New Modifications on Siri for 2015

Siri at the mooring this summer.

Last year I had a few issues that I wanted to find a solution for.  First was leaky fore and aft compartments.  Second was that the throat and peak halliards would often cross and bind making it hard to drop the main.  Siri has the 3 sail rig.

I thought about making hatches but decided that if I could find a manufactured hatch, I might go that route.   There are lots of hatches on the market but reviews seemed to indicate that most are junk.  I decided on this one-  Oval Sea-Lect Performance Kayak Hatch K745260 - cover + K745165 - ring

 
I got 2 for $90. each.  They are great and easy to install.  I used 4 small screws for locating the rim but 3m 5200. is doing all of the holding.  They are plenty big for gear and I actually managed to slide inside the bow hatch. It was tight though.

The bow hatch was pretty simple. The only issue was avoiding the structural framing underneath the deck. 

The rigid plastic rim is on the left. I have just started cutting the hole on the right.

all mounted

with the rubberized hatch in place

The aft hatch was a bit more tricky as there was a rectangular 'door' type hatch in place when I got the boat.  It let water all around the edges when it rained.  So I removed all of the hardware, cut the hole for the hatch and then fiberglassed the parts back in place before mounting the new hatch ring.

everything set loosely in place before fiberglassing.

all done

Yes, I can fit in the hatch.  Not easy though.

My next issue was the halliard sticking problem. My first plan was to find a stainless steel 'strap' to mount vertically on the centerline of the sheaves to keep the lines separate.  When I could not find anything suitable, I decided on a piece of aluminum from the hardware store metal bin and fashioned a divider for the sheaves.   This meant removing the sheaves and widening the hole in the mast and morticing a slot for the aluminum piece.  Finally , the mortices were simple filled with thickened epoxy to hold it firmly in place.  It works great as my mainsail now drops with ease when I want it to.  

notice that the edges of the divider are filed and sanded smooth to minimize wear on the halliards. Aluminum is easy to work with woodworking tools.

everything went in and out a few times to make sure that the mortice for the sheaves  allowed them to spin freely.

all done

Projects for next year will be- 

a tiller with a larger curve in it or another steering solution.

maybe some rudder modifications to allow for better tacking.

an over the boom mooring cover