Offshore preperation check list

[estarzinger]

I was just updating a check list I wrote sometime ago. Comments/suggestions?

prepchecklist.pdf

[Dennis.G]

Great list - thanks for the look.

Thinking for my wife: "What, this guy isn't taking any food??"

Interested in the covering the bed with plastic. Great idea. I have used a canvas tarp, but plastic sounds like it would actually keep bed dry. Maybe thin plastic under a tarp.

Disclaimer: I have not made any offshore passages beyond just a few days length, so my input is of little value.

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by estarzinger

I was just updating a check list I wrote sometime ago. Comments/suggestions?

Attachment 67189

Well conceived list. What is the purpose of covering the double bunk with plastic? Also, if cowl vents are adjustable (ie; repositioning aft), do you still remove them in moderate weather and if so, why?

[Ocean Girl]

Thanks for this, very helpful.
I tried to do a search about how you duct tape your hatches ( for some reason the image search pulls up pics of US movie stars, i dont want to know why )

do you have a picture of the duct taped hatches?
Do you have issues with cleaning off the residue?
Can I assume it is to keep others from opening, or it is to decrease water intrusion?

Sorry if this has been asked and answered, your site is busy, or my Internet is slow.

[rebel heart]

When singlehanding I put a sticky up that says:

1) Your judgment is compromised.
2) You can buy another boat, your family can't get another father.

Regarding your list it's pretty solid, I might steal it. A few modifications I'd make:

- clean the bowls (racors), or at least make sure one of them is spotless
- i've found four stroke oil everywhere. enough for one change is fine with me. i have maybe 10 oil filters though.
- checking Iridium phone : SOLID idea
- navigation: I check for hospitals and the such in advance so I have a general idea of where to divert if there's a medical emergency. But I also have a wife and two little kids.
- passports go into the ditch bag, in zip locks.
- I buy a box of granola/protein bars, put them in the ditch bag, and take the ones from the ditch bag out into the galley for regular eating.
- Cycle all spare batteries from the ditch bag (8 aa's in double ziplocks).

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by Dennis.G

Thinking for my wife: "What, this guy isn't taking any food??"

Well, our boat is 'normally' provisioned. But I should add to the list two food items - we pre-prepare the first three dinners (so they can just be heated and eaten), and for a longish passage we stock extra 'special foods' (stuff that just tastes different).

Originally Posted by rognvald

Well conceived list. What is the purpose of covering the double bunk with plastic? Also, if cowl vents are adjustable (ie; repositioning aft), do you still remove them in moderate weather and if so, why?

Yes, our vents can be turned. But I still remove the front two for three reasons - (1) from an ultimate safety perspective I don't like dorados. If you roll 180 they are 3" holes in the (now) bottom of the boat. They have shut offs but can let a lot of water in before they are shut. (2) the bow ones can be flooded and let water in if we take a major green wave (say 2' of water on deck). That does not happen very often, but once is enough. and (3) Hawk is setup on passage so we use the back of the boat and don't really use the front much so we don't need the ventilation.

Plastic on double bunk - to keep it dry. We do get wet stuff down below - sails and foul weather gear, etc. We try to keep it tidy and where it belongs but sometimes it gets tossed on the bunk.

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

do you have a picture of the duct taped hatches? I looked and no sorry, I don't have any pics. But it is just what it sounds like - duct tape sealing the edges.
Do you have issues with cleaning off the residue? WD40 cleans it right off
Can I assume it is to keep others from opening, or it is to decrease water intrusion? Both.

Sorry if this has been asked and answered, your site is busy, or my Internet is slow. Yeh, it's down, not sure why. I asked tech support and Its some sort of server problem.

Originally Posted by rebel heart

When singlehanding

I was actually thinking that there needs to be a 'singlehander' addendum to the list, because when I single hand there is an additional set of things I prepare to make sure absolutely everything is right at hand.

- clean the bowls (racors), or at least make sure one of them is spotless
- i've found four stroke oil everywhere. enough for one change is fine with me.
Extra oil is if you get salt water in the engine, which happens more often than anyone talks about. You need two changes to get it all cleared out.

i have maybe 10 oil filters though.
- checking Iridium phone : SOLID idea
- navigation: I check for hospitals and the such in advance so I have a general idea of where to divert if there's a medical emergency. But I also have a wife and two little kids.
- passports go into the ditch bag, in zip locks.
- I buy a box of granola/protein bars, put them in the ditch bag, and take the ones from the ditch bag out into the galley for regular eating.
- Cycle all spare batteries from the ditch bag (8 aa's in double ziplocks).

...............

[rebel heart]

How are people getting salt water into the engine? I've heard it can happen if you run the starter too much without getting it to fire, the water can basically fill up the exhaust and then splash back in through the exhaust manifold.

Some other mechanisms? I've double-changed my oil a few times, because I keep trying to keep the oil nice and clear like a gas engine. Exercise in futility it seems.

[skipmac]

Looks like a pretty comprehensive list. So far the only thing that occurs to me that I didn't see on the list is check the running lights.

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

How are people getting salt water into the engine? I've heard it can happen if you run the starter too much without getting it to fire, the water can basically fill up the exhaust and then splash back in through the exhaust manifold.

We got water thru a small tube running from the engine water pump down to the dripless stuffing box - supposed to keep it wet even if high speed was sucking water out of the stern tube (not likely on a sail boat). With the really cold water in South Georgia there was some sort of suction set up as the engine block cooled down that sucked water into the block. Took me a while to figure that one out.

I am not sure of this but mostly I think people get water from their exhaust - boat is heavy and low in the water with passage weight, and then they either get a big stern wave or start pitching in light air big waves (as sometimes in crossing the doldrums) and water comes back up even by a loop and the muffler. We have a big ball valve in the exhaust hose that we can close.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by estarzinger

We got water thru a small tube running from the engine water pump down to the dripless stuffing box - supposed to keep it wet even if high speed was sucking water out of the stern tube (not likely on a sail boat). With the really cold water in South Georgia there was some sort of suction set up as the engine block cooled down that sucked water into the block. Took me a while to figure that one out.

I am not sure of this but mostly I think people get water from their exhaust - boat is heavy and low in the water with passage weight, and then they either get a big stern wave or start pitching in light air big waves (as sometimes in crossing the doldrums) and water comes back up even by a loop and the muffler. We have a big ball valve in the exhaust hose that we can close.

I've seen guys with little flapper valves on the exhaust. Certainly not bullet proof, but it would stop a substantial amount of water from entering in the event of a wave.

Maybe I'll do a little shade tree mechanic work and hose clamp something around the exhaust fitting to accomplish the same.

[delmarrey]

One thing you might consider that I had trouble with on this last passage is sealing off the anchor windlass spurling pipe. I must have taken on 10 gallons within an hours time before I discovered it.

Also wire tie any clevis that are attached to the sail rigging. Other then that it looks like you'll be pretty busy checking off your list, unless most of its done by now. Some it seems over kill, IAW it should be part of general maintenance.

One thing I've learned is the lists take a long time to complete and only lead to more lists. One has to set priorities.

[dana-tenacity]

For the spurling pipe - a can of expanding foam - problem solved.

[gjordan]

Rebel Heart, I learned the hard way about exhaust systems allowing lots of water into an engine. On a delivery from Hawaii to SF, we had a rip roaring downwind run when a low passed over. In the morning I went to start the engine and CLUNK no rotation. The exhaust system had been replaced by someone that didnt know boats and the loop/riser, at the transome had been made much lower than original. (A Peterson 44). It had filled the sump and several cylinders with water. That is also where I learned (the hard way) that if you are going to turn an engine over without the injectors in, you had better put a big towel or blanket over the engine or you will have water and fuel all over the side of the engine room. The less than good exhaust system was hidden behind paneling. I removed the paneling, and figured out why it all happened. My next 3 Hawaii deliveries, I demanded a case of oil and 4 filters be onboard. Never happened again. A boat could go for years without running really hard downwind, and then wonder what happened when suddenly their engine is water locked. The school of hard knocks.______Grant.

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

One thing you might consider that I had trouble with on this last passage is sealing off the anchor windlass spurling pipe. I must have taken on 10 gallons within an hours time before I discovered it.

Completely agree, and its already on the list. On Silk we have a tapered teak plug made that did the job very nicely. On Hawk the Lewmar windless design does not allow that (easily) so I have tried a bunch of other solutions and settled on wrapping the whole windless in plastic cling film with a wrap of duct tape around the bottom - easy/fast on and off and water tight. Spray foam does the job but is messy and I prefer not to use it if I can find another solution.

Also wire tie any clevis that are attached to the sail rigging.

Also agreed, and also already on the list. Some of the pins I mouse with stainless wire and some I wire tie. It depends on whether they really ever get remove or are more or less 'permanent'.

Some it seems over kill, IAW it should be part of general maintenance.

What do you consider overkill?

And what do you consider should be routine maintenance instead? As a note on that, I do for instance, oil changes at 150 hr interval for routine maintenance. But if it's not been done in say 50hrs before a decent length passage I do it fresh as passage prep. Its just so easy to do it at the dock, and everything is so much harder to do at sea than I like everything to be as fresh as possible/reasonable.

............

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by estarzinger

........Some it seems over kill, IAW it should be part of general maintenance.

What do you consider overkill?

And what do you consider should be routine maintenance instead? As a note on that, I do for instance, oil changes at 150 hr interval for routine maintenance. But if it's not been done in say 50hrs before a decent length passage I do it fresh as passage prep. Its just so easy to do it at the dock, and everything is so much harder to do at sea than I like everything to be as fresh as possible/reasonable.....

Keeping the boat "fresh" SHOULD be a full time job for off shore travelers. And that's the idea, to do everything at the dock before leaving. Once your out there the travel should be the main concern, unless one hits the dull drums.

For me a check list would be for supplies, spares and documents. Everything critical would be done or I wouldn't consider going until that list is done, otherwise it would be an assumption of risk. Although, I did leave recently not knowing if the water makers and new electronics worked. But that's what a shakedown cruise is for. If there are failures in the shakedown then it's time to turn around.

Just saying............