Hello from Bellingham WA

[Wotan]

Hello All,

Thank you for having me!

My sister and I bought the Wotan for cheap in 2021 as there was about a foot of water at the bottom, and it was covered in mold and junk. She's a Ranger 37 from 1973. I go to school up here in Bellingham and during my education I've been refitting her! I will be graduating in about 1 month and my plan is to live-aboard for a month (or more) while job hunting. So during these last few months I have kicked into overdrive and have been working tirelessly to get her ready.

Things we've tackled so far:

• Clean out all the mold.
• Haul out and paint the hull.
• Fix the Westerbeke 40 diesel engine.
• TONS of interior cleaning.
• Fit a new Jib (old one shredded to bits the first time we sailed!).
• Did I already say cleaning?
• And much more...

Things I need/want to get before living aboard:

• Sand and stain all interior teak. (almost done!)
• Build a new electrical switch panel
• Fix the outboard for the dinghy.
• Install solar panels.
• Fix propane system.
• Install a new toilet.

I know I probably can't get all of that done by the time I graduate... But I can get close.

I was hoping to reach out to experienced sailors/refitters in the community for advice on some projects, so I made this account. If you are in or around Bellingham, Sqaulicum Harbor, or the San Juans, reach out!



Cheers,
Wotan

[JPA Cate]

Welcome aboard CF, Wotan.

Congratulations on all the work you've accomplished so far, and good luck on the job search.

Have you considered a composting toilet? [If you use the CF Custom Google search under the search button, you will find threads discussing them.]

If funds are short, you guys might want to consider 2nd hand sails. Bacon is one with a good reputation. It's easier to find 2nd hand headsails that fit well than mains. Hope your main's in good nick.

Good luck with your plans.

Ann

[Wotan]

Thanks!, I actually just picked up a Jabsco manual marine toilet for $25 off of craigslist. I'm hoping that works for me. The boat had an old wilcox critteden, I managed to get it functional again but it was so hard to flush, when I had guests I often had to flush for them, which is embarrassing all around! The seller actually mentioned this site, thats how I found it. I will absolutely check out composting toilets for a future project.

Sadly funds are short. Luckily, when we purchased the boat the previous owner had a couple spare! Our main is great, it had a cover on it the whole 12+ years it was sitting, and seems to be in great condition.

Thanks for the warm welcome,
P

[JPA Cate]

You're most welcome for the greeting.

We had a WC head, too. Too bad yours is gone. Jim had a disc made to fit on on the plunger to take a large commercial "O"-ring, that meant less maintenance (didn't have to get new leathers for it, which had got to be a problem) and it worked really well; it was more reliable than our Jabsco. Heavy old thing, though, with all that bronze. Met a guy who took off the white paint and shined up and lacquered the pump.

When you work on the Jabsco, it is really easy to tighten the screws so tight they split the plastic: hand tight then 1/2 turn. We had to remember to be way careful. We're on our 3rd pump for it, in 20 yrs.



Ann

[Bellinghamster]

Glad you found CF and welcome! (I'm the one that sold you the Jabsco head)

I've done major refits on a number of boats over the last 35 years (2 of them were also "awash" when I bought them). I'm out on G dock in Squalicum a couple days a week, and happy to "consult" anytime. I have a fairly well equipped workshop (both wood and metalworking), and don't mind helping folks out with part fabrication and repair.
Pete

[deblen]

Welcome!
Len

[Foswick]

Welcome.

I have a boat over on the JJ dock, so am down there at least once or twice a week. I just bought another boat that is down in Tacoma still and needs some work. So, I am down there a bit over the next month.

I'm happy to help you out any way I can. I'm pretty familiar with older boats. (My boats are a 1972 and a 1975.) I'm heading up to Blaine, tomorrow, to help a friend with some projects on her boat. But, I think I'll be down at Squalicum for most of the rest of the week.

Let me know what you're working on and when. I'll help if I can.

[Foswick]

Hey, I just noticed your boat. About 2 weeks ago, we came across some people in a Ranger - about that size - just outside the marina. Their engine would not start. That wasn't you, was it?

[Wotan]

Originally Posted by Bellinghamster

Glad you found CF and welcome! (I'm the one that sold you the Jabsco head)

I've done major refits on a number of boats over the last 35 years (2 of them were also "awash" when I bought them). I'm out on G dock in Squalicum a couple days a week, and happy to "consult" anytime. I have a fairly well equipped workshop (both wood and metalworking), and don't mind helping folks out with part fabrication and repair.
Pete

Thanks so much for that by the way! Just got the hardware for it yesterday, I'm waiting to install it until I finish sanding/staining the teak. As far as consulting and the workshop goes I will reach out!

[Wotan]

Originally Posted by Foswick

Hey, I just noticed your boat. About 2 weeks ago, we came across some people in a Ranger - about that size - just outside the marina. Their engine would not start. That wasn't you, was it?

We've been thankfully successful with our motor over the past couple years since we had it worked on. I don't think that was us.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

[Foswick]

How goes the project?

[Wotan]

It's going great!, this weekend we installed a bead-board panel headliner. Although the headliner is not done, the bead-board part is.

[jss5724]

Hey, I'm from Bellingham! Just bought a Cal 27 in Blaine Harbor over the weekend. Best of luck!

[Cheechako]

A friend of mine lives aboard a Ranger 37 in Anacortes. I have raced on one years ago. Good luck. Keep it simple to start. It's about time to start cruising the San Juans and BC. So separate the "must haves" from the "nice to haves"! You dont have to have solar up here, or certainly not right away...

[Wotan]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

A friend of mine lives aboard a Ranger 37 in Anacortes. I have raced on one years ago. Good luck. Keep it simple to start. It's about time to start cruising the San Juans and BC. So separate the "must haves" from the "nice to haves"! You dont have to have solar up here, or certainly not right away...

That is awesome to hear! It's really hard to find anyone else with this boat, as there was only 100 made from 1973 to 1981. I agree with separating the wants from the needs. Although I find it helps me to work on projects that interest me the most. And solar panels, that is, the research, installation, and usage very much interests me!

Thanks for the input!