Welcome Jeff Smith to the Long Island Sound District who just bought Redstart and is now renamed to Frolic hull #255. Jeff and Emily have moved the boat from the Chesapeake to sail out of Atlantic Highlands, NJ!

Welcome indeed. Jeff are you planning to race in the area?
BTW there is another J/30 moored in Atlantic Highlands, but have never seen him out on the race course...

Freebird is my J-30. Hull 143. I don't race it anymore but previously did. Just cruise and watch the fireworks from it.

Hi All,

Thanks for the warm welcome!

We will race non-spinnaker in the beginning, because the sails that have come with the boat are more geared toward cruising than racing.

Since the boat has some leaks, our first purchase will be a Fairclough cover, under which we hope to work during the the winter.

Is the opening part of the small hatch available? The screw downs have broken off the opening part of both of the small hatches. The large hatch needs to be re-bedded. Is there an easy way to remove it?

I can see that J/30.org is going to be a very useful resource!

Regards,

Jeff

Oh yes, one other question.
The bare wood cabin sole has some fresh diesel fuel stains. Is there a way to remove them, before varnishing? I guess I could just wipe down the entire sole with diesel to achieve a uniform look, but would like to have the sole as light colored as possible.

Hey Jeff-

Welcome to the 30 class! I hope we can entice you to do some one design racing when you are ready (and I hope you will come try some of the regattas at Raritan YC-we have several active/semi active J/30's, and a bunch of other well sailed 30 footers).

On the hatches-does your boat still have the black plastic "Bowmar" units? If you are going to rebed, I would encourage you to consider upgrading to some new Lewmar units-rebedding is time consuming, and the Bomar units are not particularly great.

The floor stains are not so easy-I would recommend a thorough sanding of the floor, and then a cleaning using a strong two part teak cleaner, then a finish sanding before varnishing. One strong warning-if your boat is leaky, you may have water saturating the vermiculite under the floor at the aft end of the cabin. In winter, that moisture gets into the teak, and can freeze and "blow" the varnish off the wood. Wait to finish the floor in the spring after the freeze thaw cycles end, and use a "sanding sealer" as your base coat-it is much thinner and penetrates into the wood better for a stronger bond. Also-after several years wrestling with failed varnish, I took two further steps. I drilled holes into the vermiculite horizontally at the rear of the removable floor section to allow better drainage and drying, and I dehumidify the boat for a week or two after haul out.

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your helpful tips.

I'll say the Bomar hatches are not so great!

Thanks for your suggestions on varnishing - I will certainly follow them.

Would it be possible to check out your boat to see how you drilled those holes? It would also be great to take some photos of how a North American Champion sets up his boat, if that is not proprietary.

All the best,

Jeff

Hi Jeff-

You are definitely welcome to come aboard and check out our setup! We will be racing this evening, next Wednesday, and the Wednesday after that if you want to join us and see how things work. We try to be at Raritan by 5:00 if you are interested. The rig will be down after I haul out, so if you want to get a good sense of the layout, you should come by while we are still in the water.

We could use extra crew tonight!

Steve

Hi Steve,

Thank you very much for your kind invitation! I can't make it tonight due to a RC meeting at AHYC, but if I finish bringing the boat up from the Chesapeake by Wednesday next (which should be the case) I would love to race with you. I will let you know as soon as I know - either way by next Wednesday PM.

Thanks again,

Jeff

Hi Steve,
If you can use extra crew tonight, I'm available.
Jeff

Sure could! Come join us.

I'll be there. Where & when should I meet you?

Raritan Yacht Club down in the yard at 5:00. Do you know how to get to the club?

Yes, and the yard is to the left of the clubhouse down by the water. See you in the yard at 5:00PM

Hi Steve,
Thanks for a great sail and a great time! I may have even learned something...
FYI, here is a post I sent to Rhapsody:

Hi Rhapsody,
This J/30 has just gone up for sale and can be bought for a song. $5000 or less will take her, I think.

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1982/J-Boats-J-30-2274457/South-Amboy/NJ/United-States

I did an inspection and have detailed photos, if anyone is interested. The hull seems in great condition and the deck good. The engine runs and the sails are decent. Unfortunately water was allowed to sit well over the floor boards in he interior, trashing it.
I don't know the hull # yet, but she was owned by Ken Romany and now by Lockwood Boat Works.
She is a good boat for someone who likes wood-working...