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Does anyone ever feel this way?

6K views 43 replies 28 participants last post by  sailjunkie 
#1 ·
I recently bought a 1975 Bristol 27. We motored it from Chicago to Milwaukee (about two 10 hour days). At the end of the first day the motor stalled a few times trying to get into gear, and smoked a bit. I have been dealing with a leaky head, and a lot of unknown rigging. So, yesterday we motored out of our mooring and after a few minutes the motor revs started oscillating. I turned quickly and went back to the mooring. Now after the worry of moving an unknown boat a long way, and dealing with a bunch of other new-old boat things, I am at a point that I don't have any confidence in the boat.

Have you ever felt like you can't trust your boat, and it scarred the crap out of you?
 
#2 ·
It's an old boat. It probably needs some work. You bought it, take ownership of the problem and fix it until you trust it. Either that, or sell it and buy a new or refurbished boat that is "sail ready", that you feel you can trust out of the box.

I get the impression that you're not mechanically inclined. Now is a great time to learn. Bristols are good boats, give her a little love and you'll be able to trust her.
 
#3 ·
Just curious, did you have the boat surveyed when you bought her? If not, then I'm not too surprised you're finding all sorts of rude awakenings in terms of unexpected problems. That's why you have boats surveyed.

Second what Bubblehead said... either fix it or sell it. If you can fix it to the point you trust it, that's probably better IMHO if you're planning on long-term cruising than selling it and buying one that you know nothing about. :D
 
#4 ·
Have you ever felt like you can't trust your boat, and it scarred the crap out of you?
On Saturday, my wife, my mother, and I took a sail as well as got some errands done such as pump out the holding tanks and fill up with diesel. We decided to have a leisurely dinner at the yacht club before heading back to our home port in the dark.

On the way back, my Mom and I reminisced about our life sailing with my father. As a kid, I figured there was some unwritten rule that said:
"Sailboat engines will always fail at the worst times" and it's corollary, "You will never return from a daysail before Midnight".

Just a few examples:
In a SJ21 with a Seagull outboard, we were returning from watching fireworks in Commencement Bay and after the show headed back to our marina in Day Island. Part way down the Narrows, the Seagull quit (as it was wont to do frequently). We had little wind, and were running against a 3-4 knot tidal current. It had been a very hot day, and quickly turned into a very cold and very long night. We made it back to our dock around 4:00am, docking under sail (easy to do with the dinghy-like handling of the SJ21.

Sneaking through a very narrow channel against the current to get into Prevost Harbor on Stuart Island (my Dad didn't want to go around Satellite Island to the decent channel) in our SJ24, the Evinrude outboard literally blew the cover right off the engine. We suddenly had no power, no sails up, and were in a channel about 30 yards wide with rocks on either side. We got the sails up quickly and were able to tack through the channel and drop anchor (to the great entertainment of the other boats in the anchorage).

My Dad took my wife and sister-in-law out for a day sail in Commencement Bay in his Cal29. Great day, great sail, the outboard quit. Again, the wind died, the current was against them, and they sailed back into the marina at 2:00am.

Growing up, this type of thing happened all the time. Mostly because my Dad never saw an old sailboat or old outboard that he didn't like. Everything either was a "bargain" or had "potential". Hence, I always thought that sailing was the process of dealing with one minor crisis after another. That doesn't even consider racing, where boat and gear were pushed to the limit during the winter season.

So, I have two suggestions. First, fix and maintain your equipment so you have confidence in it's performance. Second, mentally prepare for problems because they will occur. :)
 
#5 ·
Hey,

It's not always going to be that way, but it can be like that for a while.

Over the last winter I did a bunch of work on my boat, including a lot of work on the engine cooling system. Of course, as soon as the boat got launched and I motored to my mooring, the engine overheated. I fixed it and all was well for a bit. Then the water heater died (just wore out) and i removed it while I waited for my new one to arrive. The engine overheated again. then I installed the new heater and the engine overheated again. It got to the point that whenever I went out of the boat I expected to have overheating problems.

Eventually I solved all the problems with over heating.

In early August, 3 friend and I spent 4 days cruising the Long Island sound. The boat worked perfectly. I touched my toolbox one time to tighten a loose bolt. At the end of Aug my family and I spent 6 days cruising around. We ran into awful weather, including a storm with 35 kt seas and big choppy waves. Again, the boat was perfect, no problems with ANYTHING (engine, transmission, plumbing, rigging, sails, steering, electronics, etc. etc. etc.).

So, my advice is take some time, find the problem, correct the problem, and you will feel a lot happier.

Barry
 
#6 ·
Just curious, did you have the boat surveyed when you bought her? If not, then I'm not too surprised you're finding all sorts of rude awakenings in terms of unexpected problems. That's why you have boats surveyed.
The boat was surveyed (worth every penny). However, because it was still out of the water, the survey didn't include engine.

So, I have two suggestions. First, fix and maintain your equipment so you have confidence in it's performance. Second, mentally prepare for problems because they will occur.
Thanks for the encouragement. I think this is just a matter of getting over the hump with various systems. Most of the things that are giving me grief, are things that I didn't have on my previous boat (a Catalina 22).
 
#7 ·
Ahhh, that's why you're feeling betrayed. You had the boat surveyed, and figured all would be well. That's a reasonable assumption, now let me welcome you to "real life".:D

Don't worry, you'll get her right. My boat's almost 42 years old, and I trust it. I sailed in 25kts just last Thursday. You'll get that way soon.
 
#9 ·
I too have an older, still fairly new to me boat and I trust her fully and completely....

I trust something will break... I trust something will go wrong... I trust she will let me fix eventually... And I trust her to get me back safely, if late and tired. Most of all I trust her to give me a good time, if I can let go of the fear of the above issues.

I do hope that we can get to a place where things do not go wrong all the time, but for now it is not so bad. I am learning a lot about the systems and getting them squared away one at a time. By the time I get half way through, I expect the first ones to start breaking down again. Oh well. Last trip we ended up sailing into 3 docks because the engine died yet again. Luckily we had practiced on two of the docks before. I have towed her into an anchorage after dark with a dingy with oars, luckily we did not have to go far. I am in the processes of rebuilding a replacement engine, hopefully that will fix at least some of the issues there. Hope to have it done by the spring.

Fair winds, and good luck... :)
 
#10 ·
On our new-to-us boat, it was more a matter of figuring out what switches went where. I've figured out most of it. One mystery switch controlled a light I didn't know how to turn on, for instance. But I still have no idea how to turn on the engine "room" blower. She's got a diesel so it doesn't matter as much as if she ran on gasoline (where it's absolutely critical to use a blower, I understand)..

Trust her? Yes. And she's a blast to sail. I'm finding I look forward to solo sailing as much as sailing with competent friends aboard.

Regards,
Brad
 
#11 ·
You can look forward to the sense of accomplishment of troubleshooting and resolving the issues you have as they come up. Not to mention the confidence gained in your boat and systems as it becomes part of you.

In the mean time, I purchased an annual towing contract from BoatUS. This of course, doesn't mitigate the need to safely operate at all times, but it can eliminate the late nights dhays referred to.
 
#17 ·
In the mean time, I purchased an annual towing contract from BoatUS. This of course, doesn't mitigate the need to safely operate at all times, but it can eliminate the late nights dhays referred to.
Excellent suggestion and something that I've done as well. In fact, even my Dad eventually got BoatUS insurance with a towing package.
 
#12 ·
I suppose one could purchase a small (3hp?) dinghy outboard, and transom mount- and keep it stored below for emergencies.

I usually sail engineless, or with just an electric trolling motor for docking but on a long offshore trip I'll keep my old 1967 Evinrude in the bottom of the cockpit locker for emergencies.

Although it's very difficult to mount a 50lb outboard in a big swell... I've done it, and hope I don't have to do it again!
 
#13 · (Edited)
I recently bought a 1975 Bristol 27. We motored it from Chicago to Milwaukee (about two 10 hour days). At the end of the first day the motor stalled a few times trying to get into gear, and smoked a bit. I have been dealing with a leaky head, and a lot of unknown rigging. So, yesterday we motored out of our mooring and after a few minutes the motor revs started oscillating. I turned quickly and went back to the mooring. Now after the worry of moving an unknown boat a long way, and dealing with a bunch of other new-old boat things, I am at a point that I don't have any confidence in the boat.

Have you ever felt like you can't trust your boat, and it scarred the crap out of you?
Welcome to the world of yacht ownership. Unfortunately, it seems that nearly every buyer of an older boat discovers some issue or another ex post facto and feels some disappointment, frustration and uncertainty. It goes with the territory, at least initially. You bought the boat but don't yet "own" it (although some might say it now own's you!).

In re your engine, I suspect 90% of engine problems are fuel related. EIther contaminated fuel itself because of water and gunk in the tank--which get's churned up when on a long trip and fouls the fuel filters; or a defective fuel delivery system. If you are not yet a good mechanic (you will become one if you keep the boat for very long and are not a wealthy dillitant), hire a good one to help you, at least initially, and learn from him/her. Cleaning/replacing filters, getting fuel polished and tanks cleaned, and even replaceing fuel pumps and lines and bleading systems isn't too complicated although, sometimes, a pain it the butt.

Likewise, if the head leaks, they really aren't that complicated and can be rebuilt pretty easily although some contortions may be necessary (and your 4-letter word vocabulary may be expanded in the process!).

Rigging is another matter and I suggest you leave that to a good rigger. The good news is that, given the size of the yacht, even if you have to replace all of the wire, it won't set you back all that much (although likely more than you counted on when you go into the process).

Despite the misgivings and initial frustrations and disappointments, if you stick with it, at some point you will find yourself anchored in some cove--maybe in Door County--enjoying a glass or cup of your favorite beverage and marveling at how fortunate you are. Then you will own your yacht.

FWIW...

PS: Matt's suggestion for a BoatUS Policy of towing insurance, above, is a good one--just in case.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I was just in the exact same place you are now Barquito. I bought my 27 aloha last January. Since this was my first boat it has been HUGE learning experience, but I'll tell ya it has been worth every penny of it.
Every time I take my boat out I learn something new about it. How rig the sail better, when to use the vang, and what happens when I forget to release the topping lift. I have also learned how to rig an emergency water pump and how to get off a sand bar.

Go get a good manual for your motor. That is worth gold. Learn how to work on it
Get a good maintance manual for your boat. I am trying to get this one
Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual: Including Inspecting the Aging Sailboat, Sailboat Hull and Deck Repair, Sailboat Refinishing, Sailbo
That will help you learn all about your boats systems.

Since I have bought mine I have learned how to change engine zinc's
(my mechanic couldn't find it) Change the oil and filter. Re and re my cooling system. Re and re my fuel system including injector pump and Injector and I just finished doing new valves and a new head gasket. I have also learned with the help of others at my dock how to fiberglass and I'm about to start on the electrical.

In between all this work I have had incredible days sailing with family and friends worth a thousand times more than what I paid for the boat
I trust the boat and I'm starting to trust the work I do on it now.

Above all else have fun with it

Dennis
p.s ditto on the us boat towing. Up here its C-tow and it was the second thing I bought for the boat.
 
#15 ·
Every sail is an adventure - you can learn from everything that happens. I've been sailing for almost 50-years and I'm still surprised from time to time and still learning. When sailing, most lessons are learned the hard way.
 
#16 ·
Our C-26 was more of a gift so getting it survayed wasn't a thought when we moved it a few hundred nm's. The problems we have had could not have been forseen and I've fixed them as we go. I've never lost trust in out boat and know things will need to be done. I have already ripped my motor apart a few times.
 
#18 ·
Yeah, we found issues in our old boat, now 23 years old. Fixed some deck core, re-powered, re-built the propane system, etc... but in the end, the boat sails like a gem. It's fast, comfortable, and very well built. I don't think anyone, if they're honest, hasn't felt that " oh crap, my boat's going to sink out from under me" with their first boat with thru hulls, engine shaft, etc... for the first few sails. You'll get over it soon enough. :)
 
#19 ·
I sort of like it when things break on my old boat.

Well, okay, I don't think I'd see the fun side of a standing rigging failure that cost me the mast, or of the transom disintegrating due to rotted core or something like that, but I've been sailing this boat hard and often this season and plenty of things have failed.

When they do, I need to figure out a way to repair or jury-rig things on the water. It's pretty satisfying to do that, and I always learn a lot.

I've had the headnocker for the mainsheet tear out of the boom, nav lights fail at night, various plastic sheaves disintegrate under load, the keel winch cable break, and lots of more minor things.

Most if not all of this would have been avoided if I had more experience and knew when to inspect which equipment for what sort of wear, but I don't have that experience and I need to get it somewhere, so welcome to the school of hard knocks. ;-)

I am having fun with it all and I don't make the same mistake twice.
 
#20 ·
Have you ever felt like you can't trust your boat, and it scarred the crap out of you?
I initially like that, but now I'm starting to like my boat a lot better. Had a couple of scares with the motor, while out hours from home, but understand it much more, got home both under sail and motor and have and subsequently fixed things thus far.

She has brand new running rigging, and I'm very excited about a sail this weekend.
 
#21 ·
Thanks for all the responses.

I think some of my nervousness is due to unfamiliarity with the boats nuances.

Take for example: Leaving our mooring field: We must motor close to a seawall to exit. At this point I am not confident enough to sail out of the rather crowded mooring basin. Therefore, when the rock wall is a boatlength to leeward it gives me an unease feeling when the engine rpms oscillate a bit. On my last boat, I would always have at least a few modes of propulsion available (the OB, quick mainsail raising, rudder sculling, kedging-off...). On this boat, I just don't feel like I have any good alternatives ready to go.

I know it is just a matter of working out the details on a number of different issues. Just have to accept being back on the steep part of the learning curve again:)
 
#22 ·
Yeah, no worries...you'll get confidence once you've had some time with the old girl. I twice had our Volvo break down this summer on a 3 month cruise. It just takes time, money and patience to get things back in order. I keep our boat in as good of condition as I possibly can, but things can and will still come up.

By the way, I second the advice of getting Tow Boat U.S. towing insurance. If you're a Boat U.S. member the insurance is only about $35/yr. and can come in handy. I was towed once this summer when the engine died 3 miles offshore on a dead calm day. The tow bill was nearly $600 but I didn't pay a dime and was safe in the harbor within 2 hours.
 
#24 ·
WS -- Did you get a new mizzen boom put on? How did it go?
Really enjoyed our sail last winter/spring while our boat was on the hard.

Regards,
Brad
 
#33 ·
I can only go by what I was told by the guy at the BoatUS booth when I purchased my plan. He said that you need the more expensive plan for all bays and rivers (presumably all tidal waters). IIRC, the $34 plan only covers inland lakes.

I sail on the Delaware River, and had to buy the ~$129 plan.
 
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