172 hours and counting.. "The boat show dream"

[waternwaves]

I a little over a week, the great Seattle Boat show starts....

I have been making my list, checking it twice , thrice, catorce......

The hazards,... the shame........ I admit it.... I am a catalog shopper and occasional bastard negotiator..... (picked up the Espar diesel heater for $430, Muuuuuaaaaahhhhhh) damn thing even works perfectly....


Help me out here...... what else do I need for the boat.....

However, i of course still need a few other things this year for the mac. (Does one need two drogue Sea anchors???).
Change the rest of the elctrical panel.
Etec?? maybe this year...... maybe not...... with the new to me hunter and the house......new big purchases may be delayed another year....

However,

I would probably list my 1997 50 tohatsu on the commercial side of Heath's this site if anyone thinks tht an 12 yr. old tohatsu is worth buying.

We have the sailrite walking foot uphosltory sewing machine.... so a nice new storage cover made up for the mac seems reasonable.

bug screens

Engel freezer,

1200w genset to retire the 800 W ( Which Is why I started changing out all the wiring in the boat.)

Going to wait at least another year before I replace the trailer. (That beautiful tandem axxle aluminum will just have to wait....)

For some reason I just cannot get excited about chartplotters......

However......an autopilot....that is another story..... as we wait and see about the efforts of our friends on this board.....and their successes.

Move the radar off of the mast.....and back onto the sternpole maybe??

Or perhaps finish the arch this winter? (still havent made the clamp collars to hook to the stern rails.....) thats right........ need the 10" grinder polisher......(lets see my dear..... we have to stop at the tool depot on the way to the show....... that might not go over well)

I better bring a wagon to haul this stuff back........

Best part about the show tho........
We have our sailing and club friends who have 'Volunteered' to go with us to the show a couple of days....

captain Paul and admiral Ann (recently back in the country and never been to the seattle boat show.........) I hope I dont walk their feet off......... Tennis shoes or slip ons are a must for this show......heheheheh....

and our saililng buddy Thelma.........who kept volunteering her brand new Beneteau 36 for us to maintain our sailing fixes when we needed a windy day on the water. The senior member of our crew.....who, while I will not divulge a ladys age..... just bought this boat 8 months ago all the while her kids who are my age told her she was nuts...
Way to go thelma......

So.. What else do I need to get for this year for the Mac.......

Its strange.... the only things I can think of that the Hunter needs are refinishing the interior teak wood, Cut and polishing the glass, new bedding and dishes.....

Yesterday I found a brand new in box drogue Sea anchor for a 20 ton boat, , A chute scoop and a .75 Ounce Spinnaker to go with the

the expired Zodiac offshore liferaft kit and RO watermaker. Perhaps a new smart battery charging system, an a small genset would round this one out....but for the next 2 to three years..... a couple of larger batteries for the house set kind of precludes the need for a generator at about the same weight.


Ahhh.... if I only had money.......
What are others winter boat show dreams??

[npatterson]

I've never gone to a boat show with mainly sailboats. We just got back from one in our area and it was all motor boats. The closest one to us would be Miami...or Ft. Lauderdale. Do you get "good" deals at these shows or is it best to shop online?

[waternwaves]

It is not a sail only show.....

The good deals I have gotten in the past.......include.....

radar <1000
raingear 1/2 off (they did not want to box it up and take it home...so end of show dealing worked.) There is no reason marine clothing should not be discounted similar to non marine clothing.....
signaling equipment (same)
crabpots,
sails
Anchor (same.....too heavy to mess with)
Line
Ronstan hardware. (ARe you listening harken.......???)



things I have found that do not recieve a steep discounts include.....wallas stoves, Marine wire, E-tec engines.....(damn) good but not great prices on that. (I even waved cash at the factory rep.... but he just sent me on to the vendors that were carrying the motors at the show..... and all I wanted was a crated engine ready to load onto my truck)


I am hoping that some LED light bulbs and fixtures will be reasonably priced...When they want 10 times what I can make them for...I am a little slow to purchase.

The food is marginal......coffee is only warm....... the pointers are cute.......(young pretty girls demonstrating neat features on boats I will never be able to afford) Maybe some of that rope lighting would be nice on the mac or hunter. I will be taking a small camera for ideas I am sure.

One thing I always try to remember when I am at these shows though......
I AM NOT WORKING, they are........

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Waternwaves,

When are you going to be there? We're actually going to the preshow wine and cheese open house on Thurdsay night the 22nd from 6-9pm. BWY sent us an invite required to get in. Free admission and parking. We'll have our eyes open for deals.

I have been very happy with these replacement LED boards. Their brightness, coverage pattern, and color temp (get the warm white 3100k) matches the stock Mac bulbs very well. They were easy to install with some velcro in the stock Mac fixtures. I can have all 5 fixtures on and my amp hour meter shows half the current draw of a single standard bulb.

These new type of emitters are so much better than the old standard LED. This site also has those for under $10 as well, but I would never buy a flashlight or replacement bulb with the old style LED's again. My 1 watt luxeon LED flashlight blows away every huge Maglight I have ever owned. I've also switched to simple battery stick on LED's in the aft and vee berths. A couple AAA batteries will last for a whole summer of trips and never impact the house batteries at all.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/other_bulbs.htm

1156-PCB-xWHP9



For $21.95 I think they are reasonably priced.

[Rick Westlake]

Oh, I thought you meant the Baltimore Boat Show! How provincial of me!

Our local rag-hanger's rag, SpinSheet, had a couple of pages of it in their January issue. The show is mostly power boats, but the Sail Fest last year gave me a look at some of the oh-my big toys that I'd like to ... SOMEday! I'm taking my elderly aunt - who loved to go sailing with me in the Beija Flor and enjoyed her first outing on the Bossa Nova back in October - so it will be a leisurely visit and probably not a shopping marathon. (She likes to look at the beautiful fittings belowdecks, while I open hatches and see if I can figure out how I'd change the hoses on that goddam Jabsco contrivance, you know ... all them negative vibes, Moriarty!)

Bossa Nova is on her trailer now, waiting for a tow down to Florida the end of February ... I'm going to start my great trailer-cruising adventure with the Keys. But with ice in the marina and 15-degree air temps, it's just too frimpin' cold to sail in my neighborhood .

We'll probably go "ooh and ahh" at the big toys, but I hope to do some shopping for my present boat. I'd be delighted if the Stearns/Sevylor people had some of their inflatable kayaks on display - I'm convinced that's my perfect dinghy for solo sailing, and a better acquisition than the "Parrothead Starter Kit" that I bought from Latitudes and Attitudes last year!

That reminds me ... where is that damned shaker of salt?!!

Cheers -

PS - Duane's note on superbrightleds.com is right on the money for me - one of the first things I did to Bossa Nova was replace her cabin lights with the same board he mentions. (But I wish the Balmo' show had a wine and cheese party - all we get is "whine" and "Jeez!" )

[Shane]

I am a catalog shopper and occasional bastard negotiator..... (picked up the Espar diesel heater for $430, Muuuuuaaaaahhhhhh) damn thing even works perfectly....

D,

We need to talk, because as long as hull (or the cabin) is frozen over, my admiral won't be doing any overnighters; and at that price range, I'd consider putting a heater in to keep the interior a balmy temp. If that wasn't a one off, I'd appreciate it if you PM'd me the info, as I'll be down for the show.... if I manage to develop a cold next Friday, I might even come down for Thurs. night, otherwise it will be the last Friday or Sunday.

Note: although I typed it correctly up above, the board seems to be 'auto correcting' that hot place down below (no, not Florida) with the belly of a boat. Go figure
Regards,
Shane

[bubba]

I used to work the Seattle boat show selling Jet Dock boat docks. We always had a blast for the week with the local entertainment around the boat show. The best deals was on rope and I still use some to tie our Mac. I got my invitation from BWY's but the pass across the Cascade Mt's is still with lots of snow to pull our Mac to stay on, because hotels are more than a slip at Bell Harbor marina. There is still an in water boat show in the summer with more sailboats. Every one have fun drooling over new power boats, Ha Ha. I would rather drool over new bigger than trailer type sail boats.

[Gazmn]

I get to drool too. I'm running away from the 8 degree weather freezing NY right now.

I'll be in Da' Keys for February

& at the Miami Boat Show and Strictly Sail spending money I ain't got


BtB, I heard there's an unofficial flea market of used Shtuff people bring & swap, possibly in the parking lot?
Can anyone confirm or "second that emotion"?

[bubba]

Try contacting the Miami Mac dealer for the used parts swap.

[waternwaves]

Duane,
Looks like Saturday at both parts, sunday afternoon , And an afternoon during the week. maybe I won't "need" to go back on the following weekend....lol. (somehow I doubt that) It definitely is enjoyable for me. Being out on the island here......... kind of makes it either an all day event or an after work adventure. (maybe the admiral will want to go part of the day friday with me.....perhaps.......)


Perhaps I did not spend enough this year at BWY to make the invite list.....lol..... I didnt replace that baggy main....

Duane, thanks for the link. That is a definite do this winter......along with the new in counter microwave......

Shane.

It was an ebay deal. Right now I am working on exhaust routing and vent hose routing. I originally planned on putting the Espar in the hunter and found that the hunter Eberspacher only needed element replacing and one relay.......So I thought about putting it in the mac, but its output is considerable..... I only need about 5-7K btus (10K if I want to keep the enclosure warm alsogreat for keeping the cushions dry in the winter) I am trying to be creative on space here... even looking at mounting it under the helm seat. (there goes the diving access) But I am finding the best place seems to be where I have already my hot water heater... so a little more thought is required for it to go in the mac. Even the hunter is doing well with only 10K btu's in 20 degree weather.......

the second weekend sounds doable....... The admiral is always glad to meet other X & M rs......... traveling to the boat show...... she has great patience.... but I can go a bit overboard looking at the details.......

later.......
back to work.....

|>arren

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

I spent last night at the Seattle Boat Show VIP event. We didn't get much of a full tour in as we spent too much time talking with other Mac owners. The event was only from 6 - 9 and traffic held us up until almost 7. Still it was worth while when you consider free parking and entrance, not to mention wine and food.

We did stretch our time quite a bit past 9 while talking to the owners of a Ranger 25 Tug, quite an impressive boat. There booth is right next to BWY. My wife has always said "Why do we need to go on that one?" in years past. Once on board she was very smitten. The boat is extremely well built and finished, trailerable (8'6" beam) and even with the 150hp diesel just as economical to operate as our Mac's. It's speeds and fuel mileage almost exactly mirror what we get with the 90 TLDI on our X. If only it was in the same price range as a Mac. Even better was the Ranger 29 tug, brand new this year, quite a spectacular little boat. We need a 30' Mac with a 10' beam! The owners we met had recently towed their Ranger 25 back to the midwest and spent 3 months cruising the river systems. Sounds like a fun trip and easily could be done with a Mac as well.

For all those who make it to the show, be sure and check out the 'Dutchman' flaking system Blue Water Yachts has installed on both mains of the two demo 's they have at the show. It's quite a slick system for sail handling and blows away any lazy jack solution.

They have the topping lift (from which the two guide lines that run through the grommets in the sail down to the boom hang), the main halyard, and the downhaul all routed back to stoppers at the cockpit. Standing in the cockpit you can raise or lower the sail to a flaked position on the boom without ever touching the sail itself. In the down position it is completely captive and secure with no parts of the sail dangling at all. You can even motor with it in this position without putting sail ties on the sail. Because the lines that guide the sail up and down actually pass through the sail you never experience any of the typical batten snagging problems that always seem to happen with lazy jacks. There is no external line on each side of the sail or narrow slot that the sail has to fit into. This is particularly useful when the sail is flogging side to side in heavier breezes when you try to lower it.

[c130king]

How much? And how much modding to the sail is required?

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

I haven't heard how much BWY will charge to modify a sail or if they will only sell modified sails. I doubt they will sell a kit as the grommets not only have to be positioned correctly but the sail slides also have to match up. I would think it would only work with the pattern BWY uses to install sail slides. Any other sail slide locations would require modifying the grommet locations to get the flaking right. They should have the pictures and/or the video at their website soon according to Cheryl. I also asked about an X version and she indicated for the moment they were happy to have finally worked out the correct location for everything on the M version and it might be a while before they did an X one.

In practice it is really a very simple mod to the sail. A small loop of webbing is attached right next to the bolt rope along the foot, and a series of grommets are installed in a line going up the sail to the leech. Each is about 2' apart, there are two vertical rows. That's it for changes to the sail. Of course the devil is in the details. Cheryl say's it has taken quite a few trys to get the exact positioning of the grommets right so I wouldn't try to do it without some exact measurements. They not only have to be in the right place to flake the sail but have to work with the sail slide positions.

In addition to the sail mods, you need a topping lift run which requires an additional block at the top of the mast, and the line. Along the topping lift you need two plastic clamps that can be slid to the correct place to line up with each grommet column and support the upper end of the small line that weaves it's way through the grommets down to the webbing loop at the boom. They have to be placed so that when you slack the topping lift a bit the lines in the sail go slack enough to not impact the sail shape on either tack. When you tighten up the topping lift these lines go tight and provide track to guide the sail as it is lowered. Also the sail will only drop so far by gravity, you need to add a downhaul to the bottom of the head board that allows you to pull the sail the rest of the way down the mast track. The standard main halyard is used without modification.

For easiest use these three lines, the topping lift, the main halyard, and the downhaul need to be extended and routed back to the cockpit. THis means turning blocks at the mast base and along the deck and three rope stoppers to lock the lines. This would not be a necessity, but makes hands off handling of the main from the cockpit possible.

In addition when the sail is in the down position you have the two lines that stay woven through the grommets and extend up to the topping lift. This means you are going to have to make some kind of modification to your sail cover to allow these lines to pass through. They vertical lines are never disconnected.

[bubba]

When we added a 3rd reef, I called BWY and was told they use Rush Sails near Seattle to do there work like reefs slides and patches. We boxed up our main and UPS shipped it and they had it back in about a week with a beautiful job for under $200.00. So contact Scott at Rush Sails, they are the sail repair shop that West Marine uses.

I wish we could have attended the Seattle boat show party but the Cascade passes were too snowy. I hope to make the September in water boat show, we are looking at a Seawind 1160 a 38 ft Catamaran for our retirement live-aboard.