Every day we learn something new about this boat. We’re just about ready to sail to the Bahamas and we’re doing a final inspection of all equipment to see if there are any other spare parts we need to order before shoving off the dock.
During a random glance at the engine, Peter noticed one of the hose clamps was corroded and split. It was amazing there was any tension left to hold it on still. Luckily this was in a location that had been double clamped so it wasn’t a code-red emergency yet. Nonetheless, this is not something you want to find on your main engine.
After a little futher investigation, Peter spotted busted clamp #2. Crap! How many more of these are there throughout the entire boat?
Here’s a pic of where both busted clamps occured:
The upper hose had a single clamp on each end and we replaced one of those. The lower hose had the double clamp and we replaced the broken one there too.
No damage was done and a small catastrophe was averted. WIN! We continued through the boat double checking all the major hose clamps, screws and visible bolts. We didn’t find anything else today that needed to be replaced but we’ll definitely be reinspecting these kinds of things during our monthly safety checks.
Just an FYI. I once used an electrical tie as a bandaid on a hose with a broken clamp. I also used one to pinch the fins on an impeller. It helps get it started and then you simply cut the electrical tie. Safe sailing!!
Thanks Gary! We have a ton of zip ties in stock :) They definitely help in a pinch!
Hi Team, my friends Stephanie & Kosta made me aware of your blog so i started following yours as well – so to start off with: i wish you the best of luck and only nice experiences – may the best days of your year past, be the worst of the one to come:
on the subject of clamps and tubes: i am not a sailer but a motorcylist and it once happened to my at a tool boot in Italy that one of those clamps gave way, because the tube itself had rotten on the inside and petrol was pouring out of my tank onto the street – quite stressful.
anyway: eversince i keep some spare parts such as clamps AND tubes – so my recommendation: keep a selection of various sizes and diameters.
bests from germany!
Chris
Hi Chris, glad you found us!! We hope to meet Stephanie and Kosta in person someday too :)
Peter used to have motorcycles but we sold them all before we moved onto the boat. Yikes, sounds like you had a big mess! Hope it all worked out okay. Thank goodness for spares!!
-Jody
Hi,
Just started reading your blog (found it through Laho Wind). Didn’t know if you knew about AWAB hose clamps yet (http://www.defender.com/product3.jsp?path=-1|2243574|2243584&id=169337). Way stronger and worth the couple extra bucks for those critical clamps. Especially where you can only get one hose clamp on.
Also, don’t know if you found this site yet but Compass Marine in Maine has an excellent site (http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/boat_projects). Rodd is a bit of a geek when it comes to posting “how to’s”. He also posts on the cruisersforum.com and sailboatowners.com under the name Maine Sail. They even gave him his own section on sailboatowners.com. I definitely couldn’t get through many of my boat projects without his guidance.
Good luck and fair winds,
Jesse
Jesse, thanks! No we didn’t know about theh AWAB clamps but we’ll check them out. We love all the how-to’s on Compass Marine :)
Jesse, just kidding, I guess that’s the kind of clamps Peter used for the new ones on the engine :) I learned something new though!
I just happened to read this today on a blog that I absolutely respect and love! The title of her post today was safety lists. Here is the link to see for yourself: http://sailingsimplicity.com/safety-checklists/
It was a great read, but a very serious one. While I only sail on a small craft right now we have had a 19 foot Compac Sailcat before. I loved sailing and could not wait to get out there but I felt I was lacking the small sailing boat experience to guide me on how to sail, for what to me felt like a beast in the water! She was a gaff rigged saiboat and as I felt overwhelmed at her power on the water as a “newbie” I knew I had to sell her. We have a rule in our house that if you don’t use it then pass it on to someone who can. Safety is something I have come to learn to respect and knowing your limits so when I read this article today I realised just how involved having a bigger craft can be. So when we are ready for a bigger sailboat again I will definately use her wisdom as a guide on what checklists to have on board. Knowing your boat through and through whether in a dead calm or raging tempest will keep you safe and keep you sailing! Thanks for sharing your posts as those of us out here dreaming of bigger boats someday are always learning.
Michelle, Yes Teresa and Ben have SO much good info!! Very inspiring and helpful.
Thats a great rule you have that if you don’t use it, pass it on :) Love it!
It may feel daunting to go for a bigger boat but there are definitely trade offs. Even though we may not have experience with many different types and sizes of sailboats, we chose our boat because of how safe it is and feels. Many people have told us that the Whitby 42 is a ‘good solid boat’ and its perfect for where we hope to go :) Thanks for the link to Teresa’s new post! Its a great read for everyone!
-jody
May i make suggestion? As one who is into restoring old boats…
If youve found one broken clamp, then there are certainly others that are weak, even if they appear “fine” from the outside.
Id highly recommend that you replace every clamp you can find – at least below the waterline – before you depart. Once at sea, the bot and fittings will start flexing, and its a sure bet another old clamp will let go. Youll sleep a lot better knowing you’ve attended to that possibility.
Keith, great suggestion. We’ll be changing out a few more for the major systems before we leave. Thanks!!