Messing About in Boats

“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing–absolutely nothing–half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

Quote: Kenneth Grahame‘s classic The Wind in the Willows 

It seems I never learn or grow up. We just bought ourselves a new, 40 year old sailboat. Fourty years, many previous owners, and no current boat registration.

The first thing to do was a rough assessment of what needs to be fixed and to prioritize the works. One idea was to sail to Pandan Island for Christmas and New Year 2025. For sea testing the boat and identification of what needs to be addressed as a priority. Before that we would like to join the Puerto Galera Yacht Club All Souls Regatta in 2025. It appeared that some superficial maintenance work has been done regularly. Many wooden parts for example have been painted gray. But it also appeared as if not much was done for some time before we got her on addressing some of the structural problems.

First thing to address: Leaks

During our first visit the boat looked reasonably dry, except for the bilge, which had a bit of water standing in it. This was during the dry season. When visiting the boat the second time I came early and the caretaker did not have time to clean it up before I came. Entering it was a bit of a shock. The inside was very humid, smelled mouldy and everything looked rotten. It was typhoon season, it had just rained for a week and there were three very obvious places from where water leaks into the cabin, and many places that we found after further investigation:

• The mast boot, water was dripping from here like from a little waterfall and the wood of the floor around the mast was rotten, indicating that this has been going on for some time.
• The starboard foresail traveler, the water was dripping from almost all the many through the hull bolts. As a result the electrical system was totally ruined.
• According to the caretaker also the main sail traveler (which turned out to be not the case, there was a major leak in the cockpit)
• The port foresail traveller seems OK but supposedly some water occasionally leaks in there too.

Fixing these leaks is first priority to get the inside of the boat reasonably dry. As long as there is water entering the cabins it does not make sense to do any work inside.

Update: During the first work visits to Puerto Galera we identified more leaks, basically the whole deck was like a sponge:

• The seals for the four saloon windows were partially broken, water was running down from there into the ceiling and getting distributed from there to many places from where it dropped and created little puddles on the seats.
• The Saloon hatch / top window was leaking at the rubber gasket and at both sides where the two wooden bases were joined.
• The head hatch / top window rubber was leaking at one point and the wooden base at two points
• The three cockpit windows were sealed closed with lots of silicone, so obviously the gaskets were also leaking. Not being able to open them created a terribly humid air inside the cabine close to the due point. Everything in the cabin had started rotting.
• Lots of water came into the aft cabin. Only when the shelf and the ceiling panel were removed I figured out that the deck had a big crack inside the storage boxes on the port side. This had been fixed before but had failed.
• All winches and jam cleats are attached with through the deck bolts. They were all leaking more or less.
• The points where the aft railing is attached to the deck were loose. Water entered here too. The solar panel frame that was added recently is attached to it, so it is probably not designed for the additional load.

Action taken: See Page Fixing Leaks

Deck

Lots of things to do here, mostly lower priority items, except for fixing the leaks.

• Many places need some paint
• Drainage holes in the cockpit seats are clogged
• The swimming ladder is detached
• The guard rail wires need some attention, crimping…
• Hatches: One fans is broken, some hatches might need sealing.
• The Whale Gusher manual bilge pump is broken. There is a spare part kit but it is not complete. The pump casing is also pretty much corroded.
• All wooden parts have not seen varnish for years
• The spinacker boom holders needed check for leakages and some now varnish.
• Anchor winch not working

See the page Deckworks

Electrical System

The motor circuit seemed to be reasonably OK and working. But – the house electric system was totally rotten. The reasons are obviously age, many additions done by the previous owners not always following best practices, and the water intrusion mentioned above.

At that stage I had not yet decided to what extend to rip it out and replace it. I thought it needs testing of the components and the cables (insulation, resistance, visual inspection) and then maybe maintaining what still works. Spoiler alert: At the end I ripped out everything. I should have done that from the beginning, it would have saved me a lot of time.

Navigation and Anchor light on the top did not work. The steaming light and deck light halfway up the mast did also not work.

Update: October 15: I have decided to totally rebuilt it. The old system is just garbage.

Action: See Page Boat Electrics Again.. D’oh!

Instrument panels in the cockpit

The original instruments could not be used anymore. When we got the boat there were just some big holes where the instruments used to be.

After testing all instruments at home: Most don’t even turn on. The depth gauge and log turned on, but the display was almost not readable anymore. Too long exposure to sunlight.

There were three backbones parallel installed. SeaTalk, SeaTalk II and NMEA. Lots of cables.

Update: October 28. Found the old chart plotter in the forward cabin stored under other trash. The screen was totally black and contacts corroded. Trash,..

After trying to revive the depth gauge and anemometer and wind direction vane for the trip to Pandan Island I decided to get rid of all the old stuff. Totally unreliable and the LCD screens are so broken that it is ery difficult to read them.

Action: See Page Boat Electrics Again.. D’oh!

Anchor winch

The anchor winch was not working. It also appeared that the chain was too small for the winch. Essential items. First priority for fixing.

The windlass motor was removed and was inside the cabin. The good news, it was running when connected to the battery directly. So it is either the cables or the remote that is located in the forward cabin.

When taking the winch hope for testing it seemed to work. However, after installation the friction clutch was slipping under the load of the anchor and the chain was leaping out of the chain wheel, It appears that chain and windlass are not matched, the chain might be too small.

See page: Deckworks, Section Windlass

Rig

The running rig needs immediate attention. Several ropes and blocks need to be replaced urgently.
See page Running Rig.

The standing rig seems to be OK. Except for the mast foot, which was in terrible condition.
See page: Standing Rig

Saloon

Bunks

The saloon had been altered. In the original design there were two raised beds behind the seats. Parts of the raised platforms had been removed, maybe to allow for sail storage if the priority of the previous owners was on racing, not cruising.

Bulkheads

The bulkhead separating the saloon from the head had places that were rotten. The panel on the saloon side was very soft, most likely from the water leaking into the mast boot and then dripping down into the bulkhead. Some people in the club mentioned a termite attack. According to the seller that was taken care of. It is possible that this bulkhead was affected. The panel on the head side consists of a laminate with a lot of marine expoxy, so this has been repaired at some point.

Lots of work to be done here. Floor boards rotten at the companion way and at the mast base (because of water leaking through the mast shoe). There was also water leaking at the starboard traveller and at possibly at the main sheet traveller. So the boat is very wet inside and smells moldy. See Leaks above. (How can one not fix that urgently?)

The Ceiling

The ceiling in the Saloon was a bit crooked. On the starboard side it looked like it was a bit lower than on the port side. This worsened on the trip to Pandan Island. When the boat was out of the water the ceiling in the saloon collapsed because the support structure detached from the roof.

Other Saloon Installations

The bilge pump was not connected. The pump worked but the built in automatic switch did not. There was another used pump in the spare parts and a separate water switch. These needed to be tested. Turned out that the spare pump was broken.

The refrigerator supposedly worked but I could not test it yet because the switchboard and the cables were totally rotten. The inside is also in bad condition. Trying to clean it with a portable high pressure washer did not work. The cover was detached and the wood top quite rotten too.

Action: See Page Home work

The Head

The head (bathroom for non sailers) is between the saloon and the forward cabin, There is a door towards the saloon, but none anymore towards the bow cabin.

The toilet (with electric drain) was broken. The electrical pump was taken out, hoses were disconnected, water did not flow. The sea cocks were totally corroded. It needed total renovation.

The sink was a mess. According to the manufacturer’s advertisement it is a molded sink, so supposedly made from fiberglass also. What was in there was is a kitchen grade stainless steel sink, corroded, and the drainage hose broke off when I touched it. Comment of the boat caretaker: “Bought on Lazada.”

The fresh water pump was not running, even when connected directly to the battery.

Plan: Rip out the electrical stuff and the toilet and fit a toilet with manual pump. Probably also have to replace the sink and faucet.

See Page: The Head

The Galley

The galley was a total mess. Furniture holders had been removed from the bulkhead, probably for restoration, The bulkhead was rotten at the port side where water seeped in from the top. The faucet was not working and the 2 kitchen sinks were totally corroded. The working table top was originally a resin based panel, but had been overpainted in white, it was very messy. The two hinges of the refrigerator were detached. The refrigerator light was broken. All tubings underneath the sink were a total mess.

Through hull fittings and sea cocks

These were totally corroded and not working anymore, except the ones for the sink drainage.

Forward Cabin

The forward cabin is quite small. It only has sleeping space for one person. There is not much in it so not too many things to check, but it has storage under the bunk and the remote for the windlass is placed here. So when anchoring the forward cabin hatch needs to be opened to pass through the remote control, which is on a long cable. After rain there was always a lot of water under the floor panel. So there was some leak somewhere here too.

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Aft Cabin

The aft cabin was a total mess. Wet, smelling moldy, no windows to open. According to the care taker this was caused by a leak through the main sheet traveller (which turned out to be not true). All panels were quite rotten. Generally this needed cleaning up, fixing the leaks and repainting. And sorting out all the cables from the helm, the galley and the cabin running through the cabin.

Motor Compartment

This did not look too bad, I saved the thorough inspection for later. A new motor was installed in 2008. However, the anodes at the sail drive needed to be replaced urgently. For that the boat needed to get out of the water ASAP. The motor compartment was also very wet. The pulleys totally corroded leading to the belts wearing in no time.

The alternator stopped working within a few days of usage leaving the motor battery drained.

See Page: The Motor

Tanks

The boat has two water tanks on the starboard side and two diesel tanks on the port side. The water system did not work, the tanks were emptied, supposedly for lightening the boat for a regatta. The diesel tank 1 was used, diesel tank 2 was empty. The sensors for the fuel gauges did not work anymore. The water tanks did not have any water level sensors.

As it turned out during the All Souls Regatta, the afterly diesel tank was loose. During the trip to Pandan island it totally detached and was moving freely inside the tank compartment, banging from one side to the other when tacking or in rough sea.

The tanks bottoms were also totally covered in sludge, which detached and clogged the improvised fuel filter around Calavite Point leading to the engine dying many times during the attempt to sail back from Pandan Island.

The outlet tube with the fuel cock was also loose on the afterlytank.

The Underwater Ship

The boat had not been out of the water since years. The previous owner had won a free haulout at Papaya Cove, but did not have the time to to do it. Before a regatta a guy with scuba equipment would manually scrape off the fouling. The anodes of the SailDrive had not been changed for ages too. I did inspect the hull underwater using goggles and fins. I could not find any osmosis bubbles and the kiel seemed to be solidly connected to the hull.

Taking her out of the water to check for osmosis, apply new antifouling and change the anodes would be one of the high priority activities.

See Haulout.

Tender

There is no tender. There is a 16hp Yamaha Enduro outboard motor, but it is still at the Puerto Galera Yacht Club..

Safety Equipment

Life Jackets

I was very happy when I found three inflatable life jackets on board, after giving all our four old life jackets from Magayon II to her new owners. Unfortunately these were totally rotten, the CO2 cartridge corroded and the plastic dissolving. Out of curiosity I pulled the string at one jacket that manually inflates the life jacket, it still worked with a bang, but I found myself covered in a cloud of yellow dust. The yellow plastic of the floatation bubble inside had totally dissolved. One of the jackets had Jan-2011 written inside, I guess that means it was tested the last time 14 years ago.

So we need to get some new ones.

Update, October 17. Found a fourth inflatable life jacket in the forward cabin in the lowest compartment. There was also water standing below the floor board in that cabin. The life jacket looked as rotten as the previous three ones. Last service was in 2001. To test it I attached it to a rope and threw it in the water – nothing happened. After retrieving the jacket and opening it – the CO2 tank was totally corroded and the jacket rotten.

Initial Action: Borrow some life jackets from Costa Rica for the 2025 All Souls Regatta. Order now ones in Germany, K. to bring.

Manual bilge pump

The pump had many defects. There was a spare part kit on board but that only contains the diaphragm and the rubbers for the valve.

Joel removed the pump and I took it to Subic for a further assessment.

So basically I had the rubber spare parts (diaphragm and valves) but not the broken bolt. Not sure whether I could get that as a spare parts. Maybe defusing the part and welding a bolt onto it could be an option.