It’s also a good idea to use two separate lines, effectively creating a snubber bridle. Be sure to use three-strand nylon rope for maximum stretch. If you anchor on a chain rode, you should always use some nylon rope as a snubber to absorb shock loads from the chain that would otherwise be carried directly by the boat and its hardware. The mizzen topping lift allows us to adjust the height of the boom, so if we need gear coming aboard to clear the lifelines, we just lift the boom higher and deposit the goods on the deck. Better yet, we now also use our boom hoist to lift a variety of other heavy gear, including scuba tanks, jerry cans and sacks of provisions. I can now lift the outboard off its rail mount and lower it to the dinghy with one hand. We connected the tackle to a harness that is permanently installed on the outboard. We then put a snap shackle on this strap and made up a 3:1 tackle with a fiddle block and cam cleat on one end and a becket block with another snap shackle on the other. We used a short length of high-modulus Amsteel rope to create a lifting strap that we could loop through the fitting on the end of the boom. We figured we could use this as a crane to help move the motor much more easily. Luckily, Indigo is a ketch with a mizzen boom that reaches out to the corners of the aft deck. When we purchased our boat Indigo, a Celestial 48 with high freeboard,we worried our backs would suffer passing our 5hp outboard motor from the deck to our dinghy and back. Since the organizer is plastic, it can even weather a little rain if left on deck in a moment of forgetfulness. I can easily check if I’ve got the right amount of the right grit for the next job and can also store small leftover scraps or portions of sheets so I don’t waste anything: no more hunting around in multiple locations to see what I’ve got. I labeled each pocket with the grit count and in a matter of minutes had my entire inventory of sandpaper stored in one location. I bought one with a dozen pockets, but they come in a variety of pocket counts. These are perfectly sized to hold full sheets of standard-size sandpaper. I finally got smart and went to an office-supply store, where I bought a plastic accordion file organizer with multiple pockets and a cover with an elastic closure. I own every grit paper from 60 to 2,000 and used to keep it tucked in various nooks and crannies in tool lockers throughout the boat. ![]() Besides brushes, old cans of varnish, new cans of varnish and thinners, there is the sandpaper. If there’s one thing I hate more than varnishing it’s not having all the tools at hand to do the job right. Double the oil mixture in some fresh fuel and cross your fingers for the moment of truth: if it fires, let it run for at least 20 minutes. Install new spark plugs and reassemble the rest of the motor. When it feels sufficiently purged, crank it some more. With no spark plugs or compression, this is surprisingly easy, so don’t snap the pull cord. Hand-crank the engine while it’s disassembled-this will physically force out all the water left in the cylinders. After removing the carburetor, carefully wipe it clean and douse it with WD-40. Spray inside the cylinders or, better still, rinse the chambers with methylated spirits. Remove the spark plugs, fuel lines and carburetor, liberally applying WD-40 as you go to drive out the water (“WD,” after all, stands for “Water Displacement”). Once the water begins to evaporate, corrosion will set in and can cause permanent damage, especially if the motor was submerged in saltwater. First, get the motor out of the drink quickly and rinse it thoroughly with fresh water most importantly, do not let it dry. ![]() – Don Streetĭropped your dinghy’s outboard motor overboard? No need to panic. In every case, it was a complete eye-opener for the entire crew. Over the years I’ve seen spinnakers unwrapped this way about half a dozen times. If a preventer is not rigged, be sure to put your best helmsperson behind the wheel. When sailing by the lee, of course, it’s a good idea to have a preventer rigged from the end of the main boom as far forward as possible so there is no danger of gybing. The wrapped chute will then magically unwind itself. To unwrap a spinnaker, all you need do is sail slightly by the lee. Walters, who used to skipper all of John Watson’s Palawans during the 1960s. The wrap may start at just one or two turns, but often will increase to five turns or more. When racing or cruising while flying a spinnaker close to or dead downwind-especially offshore, where a boat tends to roll more-there is a real risk the spinnaker will collapse, wrap itself around the headstay, and then refill with wind above and below the wrap.
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