Thread: GIS Build in New Jersey, USA

I think Saturday sounds good. I was planning on coming to the show itself on Friday, when it is less crowded. But I won't want to bring my boat then and leave it unattended somewhere. A separate trip with the boat on Saturday evening would work just right.

I'm guessing that the Seaport won't let me onto the grounds with the trailer. So I'll find a nearby public ramp, put in there, and beach the boat near the lawn where you'll be.

Of course, this rain has to stop first. My boat is still on sawhorses, upside down. Haven't done a thing to get it ready to sail yet. Too much rain. I may end up rigging it just for our regatta then stripping it again to do the maintenance that needs doing.

Originally Posted by davlafont

Now my head hurts. I'm drinking one of Christophe's beers as a remedy...

Sacrilegious.

I'm working that weekend, or I would show up on Sat with IAZP.

I work every weekend this summer. I want to yell.

But if you are off in the middle of the week, the water will not be crowded.

When you put that stainless eye on the bow, how does it fit? Above or partly within the front air tank? I'm getting close to that point and want to know just how it fits.

Originally Posted by Northstar

But if you are off in the middle of the week, the water will not be crowded.

When you put that stainless eye on the bow, how does it fit? Above or partly within the front air tank? I'm getting close to that point and want to know just how it fits.

Above the deck thankfully. And that's at the stem's mid point. Some builders have gone higher


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W...

Dave, do you have crew lined up for Saturday or were you planning to single-hand it?

I pulled my trailer out of storage today and found that one of the bearings had seized up. Needs to be replaced. If I can't get it done by Saturday, my Goat isn't going anywhere. But we can go out together on Chivita if there is room for me.

I'll call around tomorrow to see if anyone can fix the bearing in a hurry. Unfortunately, I think I'm not alone in this predicament. The gas station on the corner has 4 boat trailers in the lot.

Paulie

This is not as big a problem as you think. If you can build a boat, you can change out the bearing. Check out YouTube and you will see that it's pretty simple. Change both bearings while you're about it.

Recently a friend of mine was towing a trailer with 6 Lasers on it to far North Queensland (FNQ) and a wheel bearing broke. He was miles from anywhere and his spare wheel was no good to him. In any case, his van's jack was not suitable to lift the big trailer. He was stuck for hours on the side of the road in severe heat while his roadside assistance company tried to source a new hub and then come out to fit it for him. It cost him a small fortune and a whole day wasted.

Some people recommend carrying spare bearings, but in the majority of cases the bearings do too much damage to the hub when they let go, so there is no point carrying them. After his experience, I now carry on all my trailers (I have 3!) a complete spare wheel mounted to a spare hub complete with bearings and grease mounted on an axle spindle which acts as the spare wheel mounting. It's a simple matter to undo the castle nut, knock off the hub and install the whole caboodle and be on my way in about 30 minutes if such a disaster were to strike me. Good peace of mind for an outlay of $50 for the hub/bearing/spindle assembly. Make sure you carry the tools to do the swap!

Oh, and never dip your hubs in water. Despite so called waterproof bearing buddies water will get in and stuff the bearings.

This is my setup;
photo.jpg

That's a good idea. I think I will carry a spare in the future. I remember a trailer bearing catching fire on long drive when I was a kid. My dad was unaware of what was going on until other cars on the road started honking and waving. Same story -- waiting for a tow truck, trying to find parts in a rural area, etc. Took many hours. My sister and I laugh about it now, but it was one more nail in the coffin of my parents' marriage.

I'm sure I could change out this bearing myself, but I just don't have time this week. My wife tore a ligament in her right knee and cannot drive. So I'm driving her back and forth to work every day, doing all the shopping, cooking, and cleaning, taking the dog to obedience class, etc., plus working my regular job. It took herculean efforts just to clear a few hours this week to flip the boat over, give it a wash, and inspect the trailer. No time for repacking bearings before Saturday.

My fallback is a friend's trailer that I've used before. It's not set up for a Goat, but it is close enough for the hour-long drive to meet Dave in Mystic. I just don't know if it's available next weekend.

Bearing, schmaring... just sail there!

No, my boat won't be full; there's room for a seasoned Goat Captain. I'll get more out of the evening if I spend time next to a GIS veteran.

Okay then! That will be our plan if I can't get the trailer on the road.

You might feel differently if you saw the wear and tear I've accrued on my Goat. My son accuses me of using the centerboard as a depth sounder. "When you hear the thud, you know you are getting close to shore, right?" He'd recommend that you not let me touch the tiller.

Originally Posted by paulie

...the wear and tear I've accrued on my Goat.

Seasoning I call it. Hell, mine wear and tear and it's been in the water twice. I'm looking forward to the weekend.

I have these few photos for now. There will be more as they trickle in, plus some video. Additional views are posted on my blog linked in my signature.

I kept one reef in when the sail was hoisted to prevent dry-land capsize.
IMG_2391.jpg

My brother, me and my dad; The Men of the Fleet
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Me and Paulie chat about Goatism and Goatiness.
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Joined by another Goat builder, Ned
IMG_2424.jpg

Stepping mast before launch was a good call. The breeze was fresh and the channel busy.
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We had to row a bit before we where comfortably out of the way.
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Wrestling with temporary tiller extension.
IMG_2478.jpg

Port tack, dodging traffic.
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Broad reach/run. We paced along with a small motored RIB for a bit. I think they were surprised at our speed.
IMG_2493.jpg

1. I am mega jealous of Goatie fun and I love Dave's beautiful Goat (sounds dirty)
2. Boatless Paulie = sad
3. Every year in Maine we have this thing called the SRR...
4. Why no beer


edit (MIK is going to show up in 3.2.1.... "augh git yer weight forward grumpy grump frown frustrated"

Originally Posted by callsign222

1. I am mega jealous of Goatie fun and I love Dave's beautiful Goat (sounds dirty)
2. Boatless Paulie = sad
3. Every year in Maine we have this thing called the SRR...
4. Why no beer


edit (MIK is going to show up in 3.2.1.... "augh git yer weight forward grumpy grump frown frustrated"

I know this will not fly without pics (they will come one day) but I actually did spend more time snugged up alongside Paul during much of our sail. I was also crouching tiger style a lot, doing more of the dynamic balancing while Paul hiked.

I swear to Neptune that there's 40 minutes if video from the transom to corroborate my story. Sadly, I left the camera at Mystic. Paul has been working to retrieve it, but his bribery skills seems to be rusty. Also, I'm waiting for my brother's pics. He was using some jumbo telephoto bazooka lens, so he might have covered more of our cruise. Or he might have seen a squirrel to fixate on...

SRR is on the to-do list. Maybe 2014 though.


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