My first project on Yoda (post moved from LDIK)

About a month ago Dan and I got a 1982 Capri Omega 14 dinghy. This is the precursor to the Capri 14.2, the sailboat we first took lessons in back in 2003, so we're very fond of it. The biggest difference with the Capri 14.2 is the lack of a cuddy cabin. The Omega has an open bow and a little storage area with a hatch instead. Also the Omega has fewer sail flattening controls. In our opinion it's actually a slightly more elegant little boat.

We decided that because the boat has cool green sails and we're giant geeks, we're going to call it Yoda. We have a bobblehead Yoda that we need to attach to the bow somehow, so maybe that will be the next project. We'd also like to add a little motor, a Honda 2 HP 4-stroke air cooled long shaft (what a mouthful!) so we can skip stepping the mast and go fishing some days...

I was reading up on how to maintain and improve the Omega and a particular modification struck me as a real good idea that would be quick to implement. The centerboard has two control lines, one to hoist it up and one to keep it down. In our Omega both of these were 1/4 inch line.

From Yoda projects

But when the centerboard is down, it's actually better if the system has some play. This is because if you run aground going forward, you want the centerboard to come up and allow the boat to keep moving. If the centerboard stays rigidly down, the chances that you'll break it or bend the bracket attaching it to the boat are pretty good. There's a simple way to make this happen: swap out the line that holds down the centerboard for a bungee. So I did. It still works just as well to keep the centerboard down, but in the event that we run aground, at least if we're moving forward, the centerboard should pop up and save the gear. Of course, if we run aground going in any other direction, this will give us scant relief.

From Yoda projects

Another little project I undertook was the addition of an outhaul. I'll take some pics and write about that next.

Weekend project update

This was a very productive weekend for boat projects.

• On Friday I picked up a spinnaker pole. It's exactly the right length, which is pretty amazing. I need to swap out the wires to the topping lift bridle with Amsteel 1/8'', and then it'll be ready. Also, there is no bridle for a foreguy, so I'm probably going to bolt an eye to the opposite side of the topping lift bridle. Hmmm, alternatively I could through bolt two eyes on opposite sides and call it done. That might be the best way to do this...
• I discovered a spinnaker halyard and topping lift in the boat's stores. This is fantastic, because line costs a lot and I was going to delay buying spinnaker lines for a while. That means we only need spin sheets at this point, and then I can run the lines through the mast -- internal halyards ftw!
• Yesterday Dan and I installed the newly bought Lewmar 8 winches on the cabintop. It was a painstaking job: there are 5 holes per winch, and we wanted everything to be exactly right -- the bolts straight, the winches symmetric. In the end, after much over-engineering, I think we succeeded! They look fabulous! Now I need to buy them new covers.
• I took off the old genoa winches to refurbish them. They are the weirdest winches I've ever seen, so I'll take some pics of the process. This will be my evening project this week.
• I cut out three sections of the vinyl liner, the two sections under the shroud pins (no chainplates on this boat!), and the section under the cockpit on starboard, that a bunch of wiring terminating in the "electrical panel" runs under. I feel much better being able to readily inspect all those spots.
• I cleaned the headliner and interior joinery.
• I topped off the battery, but then we used lights at night, so I need to do it again this weekend. The battery lives in the lazarette, next to the gas tank, so I have to take one or the other out before I attach the charging leads. It's a hassle, and we'll move the battery forward when we redo the electrics.

A picture of Koan, then named First Light (gorgeous name!) in 1999, judging by the date on the photo, courtesy of her then owner. Always a looker, in any color!