Sailing

Anyone sail a West Wight Potter 19? Looking into various trailerable sailboats that also have a cabin space suitable for basic camping out in at anchor.

 

Where ma sailors at? We all shrink wrapped yet?

 

Mine is in my driveway holding out for days that get above 45-50*.

 

Waiting to shrink wrap u mean? CO Springs?! Where ya taking a boat round those parts?

 

Nah, waiting to sail. The winters here are pretty mild and it doesn’t snow a lot. When it does it melts within a few days usually. I just bought the boat (a little Capri 18) and have been towing it down to the Pueblo Reservoir. Come summertime I’ll tow it up to the mountains and sail another reservoir at 9000ft.

 

Ahh that’s cool, figured Co Springs would be crazy cold and snowy in the winter. That 18 footer looks fun, I love to sail small keel boats. Looks like you could use a sail cover and a jib bag my dude!

 

I actually have both covers but just left them like that while I was getting the truck. Since I trailer it the mast comes down every time anyway. This last time out I left the mainsail covered on the boom and removed the boom, vang and sheets as one unit to see if that speeds up setup next time around.

 

Ahh gotchya! That’s quite the rigging and derigging process every time having to drop & step the mast everytime. Sounds so cool sailing in the mountains

 

Looks so peaceful, never imagined anyone would be sailing in CO. Im jealous, havent been on the water since we pulled the fleet in November

 

It's been an unusually warm and snow free winter so far here. Up in the mountains have been getting a good amount which is good for keeping the reservoirs full during the summer though.

 

No snow here either, it's great for our kind of sailing!

 

Awesome. I feel like I'd catch a runner on an ice ridge and eat shit every time though.

 

It does happen, but extremely rarely!

 

Got some work done today with the buffer and the old and busted looks a little less busted now. The hull shined up pretty well for being 35 years old.

 

Looks nice. I bet that took you most of the day.

How do plan to lift the boat to do the bottom?

 

I haven’t figured out how to do the bottom yet. It’s ugly looking but actually is a decent paint job still so I might just let it ride rather than spending the time and money.

 

Do you have access to a crane hoist at a club?

Hang it from the hoist, and work looking up all day. It helps if you have power tools and willing friends.

 

When I was in college, I bought a used 14 foot Hobie Catamaran for $500. It was a lot of fun.

After college, life got in the way and I wasn’t using it much, so I sold it.

 

There’s 2 ways I’ve done it:
1. Jack up the trailer, build a 4x4 cradle with the bow cradle being wider than the trailer. Lower the trailer and the boat sits on the cradle.
2. That boat probably isn’t too heavy and if you have a garage with rafters exposed, get two retrieval straps and lift the boat same as above and then roll it over. Take the lifelines off first. I did mine this way when I bought it (it was given to me) so that I could completely sand, epoxy the crazing, epoxy prime and apply barrier coat.