Welcome to Alex - New owner Hull 140 "Chanson" in SF Bay

Everyone in the CA district please welcome Alex Rickabaugh who purchased hull #140 Chanson from Ed Broberg. Alex is keeping the boat in the San Franciso Bay area and is interested in setting the boat up for cruising.

Alex,
I want to welcome and congratulate you on your purchase of hull #140 "Chanson". I have owned my J30 hull #006 since 1991 and race or cruise as often as possible. If you need any advise or help please don't hesitate to contact me.
Best Regards,
Shawn Ivie

Thanks guys!

I'm new to sailing as well as sailboat ownership. I took my BKS/BCC classes early this year and just fell in love with the aesthetic, being out there on the water, and the tranquility. Just for fun, I started looking around at sailboats for sale, and what started out as a crazy "wouldn't this be cool" idea quickly turned into a serious search. I was advised by a friend of mine in Florida who's been sailing his entire life. Every boat I ran past him garnered at best a lukewarm reaction until the J/30 came along, at which point he told me "survey it and buy it." I've had a few people in addition to him tell me that J/30s actually make great starter boats.

Chanson is pretty venerable, and not without problems. In fact, the engine died on the surveyor and I while we were just leaving the harbor on our way to a haulout. We eventually found and fixed the tiny little hole in the fuel line that was sucking air, but the engine stopped drawing water and overheated on the way home the next day. So, engine issues, for starters.

Her lifelines were pretty much gone, which I replaced. Same with the running rigging - I had no idea lines could become that stiff. She also needs bottom paint, which I am waiting on until I can trust the engine. The diesel heater works fine. I have not tested the alcohol stove or the head.

I'm also undertaking a number of improvements. Going to replace all of the winches, most with self-tailing models. I'm adding a roller furler for the jib and a Strong Track system for the main. I've commissioned a new main and a 95% jib for the furler from Pineapple Sails in Alameda. I'm putting in an i70 display for instrumentation, and an ST-2000 tiller pilot. I'm looking at the EZ-JAX system for a retractable lazyjack for the main.

One area for improvement that still concerns me is the reefing system. Currently only the halyards and the cunningham are led aft. I would like to be able to reef and unreef the main from the cockpit alone, but not sure if that's at all possible or feasible. Any ideas?

-Alex

Alex, welcome to the J30 fleet. I sail out of Brickyard Cove in Pt Richmond on a boat called IONE. good work on renewing your boat. where is it? would love to see you on the bay. Peter

Alex, As an old mechanic and J-30 owner, I can help with mechanical questions. Give me a call @ 808-333-5068. I talk faster tnan I type. Getting your hands dirty is cheaper than hiring and works lots better than waiting for a tow because the water pump impeller died.

Bob Gierke

Many thanks for the offer - I will definitely take you up on it sometime!

I have a number of concerns with my engine (Yanmar 2QM15), the impeller not least among them. My exhaust manifold is also cracked and has been repaired with J-B weld (and poorly so at that). Tracking down a replacement for it proved a challenge.

I actually went out and tracked down a full 2QM15 engine that's currently sitting in my storage unit. It runs well but has issues starting in the cold. The current thinking is to cannibalize it for parts to repair whatever's broken or degraded on my current engine. I figure it's always good to have a spare.

Thanks! I'm on F dock in Marina Bay Yacht Harbor at the moment, just around the corner from you.

I eventually plan on moving to San Francisco into Pier 39, as that's right down the street from my apartment. As I don't have a car, keeping the boat in Richmond is a short-term arrangement only.

Alex, Go to search and type in hard starting. Look for my suggestion. It works!

Bob

Alex has a thread on Sailing Anarchy that is getting some mileage. If you have any hints for him with his new boat, post here to help him out.

Hello again, all. Posting this here because I'm not sure where else to put it.

J/30 #140 "Chanson" is now known as "Ananda", hailing port San Francisco, CA. I put a lot of thought into the decision of whether to change her name. In the end, I decided "Chanson" had kind of a harsh sound to it and didn't really fit her too well.

"Ananda" means bliss, and is the name of a central character in buddhism. But I chose this name because of a more colorful definition by Madeleine L'engle, one of my favorite childhood authors:

"That joy in existence without which the universe would fall apart and collapse."

Joy in existence is exactly what sailing is to me. So I had my graphic designer friend put together new artwork, which was installed on Monday:



Hope you guys like it!