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Our 1996 Hunter Marine 280
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2011 Layup - First winter projects

2011 Archives -Our first year with Obsession.

Winter Layup 2011-12

Well, our first season with sv Obsession has come to an end, and I am going to miss getting out on the water for the next several months (the trials of living in the cold-weather climate of Chicago).  But, I have several boat projects to keep me busy during the winter:
  • New Traveler lines - The PO had a single traveler line in a loop, which kept the cockpit free of extra lines, but it required me to stand in the companion way hatch to adjust the traveler. I really wanted to be able to "pop" the traveler if I got into a gusty wind (especially if I am single-handing. The traveler line was also looking pretty ratty, so I purchased new lines from Cajun Ropes and installed them this past weekend. They are long enough to hold at the helm station, and should work real well.
  • Diesel smell - Still working on ridding the boat and the stern berth cushion that got some diesel spilled on them. I sprayed the Pure Ayr enzyme spray on the hull area (which is smelling better now that I cut out the hull liner that was saturated with diesel) and I washed the cushion cover in citrus Lysol (could not find Orange-Glo, which I heard works pretty well). Will continue to air things out before splash day!
  • February 5, 2012 - We had some unseasonably warm weather in the Chicago area, so I took advantage and put the sole back in the cabin of the boat. I was able to vacuum and scrub the bilge (except the pockets) under the floor before putting it back in. It looks very good.  Here is a video on YouTube
  • I ordered the new traveller lines from Cajun Ropes and will install them when I get closer to put-in date (hopefully around April 6).
  • I am still fighting the diesel fuel smell in the cushions. I am soaking them in a mixture of Pure Ayr and water, to see if that will kill off the diesel smell.
  • Next up....Wax the hull and get the bottom painted before splash...
  • Electrical - I want to add a couple of 12V outlets in the boat for charging my hand-held VHF radio, cell phone, iPad and other items. I would think this would be easy...but you never know. For now, I only plan to install them in the cabin, not the cockpit..although having one at the helm would be convenient.
  • Speed Log - My speed log was not reading accurately midway through the 2011 season. After haul out, I inspected it for fouling, but it did not look too bad. Not sure if there is something else wrong with it or not. I did realize after I removed it that there appears to be a "front" and I assume it has to be mounted that way (the paddle wheel is rounded on one edge and flat on the other, so orientation must make a difference). Guess I will have to wait and see whether it works next year.
  • Wind Vane - My wind speed instrument was not reading accurately at the end of the season. Unfortunately, I never found someone with a bosons chair to get to the top of the mast. It does spin, but in light air, it stops...I am hoping it is just dirty and needs to be cleaned and lubricated. I am going to look at a Mast Climber so I can be self-sufficient and not rely on someone else to help me get up on the mast (but it cost a lot of $$).
  • Bottom Paint - Going to have to apply fresh bottom paint in the spring. My boat has VC-17 on it now, and I will probably go with that again.
  • Rigging for the Traveler - My traveler was set up with a single line, in a loop. This meant you had to stand in the companionway to adjust the traveler. Works OK, but when single-hand, I want to be able to pop the traveler and spill the wind if it gusts. The line was pretty ragged too, so I am going to replace the "loop" with lines that I can reach from the helm.

    I experimented with moving the mainsheet from the traveler (mid boom) to the pedestal mount (end boom - an option on the H280), but it left a lot of rigging in the cockpit, was not the easiest to operate and loses the advantages of the traveler. So I think re-rigging the traveler so I can adjust from the helm is a good option.
 
  • Fuel Leak - I think, after taking the rear bulkhead out to expose the fuel tank, that the diesel leak was related to overfilling the tank at haul-out. I have rechecked the tank after a few weeks, and no additional fuel is leaking.  I replaced the rear bulkhead for the winter.
  • Shore Power Cord - my shore power cord was covered in a black tar-like substance (I guess from storing it on the wood pier when not in use). It would leave black marks on the boat when hooked up...it was a mess.  I scrubbed it with paint thinner and steel wool and now it looks almost as good as new.  I also treated it with Armor All, to try and keep it looking good. Now to scrub the boat ;-(.  You can see a "clean patch" where I was testing the cleaning method. The whole cord is now clean.
  • Batteries - Last year, I found one of my batteries laying on its side when it apparently came loose (tie-down had come loose). I plan to build some small frames to keep the batteries from shifting in rough seas.

  • Perch Seats - My perch seats have teak slats that were looking pretty bad. The sun and weather had taken a toll on them. I had removed the seats at haul-out, and have now refinished the teak and reinstalled them on the perch seats.

    After sanding down the old varnish, I applied a few coats of Minwax Stain and Varnish, followed by a few coats of Spar Varnish. Hopefully they will stand up to the harsh environment. They sure look better than they did before.

    In addition the the perch seats, there are a few other wood pieces that I am refinishing over the winter.

    I have not yet decided about trying to refinish the cabin sole. It looks worn, but I am not sure I am ready to tackle that job. I may pull the 2 bilge covers and bring them home to test first...and if that works well, then I could refinish the rest of the sole when the weather warms up (I don't think I will remove all of the sole).
     

  • Hem Seat - I am thinking about building a helm seat to replace the heavy, uncomfortable, fiberglass monstrosity I have now...Something lighter and easier to remove when we want to swim.
  • Sewing - I got one of these little Speedy Stitchers for Christmas, and I am going to work on several small sewing repairs over of the winter....mainsail cover primarily.  I tried sewing the loose zipper and Velcro closures with a standard needle and thread...way to hard.  But the stitcher seems to go right through even multiple layers of canvas with little effort. The "lock stitch" is not hard to learn, but it is tedious, and it takes some practice to get consistent spacing.

    http://speedystitcher.com/main.html