Re launch advice

[GC]

Hi guys, as I grow closer to the re launch of my 61 CC Constellation I was hoping to get some tips from people "in the know" on what check list I should follow to avoid any heart break. The boat has not been in the water for 13 years. What would you do prior to the re launch??? any and all advice is appreciated.

[S/V Laura Ellen]

insurance.... lots of insurance!!!

Check the throttle and gear shift linkages to ensure they work.
Ensure that you have wooden plugs at the ready for all thu hull fittings.
Get sump pumps arranged for. Make sure that you have access to power for the pumps. Know where you can get a generator and/or gas powered pump.

New fire extinguishers would be a good move. Check to ensure that the fuel lines are in good shape, they can deteriorate over time.

Good Luck!!!

[S/V Laura Ellen]

Will the marina allow the boat to be kept in the slings for a few days until the boat swells?

[Elcoholic]

Well, I'm no expert but I have had experience launching a large, dried-out wooden boat, evidenced by a 32,000 lb. weight loss. The hull seams were cleaned out, re-caulked with cotton and caulking compound, faired and painted. I though I had done everything there was to do. About two weeks before launch, I had soaker hoses in the bilge and I thoroughly soaked the outside of the hull with six sprinklers 24 hours per day. (I could have filled a couple pools, judging by the water bill.) I don't know if it helped but when launched with a crane, the boat STILL took on water like mad. (There are no slings available here.) Initially, I ran a 150 gallon/minute pump wide open. After about an hour, when I could see that I was "winning", I took the pump down to an idle, which I would guess to be a rate of about 20 gallons/minute. Scared to leave it, I "lived aboard" for 10 DAYS, running that pump at idle 24 hours/day. It ran so long (maybe 6 or 7 days) that it loaded up with carbon and died sometime in the middle of the night. I had the alarm set to go off in two hours. BIG mistake. Assuming that I was asleep for 2 hours and that the boat was taking on water at 20 gallons/minute, I figure that it took on at least 2,400 gallons, in addition to God knows how much was in there before the pump quit. It filled the bilge under the galley to within an inch of the floor. The engine compartment was filled to almost the level of the top of the oil pans. It was down by the bow at least 12". Two more hours would have sunk it, maybe a lot less. At 4:00 A.M., cold, tired, naked and scared, I finally managed to pull the sparkplug, clean it up, get it back in, start the engine and after about 10 minutes of trying, finally managed to get the pump primed to lift the water the eight feet out of the bottom of the bilge. I ran that pump wide open for at least 30 minutes. That was the last sleep I had for awhile.

After a succession of gas and electric pump experiments, the boat finally leveled off to where two of those little 12V bilge pumps kept up with the water intake, running for about 30 seconds every 10-12 minutes, but this took nearly a month. Bottom line?

Plan A: DON'T GO HOME. Have AT LEAST THREE PUMPS, a GENERATOR, and plenty of GAS.....and an ALARM CLOCK, set to go off EVERY HOUR.

Plan B: Take up golf.

Anything worth having is worth suffering for.

"Endeavor to persevere."

[GC]

My plan is to back her in to the water and leave her till she floats off the trailer, only the will I take her over to her birth. any other good stories out there.

[Dan McCosh]

You didn't say what size the boat is. The big problem with getting a CC-style hull to swell is that it is relatively flat-bottom, which means that the vast majority of seams will be in the water at the same time. This can bring in a lot of water in a hurry. Most CC hulls are double-planked and batten seamed, which should in theory minimize the leaking until it swells tight. You could be looking at about 72 hours of soaking before any significant swelling takes place. That's because wood has to take up about 85% moisture before it moves significantly. If you can control the launch, and let it soak with the waterline just at the chines, it would smooth things out a lot.

Might add we usually launch a 45-foot, caravel planked hull, but it is narrow and deep. The hull is lowered to a point where the pumps can keep up, and then it sits until it swells, lowered a bit more, etc. completely dried--which only happened once, it takes more than two days to swell, and about a week to get tight.

[Lew Barrett]

"Leaving her in her trailer" is sometimes easier said than done. I'd guess that as soon as she floats free she'll start to wander a bit, so you'll need to keep some lines on her if that's your plan; but if your plan is to put her back in "a few inches at a time"that will probably help some. (Edited to add: I should say "the hope" is that she'll float free and not sink back. If she doesn't, you'll probably need to watch the weight on the trailer). Elcoholic's story is an extreme case of a boat not taking up, but back in the old days of my boat's un-refastened and un-recaulked bottom (it hadn't been entirely unified until two years ago) each re-launching was an adventure. Our boat has always been able to stay up on her own with the help of course of its electric pumps, but seeing a river flow through it is always an eye widening event. Have the floors pulled up and make mental note of particularly active areas. Since we redid the bottom, usual splashings after a few days out are without drama.
However, I have to admit that I have stayed with the boat for the first night (sometimes two) of particularly hairy re-launchings, but that is a thing of the past now; although I will likely not be out for more than a few days at a time in the future. A great deal has to do with how long you've been out, the actual condition of the bottom and your prep. I can't beat the Elco story, won't even try....
Edited to add: If you've done all your work properly, you'll be fine. A tight boat in good nick may well yet take on water, but it should float to its lines on its own pumps. After a week, all the drama should be well passed. If not, you have other problems.
Lew

[gaffman]

Quite a story, Elcoholic.

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

Gord, if you have recaulked all the seams, and done a thorough inspection of the bottom while you did that, you'll be surprised how fast you tighten up. All the other advice noted is good stuff... pumps etc. Keep your hatches and floorboards off while you launch. You will want to see what's going on immediately.