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first overnight

PostPosted: Tue Jul 05, 2022 8:56 am
by buckeye
Took the boat out for the first overnight. A few lessons learned

1) anchor storage, deployment and recovery. I have an old milk crate that just fits in the cockpit well. since the rear 2' of the well are essentially otherwise unusable due to the tiller, that's where it lives, is deployed and recovered from.
2) the boat did swing at anchor substantially. I wonder if anyone has tried using a bridle to manage this, connecting through both anchor chocks?
3) I made my version of John's galley / stove holder / companionway tray thing. I left off the decking on top and used 3/4" pine L's around the feet to retain the stove while leaving the side compartment open for utensils and spices etc. The stove is extremely powerful as John noted. And while this accessory takes up a lot of space, it does fit in the forward cabin and is a very nice thing to have around meal time.
4) The rudder attachment with the eyebolts and rod was sort of rotating and grinding with each wave at anchor. This sound reverberated through the hull like a drum. After several attempts at resolving this, and hopefully getting some sleep, I tied a line around the top of the rudder itself and lashed it tightly to one of the stern cleats. It went mercifully silent after that. I may add some nylon washers to see if that helps quiet the thing.
5) I had purchased a companionway net, by Sogeman. Kept out the no-see-ums while keeping the cabin cool and comfortable. Highly recommended.
6) The smallest Thetford porta-potti just fits under the carlins for under-cockpit storage. Worked well.

Re: first overnight

PostPosted: Tue Jul 05, 2022 2:04 pm
Regarding the nighttime noise from the rudder and its hinges:
On my first night on the water, it was as loud and obnoxious as you described, and I hung a couple of pounds of weight from the tiller, and that quieted it down.
John Harris mentioned to me that he cured it by jamming a wedge-shaped bit of dense closed-cell foam between the rudder and the transom.

Doug

Re: first overnight

PostPosted: Thu Jul 07, 2022 6:37 am
by buckeye
I would like to add that Pocketship did everything it was designed to do and did it very well.
We were able to sail where we wanted, anchor in a quiet inlet in water that bigger boats dared not go.
The electrical system provided for cabin lights, anchor and nav computer and lights and music.
We slept comfortably, made meals etc.
Launch and recovery is very manageable.
Looking forward to leveraging the ability to go over the road to explore other destinations that couldn't be gotten to with a larger marina-bound sloop.

Re: first overnight

PostPosted: Fri Jul 08, 2022 12:39 pm
by Brent65
Thank you for sharing...Excellent insights.