Excerpted from Fix It and Sail
At some point in the restoration process, the jobs left to do cease to be “rebuilding projects” and start to become “ownership projects”. I spent two years and five months of part-time work restoring my boat. It wasn’t “finished” at that point, but it was ready for its sea trials (perhaps we should call them “lake trials”) and commissioning.
Sea trials of your newly restored boat will be more important than with most boats. No matter how much planning and thinking you do, you’ll find some glaring deficiencies in your boat the first time you sail it – I promise. Launch your boat, and bring a ruler and a clipboard. Take notes of all the things that need to be done, relocated, changed, and so on. Hopefully, you won’t need to change or add that much.
I first launched the boat in late August. I left her in the water for most of the fall, taking several sails in varying conditions. Each time, I noticed something that would need changing – not immediately, but when I hauled the boat for the winter. For example:
The mainsail headboard chafed against the backstay, and the new main is a bit too long. The stock MacGregor masthead for the year my boat was built uses cheek blocks on the sides of the mast. If, however, I use a masthead with sheaves built in (like a stock masthead from Dwyer Mast Company), I’ll gain maybe an inch or two of hoist. Plus, the masthead extends the headstay and backstay attachment points out a few inches from the mast, giving the sail’s headboard a little extra room. Hopefully, the change in halyard lead will make them a little less likely to foul the steaming light, which has also been a problem.
Stowage below is inadequate, and I need to make an inventory list of things that will stay on the boat, along with locations for each time. Small eyelets for bungee cords need to be installed pretty much everywhere, as I’ve had a few sails where everything ended up on the floor.
Many other small things were deferred until later, like installing the VHF, final bolting of the head cabinet, screen bags and snaps, and so one. All these things are going on the “winter boatwork” list. You’ll find that you have a list like this every winter. I find that some boatwork is enjoyable in the winter, as long as it isn’t too ambitious.
For more advice on repairing and maintaining your sailboat, purchase Fix It and Sail from Practical Sailor.
