Future Projects: "Skylark", Tanzer 28

Future Project List

This list will be refined as time goes on. Some items are "dream" category, some items are minor inspection items.

The general goal for this boat is to be able to cruise the upper Great Lakes for a couple of weeks in the summer, and to daysail out of the home harbor in southern Lake Michigan. The purpose of cruising for this sailor is to explore wilderness areas that one could not get to without a boat. Simplicity and ease of repair in remote locations is essential. Less is more when it comes to electrical items, nonelectric solutions are preferred, as they free the boat from running the motor. The key is to be able to enjoy sailing rather than starting the noisy stinkmaker. Good light wind characteristics are important, as is ability to point into the wind. Lake Michigan changes its face constantly, varying from a pleasant, calm lake to a raging maelstrom. While the prudent sailor makes for the nearest harbor when conditions warrant, the reality is that storms come up quickly and the boat has to be able to handle "offshore" conditions.

Reflections after the first season:

• After the first season of use, I found that my number one enemy is the sun. After several bad cases of sunburn, I need to find a way to sail and stay in the shade.
• I would like to use a windvane rather than the autopilot. The autopilot is great but it makes a lot of noise and in some conditions it works back and forth on every wave. I am trying to set the boat up to do passages of up to several days, which makes a windvane practical. The autopilot would probably be a better choice for daysailing.
• I would also like the security of a small dinghy motor on an outboard motor bracket. My motor has been reliable, but I would like a back up. I rarely have to motor on Lake Michigan, there always seems to be at least a breath of wind to keep me moving in the right direction, but my slip is up a river, and I don't need a lot of power, but just enough to keep me moving along in a sheltered harbor.
• I will probably remove the "wall to wall" carpet and replace it with rugs, or just leave the fiberglass as the floor. It is too hard to check the bilge for water when the carpet is installed. I have a very dry boat, about a half a cup of water after a month of standing, which I can easily dry out with a sponge. But while sailing away from shore, I want to know right now if there is water coming in.
• I am rebuilding the rudder, as recommended by just about every Tanzer owner that I have heard from about the rudder. A balanced, rectangular rudder will replace the swept back scitmar shaped rudder. I have not had the difficulties with weather helm that have been reported, but I also reef my roller furling genoa early for a comfortable ride and easy tacking.
• This spring (2000) when I bought the boat, I only had time to scrape the bottom and repaint it. I did not really do a thorough investigation of the boat. There are a lot of items which I want to take time to check out. In particular, the gas fuel lines and tank. Gas is a great inboard fuel as long as it does not leak, then it is lethal.
• Many of the halyards and lines are reaching the end of their useful lives.
• The rigging is original and going on 28 years, the time to replace the shrouds is approaching (or is past due!).
• I love my roller furling from a convenience point of view. But I prefer hanked on sails for a cleaner cut through the wind, better lift, prettier, etc. Since I do a lot of single-handed sailing, I will stick with the roller furling, but I dream of sailing with a hanked on working jib in anything more than moderate wind. I might set up a heavy wind jib on looped parrels, which would wrap around the furled genoa. I'll have to think about that one a while.
• I will be converting my cookstove from alcohol to kerosene. Alcohol just doesn't have the btu's, the tank burns itself empty too quick, and my existing burners are in need of replacement, so its an easy convert to kerosene. I have to drive 30 miles to the nearest marine store for alcohol, so I appreciate being able to get kerosene locally. I also appreciate the fact that kerosene is not as combustible as alcohol when spilled. I am also concerned about breathing the products of combustion. Don't really know which fuel is healthiest.
• My VHF is useless, it gets bad reception. I can't even get the weather reports. I suspect the coax and the connectors.
• The FM/cassette stereo is also pretty lame. If I can afford it, new speakers would help. Its amazing how music can make the boat much more comfortable.
• Better ventilation is very important. The boat started to get a mold, which I was able to stop by cleaning it up with Lysol, but it will be back. I think the best way for me to get better ventilation is with a solar powered vent which replaces the cowls on my dorade boxes. Maybe two solar vents, one pushing, the other pulling. An opening port near the galley to vent stove fumes is under consideration.
• If it rains, I have to close the washboards and hatch, eliminating the best means of ventilation at the time when you need a lot of ventilation. Need to think about that for a while, maybe a dodger or bimini?
• I have a windscoop for the forward hatch, but I need to mount a few padeyes to use it properly.
• The forward hatch is mushy when you walk on it. Can you say: "wet balsa"? I don't know what the core really is, but its not what it used to be.
• I have some radical ideas about drinking water supply, which may or may not become reality. We are pretty particular about our drinking and cooking water, we filter city water at home, even though we get excellent water (although chlorinated) out of the tap at home. I am thinking about buying purified water in a three or five gallon bottle and building a place to secure it near the galley in the engine room. Then I would install a separate pump for drinking water. The purified water bottles are pretty tough, if I can avoid chafe, they should work fine. I would also do something similar with the head sink water supply, but with a smaller bottle, maybe 1 or 2 gallons, since we rarely use that sink.