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MaineSail's Boat vs. Your Boat

15K views 97 replies 42 participants last post by  jtsailjt 
#1 ·
Okay, I've been a member of this forum long enough to have read plenty of MaineSail's posts, and I've used his advice for compounding & polish, batteries, mounting hardware, and more.

According to his profile, he sails a CS36, and I'm trying to imagine how ship-shape his vessel is.

I'm guessing:
-he has the appropriate batteries oriented in the proper direction, with a well thought out charging system

-His wiring is all crimped, logical, and up to standards.

-his deck hardware is properly mounted and doesn't leak

-his seacocks are all properly backed, installed, and are working freely.

-his engine is lubed, filtered, cooled, and aligned to perfection.

-in short, all systems serviced, adjusted, and up to spec.

So, if you're familiar with MaineSail's posts and his how-to site, rate your
vessel on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being Captain Ron's boat and 10 being MS's boat. Be honest. And feel free to include excuses.

Personally, mine's a 4.
My excuse: I've had my 1996 Catalina 28 for a year. I've made a lot of progress, but still so much to do to get into "10" territory.
 
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#12 ·
Has anyone here from this forum ever been on his boat? That would be the only confirmation rather than all the rhetoric about how one's boat should be? I mean give me a break... a lot of 'cut and paste' answers from the web is all good advice but really???

Mine is of course an 8+... :boat :
 
#15 ·
Guys ever hear the expression
"The carpenter's house is never done."

I am going to guess his boat is done right but he could also be too busy to make his boat as pretty as his paying customer's boats.

The systems on my boat look more like the "before" pictures. Some parts becoming the "after" photos.
 
#19 ·
I think the point is that a 10 is complete perfection in every way. Beyond that which any OEM even provides when new. Whether Maine's boat qualifies or not, may not matter.

I propose that no boat is a 10, under this definition. I even bet that MS has an idea or two that he would improve on his own boat.

I think I typically keep my boat in the 8 range, but could quickly make her 9, as most reductions are cosmetic (decks, stainless polish, etc). There are no 10s.
 
#21 ·
I think the point is that a 10 is complete perfection in every way. Beyond that which any OEM even provides when new. Whether Maine's boat qualifies or not, may not matter.

I propose that no boat is a 10, under this definition. I even bet that MS has an idea or two that he would improve on his own boat.

I think I typically keep my boat in the 8 range, but could quickly make her 9, as most reductions are cosmetic (decks, stainless polish, etc). There are no 10s.
Agree and I'm willing to bet 95% of our boats here are in the 5-8 range with a small minority of newer boats in the 8-9.5 range... but all our boats could use an improvement either mechanically/electrically or cosmetic or improvement in ergonomics one way or another... something maybe the manufacturer missed?

I just had every spider crack on my deck removed/covered with primer and ready for final paint with poly... is it perfect... NO... is it to my satisfaction... YES... to MaineSail's satisfaction maybe not... I just installed new VHF radios and stereo and although MaineSail has a great tutorial on installing a small cabinet for the stereo radio I did something different... point is what may be an 8/9 for someone may be a 5/6 for others... Not everyone's electrical panel needs to be wired with immaculate beauty as long as it is logical and can be traced and worked on without great difficulty and for other potential buyers to understand.

I believe we all could use some improvements on our boats... time and money seems to be the biggest obstacles.
 
#23 ·
I don't know where my boats lie on the spectrum, but we try. We've learned over 40 years of this that doing it right once saves so much aggravation, that long term it's worth it.

I've found Maine's free advice to be invaluable. What an excellent service to this community to have someone who's working with complicated boat systems every day, sharing his experiences on what works and what doesn't.

Free advice is usually worth what you paid for it.

Mainsail is the exception to that rule.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Okay, I've been a member of this forum long enough to have read plenty of MaineSail's posts, and I've used his advice for compounding & polish, batteries, mounting hardware, and more.

According to his profile, he sails a CS36, and I'm trying to imagine how ship-shape his vessel is.
Unfortunately my boat is not a Bo Derek but probably a solid 6.5-7.. I still have a few projects to complete, biggest being the decks, before she is really where I want her...

But now I suppose I have to live up to all this hype...?:wink

I'm guessing:
-he has the appropriate batteries oriented in the proper direction, with a well thought out charging system
I don't use lead acid batteries except for my reserve bank which is a Firefly AGM and it can be oriented any way I need.. My house bank is a custom built LiFePO4...

LiFePO4 House Bank:


-His wiring is all crimped, logical, and up to standards.
Yep I crimp to Mil-Spec and am an ABYC marine electrician so my electrical system is pretty solid often exceeding ABYC standards. All the marginal factory wiring was removed and the entire vessel re-wired.

This was taken during the re-wire and is the AC/DC back plane while under construction...


AC/DC panel swing door and Blue Sea panel during wiring re-fit..


-his deck hardware is properly mounted and doesn't leak
The boat has zero leaks.. Even in the torrential rains we had a few weeks ago, that caused serious flooding in Portland, the bilge remained bone dry other than our dedicated mast base sump which does not have access to the main bilge sump, unless it were to over flow, which it never has.... I am allergic to mold so leaks are not an option..

Since this pic was taken the horrendous pos Cozy Cabin Heater has been yanked out and replaced with a forced hot air diesel fired central heat system (Espar), the horrible sounding Bose speakers have been yanked & replaced and all lighting fixtures have been replaced with stainless. Even the throw rugs are different now... All the nautical looking brass on the bulkhead has also been removed and the bulkhead stripped and refinished.

It's a boat, it never stops....:laugh:laugh


-his seacocks are all properly backed, installed, and are working freely.
The seacocks are all backed using solid fiberglass and are through bolted with bronze fasteners. All seacocks and fittings are 85-5-5-5 bronze, double clamped with AWAB 316 SS clamps and no more PVC hose connected below waterline..... The hull here is over 1/2" thick so it really did not even need backers, but they got the area parallel to the exterior. The backers are 5/8" thick and glassed in. After installation the area was re-gelcoated. This is a dedicated seacock locker with easy access and nothing is stowed in here.


-his engine is lubed, filtered, cooled, and aligned to perfection.
One of my biggest peeves is drive-line vibration. Even at 3800+ hours the engine is pretty much spotless inside and out.

This was at approx 3000 hours. Only Rotella T 15W-40 has been used since the engine was new..


I believe in preventative and upkeep maintenance. This was a few years ago. Preventative damper plate, rebuilt starter, preventative rear main seal, all new hoses, strip and repaint much of the engine..


Boat engines don't need to be messy, rusty beasts..:wink


-in short, all systems serviced, adjusted, and up to spec.
More so than being up to spec I aim for a safe boat that is extremely reliable. I don't tolerate break downs in-season so I am to 100% prevent them....

Still she's not going to be an 8- 9 until a few more projects are complete, yet to see a perfect 10......:wink
 
#30 ·
Wet cell batteries should be oriented so as to minimize movement of the electrolyte when heeled : so the long axis of the battery should be athwartships.

If you orient them the other way, chances are part of the plates will be exposed when the boat is heeled.
 
#35 ·
This is the funniest thread ever on Sail net!

My boat is a 1 compared to his and many others but I have sailed the world where they have not.

I always appreciate Main Sails advice because it's the best but my budget, time and ability means I can not do it the way he does.

My boat is not like Captain Rons but at least he and I got somewhere. (That's not a missive at Main Sail either)

Very few can afford for their boat to be perfect when they head out... unfortunately those left behind on the dock will be professional fixer uppers not cruisers.

I prefer to have gone without the worlds best peacock etc. But I have gone 7 years. 7 years of wonderful life on the high seas.

Main Sail will always be brilliant but I will always have to do some compromise.

:)


Mark
 
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