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#91
Tales and Trip Reports / Re: Son back from the Dark Sid...
Last post by Riley Smith - Apr 09, 2024, 09:20 AMNice boat! I'd own a Pearl....
#92
TSBB General Talk / Re: HELP!! Talk me down from a...
Last post by CapnK - Apr 08, 2024, 04:04 PMQuote from: Tim West Coast on Apr 08, 2024, 08:22 AMOh for crying out loud Charles, buy it! It won't be the most foolish thing you have done. And we are all looking forward to the stories that come from it!
Quote from: Norm L. on Apr 08, 2024, 01:39 PMIf I were in that situation, I would Buy the Seagull make it pretty and put it up on a wall.
Two VERY good points. Bonus - you'll have the no-brain, circuit-free Seagull in case we get an EMP...
Yes of course that's a valid reason! (Valid enough to make it a plausible wall hanging, when you explain to Mary.)
WRT trolling motor range, FWIW - I've got the cheapest ($90 IIRC) MinnKota 30# thrust 12V troller on my 12' micro-power cruiser. Coupled with a 22# 100Ah LiFePo4 battery ($225 @Amazon), running at 3/4 throttle should produce 20+ hours of runtime.
Good enough to serve as a 'get home' option if the Yammy 9.9 fails for some reason; should work even better for the Scamp!
You cannot view this attachment.
#93
TSBB General Talk / Re: HELP!! Talk me down from a...
Last post by Norm L. - Apr 08, 2024, 01:39 PMI'm getting in on this late. I love Seagulls. Mainly because I never had one but grew up hearing great stories from owners on how bullet proof they are.
If I were in that situation, I would Buy the Seagull make it pretty and put it up on a wall. And put a modern outboard on the boat. I do like KISS and think electric is the way to go for your probable usage.
Having been tracking battery science future batteries will give you better range. Even now you can get a new generation new science battery, but they are still quite expensive.
Marine lithium batteries and their control systems are quite popular on bigger (which includes bigger $$$) sail and power boats.
If I were in that situation, I would Buy the Seagull make it pretty and put it up on a wall. And put a modern outboard on the boat. I do like KISS and think electric is the way to go for your probable usage.
Having been tracking battery science future batteries will give you better range. Even now you can get a new generation new science battery, but they are still quite expensive.
Marine lithium batteries and their control systems are quite popular on bigger (which includes bigger $$$) sail and power boats.
#94
Tales and Trip Reports / Re: Son back from the Dark Sid...
Last post by Norm L. - Apr 08, 2024, 01:19 PMI always liked Marine-Concepts boats.
I'm thinking in my cloudy mind that there was once some connection between them and Nimble, both sharpie type builders in Tampa.
I'm thinking in my cloudy mind that there was once some connection between them and Nimble, both sharpie type builders in Tampa.
#95
TSBB General Talk / Thanks for all the thoughts! ....
Last post by Charles Brennan - Apr 08, 2024, 12:15 PMAppreciate the thoughts from everyone; this is a great group of people.
Cap'n K: Your reply reminded me of a pro/con I had missed: Honda being air-cooled and the British Seagull's infamous water impeller. Good News: Easy to change. Bad News: You have to do it a LOT! I irrationally despise Suzukis (rusty carb bowls for one) and might need to re-think that, based on your recommendation, although advice on remediating manufacturing defects, is not a real strong argument.
Captain Kidd: "Can resell if necessary." Not so sure about that; you're talking about an extreme niche market, there.
Riley: "As I see it, you don't even know if the seagull RUNS!!!" You didn't read closely enough, My Man; I knew it felt like good compression, wasn't seized, etc. and I have a lot of practice feeling for exactly that. Also, I never had a British Seagull I couldn't get running. My problem was KEEPING them running when I couldn't get parts. There is a whole Cult Industry re-manufacturing Seagull parts, so now I COULD get parts. One of the things that made the choice, so difficult.
DBthal: Ironically, that was one of the attractions for me. After I learned of (all!) the Seagull's quirks, I never failed to start it on no more than two pulls, and the vast majority of starts were after a single pull.
Hasn't run in a month? Put on the choke, put the throttle cable halfway between full on and full off, open the fuel valve, start motor. Been run once, today? Put off the choke and repeat the rest. Seriously, you have no idea how reliable these motors were and why I treasured mine, so.
Brian N: A most encouraging recommendation. Other TSBBer (positive!) experiences, is exactly what I was looking for.
Krusen: Good and Thoughtful Advice, as always. Especially, about aged maintenance and repairs, versus more youthful maintenance and repairs. I was already uncomfortable with the 2-cycle mess a 25:1 fuel/oil mix makes and well remember the permanent sheen in the water off my stern so that was a good reminder. Also good advice about re-fueling plumbing, you enabler, you!
pgandw: Fred, I had a trolling motor on Urchin for 3 years (in between the Forty Plus and the Silver Century Plus) and should probably give that more serious consideration than I have, to date. Between ESC and PWM controllers, and improvements in battery technology, to say nothing of pulsed DC motors, I might finally be able to achieve the cruising distances that I can currently only get from gasoline engines. Will do some hard thinking on that.
Tim West Coast: ENABLER!! ENABLER!!
The thing I got most from reading all the responses, was about Time.
Time spent refurbishing a motor from a by-gone era is Time not sailing and not boat-building. Guess I was obsessing on the money differential for getting an engine on the stern and NOT considering that I have plenty of time to shop for a more optimum solution. I can always get some more money; I can't get more Time.
Thanks to all of you,
Charles Brennan
Cap'n K: Your reply reminded me of a pro/con I had missed: Honda being air-cooled and the British Seagull's infamous water impeller. Good News: Easy to change. Bad News: You have to do it a LOT! I irrationally despise Suzukis (rusty carb bowls for one) and might need to re-think that, based on your recommendation, although advice on remediating manufacturing defects, is not a real strong argument.
Captain Kidd: "Can resell if necessary." Not so sure about that; you're talking about an extreme niche market, there.
Riley: "As I see it, you don't even know if the seagull RUNS!!!" You didn't read closely enough, My Man; I knew it felt like good compression, wasn't seized, etc. and I have a lot of practice feeling for exactly that. Also, I never had a British Seagull I couldn't get running. My problem was KEEPING them running when I couldn't get parts. There is a whole Cult Industry re-manufacturing Seagull parts, so now I COULD get parts. One of the things that made the choice, so difficult.
DBthal: Ironically, that was one of the attractions for me. After I learned of (all!) the Seagull's quirks, I never failed to start it on no more than two pulls, and the vast majority of starts were after a single pull.
Hasn't run in a month? Put on the choke, put the throttle cable halfway between full on and full off, open the fuel valve, start motor. Been run once, today? Put off the choke and repeat the rest. Seriously, you have no idea how reliable these motors were and why I treasured mine, so.
Brian N: A most encouraging recommendation. Other TSBBer (positive!) experiences, is exactly what I was looking for.
Krusen: Good and Thoughtful Advice, as always. Especially, about aged maintenance and repairs, versus more youthful maintenance and repairs. I was already uncomfortable with the 2-cycle mess a 25:1 fuel/oil mix makes and well remember the permanent sheen in the water off my stern so that was a good reminder. Also good advice about re-fueling plumbing, you enabler, you!
pgandw: Fred, I had a trolling motor on Urchin for 3 years (in between the Forty Plus and the Silver Century Plus) and should probably give that more serious consideration than I have, to date. Between ESC and PWM controllers, and improvements in battery technology, to say nothing of pulsed DC motors, I might finally be able to achieve the cruising distances that I can currently only get from gasoline engines. Will do some hard thinking on that.
Tim West Coast: ENABLER!! ENABLER!!
The thing I got most from reading all the responses, was about Time.
Time spent refurbishing a motor from a by-gone era is Time not sailing and not boat-building. Guess I was obsessing on the money differential for getting an engine on the stern and NOT considering that I have plenty of time to shop for a more optimum solution. I can always get some more money; I can't get more Time.
Thanks to all of you,
Charles Brennan
#96
Tales and Trip Reports / Re: Son back from the Dark Sid...
Last post by Tim West Coast - Apr 08, 2024, 11:46 AMGreat! I had the wonderful week long trip sailing in the Bahamas on one, hard to find.
#97
Tales and Trip Reports / Son back from the Dark Side! ...
Last post by Charles Brennan - Apr 08, 2024, 11:30 AMMy son, Chris, was literally raised on Urchin so I assumed sailboats would always be a natural part of his life and was a little dismayed when he got a 17' Carolina Skiff.
But afterwards, he sold it and bought a year-long refurbishment project, a Siren 17.
Took it to a few BEER cruises; here's a pic from 2007.
You cannot view this attachment.
Nice boat, nice paint job, good brightwork and boat colors on his Siren.
You cannot view this attachment.
Wonder what could have inspired that?
You cannot view this attachment.
Urchin, perhaps?
Then he got rid of the Siren and got a 24' Sportsfisherman, until he tired of the maintenance and the fuel costs and then he got rid of that, boat too.
He contented himself with kayaking, but unbeknownst to me until yesterday, that long ago BEER cruise had made an impression on him.
It was on one of the Calm Days.
On a BEER Cruise, you get a calm day, a rainy day, a hot day, a rough weather day and a gorgeous day, all on the same cruise.
Sometimes, even all on the same day!
It was so flat and windless, that Chris became bored and decided to sit on the deck of his Siren and fish for whatever might inhabit the Santa Rosa Sound.
As he was languidly drifting, a boat passed him by. He asked if they were using a motor.
They replied, no they were just sailing.
As they ghosted past him, their Sea Pearl 21 made a deep impression on him: Barely any wind and those boats still know how to MOVE!
He's been looking to buy one for over 2 or 3 years, now.
And finally lucked onto one, in Tampa.
He is currently truck-less (though I suspect that will change soon) so Ole Dad got drafted to go down to Tampa and help him bring back a 1989 Sea Pearl.
I mean, what's a Sailboat Enabler, er, I mean, a Father! to do?!?
You cannot view this attachment.
And not just any Sea Pearl; this is none other than Black Pearl once owned by Ron Johnson, one of the owners of Marine-Concepts that built the Sea Pearls.
A peek inside, showing some Shaw & Tenney spoon blade oars
You cannot view this attachment.
All that algae on the goal posts was a warning, that this boat hasn't really been out and about, for maybe three years.
Still had Good Bones, though.
You cannot view this attachment.
Nice cleats on the backing block that reinforces the leeboards.
You cannot view this attachment.
Ever see a boat that cried out: "Take me home with you!" as much as this one?
You cannot view this attachment.
Chris, probably wondering: "What have I gotten myself into?"
You cannot view this attachment.
Ready for the long trip home! Hey! Even the lights worked!!
You cannot view this attachment.
Spare tire from my kayak trailer added to the trailer to improve the tongue weight, which I was not too happy with. We also moved everything in the boat as far forward as we could.
Probably a good move, because it rode like it was on rails all the way to Chris' house.
And now for the strangest part of a Brennan Sailboat Story: No Side-of-the-Road-Trailer-Disasters!
Nope.
We had checked the tires and pumped them up from 20 psi to 40 psi with my RIB air compressor and battery pack.
We greased the nearly empty Bearing Buddies with the grease gun kept in the back of the truck at all times.
Even got out the hydraulic jack and jacked up the wheels and spun them and listened to the bearings and wiggled them to check for excessive play.
Checked the DOT date codes (2020) on the tires and figured they were probably OK.
Which is not to say that we didn't stop periodically and check that the hubs were only around 10º above ambient temps and the tires around 20º above ambient temps.
But no problems!!
Yeah!
It was WEIRD!!
We had toyed with the idea of taking it to Cedar Key and splashing it, before bringing it home and to that end, I had grabbed all required USCG safety gear from Urchin and shoved it in the back of the truck.
However, a little de-lamination in the lee boards, quickly disabused us of that notion.
Nothing that can't be fixed, with a little penetrating epoxy.
Chris decided he also wanted a little "driveway sailing" for familiarity's sake before launching it, showing far more judgement and restraint, than I ever had.
Picked up Urchin last day of the Boat Show and immediately drove it to Crandon Marina and launched it in the dark and took her out sailing.
Back at Chris' house we sorted things out and got the boat stowed next to his shed that houses all his tools and kayaks and whatnot.
You cannot view this attachment.
That cover is getting a little "crispy' but it's good enough for now, to keep the Hickory nuts out of the bilge.
You cannot view this attachment.
Chris' wife peeking from behind the truck, Dubious, but Game.
You cannot view this attachment.
Proud owner with new (to him) boat.
You cannot view this attachment.
Although I have to confess, I'm not sure what I think about having the guy I've always thought of as "my little boy" with so much gray in his beard. How old does that make ME?!?
More adventures to come.
Charles Brennan
But afterwards, he sold it and bought a year-long refurbishment project, a Siren 17.
Took it to a few BEER cruises; here's a pic from 2007.
You cannot view this attachment.
Nice boat, nice paint job, good brightwork and boat colors on his Siren.
You cannot view this attachment.
Wonder what could have inspired that?
You cannot view this attachment.
Urchin, perhaps?
Then he got rid of the Siren and got a 24' Sportsfisherman, until he tired of the maintenance and the fuel costs and then he got rid of that, boat too.
He contented himself with kayaking, but unbeknownst to me until yesterday, that long ago BEER cruise had made an impression on him.
It was on one of the Calm Days.
On a BEER Cruise, you get a calm day, a rainy day, a hot day, a rough weather day and a gorgeous day, all on the same cruise.
Sometimes, even all on the same day!
It was so flat and windless, that Chris became bored and decided to sit on the deck of his Siren and fish for whatever might inhabit the Santa Rosa Sound.
As he was languidly drifting, a boat passed him by. He asked if they were using a motor.
They replied, no they were just sailing.
As they ghosted past him, their Sea Pearl 21 made a deep impression on him: Barely any wind and those boats still know how to MOVE!
He's been looking to buy one for over 2 or 3 years, now.
And finally lucked onto one, in Tampa.
He is currently truck-less (though I suspect that will change soon) so Ole Dad got drafted to go down to Tampa and help him bring back a 1989 Sea Pearl.
I mean, what's a Sailboat Enabler, er, I mean, a Father! to do?!?
You cannot view this attachment.
And not just any Sea Pearl; this is none other than Black Pearl once owned by Ron Johnson, one of the owners of Marine-Concepts that built the Sea Pearls.
A peek inside, showing some Shaw & Tenney spoon blade oars
You cannot view this attachment.
All that algae on the goal posts was a warning, that this boat hasn't really been out and about, for maybe three years.
Still had Good Bones, though.
You cannot view this attachment.
Nice cleats on the backing block that reinforces the leeboards.
You cannot view this attachment.
Ever see a boat that cried out: "Take me home with you!" as much as this one?
You cannot view this attachment.
Chris, probably wondering: "What have I gotten myself into?"
You cannot view this attachment.
Ready for the long trip home! Hey! Even the lights worked!!
You cannot view this attachment.
Spare tire from my kayak trailer added to the trailer to improve the tongue weight, which I was not too happy with. We also moved everything in the boat as far forward as we could.
Probably a good move, because it rode like it was on rails all the way to Chris' house.
And now for the strangest part of a Brennan Sailboat Story: No Side-of-the-Road-Trailer-Disasters!
Nope.
We had checked the tires and pumped them up from 20 psi to 40 psi with my RIB air compressor and battery pack.
We greased the nearly empty Bearing Buddies with the grease gun kept in the back of the truck at all times.
Even got out the hydraulic jack and jacked up the wheels and spun them and listened to the bearings and wiggled them to check for excessive play.
Checked the DOT date codes (2020) on the tires and figured they were probably OK.
Which is not to say that we didn't stop periodically and check that the hubs were only around 10º above ambient temps and the tires around 20º above ambient temps.
But no problems!!
Yeah!
It was WEIRD!!
We had toyed with the idea of taking it to Cedar Key and splashing it, before bringing it home and to that end, I had grabbed all required USCG safety gear from Urchin and shoved it in the back of the truck.
However, a little de-lamination in the lee boards, quickly disabused us of that notion.
Nothing that can't be fixed, with a little penetrating epoxy.
Chris decided he also wanted a little "driveway sailing" for familiarity's sake before launching it, showing far more judgement and restraint, than I ever had.
Picked up Urchin last day of the Boat Show and immediately drove it to Crandon Marina and launched it in the dark and took her out sailing.
Back at Chris' house we sorted things out and got the boat stowed next to his shed that houses all his tools and kayaks and whatnot.
You cannot view this attachment.
That cover is getting a little "crispy' but it's good enough for now, to keep the Hickory nuts out of the bilge.
You cannot view this attachment.
Chris' wife peeking from behind the truck, Dubious, but Game.
You cannot view this attachment.
Proud owner with new (to him) boat.
You cannot view this attachment.
Although I have to confess, I'm not sure what I think about having the guy I've always thought of as "my little boy" with so much gray in his beard. How old does that make ME?!?
More adventures to come.
Charles Brennan
#98
West Wight Potter Yachts / Weather looking OK for Richmon...
Last post by Eric Zilbert - Apr 08, 2024, 10:27 AMSo far, no one has indicated that they plan to participate in the Richmond to Oakland sail this weekend. I would appreciate it if those planning to attend would let me know. We will depart around 10 on Saturday. Please contact me if you have any questions.
#99
TSBB General Talk / Re: HELP!! Talk me down from a...
Last post by Tim West Coast - Apr 08, 2024, 08:22 AMOh for crying out loud Charles, buy it! It won't be the most foolish thing you have done. And we are all looking forward to the stories that come from it!
#100
TSBB General Talk / Re: HELP!! Talk me down from a...
Last post by pgandw - Apr 07, 2024, 08:10 PMAfter switching to electric last year, I will never go back to gas for auxiliary power on a small sailboat. With Scamp's size, a trolling motor would be perfect, along with a LiFePO battery to power it, and would cost less than that new Honda. No worries about legality on lakes and reservoirs.
I actually motor and motorsail a lot more than when I had a gas outboard thanks to the silence. I have no gas aboard my mini-cruiser except for a butane cylinder for the stove. On my Mariner, that gives additional passenger space in the cockpit that the 3 gal gas tank took up. No starting anxiety, just tilt the motor down and twist the throttle. Range - I know I have 12 nautical miles (3 hours) worth of battery after running trials with the GPS.
I use an Epropulsion Spirit on my 1350lb, 19ft Mariner but that would be overkill for your situation. Which is why I suggest the trolling motor.
Fred W
Stuart Mariner 19 #4133 Sweet P
Yeopim Creek, Albemarle Sound, NC
I actually motor and motorsail a lot more than when I had a gas outboard thanks to the silence. I have no gas aboard my mini-cruiser except for a butane cylinder for the stove. On my Mariner, that gives additional passenger space in the cockpit that the 3 gal gas tank took up. No starting anxiety, just tilt the motor down and twist the throttle. Range - I know I have 12 nautical miles (3 hours) worth of battery after running trials with the GPS.
I use an Epropulsion Spirit on my 1350lb, 19ft Mariner but that would be overkill for your situation. Which is why I suggest the trolling motor.
Fred W
Stuart Mariner 19 #4133 Sweet P
Yeopim Creek, Albemarle Sound, NC