Can We Put Our SAILBOAT Back TOGETHER In Time? [Ep. 12]

We put our boat back together!!! We are almost ready to go sailing. It is November and we need to get south. Will we get back in the water and put the sails on in time to get to the Bahamas?

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0:00 Intro
0:45 Rudder Bearings
Kate gives a detailed explanation of how the rudder bearings work, and why we are changing them out.

1:47 Gooping
This is a really big project, including lots of fiberglass work and “gooping”. Meaning, it’s messy! We use lots of different glues and sealants as we time-lapse the rudder bearings back in the boat. We also add an extra fiberglass layer, with the help of Beasley Marine making them extra secure offshore.

https://www.beasleymarine.me/ – Their website is lame, but their composite work and knowledge are top-notch. If you need composite, fiberglass repair, or carbon fiber work done on the east coast, Mike Beasley and his experienced team are highly recommended!

2:47 Rudder Installation
We slide the rudder back up into the boat. Carefully aligning it. We narrowly miss the wind generator with the travel lift as we maneuver the boat over the rudder. The rudder quadrant, steering cables, and autopilot are bolted in and tested.

5:38 Roxy the Sailing Dog Meets a Deer
We took Roxy for a walk in the local park. She saw a deer for the first time. She was a bit confused, and we think she thought it was another large dog that she could play with. It was really funny watching her try to jump and play with the whitetail deer.

6:15 Mast Mods and Installation
We modified the carbon fiber mast and rig to include a removable Dyneema inner forestay. This would allow us to have a cutter rig when we wished, and change back to a sloop as needed. A staysail jib which will also double as our storm headsail is hanked on and flies in high winds, or with double headsails when reaching.

Once again, we enlisted the professionals at Beasley Marine for this composite work.

7:43 Back Together and In the Water
We finally get the boat back together and the travel lift comes to launch the boat on a cold November day. Thanksgiving is approaching as we prep for our next ocean sailing passage.

10:03 Tech Talk
We take a few moments to talk about how all the boat work we did in the yard has held up over the last 4000 miles as we have sailed to the Bahamas, USVI, BVI, Grenada & West Indies. We touch on the rudder bearings, carbon fiber mast, LifePO4 batteries, solar panels, boat life, and more.

#sailingvlog #annapolis #sail #sailing #sailinglife #sail #sea #boat #yacht #sailboat #yachting #travel #ocean #boatlife

About Us:
So who are we? Well, we aren’t Sailing La Vagabonde, Expedition Evans, Sailing Doodles, Sailing Uma, Gone With the Wynns, or Sailing Delos. We don’t have a fancy catamaran, but we do have a pretty and fast monohull sailboat. Cruising catamarans like the Fountaine Pajot’s, Leopards, and Lagoons can’t keep up 😉

We are Kate and Curtis, a YouTube sailing couple, with our sailing dog Roxy, aboard SV Sweet Ruca, a J-Boats J/46 monohull. We used to be sailboat racers on the great lakes, and our goal is to cruise around the world via the capes (the wrong way or the hard way). We will see if this will happen or not, as the “new normal” has put quite a damper on our travels. For now, enjoy our videos and join us on our journey via our YouTube Channel.

‘Till Next Time 🙂