I've known since Kokomo became ours that I wanted to put a nautical clock in the boat, but I was unprepared for the vast number of choices I'd be faced with when I began looking at models within the size range that would fit in/on her center overhead panel. I knew that we could accommodate only about a 5.5" overall size, and that I could just fit three instruments on this panel.
I looked at every imaginable configuration of clocks ... including those which have a barometer and thermometer built in. Those with all of the instruments on a single plank of wood were interesting, and I thought I'd found one that looked nice until I got a close look at it and learned a portion of the bezel on the clock was plastic (vs. brass). Wanting something that was low-maintenance and rugged in construction (like the boat!), I waited and looked.
In a West Marine store in Oakland, I saw a line of Weems & Plath clocks that looked like they were well built. In handling the model, I found a Canadian maple leaf on the rear of the box, and thought to myself that it would be kind-of-nice to honor the lineage of the vessel (she's built in Nova Scotia) with a clock that was also Canadian.
So I came home and did some online research and found the company that built the Weems & Plath models I'd seen. And I visited their website, which featured a nice selection of nautical clocks ... built right ... with five year warranties. I found an online dealer (OK, it was on eBay!) that offered the models I wanted, and ordered one each of the Coast Line tidal clock, thermometer and barometer. These were to be my Christmas gift from my wife ... perfect!
I installed them this week and couldn't be happier with the Trintec instruments. They seem to fit the boat perfectly (you decide, there are two photos to the right...) and the price - which included all four of the instruments I want on the boat (the clock has a tidal clock built in) - was less than one of the fancy brass clocks I was looking at before.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Northwest San Francisco Bay (January, 2011)
My second trip to the San Francisco Bay was solo, as Lee Ann traveled to Lakeport to meet with her family. I learned quickly to appreciate the Rosborough’s pacific northwest rigging, as the average daytime high temperature was 44F and the nights sported temps in the 30’s. With the Wallace 30D diesel heather running, I was as comfortable as on a summer day.
I’ve decided it’ll take about 10 trips to the Bay to see it all. This trip I chose the northwest coast (Marin and Sonoma counties) to explore and, after a peaceful night in berth M298, headed out early the next morning onto a slightly lumpy and marginally foggy Bay, turned to a heading of about 300 and headed north.
My first coastal discovery was Paradise Cay (also called Paradise Park by land lubbers) and it was remarkable how nicely manicured it was in the dead of winter. Another several miles up the coast, I found the entrance to the port of Corte Madera. There are no boater’s amenities here, not even a public dock, but it was an interesting trip to the ferry terminal and on up Corte Madera creek, past dozens of boats and waterfront homes of all calibers. In many of the places on my port side, the boat on the dock was worth more than the house on land (or at least it seemed that way to me). I traveled as far up river as I could, past countless homes and apartment complexes, until my depth sounder told me the bottom was coming up and I turned around with just 2.9 feet of water beneath the boat. While navigating the channel (narrow and unforgiving as it is) coming in and going out of Corte Madera, it was remarkable how close to the men recreating in the yard at San Quentin Federal Prison one gets. Couldn’t help but think of the differences in my laid back boat-born freedom, and their lack of basic pleasures. And then I thought of the reasons for their incarceration, and was glad for the place.
Clear of the long Corte Madera entrance channel, I set a northerly course for San Rafael. This city and port was as different from Corte Madera as could be, with four separate large marinas and lots of industrial activity - mostly surrounding boating and yachting - far flung upstream. I motored for over an hour heading inland and exploring marinas, and turned around at the San Rafael Yacht Club where a low bridge blocked my way. I entered the Loch Lomond Marina (the last one on my way out) and browsed an interesting assortment of boats and people.
I then turned north again and passed under the (very grand from the water) Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and found myself a short distance from the re-done lighthouse on Brother’s Island to the east. Since my next destination was McNear Beach and China Camp, and the guide I was using specified navigation along the Brothers Islands and Sisters Islands along the way, I set out across the Bay for the lighthouse.
Spectacularly returned to its original glory, the lighthouse and keeper’s quarters are a must see. I tried to get a good photo, but one dares not get too close to the rocky shores. Then I set out north, across the busy shipping channel, watching the AIS (automated information system) readout’s on my MFD carefully. Visibility was an issue, with the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge dissappearing into the fog behind me and several AIS targets not yet visible on the radar ahead. The radar itself proved valuable, and enabled me to avoid collision courses with several other smaller vessels (yachts) who were moving through the area. I crossed the shipping lanes, among huge tankers steaming out of Richmond and the Chevron refinery facilities, and put the Sister Islands on my port beam on the other side, closing in on McNear Beach. Off China Camp (the historical site of the gathering of Chinese immigrants in the early 19th century) I cut the engines and let her drift, taking in the old rotting pier (still usable) and the ancient buildings ashore. While lying off China Camp, I saw a Nordhavn 47 at anchor. This was our 2nd choice in the Norhavn line, and would have been a very nice yacht to own. I found myself thinking about the fraction of the cost of that boat that I’d spent on the Rosborough (we'd be strapped to a stiff payment and all of the expenses of mooring and maintenance that come with an in-water vessel if we'd gotten the Nordhavn), and the fact that I could put it on a trailer and take it home (and to anywhere we were willing to drive), and - though that Nordhavn certainly looked good - I sure felt good about the choices we’d made.
After making a few log entries and feeling like I’d breathed in the offshore atmosphere enough to get a feel for it, I set a southwesterly course past the Brothers Islands and on past Richmond to Berkeley, getting in about ½ hour before sunset.
All in all, it was great day of exploration, and I logged about 7 hours on the boat. The next morning I motored to Jack London Square and put into the public dock to get some breakfast at the Farmer’s Market Lee Ann and I had found here two months ago. Fresh crepes and an apple made a great meal, and I got some spinach Afghani bread for later in the day.
In checking the tides, I estimated we were about an hour from a high tide and opted to head south in Oakland Estuary Channel and try the rarely-traveled San Leandro Channel route which would allow me a complete circumnavigation of Alameda Island. I can see why the yachts all stopped about 3 miles from the San Leandro confluence (there were no boats at all in the San Leandro channel), because the water got very shallow (4’ at times) and there were a number of stakes and markers in the water, marking previous grounding sites. Staying carefully in the channel. hitting the shallowest areas at high tide (which I suspect were dried out at low tide) and mindful of my 2’ draft, I completed the circumnavigation in about 2 hours. The water depths some 2 miles out into the Bay were only 6 or 7 feet.
I crossed the Bay and motored up the San Fransisco coast, marveling at how many people were ashore. My history as a cruise ship journalist (I've been in the cruise business for 25 years; mostly in the booking end) was stirred by the sighting of an old Dolphin Cruises vessel, now derelict and resting at a quiet moorage in San Fransisco. Her name was painted over but her blue stack and familiar lines reminded me of how quickly these grand ships become faded memories when they are removed from service. As I recall, Dolphin Cruises was among several lines that failed (Regency, Renaissance, Dolphin, Admiral, etc.) in the travel stagnation which followed 9/11/01. I was able to get right up to her starboard side, close enough to peer into the darkened depths of her lower deck. I imagined the day when this ship was adorned in lights, alive 7 days a week with activity, and her decks were busy with passengers and crew. Her deteriorated state put into mind ships that I had traveled aboard (President Roosevelt, Stella Solaris, Norway, Skyward, Seawind Crown and others), and which were even now in even more pitiful states on the beaches of Alang, in various stages of dismantlement. More than a third of the 85+ vessels I've sailed are now 'retired'. I wondered if there might be an Alang-bound tug tow in the future for this former Dolphin?
A trip out under the Golden Gate (where 8' swells were sending waves crashing against the sea wall at Fort Point) and then a return course set past Alcatraz for Berkeley brought this day and another Bay adventure to an end. I lingered out on the Bay as the sun set and the lights of the city came on. Magnificent peace. Two tenths of the Bay explored ... eight tenths to go! Kokomo had performed flawlessly, once again.
I’ve decided it’ll take about 10 trips to the Bay to see it all. This trip I chose the northwest coast (Marin and Sonoma counties) to explore and, after a peaceful night in berth M298, headed out early the next morning onto a slightly lumpy and marginally foggy Bay, turned to a heading of about 300 and headed north.
My first coastal discovery was Paradise Cay (also called Paradise Park by land lubbers) and it was remarkable how nicely manicured it was in the dead of winter. Another several miles up the coast, I found the entrance to the port of Corte Madera. There are no boater’s amenities here, not even a public dock, but it was an interesting trip to the ferry terminal and on up Corte Madera creek, past dozens of boats and waterfront homes of all calibers. In many of the places on my port side, the boat on the dock was worth more than the house on land (or at least it seemed that way to me). I traveled as far up river as I could, past countless homes and apartment complexes, until my depth sounder told me the bottom was coming up and I turned around with just 2.9 feet of water beneath the boat. While navigating the channel (narrow and unforgiving as it is) coming in and going out of Corte Madera, it was remarkable how close to the men recreating in the yard at San Quentin Federal Prison one gets. Couldn’t help but think of the differences in my laid back boat-born freedom, and their lack of basic pleasures. And then I thought of the reasons for their incarceration, and was glad for the place.
Clear of the long Corte Madera entrance channel, I set a northerly course for San Rafael. This city and port was as different from Corte Madera as could be, with four separate large marinas and lots of industrial activity - mostly surrounding boating and yachting - far flung upstream. I motored for over an hour heading inland and exploring marinas, and turned around at the San Rafael Yacht Club where a low bridge blocked my way. I entered the Loch Lomond Marina (the last one on my way out) and browsed an interesting assortment of boats and people.
I then turned north again and passed under the (very grand from the water) Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and found myself a short distance from the re-done lighthouse on Brother’s Island to the east. Since my next destination was McNear Beach and China Camp, and the guide I was using specified navigation along the Brothers Islands and Sisters Islands along the way, I set out across the Bay for the lighthouse.
Spectacularly returned to its original glory, the lighthouse and keeper’s quarters are a must see. I tried to get a good photo, but one dares not get too close to the rocky shores. Then I set out north, across the busy shipping channel, watching the AIS (automated information system) readout’s on my MFD carefully. Visibility was an issue, with the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge dissappearing into the fog behind me and several AIS targets not yet visible on the radar ahead. The radar itself proved valuable, and enabled me to avoid collision courses with several other smaller vessels (yachts) who were moving through the area. I crossed the shipping lanes, among huge tankers steaming out of Richmond and the Chevron refinery facilities, and put the Sister Islands on my port beam on the other side, closing in on McNear Beach. Off China Camp (the historical site of the gathering of Chinese immigrants in the early 19th century) I cut the engines and let her drift, taking in the old rotting pier (still usable) and the ancient buildings ashore. While lying off China Camp, I saw a Nordhavn 47 at anchor. This was our 2nd choice in the Norhavn line, and would have been a very nice yacht to own. I found myself thinking about the fraction of the cost of that boat that I’d spent on the Rosborough (we'd be strapped to a stiff payment and all of the expenses of mooring and maintenance that come with an in-water vessel if we'd gotten the Nordhavn), and the fact that I could put it on a trailer and take it home (and to anywhere we were willing to drive), and - though that Nordhavn certainly looked good - I sure felt good about the choices we’d made.
After making a few log entries and feeling like I’d breathed in the offshore atmosphere enough to get a feel for it, I set a southwesterly course past the Brothers Islands and on past Richmond to Berkeley, getting in about ½ hour before sunset.
All in all, it was great day of exploration, and I logged about 7 hours on the boat. The next morning I motored to Jack London Square and put into the public dock to get some breakfast at the Farmer’s Market Lee Ann and I had found here two months ago. Fresh crepes and an apple made a great meal, and I got some spinach Afghani bread for later in the day.
In checking the tides, I estimated we were about an hour from a high tide and opted to head south in Oakland Estuary Channel and try the rarely-traveled San Leandro Channel route which would allow me a complete circumnavigation of Alameda Island. I can see why the yachts all stopped about 3 miles from the San Leandro confluence (there were no boats at all in the San Leandro channel), because the water got very shallow (4’ at times) and there were a number of stakes and markers in the water, marking previous grounding sites. Staying carefully in the channel. hitting the shallowest areas at high tide (which I suspect were dried out at low tide) and mindful of my 2’ draft, I completed the circumnavigation in about 2 hours. The water depths some 2 miles out into the Bay were only 6 or 7 feet.
I crossed the Bay and motored up the San Fransisco coast, marveling at how many people were ashore. My history as a cruise ship journalist (I've been in the cruise business for 25 years; mostly in the booking end) was stirred by the sighting of an old Dolphin Cruises vessel, now derelict and resting at a quiet moorage in San Fransisco. Her name was painted over but her blue stack and familiar lines reminded me of how quickly these grand ships become faded memories when they are removed from service. As I recall, Dolphin Cruises was among several lines that failed (Regency, Renaissance, Dolphin, Admiral, etc.) in the travel stagnation which followed 9/11/01. I was able to get right up to her starboard side, close enough to peer into the darkened depths of her lower deck. I imagined the day when this ship was adorned in lights, alive 7 days a week with activity, and her decks were busy with passengers and crew. Her deteriorated state put into mind ships that I had traveled aboard (President Roosevelt, Stella Solaris, Norway, Skyward, Seawind Crown and others), and which were even now in even more pitiful states on the beaches of Alang, in various stages of dismantlement. More than a third of the 85+ vessels I've sailed are now 'retired'. I wondered if there might be an Alang-bound tug tow in the future for this former Dolphin?
A trip out under the Golden Gate (where 8' swells were sending waves crashing against the sea wall at Fort Point) and then a return course set past Alcatraz for Berkeley brought this day and another Bay adventure to an end. I lingered out on the Bay as the sun set and the lights of the city came on. Magnificent peace. Two tenths of the Bay explored ... eight tenths to go! Kokomo had performed flawlessly, once again.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
I'll keep mine ... thank you!
After launching at Berkeley Marina recently, I watched a 25' C-Dory launch and prepare to go to sea. NOTE: It's remarkable to me how much more room I have in the Rosborough (which is 25' plus the hull extension and outboards)! Anyway, the skipper of the other boat rushed around and got his icebox in the cockpit, perched his Bimini-style top (over the cockpit), and generally got her ready. He then parked his rig (small, compared to mine; must be pretty nice to tow) and ran back to his boat. He started up the single Yamaha 115 outboard and let it warm up, then put her in gear.
There was a tone difference to the engine (the product of the transmission engaging), but no frothing of wake at the stern as I was expecting. I was more than a little interested now, as I had never seen an outboard behave this way. I thought briefly that it was a jet, but even a jet produces disturbed water. The skipper gave the engine a quick burst of power, and then walked back and looked at it, evidently as bewildered as I and several others in the area had become.
He went back to the helm, turned off the engine and raised it out of the water. Because of my position about 40' behind him, I got a first look at the prop shaft. He had no propeller, and at first I thought that he'd spun one off. But, in thinking about it, there had never been prop wash, even for a moment.
I could tell by his face that he was just as surprised to see a bare shaft as I was. In talking to him later, after he'd pulled the boat out of the water again, I learned that he'd just put a new propeller on the boat (after hitting the original one on a rock in an Oregon river this summer) and had spent $600 total to do that. He remembers thinking that "Someone could just steal this!" and then letting the thought go. And someone had. Probably at his home in Redding, California, on the curb where he leaves his boat all day and night, and likely during the day when he was at work. He figures the thief would have taken about 3 minutes to dislodge his cotter pin, nut and thrust washer and remove the propeller ... and all he'd need was a multi-tool or a pair of needle nose pliers.
I've never had problems with the aluminum prop on my lake boat, and it and Kokomo live at home (which is, these days, well off the beaten path on our own acreage) near Paradise, CA. But I got to thinking that the two props on my boat were pretty valuable (stainless steel, etc.) and would make a thief a quick $1000+ if they were stolen. Aside from the expense of replacing the props, there was the reality of traveling somewhere to use the boat (usually at least a 4 hour proposition) and finding, upon arrival, that your carefully-pampered outboards don't have what they need to 'go' (though I can't imagine leaving for such a trip without checking the props). NOTE: This fella had traveled 2 hours further than I had (6 hours) to get to Berkeley Marina, and had no idea where to go to find a propeller and the mounting kit for his boat. I directed him to the West Marine store in Alameda, but he was going to look for somewhere closer.
I decided to take affirmative action, and did research on the propeller locks that are out there. I settled on McGard propeller locks, ordered them, and had them on Kokomo the following week. In doing my research, I learned that, in California, one of every 24 stainless propellers is stolen! This includes the props on lots of boats that are not trailerable (it's evidently easy to remove them in the water too, and the thief - who does his work underwater - is less prone to being caught). Alarming. The McGard locks mount in about 10 minutes (once I had the original prop nut, cotter pin and the thrust washer removed) and are designed to simply spin if someone without the "key" tries to remove them. I'm impressed with the quality of these locks, and only a little concerned about operating the engines without cotter pins on the propeller shafts (the McGard system requires torquing to their specifications and relies on other than the cotter pin method to secure the prop). I liked the product well enough that I also purchased one for the prop on my Volvo SX outdrive on the ski boat.
There was a tone difference to the engine (the product of the transmission engaging), but no frothing of wake at the stern as I was expecting. I was more than a little interested now, as I had never seen an outboard behave this way. I thought briefly that it was a jet, but even a jet produces disturbed water. The skipper gave the engine a quick burst of power, and then walked back and looked at it, evidently as bewildered as I and several others in the area had become.
He went back to the helm, turned off the engine and raised it out of the water. Because of my position about 40' behind him, I got a first look at the prop shaft. He had no propeller, and at first I thought that he'd spun one off. But, in thinking about it, there had never been prop wash, even for a moment.
I could tell by his face that he was just as surprised to see a bare shaft as I was. In talking to him later, after he'd pulled the boat out of the water again, I learned that he'd just put a new propeller on the boat (after hitting the original one on a rock in an Oregon river this summer) and had spent $600 total to do that. He remembers thinking that "Someone could just steal this!" and then letting the thought go. And someone had. Probably at his home in Redding, California, on the curb where he leaves his boat all day and night, and likely during the day when he was at work. He figures the thief would have taken about 3 minutes to dislodge his cotter pin, nut and thrust washer and remove the propeller ... and all he'd need was a multi-tool or a pair of needle nose pliers.
I've never had problems with the aluminum prop on my lake boat, and it and Kokomo live at home (which is, these days, well off the beaten path on our own acreage) near Paradise, CA. But I got to thinking that the two props on my boat were pretty valuable (stainless steel, etc.) and would make a thief a quick $1000+ if they were stolen. Aside from the expense of replacing the props, there was the reality of traveling somewhere to use the boat (usually at least a 4 hour proposition) and finding, upon arrival, that your carefully-pampered outboards don't have what they need to 'go' (though I can't imagine leaving for such a trip without checking the props). NOTE: This fella had traveled 2 hours further than I had (6 hours) to get to Berkeley Marina, and had no idea where to go to find a propeller and the mounting kit for his boat. I directed him to the West Marine store in Alameda, but he was going to look for somewhere closer.
I decided to take affirmative action, and did research on the propeller locks that are out there. I settled on McGard propeller locks, ordered them, and had them on Kokomo the following week. In doing my research, I learned that, in California, one of every 24 stainless propellers is stolen! This includes the props on lots of boats that are not trailerable (it's evidently easy to remove them in the water too, and the thief - who does his work underwater - is less prone to being caught). Alarming. The McGard locks mount in about 10 minutes (once I had the original prop nut, cotter pin and the thrust washer removed) and are designed to simply spin if someone without the "key" tries to remove them. I'm impressed with the quality of these locks, and only a little concerned about operating the engines without cotter pins on the propeller shafts (the McGard system requires torquing to their specifications and relies on other than the cotter pin method to secure the prop). I liked the product well enough that I also purchased one for the prop on my Volvo SX outdrive on the ski boat.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sacramento River Delta
My trip to the Delta was interesting and scenic, with a close call at the end. The scenic portion was the non-stop Delta character of the marinas and shoreside eateries I stopped at. I began my trip at Brannan Island State Park (because it has a large ramp facility, a patrolled parking lot, and I have purchased a season pass to CA state parks). The first night I stayed at the Brannan Island State Park “marina”, a humble concoction of docks in a little cove just downstream from the launch ramp. It was safe and I hadn’t had the chance to get to know the area yet, so I paid my $14 and called it a night (no power and water). NOTE: I don’t recommend this to anyone who has a problem with noise. There are tent campsites just across the way, and I can’t believe how loud and noisy they are, even after 11PM. There are many marinas and, if you look for them, many anchoring grounds nearby. I recommend making reservations or coming early enough in the afternoon to choose a spot for the night.
The next morning I visited the coin-op showers (nice!) and bathrooms, then set out to explore the area. My range included the Sacramento, Mokelumne and San Juaquin Rivers, and a number of sloughs. I ventured all the way up to Tower Park Marina, then came out the back way onto the San Joaquin. I spent the night where they have the 4th of July fireworks (had experienced this place when we’d taken “Tortuga” for a test drive). The next day I set out for Frank’s Tract and for Antioch, and then back up the San Joaquin River to Brannon Island. I enjoyed a couple of meals ashore, but ate on the boat most of the time. I took down the radar tower twice to make it under a couple of low bridges (at high tide), and enjoyed the slow Delta pace.
NOTE: I recommend the Angus burger at the Moore’s Boathouse (proprietary docks right in front of the restaurant), and the steak & egg breakfast at Spindrift Restaurant; both are a boat-up affair on 10-mile “the loop” off Highway 12. Spindrift Restaurant is across the street from the marina, so your tie up is at the guest dock near the office and fuel dock. The Spindrift Restaurant is a nautically-themed restaurant with a 5’ model of the Normandie and a full-size diving suit on display. Though the bar was in full bloom at 9:30 AM, the restaurant side was very nice and the food was great.
Upon returning to the dock on Sunday, I put the boat alongside the dock and went to get my truck. As I stepped out onto the dock, another boat was making for the next dock over. I lent a hand landing the boat (the owner had recently purchased it and wasn’t used to it yet). When we finally got the boat tied up, I went on about getting my truck. The owner of the other boat was nice enough to help me get Kokomo lined up and on the trailer before he pulled away.
I was checking the front tie downs, when all of sudden there was a loud crash, and I looked around the other side of my boat to see the boat (a 25’ or 27’ Bayliner cabin cruiser) the trailer (minus the truck!), missing my boat and truck by a few feet, barreling backwards into the Delta waters. There was no getting in the middle of this, so I watched as the boat and trailer settled into the waters about 20’ aft of the water line, glad that my truck and boat had been spared. The owner was as amazed as I was that the boat hadn’t hit anything else and that it had gone back into the water where it had come out (it had to make quite a corner to do this). I told him I’d help him figure out what to do, and that I had a winch on the my truck that would pull it out. With my boat and trailer on it I pulled the truck and trailer out of the water and pulled in just ahead of his truck.
We had kept the boat and trailer from catching on the docks (under the docks) by attaching lines and lifting it towards the truck, but as we got it up the ramp, the weight became too heavy. I suggested a winch, and the owner said he had a winch - he pointed to a tiny little winch on his ‘headache’ rack and said that ought to do it. I looked at the boat and trailer and that little winch and chose not to say what I was thinking. I again offered my (big!) winch, and he refused. He got the winch line out and hooked it up to boat trailer and winched it slowly towards the trailer
Then two guys from the ramp area came running down to see if they could help. We were virtually done with the project (might still need the big winch), but they were sure they had the solution and loudly set about looking at the boat and trailer, etc. etc. I think they were more than a 6-pack (each) into their beer stores. The owner was too kind to tell them to ‘bug out’ so we just continued with what we were doing. Just about 3’ before the trailer engaged to the hitch, the little winch made some “gurgling” sounds and faltered. Too much of the boat was coming out of the water and the winch could barely keep up. I pictured loosing the boat into the water again, but stayed silent. But, after giving it a rest, the winch pulled the boat up the rest of the way and we got it on the trailer. The two guys were talking about how the incident had happened and how they’d figured out how to rescue it; was a little funny if you think about it, but I can see where the owner would be a little less prone to humor. I excused myself from the loud, drunken excess of the two men and shook the owner’s hand, leaving to tend to my boat.
We still don’t know how the trailer came off. Maybe an adjustment on his hitch or perhaps he never had it on right from home. He had the right ball, and he had the safety chain (which snapped when the boat broke loose) engaged. Better here than on the highway!
Later, I was busy putting my boat in order, and pulling it up to the front roller and the winch broke. This was on dry, level land, but I was curious how I’d get my boat home safely. The owner of the other boat, who was out getting his boat squared away, gave me a clevis that I could put on the safety chain to get me home. I now have three connections that I make up front: (1) the winch line (13,700# breaking strength), (2) a double safety chain with a pelican-style hook, and (3) a vertical limiter that checks the up and down motion Rosboroughs want to make while on the trailer.
And now I check my hitch/ball connection before I put the boat on the trailer.
The next morning I visited the coin-op showers (nice!) and bathrooms, then set out to explore the area. My range included the Sacramento, Mokelumne and San Juaquin Rivers, and a number of sloughs. I ventured all the way up to Tower Park Marina, then came out the back way onto the San Joaquin. I spent the night where they have the 4th of July fireworks (had experienced this place when we’d taken “Tortuga” for a test drive). The next day I set out for Frank’s Tract and for Antioch, and then back up the San Joaquin River to Brannon Island. I enjoyed a couple of meals ashore, but ate on the boat most of the time. I took down the radar tower twice to make it under a couple of low bridges (at high tide), and enjoyed the slow Delta pace.
NOTE: I recommend the Angus burger at the Moore’s Boathouse (proprietary docks right in front of the restaurant), and the steak & egg breakfast at Spindrift Restaurant; both are a boat-up affair on 10-mile “the loop” off Highway 12. Spindrift Restaurant is across the street from the marina, so your tie up is at the guest dock near the office and fuel dock. The Spindrift Restaurant is a nautically-themed restaurant with a 5’ model of the Normandie and a full-size diving suit on display. Though the bar was in full bloom at 9:30 AM, the restaurant side was very nice and the food was great.
Upon returning to the dock on Sunday, I put the boat alongside the dock and went to get my truck. As I stepped out onto the dock, another boat was making for the next dock over. I lent a hand landing the boat (the owner had recently purchased it and wasn’t used to it yet). When we finally got the boat tied up, I went on about getting my truck. The owner of the other boat was nice enough to help me get Kokomo lined up and on the trailer before he pulled away.
I was checking the front tie downs, when all of sudden there was a loud crash, and I looked around the other side of my boat to see the boat (a 25’ or 27’ Bayliner cabin cruiser) the trailer (minus the truck!), missing my boat and truck by a few feet, barreling backwards into the Delta waters. There was no getting in the middle of this, so I watched as the boat and trailer settled into the waters about 20’ aft of the water line, glad that my truck and boat had been spared. The owner was as amazed as I was that the boat hadn’t hit anything else and that it had gone back into the water where it had come out (it had to make quite a corner to do this). I told him I’d help him figure out what to do, and that I had a winch on the my truck that would pull it out. With my boat and trailer on it I pulled the truck and trailer out of the water and pulled in just ahead of his truck.
We had kept the boat and trailer from catching on the docks (under the docks) by attaching lines and lifting it towards the truck, but as we got it up the ramp, the weight became too heavy. I suggested a winch, and the owner said he had a winch - he pointed to a tiny little winch on his ‘headache’ rack and said that ought to do it. I looked at the boat and trailer and that little winch and chose not to say what I was thinking. I again offered my (big!) winch, and he refused. He got the winch line out and hooked it up to boat trailer and winched it slowly towards the trailer
Then two guys from the ramp area came running down to see if they could help. We were virtually done with the project (might still need the big winch), but they were sure they had the solution and loudly set about looking at the boat and trailer, etc. etc. I think they were more than a 6-pack (each) into their beer stores. The owner was too kind to tell them to ‘bug out’ so we just continued with what we were doing. Just about 3’ before the trailer engaged to the hitch, the little winch made some “gurgling” sounds and faltered. Too much of the boat was coming out of the water and the winch could barely keep up. I pictured loosing the boat into the water again, but stayed silent. But, after giving it a rest, the winch pulled the boat up the rest of the way and we got it on the trailer. The two guys were talking about how the incident had happened and how they’d figured out how to rescue it; was a little funny if you think about it, but I can see where the owner would be a little less prone to humor. I excused myself from the loud, drunken excess of the two men and shook the owner’s hand, leaving to tend to my boat.
We still don’t know how the trailer came off. Maybe an adjustment on his hitch or perhaps he never had it on right from home. He had the right ball, and he had the safety chain (which snapped when the boat broke loose) engaged. Better here than on the highway!
Later, I was busy putting my boat in order, and pulling it up to the front roller and the winch broke. This was on dry, level land, but I was curious how I’d get my boat home safely. The owner of the other boat, who was out getting his boat squared away, gave me a clevis that I could put on the safety chain to get me home. I now have three connections that I make up front: (1) the winch line (13,700# breaking strength), (2) a double safety chain with a pelican-style hook, and (3) a vertical limiter that checks the up and down motion Rosboroughs want to make while on the trailer.
And now I check my hitch/ball connection before I put the boat on the trailer.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
The McCleod River
A few weeks ago I spent a Saturday and Saturday night up the McCleod River. It's about 2.5 hours from our home, and is accessed through the Shasta Lake launch at Centimudi launch ramp (Shasta Recreation Company). I went alone as this was a weekend that Lee Ann was at the Christian womens retreat, and there were nice people who assisted me with both launching and retrieving Kokomo (I can launch it alone, but I need help lining it up to the trailer to retrieve it; I suppose someday I'll have to try doing that alone).
After launching, securing the parking pass, and casting off, I realized that the water underneath the boat was crystal clear. I could see to the bottom of it (the depth sounder read 46 feet deep) with fish in between. I hadn't been on Shasta Lake for some years, and it was every bit as beautiful (maybe more so since it was still up around the 3/4 mark in October). So I made for the Pitt River and spent the night on the hook there, just getting in to a cove before dark. The next day I had breakfast at Bridge Bay Marina (met Jim there, and we talked at length about the boat; sent him contact info for Les) and headed up the McCleod. NOTE: For those who aren't familiar with Shasta Lake, there are three rivers feeding into it. They are the Sacramento, McCleod and Pitt Rivers. There are also numerous creeks (including Squaw Creek which makes up it's own arm) and brooks that feed into the lake, but the rivers are what made it when the dam was built.
The McCleod is beautiful and unspoiled. There are a few boat-in campgrounds and a wilderness boat ramp available, but on a sunny day in October, I passed three boats in some 14 miles of cruising. The rest of the trip was wilderness. The miriad of wooded coves available to the prepared boater is endless, and the buttes and bluffs, cliffs and promontories all seem like they're worth a photo (didn't take any, of course - I was too busy enjoying the scenery!). As I proceeded up the river, it grew smaller, and about the time I was carefully watching my depth sounder (it had dropped below the alarm level of 10 feet), signs of civilization and the McCleod River Bridge came into view. A few months earlier, I'd have been able to make it to the bridge to turn around, but I thought better of that as rocks began to appear around me and the depth sounder broke 5 feet. I turned around about 200 yards from the bridge, found a cove about 3 miles downriver, dropped an anchor, and had lunch.
That night I proceeded about half the way back to the junction of I-5 and Bridge Bay Marina (where friends Bill and Jo keep 'Angel', their Crestliner patio boat), and at about sunset, laid an anchor down and called it a night in a quiet cove about a million miles from nowhere. A peaceful night later, I went swimming in the lake (first time swimming off the boat) and lay on the roof to let the sun warm me (it was a bit chilly in the water; the temp reading was 66F). I could have stayed for days, but I set a course for the Centimudi ramp, about 17 miles away and arrived home about an hour before Lee Ann got there.
NOTE: I received an e-mail from Harry Buckwalter noting that he'd had a 'Kokomo sighting'. He and his wife had seen me towing the boat home from Shasta. I hope to meet them some day. It turns out that they got an RF-246 Sedan Cruiser within a month or two of when we did ... and they live in the same county (Butte County) in the mountain town of Forbestown. They're retired, and have time to use their boat. I envy that, but am glad that we find the time to enjoy Kokomo, if not for longer trips, then well-chosen shorter ones.
After launching, securing the parking pass, and casting off, I realized that the water underneath the boat was crystal clear. I could see to the bottom of it (the depth sounder read 46 feet deep) with fish in between. I hadn't been on Shasta Lake for some years, and it was every bit as beautiful (maybe more so since it was still up around the 3/4 mark in October). So I made for the Pitt River and spent the night on the hook there, just getting in to a cove before dark. The next day I had breakfast at Bridge Bay Marina (met Jim there, and we talked at length about the boat; sent him contact info for Les) and headed up the McCleod. NOTE: For those who aren't familiar with Shasta Lake, there are three rivers feeding into it. They are the Sacramento, McCleod and Pitt Rivers. There are also numerous creeks (including Squaw Creek which makes up it's own arm) and brooks that feed into the lake, but the rivers are what made it when the dam was built.
The McCleod is beautiful and unspoiled. There are a few boat-in campgrounds and a wilderness boat ramp available, but on a sunny day in October, I passed three boats in some 14 miles of cruising. The rest of the trip was wilderness. The miriad of wooded coves available to the prepared boater is endless, and the buttes and bluffs, cliffs and promontories all seem like they're worth a photo (didn't take any, of course - I was too busy enjoying the scenery!). As I proceeded up the river, it grew smaller, and about the time I was carefully watching my depth sounder (it had dropped below the alarm level of 10 feet), signs of civilization and the McCleod River Bridge came into view. A few months earlier, I'd have been able to make it to the bridge to turn around, but I thought better of that as rocks began to appear around me and the depth sounder broke 5 feet. I turned around about 200 yards from the bridge, found a cove about 3 miles downriver, dropped an anchor, and had lunch.
That night I proceeded about half the way back to the junction of I-5 and Bridge Bay Marina (where friends Bill and Jo keep 'Angel', their Crestliner patio boat), and at about sunset, laid an anchor down and called it a night in a quiet cove about a million miles from nowhere. A peaceful night later, I went swimming in the lake (first time swimming off the boat) and lay on the roof to let the sun warm me (it was a bit chilly in the water; the temp reading was 66F). I could have stayed for days, but I set a course for the Centimudi ramp, about 17 miles away and arrived home about an hour before Lee Ann got there.
NOTE: I received an e-mail from Harry Buckwalter noting that he'd had a 'Kokomo sighting'. He and his wife had seen me towing the boat home from Shasta. I hope to meet them some day. It turns out that they got an RF-246 Sedan Cruiser within a month or two of when we did ... and they live in the same county (Butte County) in the mountain town of Forbestown. They're retired, and have time to use their boat. I envy that, but am glad that we find the time to enjoy Kokomo, if not for longer trips, then well-chosen shorter ones.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Winch Line - Amsteel Blue 5/16" ROPE instead of a strap or cable
I recently had to replace the winch on our King trailer. The Fulton 3200# 2-speed model buckled (and parts broke off and flew into the water!) when I was winching the boat onto the trailer at Brannan Island marina in the Sacramento River Delta.
In replacing the winch, I decided on another winch of the same type (best of the choices out there). I removed and sanded and painted the steel plate that the winch mounts to, and mounted the new winch with the same three bolts to the trailer. Then I ordered a strap with a similar working strength to what had been on the old winch (figured I should get everything new, though the old strap was still serviceable) and prepared to install it. The strap seemed less substantial to me than the old one (that came on the trailer) was, and so I returned it and began looking at alternatives.
I could put a cable on the boat, oil it regularly and replace it every few years. I could order a heavier strap, adapt the winch (which is fitted from the factory to handle a cable or rope) by drilling holes in either side and fitting a bolt for the strap to mount to. Or I could think 'outside the box'.
I did the latter and, after looking at many types of heavy duty rope, came across one that bills itself as the alternative to cable. It's called Amsteel Blue, and it utilizes Dutch technology which makes it several times stronger than rope and stronger than the equivalent size of cable. It is nearly impossible to cut (requires a very sharp razor knife) and it floats! So I ordered 25' of Amsteel Blue in a 5/16" thickness, and installed it on my winch (with a 4" section of shrink-tubing where the rope passes through the wall of the winch to be anchored the outside). Couldn't be happier with the rope's performance to date. The breaking strength of the 5/16" Amsteel Blue is 13,700#. I don't anticipate any trouble with a boat that, fully loaded is about 8000#
I liked it so much that I ordered four lengths of 3/16" Amsteel Blue for my fenders. Overkill perhaps (breaking strength of 5400#), but I'll never worry about currents or a rough dock wearing on my fender lines! An added benefit is that you can use a much smaller thickness of line (3/16" vs. 5/8" in regular rope), leaving more room on the cleat for your docking lines, etc.
Resource: There are several places to get Amsteel Blue, but I think I found the best: Greg Kenley at Midwest Winchrope (www.midwestwinchrope.com) will cut your length(s) to order and splice loops/thimbles into the ends for you. He does top notch work, and his prices are at least as good as larger 'discount' shops. His phone number is: (573) 703-3040 and, as a bonus, he's a nice guy. Amsteel Blue is as tough as it gets and I'm glad I found it for Kokomo. You may have an interest in taking a look at the demo video (Greg's homegrown video) at: http://www.youtube.com/watch? =FcifJkhXpMM. Even if you're not looking for heavy duty, light weight winch line, it's pretty interesting.
In replacing the winch, I decided on another winch of the same type (best of the choices out there). I removed and sanded and painted the steel plate that the winch mounts to, and mounted the new winch with the same three bolts to the trailer. Then I ordered a strap with a similar working strength to what had been on the old winch (figured I should get everything new, though the old strap was still serviceable) and prepared to install it. The strap seemed less substantial to me than the old one (that came on the trailer) was, and so I returned it and began looking at alternatives.
I could put a cable on the boat, oil it regularly and replace it every few years. I could order a heavier strap, adapt the winch (which is fitted from the factory to handle a cable or rope) by drilling holes in either side and fitting a bolt for the strap to mount to. Or I could think 'outside the box'.
I did the latter and, after looking at many types of heavy duty rope, came across one that bills itself as the alternative to cable. It's called Amsteel Blue, and it utilizes Dutch technology which makes it several times stronger than rope and stronger than the equivalent size of cable. It is nearly impossible to cut (requires a very sharp razor knife) and it floats! So I ordered 25' of Amsteel Blue in a 5/16" thickness, and installed it on my winch (with a 4" section of shrink-tubing where the rope passes through the wall of the winch to be anchored the outside). Couldn't be happier with the rope's performance to date. The breaking strength of the 5/16" Amsteel Blue is 13,700#. I don't anticipate any trouble with a boat that, fully loaded is about 8000#
I liked it so much that I ordered four lengths of 3/16" Amsteel Blue for my fenders. Overkill perhaps (breaking strength of 5400#), but I'll never worry about currents or a rough dock wearing on my fender lines! An added benefit is that you can use a much smaller thickness of line (3/16" vs. 5/8" in regular rope), leaving more room on the cleat for your docking lines, etc.
Resource: There are several places to get Amsteel Blue, but I think I found the best: Greg Kenley at Midwest Winchrope (www.midwestwinchrope.com) will cut your length(s) to order and splice loops/thimbles into the ends for you. He does top notch work, and his prices are at least as good as larger 'discount' shops. His phone number is: (573) 703-3040 and, as a bonus, he's a nice guy. Amsteel Blue is as tough as it gets and I'm glad I found it for Kokomo. You may have an interest in taking a look at the demo video (Greg's homegrown video) at: http://www.youtube.com/watch? =FcifJkhXpMM. Even if you're not looking for heavy duty, light weight winch line, it's pretty interesting.
Kokomo's Performance Data According to Honda
Some have asked about our boat's power configuration and what it translates to in terms of power reserves and fuel consumption. I had the same questions before we bought the boat, of course. After all, the twin BF150 4-stroke engines represent the maximum horsepower recommended by the factory and I wondered about the fuel efficiency (of major concern to us) with these two large engines. We had spent years anticipating ownership of an inboard diesel and, though the other advantages were clear (space onboard, accessibility for maintenance and repairs, the reliability of Honda and Yamaha outboards, the ability to raise the engines out of the water, etc.), our concerns regarding trawler-speed cruising at low fuel burns remained.
Happily, some time before I purchased Kokomo, Honda technicians performed a test (on my boat) to determine what the real performance specifications with twin Honda BF150's were. I was able to review this before I bought the boat and have confirmed it's accuracy in some 80 hours of cruising since. I'm delighted to note that, at trawler speeds, I'm getting at least the efficiency that a Cummins QR150 diesel would get in my boat - maybe better - and, of course, the high-speed capability that a diesel would not be capable of (30 knots, or 35.6 mph at W.O.T.).
I've included a link (in the links section, below right) to the Honda page where my boat is featured for your review. Note the fuel burn at trawler speeds (6-7 knots) and again in the 14 mpg range (another strength of the Rosborough hull). I'm very pleased with the overall performance of the boat. In a recent trip to San Francisco Bay, I ran Kokomo for four days and returned with 1/5th of a tank of fuel (per the digital fuel management system). We ran at WOT for about 5-7 minutes per day (engine maintenance) and at trawler speeds about 70% of the time and cruising speeds (14-20 knots) the rest of the time. NOTE: I estimate that we're burning about 15% more fuel with twins than if we'd had a single-engine powered boat, and the wear on the two engines is greatly reduced at higher speeds. Also, I've found that the boat's agility with twins is very valuable. I can literally 'turn on a dime' (no forward or backward motion) by engaging both engines in opposing directions, which makes getting into and out of tight spaces a breeze. * The boat features counter-rotating propellers.
Happily, some time before I purchased Kokomo, Honda technicians performed a test (on my boat) to determine what the real performance specifications with twin Honda BF150's were. I was able to review this before I bought the boat and have confirmed it's accuracy in some 80 hours of cruising since. I'm delighted to note that, at trawler speeds, I'm getting at least the efficiency that a Cummins QR150 diesel would get in my boat - maybe better - and, of course, the high-speed capability that a diesel would not be capable of (30 knots, or 35.6 mph at W.O.T.).
I've included a link (in the links section, below right) to the Honda page where my boat is featured for your review. Note the fuel burn at trawler speeds (6-7 knots) and again in the 14 mpg range (another strength of the Rosborough hull). I'm very pleased with the overall performance of the boat. In a recent trip to San Francisco Bay, I ran Kokomo for four days and returned with 1/5th of a tank of fuel (per the digital fuel management system). We ran at WOT for about 5-7 minutes per day (engine maintenance) and at trawler speeds about 70% of the time and cruising speeds (14-20 knots) the rest of the time. NOTE: I estimate that we're burning about 15% more fuel with twins than if we'd had a single-engine powered boat, and the wear on the two engines is greatly reduced at higher speeds. Also, I've found that the boat's agility with twins is very valuable. I can literally 'turn on a dime' (no forward or backward motion) by engaging both engines in opposing directions, which makes getting into and out of tight spaces a breeze. * The boat features counter-rotating propellers.
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San Quentin Prison
One of the more 'captivating' sites along the Corte Madera channel . Rowers from Corte Madera are practicing in the foreground.