Hi

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  • September 13, 2013 5:44 PM
    Message # 1388887
    Anonymous
    Hello all, 
    My name is Brian, I am 26 and a senior in the College of Business at Winthrop University. I have been on and around boats of some kind for as long as I can remember. My grandfather built a Westsail from a kit from the mid 70's into the early/mid 80's her name was Sea Dreamer II. I was fortunate enough to get to spend a good amount of time on her with my grandparents and my parents. He sold her a few years ago to a great guy who currently lives on her up near Vancouver, B.C. 
     
    I had been thinking about what to do after graduation and I have settled on working/ cruising around the world. I have been casually looking at all different kinds of boats for quite some time now. Last fall my father bought a sailboat in Charleston, SC and as I was walking down the dock to go see his boat I noticed a Westsail 32, "INTUITION", a few slips away and I was intrigued by her. As I continued to shop around on the interweb looking at many different makes and models of sailboats I kept circling back to her sitting there in here slip and I kept wondering if I should try and buy her ( I had heard through the grapevine that her owner wanted to sell her). Finally in August of this year I worked up the courage and got in touch with her owner and we set a time for me to come and inspect her and I ended up buying her that day. 

    I am now the very proud and happy owner of "INTUITION" (hull # 825). She is a fine vessel but is in need of a bit of tlc and a slight re-fit, this does not deter me since I can see her awesome potential and am more than willing to put in the work to get her back to shipshape and seaworthy once more. She is my first "real boat" even though I have had a variety of small boats none were over 16', and I couldn't be more pleased about it.

    Here she is as I bought her on Aug 23, 2013

     Photo
    Photo

    As we were taking her to the yard for the insurance survey:
    Photo

    And the proud new owner (me) working on getting her running for the first time in a while (she needed a lift pump):
    Photo
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    Cheers, Brian

    Last modified: September 13, 2013 5:44 PM | Anonymous
  • September 13, 2013 6:17 PM
    Reply # 1388900 on 1388887
    Welcome Brian! The pictures didn't show up... looking forward to seeing them
  • September 13, 2013 6:35 PM
    Reply # 1388909 on 1388887
    Anonymous
    Thank you!
    I think it may have been the album setting in picassa. I changed it to public, are they there now?


    Last modified: September 13, 2013 6:42 PM | Anonymous
  • September 13, 2013 6:50 PM
    Reply # 1388918 on 1388887
    Yip! Looking good :)
  • September 13, 2013 6:52 PM
    Reply # 1388919 on 1388887
    Deleted user
    Hi Brian, you are a true visionary . I wish you great success . But I know you will succeed ! 
  • September 14, 2013 6:11 AM
    Reply # 1389146 on 1388887
    Anonymous
    Thanks Mark!
  • September 14, 2013 10:59 AM
    Reply # 1389251 on 1388887
    Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Welcome aboard -- and do keep the images coming ...

    Jay

  • September 16, 2013 6:28 AM
    Reply # 1390522 on 1388887

    Hey Brian,

    We are in the same boat, per se.  Albeit, my project needs a little more work... we have the gift of youth my friend.  I will reinforce your findings that these boats were made very well, and anything you refurbish will be in astute shape, awaiting reassembly, and serve you another long time.  I look forward to following your progress.  Feel free to contact me if you want to discuss anything about project westsails.

    T.

  • September 16, 2013 1:16 PM
    Reply # 1390830 on 1388887
    Anonymous
    Thanks Tyler, I've read through some of you blog/ project log and you have done an immense amount of work and it is very impressive and inspiring to see, I look forward to seeing and reading more of your adventure. Thanks for the offer, it's always reassuring to be able to talk to someone who has been there and had to fix the same stuff.
    Last modified: September 16, 2013 1:18 PM | Anonymous
  • November 18, 2013 7:04 PM
    Reply # 1441260 on 1388887
    Anonymous
    Alright so I had a nice long post written out and then I lost it while trying to add pictures so let's try again...

    I have managed to get some work accomplished since my last posts here, however class work has been occupying the majority of my time and keeping me from being able to get a lot done right now but I am on track to graduate in may so it's almost over/ about to begin.

    I have bought some goodies for the boat including 12/3 tinned wire to replace the romex in the 110v system. I found a couple smaller snatch blocks some bronze snap shackles and a Brand New Groco SV-750 at a local swap meet back in October. I bought 2 12" bronze Hershoff  cleats from Spartan Marine and I also bought one of their 3/4" seacocks to replace the original Groco SV-750 as the raw water intake seacock. I chose the Spartan because it will mount up to the holes that are already there and the fact that it is a great product with a very long projected service life.

    The pretty boat jewlery from Spartan Marine
    Photo

    The new Groco and the other goodies from the swap meet including a Primus stove and a paraffin torch.
    Photo


    I also had her fumigated by the local Terminix guy to get rid of the dry-wood Termites that had taken up residence on board. i am still waiting on some picks of her all tented up from the bug man but they'll be up when I get them.

    I mounted the new cleats up forward and I potted the holes with thickened epoxy to reinforce and seal the core against water. I bedded them with some Sikaflex and mounted them with some bronze machine screws and Ipe backing plates. 

    Locating the new cleat
    Photo

    New cleats installed
    Photo

    Photo

    I then removed the sampson post and found where the Termites had been holed up...
    Photo
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    Taking out the old sampson post was a job to be sure, I ended up cutting all the bolts off since they were so corroded after 30+ years of neglect up in the chain locker.
    Photo
    Photo

    I will be replacing the chainlocker bulkhead due to some rot in the center and around the old bolt holes. I also plan om making a new custom SS sampson post in the not too distant future. I am planning to make a cruciform type with a mounting flange and a post that extends down to the original mounting location on the soon to be new bulkhead, more to come on that later though.  

    I made a plug to seal the hole from the old post from some scrap pine and some epoxy to seal it up and then I bolted it in using a backing plate to keep from having to drill holes in the deck. 
    Photo
    Photo
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    I also found out that the evil Termites had gotten into the core in the foredeck, I am not sure how far they got nor am I sure how to figure this out but I am open to suggestions. My current plan is to inject some thickened epoxy into the tunnels and then seal the core with some neat epoxy to keep out future invaders.
     Am I going about this in the correct fashion? I have bee looking for more information on what to do here but I haven't found a lot yet so any help/ guidance would be more than welcome.

    Full size pictures can be found here Album 

    Cheers, Brian
    Last modified: November 18, 2013 7:07 PM | Anonymous
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