Expanding the Network and Building a Stack Pack

There's an ad in Texas right now for a Rafiki 35 for 10,000.00.  The ad doesn't really say anything and only has two pictures.  The boat has nice canvas and looks to have been well cared for (from the outside in a small picture, I don't know what the inside is like or anything up close).  I contacted the seller, who put me in touch with the buyer, who is pretty excited! Nice to meet someone else.  I think that makes it five now that I know of. Still looking for the rest of you.

Anyway, I had my copy of the blueprints scanned and was able to share them.  It sounds like maybe it is not as standard as I had thought to have received a copy of the plans with the boat.

Meanwhile, my big evening project has been to build a stack pack.  It's gigantic.  I think we could use it to sail in high winds if we wanted to.  Building one for the second time was definitely a lot easier than the first time.  We are planning to go up the mast this weekend to install the blocks on the mast for the lazyjacks, run the line, and also to reattach a spreader boot that is working its way loose.  The weird flat spreader bars are a challenge, it seems.

I'm planning a four leg lazyjack configuration and I'm using bowlines for the loops for the legs instead of hardware.  The topping lift is very heavy duty so the stack pack won't have to take the weight of the boom usually, and I think everything can be fairly simple. Last time around I went with the 300.00 Harken lazyjacks, which are nice but not very adjustable and leave a steel cable and block banging on your mainsail.

All told, the project has cost less than 300.00, and that includes the line which was quite expensive.

Next thing will be to make hatch covers.  You can really tell that the interior will benefit from the shade. The poor dinette table is really UV damaged.  We can spruce it up a bit when we get around to it, but it would be nice to at least protect it some.

Last weekend we were sailing with just the jib. lazy style, when the steel cable that holds the foot of the jib down to the ruller furler pulled free of its fittings. The jib actually popped up a bit on the track.  That is being replaced this weekend also with dyneema.  We also attempted to sail off the anchor with just the jib, but the maneuver had to be abandoned in order to avoid scaring some anchored power boaters to death.  I don't think they had their brown pants on so it seemed unfair to torture them.

Update re:  the Whale Pump:  They sent us an email stating that the pump was too large and it was our fault for buying the wrong one (it isn't, the specs say it's for a 2-3 outlet system. We have 3 outlets . . . ).  We had to contact Defender to get someone to go to bat for us.  Now Attwood is replacing the pump but honestly what on earth.  This was completely mis handled and I feel sorry for anyone who didn't buy their equipment from someone who could help!