posted August 10, 2003 01:36 AM            

She's moored at the Toronto Sailing and Canoe Club, in Humber Bay in Toronto. Please email or telephone to arrange to see this boat. I'd be delighted to take you for a sail. The boat trailer may also be seen at that location.

Ken Goodings

Home: (Near High park) (416) 763-4678
Work: (416) 979-5000 Ext 6237

kengoodings@sympatico.ca

Click on the link below to see detailed pictures.
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b32a516425a4

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I've been happily sailing and upgrading my '74 Sandpiper ( Sail # 134) since '88. I've trailered her to southern Georgian Bay and the North Channel near Killarney. Last summer "ShortWave" carried us on a leisurely Lake Ontario trip from Toronto to Picton near Kingston. The boat and crew sailed confidently, and the Sandpiper's sea-kindly design kept us safe and dry. All systems functioned well.

Here are some of the modifications and improvements that have been performed.

2003 - Two plastic quick-change fuel tanks. I've labelled the 2-stroke oil mix dosage on each tank to prevent over-oiling when refueling.
2002 - New six inch foam inside the V-berth cushions, along with a new filler pad, making a large comfortable and convertible double bed
2002 - New deep-discharge marine battery, a proper big one...(not the tire store type)
The battery is charged from the outboards's 6 amp alternator.
2002 - New jib sheet
2001 - All cleats, stanchions and other deck hardware removed and re-bedded with 3M 4200 sealant, using large backing plates, stainless washers, lock washers and nuts. Our gear and bedding remain dry in rough or wet weather as there are no pesky deck leaks!
2000 - All wiring replaced or modified for interior lighting, 6 cigar lighter DC convenience outlets. Ample branch circuit fusing and a digital multimeter on the bulkhead as a battery voltage monitor. The main battery feed wires are heavily fused with automotive type in-line rubber fuse holders utilizing plastic GM-style fuses. Master DC marine-type primary power switch. Two interior lights and a red cockpit light. The original cabin light is over the V-berth. I installed a second dual bulb lighting fixture beside the VHF radio. This light is switch-selectable to offer either white or soft red illumination to preserve your night vision when consulting a chart (or looking for peanut butter cups.
2000 - Masthead Green/Red navigation-light and a white steaming light at the mast spreaders; new white stern light on railing. Original deck-mounted navigation lights may be switch-selected when in harbour.
2000 - Windex light at masthead (it's now easy to view the Windex when night sailing)
1999 - New standing rigging and spreaders, shroud turnbuckles fully toggled, rigging has split-ring retainers.
1998 - 8hp Johnson Sailmaster (1998) long-shaft outboard equipped with 6 amp alternator....a motor that cold-starts on the second pull is a wonderful thing!
1995 - Thetford MSD-735 head (12 L holding tank) installed with vent and smooth pumpout hose to a metal deck fitting. Fresh-water flushing assembly replaced in 2003
1995 - Dual-spring motor bracket, three laminated padlocks and a Kryptonite-style steel tether help to discourage motor theft
1993 - Lazarette (Beckson soft and flexible) vent scoops (screened for insects) to aid in ventilation of the inevitable battery and fuel fumes. The port side scoop faces forward for fresh air intake, the starboard rear-facing exhaust scoop has a 4" diameter flexible plastic dryer duct which is snaked down to the bottom of the lazarette to extract the heavier vapours.
1993 - Digital display depth sounder from Radio Shack, installed with a thru-hull transducer. (Drilling a large hole in the boat's bottom was quite traumatic!) The depth sounder cabling allows it to be brought out into the cockpit for easy viewing from the helm position
-Synthesized all channel 25 watt Marine VHF tranceiver feeding a Metz masthead antenna.

Cabin lockers are kept fresh with four large stainless louvered vents
- Pulpit and stern rail with single vinyl covered lifelines, two pelican hooks serve as gates
- All mast electrical connections enter the cabin roof beside the mast via a waterproof deck connector. The VHF coax passes through the deck via a metal and rubber gland.
- Beckson stainless cabin ventilator which remains open winter and summer
- Louvered and screened vent on cabin companionway boards
- Treadmaster non-skid on cabin roof on either side of the mast, the cockpit coamings and top of centreboard trunk
- 7 Lb Danforth anchor with 18 ft of chain and 225 ft nylon rode. Anchor, chain and rode all fit inside the self-draining anchor locker
- Floating "horsehoe" safety throwing device mounted on stern rail.
- Main halyard winch & handle at cockpit. This winch is also utilized in the mast stepping system
- Mainsail halyard, topping lift, boom vang, and continuous jib furling lines led aft to cockpit
- Two fire extinguishers, one in cabin and another in the lazarette
- Illuminated Plastimo "Mini-Contest" bulkhead compass with inclinometer and compass cover (Prolonged exposure to sunlight may darken the compass card damping fluid)
- Three (long) docklines. In addition I use really long retired main and jib sheets as dock springs
- Permanent manual "Whale Gusher" bilge pump for lazarette, spare pump handle.
- Anchor and lazarette hatches are secured with internal bungees and stainless tethers (hatches don't float)
- Boat hook on soft rubber clips under port side shelves in cabin
- Whisker pole clips under starboard shelves
- Swim ladder (rigid aluminum) which hooks into keyhole fittings on starboard coaming
- Oversized fenders
- Cockpit cushions...covered in dark blue vinyl
- Hatch screens (Velcro)
- Forehatch has a coil spring to prop it open for fresh air
- Two paddles
- Windex at masthead (illuminated)
- Man overboard pole with flag
- Flag halyard on starboard spreader,
- Full spares for fuses, lamps, outboard spark plugs and shear pins
- Manuals for boat, motor, VHF and head.
- Allen key to remove stanchions and pulpit
- Keel leadscrew crank handle
- Keel screw spare grease

The boat's original factory bottom was de-waxed, prepped, and barrier-coated in 1990 with 5 coats of VC-Tar. It has been protected with VC-17 anti-fouling since then. There is no blistering. This boat is solid fibreglass and does not have any balsa coring in hull or deck. Cleats and other deck fittings are bolted through marine plywood factory glassed into high stress areas.
The hull's original blue topsides were painted in 1990 with dark blue Interlux Brightside polyurethane, original white deck. The bootstripe is repainted dark red every spring.
The rub rails, cabin handholds and other brightwork have been scuffed with bronze wool, then treated with three coats of Cetol-M each spring.

"ShortWave" has single jiffy reefing on the main, and a 120% furling jib.
The mainsail is protected by a matching dark blue boom cover with "ShortWave" monigrammed in large white letters on both sides.

A removable "wishbone" strut and pivoting mast tabernacle make mast stepping a one person job while still on the trailer, using the cockpit winch. This works well, even in a cross-wind. I always do the job while the boat's on the trailer. Stepping a mast while on the water can easily result in losing pins, cotter rings, clevises and other expensive parts. (Plink-splash!!!)

ShortWave has a dark blue, single axle road trailer with heavy upgraded axle, bearings, "Bearing Buddies" and 15" wheels plus a new spare. The wheel fenders are heavy steel. The trailer's stop, directional and clearance lamps were replaced in 1998 and are fully functional. The trailer tongue was lengthened by three feet to facilitate launching without drowning the tow vehicle. The Class I hitch takes a 1-7/8 trailer ball and has two new safety chains. The trailer winch is equipped with a flat nylon tether and bow eye hook, rather than the usual steel cable. Non-skid tread pads were glued along the top of the tongue to aid footing while launching or retreiving the boat. The pads are bright white to make them more visible when the tongue's under water at the launch ramp. The tongue is easily removable for more compact storage.
There are eight articulated rollers to support the stern, with wide rollers under the keel. There are two long (removeable) vertical guide posts to centre the boat over the trailer when hauling out. A crank-up tongue jack with dolly-wheel supports the front of the trailer.
A large heavy-duty (silver-coloured pool-type cover material) protects the boat in winter. It covers the boat and trailer right down to the wheels. I bungee the mast to the pulpit and stern rail, forming a ridge pole for the cover. A small old trailer tire is slipped over the tabernacle for padding. The masthead assembly is protected by two anti-freeze jugs which were cut to fit over the nav-light and antenna coil. The cockpit is "webbed" with spare lines to help support the cover in that area and prevent water, snow and ice from pooling on the cover.

I have always stored the outboard motor indoors in a heated space after changing the gearcase oil and fogging the cylinders. Any gas remaining in the fuel tanks was treated with a dose of gas preservative.

The battery was stored in a protected but cold area. I regularly maintained the electrolyte levels, topping up the charge every month or so all winter, while closely monitoring and recording each cell's specific gravity and total battery voltage on a card posted beside the battery.
A flooded cell lead-acid battery which is stored at cool/cold temperatures, and monitored and maintained all winter will have a much longer life than one which is kept in a warm environment beside the furnace on a wooden board (theoretically to prevent discharge?)

See link below for details. http://uuhome.de/william.darden/storage.htm

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"Never be afraid to try something new: Professionals built the Titanic
And amateurs built the Ark."

posted August 13, 2003 01:20 PM            

The road trailer is constructed of heavy welded steel, painted with primer and many coats of rust paint over the years. The axle was upgraded and had it's bearings replaced and new large 15 inch wheels installed. The tongue was replaced and lenghtened as noted in the preceeding text.

I doubt that you will be pleased with a Siren 17. It's a very small boat, only a daysailor at best, has no opening ports in it's cramped cabin, and has barely much more freeboard than a canoe!

Sandpipers are larger, better designed, stronger and certainly much drier to sail with lots of freeboard. I have difficulty even reaching the water to rinse off my hands when snacking!

Get your car gassed up, put a 1-7/8 ball hitch on it and get over here to Toronto. The boat has been described to me as a truely turnkey sailaway vessel, and it is.

'Course...it'll take a bit longer to sail her back down the St Lawrence Seaway and around to Nova Scotia, but she'd definitely make the trip.