The good along with the bad

I took Artemis II out for her maiden voyage this past Sunday. It was a beautiful 72 degree day on Mission Bay in San Diego. Winds from the north at 10 mph. I went with my 33 year old son. You might say it was cozy in the cockpit and we didn't set any speed records but we did ok. It was very fortunate that he came along.

There is one island in Mission Bay that has a very shallow beach that extends about 40 yards into the bay and then drops off sharply. I know this because I was sailing along nicely at what I thought was a l.p.safe distance and then stopped abruptly. I lifted the motherboard ant then the rudder (old style) popped out. When I was trying to pop it back in the toilet cracked. My son just happened to have a couple of mini clamps with him (don't ask me why) so we clamped that pieces together and got back to the launch point.

The good news is that that Sunfish did just great. No water came out from the drain plugs when I had the opportunity to tip her on her side. I also got to spend the day with my son, which I don't get to do as often as I would like, since he lives up in the bay area.

The bad news is that I have to repair the tiller. I was thinking marine epoxy or gorilla glue and maybe a couple of stainless steel screws.

 
I took Artemis II out for her maiden voyage

I went with my 33 year old son.

the toilet cracked.

got back to the launch point.

The good news is that that Sunfish did just great.

I also got to spend the day with my son, which I don't get to do as often as I would like,

I have to repair the tiller.

Sounds like a great day in my book!!! Congrats. Some of my best adventures in boating involve overcoming minor adversity. Having your son with you, and returning to port with all major components intact, as well as seeing the potential for a lot of future fun time, I'd be thrilled.

Did I ever tell you about one first outing I had? I backed the newly bought used trailer down the ramp to retrieve the newly bought used boat who's engine had died. When I hit the brakes at the bottom of the ramp, the wheels and axle just kept on going down the ramp into and under the water, with the frame of the trailer still attached to the tow vehicle.

Best of luck with the "new" boat.
 
Sounds like a great day in my book!!! Congrats. Some of my best adventures in boating involve overcoming minor adversity. Having your son with you, and returning to port with all major components intact, as well as seeing the potential for a lot of future fun time, I'd be thrilled.

Did I ever tell you about one first outing I had? I backed the newly bought used trailer down the ramp to retrieve the newly bought used boat who's engine had died. When I hit the brakes at the bottom of the ramp, the wheels and axle just kept on going down the ramp into and under the water, with the frame of the trailer still attached to the tow vehicle.

Best of luck with the "new" boat.
I think I saw something similar on "America's Funniest Videos".
 
Awesome. don't clamps so hard that you squeeze all the adhesive out. I'd use thickened epoxy and maybe even throw a wrap of 4 oz fiberglass around there, hold it in place with saran wrap while it dries, then redrill the holes.
 
When you drill new holes, align the tiller in place, so the tiller clears the rear deck satisfactorily.
 
Looks just like my old tiller. I used gorilla glue then wrapped three plastic ties around it followed by wrapping duct tape around the whole thing. Probably overkill. Over the winter I used it as a template and made a whole new one out of scrap mahogany that I had. I found that on the old tiller, the place where it meets the rudder (wood to wood contact ) was so worn that my tiller would rub against the boat deck. With the new tiller, it stayed just above the deck (no more scratch lines).
 
Headley Grange,

Just FYI.... if you haven't found us already...we have a Sunfish fleet here in San Diego.
You can find us at www.sunfishsandiego.com
Our "frostbite" series starts after the new year and we race every other weekend throughout the summer. Come down and hang with us. Its a great group of sailors just out having fun. Let me know if you would like some mroe info.
 
Well, I decided to go both routes in regards to the tiller. I thought I still had some Gorilla Glue, but I was sadly mistaken. I found an old piece of oak and fabricated a new tiller. I used my scroll saw and the cuts aren't perfect but it looks pretty good from ten yards away. When I Removed the bolts from the tiller bracket they broke. When I went to the hardware store to buy replacements I picked up a bottle of Gorilla Glue. That way I'll have a spare.

Satch4621, I'm familiar with the Mission Bay Sunfish Fleet. In fact, I bought my Sunfish from one of the members. The problem is my work schedule. I work the overnight shift every Friday and your events are held on Saturday mornings.
 
Took out Artemis II last week for a solo sail at Mission Bay. I really like sailing there because there is a 5 MPH limit for power boats. The oak tiller worked just fine. For some reason it felt different than the Mahogany one. Not better or worse, just different. There is a three-foot drop at Bahia point and I was able to get it up and down by myself.

There were two other Sunfish on the bay, Paul and Paul from the San Diego fleet. They came up and introduced themselves. Only one other boat out. It was nice having pretty much the whole bay. I could have probably tagged along with the Pauls but at this point it's probably better for me to stay out of everyone else's way.
 

Back
Top