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Subject: cruising insurance minimalist option
From: "Ken Beiser at Western Woodwrights in Whitefish" <woodwrights@cyberport.net>
Date: Wed, 20 Apr 2005 15:09:20 -0600

Pardon me. I know the thread is closed and not Baba specific, but I had
something to add and will be as brief as possible.

One option for cruisers is DAN. Diver's Alert Network. And you don't need
to be a diver. By joining DAN for, I think about $25 per year, you can get
insurance coverage that will cover transportation to medical help "anywhere
in the world". I am sorry I don't have more details but it may be worth
looking at (google search?). If we go again, we will.

Ken



Subject: RE: Teak
From: "Richard B. Emerson" <rick@pinefields.com>
Date: Wed, 20 Apr 2005 11:03:19 -0400

Re: powerwashing teak: in a word, "don'tpleasedon't"! Even blasting the decks
with a regular hose nozzle set to a tight stream will inflict damage over
time. Dousings of salt water are fine for just keeping the wood happy and
bacteria and fungus (leading to dry rot) unhappy. For cleaning, a detergent
(we like Murphy's Oil Soap although Tide laundry detergent does well, too),
light scrubbing agross the grain, and water *flowed* on are the way to go.

Raised grain on decks does *not* give a better grip - the wood breaks away
under strain.

Painting teak: everything I hear points to varnish looks nice but demands time
and care, Cetol and Armada take less time but don't wear as well, oil blots up
dirt and crud like a magnet, and untreated wood just wears away. Varnish with
white paint seals the wood, doesn't need as much time (can't see the flaws),
and the paint adds more barriers to damage.

Deck treatments: despite the claims, Semco deck sealers will cause more damage
than they cure. The fine print points out it can soften some caulks; I know
one frequent user of Semco who wound up having to have his decks recaulked
because it turned the caulk to sludge under a thin hard top layer.

Cheers,
   Rick




Subject: RE: Chainplate saga revisited
From: "Paul Collister" <paul@collisters.com>
Date: Wed, 20 Apr 2005 17:40:37 +0100

Hi Rick (Sonadora)

I know exactly what you are going through with the Forward starboard
chainplate. It's a nightmare to work on. However in my case the forward
and aft panels are just a thin plywood/veneer and only attached to the
plywood block that runs for and aft on the inside of the knee, about an
inch thick. I hope I am making myself clear. If you want I can send you
some pictures of it dismantled. I used a heat gun to heat up the veneer
and a very thin sharp putty knife to slice the inside pieces off, It did
split it a bit, but I managed to glue it back together, and given its
location I don't think it will be spotted. When re-assembling, a small
vanity mirror helps a lot.
I have now replaced all 6 chainplates and 4 of them only had minor
corrosion, but two of them were quite advanced, I would say about 15-20%
of the metal had corroded at the point where the plate passed though the
deck.
Be warned that not all the chainplates were made to strict Q&A and so if
you are replacing any, best to use the exact original as a template. All
in all my plates cost me =A3200 (UK Pounds) to have fabricated. I had to
polish them myself. The backstay chainplate looks good, but I want to
move the bobstay fitting out of the water, that looks like a massive job
and can wait until next year.

All the best, Paul C, Lady-Stardust Baba 30, Liverpool UK.






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Received on Tue Apr 26 10:58:19 2005