with all its features (and distractions). How come many still chose old, mechanical machines to write their thoughts on paper? Is it because, again, mechanical movement of ones fingers and hands is freeing the mind to more creative tasks? Most folks who tried typewriting admit that somehow thoughts flow easily towards the paper compared to computer-aided writing. Is it the noise of click-clacking machine, the rhythm, which sets the mind in rails and eases “brain-dumping” onto the page?

There are many reasons.
Today I made yet another connection between typewriters-world and wooden boats: I took my Nano for a ride to buy wood for more typewriters shelves!

This trip could take around 20 minutes if I used my car: crossing the bridge over Vätösund and driving along for a few kilometres to reach Woody-shop. But that would be too easy on this hot, sunny day.
I decided to save the planet and do all with muscle power.

Nano got some floatation aids - not because this trip is long or that I’m worried about boats integrity but because motor-boaters - these folks often don’t realise how much wake they make! Small boat like Nano can be tripped over and swamped if caught by abrupt, steep wave.
So as a prudent mariner I added air-bags under seats, taped to hold them in place. Bucket to move water back into the sea hanging close at hand.

I’ve modified oars to fit my arm-span better. Old holes in wood plugged with copper nails.

Equipped with big “beach-wheels” the boat can be rolled like a wheel-barrow. We hit the road to our harbour, 30-minutes walk through the woods.

Upon arrival to the slipway I still had 1 hour left before Woody closes for today. Launching the boat.

Sweating heavily after the walk at this hot day I felt relieved once we danced on the water. Our destination is visible on the other side.

Not very far away but the wind was against us so rowing took a while. I was hoping that, once loaded with wood and stuff I will have easy trip back, with the wind. Nope! Somehow it always turns against us!

Boat loaded with materials, ready to head back home.

Nice and easy.

Overall it took me 1,5h to get back to my workshop (instead of 20 minutes by car).

By I saved the planet and it was fun!

Sailing with professional crew!

July 19, 2021 by Lukasz Kumanowski

I had a pleasure today to sail Meritaten with professional crew: Björn and Mia!

We took a short trip in Vätösund, with moderate wind directly into our noses.

Apart from me forgetting that one more line is holding us upon leaving the berth (somehow the boat did not move however hard I tried!) all went smooth.

Thank you for a good time!