Commander 147

mbd · December 22, 2014, 10:40:22 AM

Jerry, you've really got really knack for the finer details: the trim pieces along the cockpit seat, the grate in the after part of the cockpit - even the sliding rails on your hatch - really accent those beautiful coamings. You're probably getting tired of hearing it - but you really really do absolutely beautiful work! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Lucky Dawg · December 22, 2014, 11:47:36 AM

I'm with you Mike. Serious "WOW" factor. Jerry, I want to see your masterful take on the teak cockpit sole as the pièce de résistance for this brand-new-old gal!

Thanks for the info on installing rubrail. I toyed with using the predrilled Eagle moulding 12" oc holes (with the same 5200 process you describ) to install the rail - therefore with half as many screw holes through the topsides - and then screwing the6" oc stainless rubrail just to the moulding. Thoughts?

Commander 147 · December 22, 2014, 01:13:01 PM

Quote from: Lucky Dawg;26938I'm with you Mike. Serious "WOW" factor. Jerry, I want to see your masterful take on the teak cockpit sole as the pièce de résistance for this brand-new-old gal!

Thanks for the info on installing rubrail. I toyed with using the predrilled Eagle moulding 12" oc holes (with the same 5200 process you describ) to install the rail - therefore with half as many screw holes through the topsides - and then screwing the6" oc stainless rubrail just to the moulding. Thoughts?

Dang, I forgot until you asked this question that I had done exactly that (at least to a point)! I attached the vinyl molding first and then the S.S. rub rail afterwards and I used a 5/8" long screw to attach the S.S. rub rail to the vinyl with the following exceptions. At both ends and at a maximum of 3' apart I ran screws through the S.S. rail and all the way into the fiberglass. I found some of the holes in the S.S. rub rail landed directly on top of the screws for the vinyl so at those locations I used the same screw for both. So at all of the ends of the S.S. rub rail, and where ever screws landed on top of each other and, a maximum of 3' apart I had screws that went through both the stainless and the vinyl all the way into the fiberglass. Sorry I forgot to mention that in my previous post.

Commander 147 · December 22, 2014, 01:15:42 PM

Quote from: mbd;26936Jerry, you've really got really knack for the finer details: the trim pieces along the cockpit seat, the grate in the after part of the cockpit - even the sliding rails on your hatch - really accent those beautiful coamings. You're probably getting tired of hearing it - but you really really do absolutely beautiful work! Thanks for sharing it with us.

I really do appreciate the comments a lot. As long as this project has taken me it is comments like that that keep me going and never giving up. Thanks for your kind words.

Commander 147 · December 27, 2014, 03:45:46 PM

Since I am not putting the stern pulpit back on Destiny I though a long time about how to support the mast for travel. This afternoon I built a support at the back end of the cockpit and another at the mast step to do just that. I was able to tie the back support off to 4 cleats (two stern cleats and two mid-ships cleats that mount to the genoa track.

Because the forward mast support is part of the trailer and because the boat can get a little out of perfect alignment when going on the trailer the center support had to allow for the misalignment. So it is a support only. You can see the way the boat is on the trailer right now the string line does not land right in the middle of the center support.

I'm trying to get the mast back on the boat (at least temporarily) so I can finish up the new standing rigging and measure for new sails.

One of these days I'm going to actually sail this boat!

Commander 147 · December 29, 2014, 04:54:13 PM

Did you know that according to Wikipedia the correct spelling for a boats traveller requires 2 L's? All these years I have been spelling it incorrectly.

So anyway I got a small amount of time I could spend on Destiny today and I finished the traveller installation.

Lucky Dawg · December 29, 2014, 10:55:22 PM

What's the launch date, Man? Can't wait to see Destiny fulfill her destiny!

Commander 147 · December 30, 2014, 08:10:37 AM

Quote from: Lucky Dawg;26954What's the launch date, Man? Can't wait to see Destiny fulfill her destiny!

ASAP. In the beginning and for most of the time I have been working on her I have answered that question with "when she is done". Then a few months back I started saying I wanted to launch in Nov. but a combination of things kept me from working on her which included a couple of 4 day stays in the hospital with diverticulitis. So now I just work on her when ever I can and try my best to get her back in the water. As you will see as I post them I still have some significant projects to complete. So....... ASAP! But in my mind I sail her every time I work on her.

Commander 147 · January 05, 2015, 02:56:41 PM

Stepped the mast this weekend so we could adjust the old shrouds, mark them and then use them for the pin to pin dimensions to make the new ones. I already have the new material here with swaged fittings for the top and mechanical fittings for the bottom and all of the shrouds were left long so once I got to this stage I could measure and make them up. So for the standing rigging it is finally show time!

You will notice the boom is installed close to the bottom of the mast. I designed the vang attachments to the same size as the gooseneck so that when I was lifting the mast I could put the boom closer to the bottom of the mast to make the baby stays work correctly.

Oh and a special thanks to my good friend Tom Scott who drove just over 2 hours each way to spend the day and help me with this process! Friends like that are hard to come by but I am lucky enough to have two of them. My other friend Tim who lives in Iowa but visits Florida frequently comes her to help also.

ebb · January 06, 2015, 10:33:11 AM

You guys make it look S O O O easy!

Commander 147 · January 06, 2015, 11:29:53 AM

Quote from: ebb;26963You guys make it look S O O O easy!

Making up the bridles and baby stays to keep everything in alignment while it was coming up. That and getting the mast on the boat. We pulled the boat out of the shelter, hoisted the mast up to the peak of the shelter with the mainsheet and vang hardware and then backed the boat under the mast and lowered it onto the boat.

Lucky Dawg · April 10, 2015, 08:55:29 AM

Hey Jerry,
I was in your neck of the woods for spring break! Fantastic break from Michigan winter. We were staying with friends in Bradenton / Anna Maria. Stink-boated out to Passage Key - looked like like we'd made a quick trip to the Bahamas!

Also paddled down the Peace River in Arcadia. My son and I found a bunch of fossil shark teeth / etc including a half a megaloadon tooth! (16 million year old Great White predecessor)

I'd could move down that way in a heartbeat!
KW

Commander 147 · April 11, 2015, 11:35:07 AM

It really is easy to get spoiled down here. You were not to far from one of my favorite sailing areas which is Charlotte Harbor. The Peace river that you paddled down dumps into Charlotte Harbor before heading into the gulf.

Sounds like you had a good time. I wish I had known you were coming we could have hooked up for a day of sailing. Destiny is very close to splashing now but I also have access to a Tartan 3000 that is in Charlotte Harbor that we could have gone out sailing on.

As far as Destiny goes, I have the electric aux drive fully functional now. I am planning on finishing the electrical wiring today. I had to start from scratch and completely wire the boat. That took longer than I wanted it to. Soon I will be hauling her back to a local marina where they can lift her off the trailer so I can install the new rudder, prop shaft and prop. Then I will get the bottom job done while I'm at the marina also and it will be splash time!

Before I can do that though I have to stand the mast here again. I have all the new shrouds installed on the mast now and when I get the mast up this time the sail maker is coming back to take one more dimension for the working jib. The new main and genoa are already made. Also while I have the mast up my wife is going to measure for the new boat cover and mainsail cover she will be making.

Lucky Dawg · April 11, 2015, 10:07:43 PM

Hey Jerry,
No offense! We had a packed week and a gaggle of kids in tow for our visit. I thought of you, but it wasn't really feasible to make contact. Would have loved to have seen your badass work on Destiny. We had a great visit and will be back in the coming years. Another time, for sure.

Great work and great progress. I continue to be impressed / humbled. I understand the irritation of the "when will you launch?" question, but I am also so eager to see you splash and for you to enjoy the (huge) fruits of your (huge) labor!

Please keep posting update pix! You've done a ton since the last pix!

Commander 147 · April 27, 2015, 09:50:22 AM

So all of the electrical is complete now. I got the GPS installed and wired and that was the last remaining piece to the electrical.

Here is a picture from the inside of Destiny looking out. I did not put the new cushions in place for the picture and I noticed there is a cable for the antenna I forgot to tie up when I was working in that area but you can get the general idea.

Also I stepped the mast again this weekend this time with the new shrouds and with the furler. This allowed me to work out all of the issues associated with the furler and a few other items.

So here is the countdown items still remaining before splash day arrives.

1.) Now that the mast is standing I can get the sail maker back here to measure one more thing he wanted to check on before they made up the working jib. He already has the new main and the genoa done and will bring them when he comes to take this last dimension.

2.) My wife is going to make a full cover for Destiny and now that the mast is up she can measure for that. Also When the mainsail gets here she will check the old sail cover to see how it fits and use it as a pattern for the new one she is making.

3.) When the mast can come back down it is off to the marina to take her off the trailer so I can install the new rudder, prop shaft, and prop. And while I am there I will set her on blocks and I have a guy who will do the barrier coat and bottom job for me.

4.) When she comes back from the marina it will be time to load gear and head to the water for her big splash. I can almost feel her sailing through the water now...................

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Commander 147