Ed Zeiser WWP P-14 "Wisp" wrote:
> Hi! I just wanted to introduce myself. I am the new owner of John
>Haley's P14. John started the New Year off right for me by delivering the
>boat from Rochester, NY to West Hartford. It was bitter cold here, but
>the roads were clear. Since then, I paid a rather expensive visit or two
>to West Marine and have registered the boat and trailer. I just have to
>have the trailer inspected and then I'll be all set. I do have a few
>questions: 1. Does anyone have any suggestions for mounting a VHF antenna
>on the wooden mast. I am planning on running the coax through a fitting
>just ahead of the mast and attaching a 3' base-loaded antenna to the
>front of the mast. I would have to screw the antenna connection each time
>I stepped the mast and unscrew it at the end of the sail.
I agree that the front of the mast would seem to be the only place you have
to mount an antenna. I don't have a radio so can't help you with that.
Possibly you could just let the 3 ft antenna extend off the back of the
trailer when hauling and not have to remove it. I usually carried my gunter
mast and spars in the cabin and the mast extended just past the transom. Or
you may prefer to carry them on top of the boat to keep the cabin clear and
allow you to close the hatch. Then you could carry the mast further forward
and reduce
the rear overhang. (I've shortened my mast even further by cutting it off
to step at the cabintop instead of on the cabin sole, but that's another
story.)
3. I would also like to find out what other people are doing for a head.
There really is not enough room for a porti-potty inside the cabin, but it
does look like I could construct something in the storage compartment
under the berth.
One possibility would be a setup I used for one three-day weekend trip when
I was out two nights, traveling down the Sacramento River. I bought one of
the cheap camping pottys that consisted of a folding aluminum frame, a
toilet seat, and a supply of plastic bags. I didn't use the frame. Instead
I cut a length of aluminum tubing of the proper diameter to fit the seat.
My boat has under deck lockers on each side of the cabin, just inside the
hatch bulkhead, the area where the headroom is the greatest. (My primitive
Potter is unlined, so this description may not make sense on your boat.)
Anyway I cut notches in the blocks of wood that are screwed to bulkheads in
the port locker so that the tube could sit in the slots, running fore and
aft, and support the back of the seat. The front of the seat was supported
by the existing board that forms the inboard wall of the locker. That is a
removable board on my boat and fits in slots. I lined the locker with
plastic material, just in case. The plastic bags are used on the seat in
the intended manner. The locker is not as deep as it would seem to need to
be, but it worked fine. I'm 6 ft 1 in and could sit comfortably. After use,
I carefully removed the bag, tied it, and stowed it in a garbage bag, also
tied, and stowed the bag in the adjacent locker under the seat. There were
no spills or smells.
It might be possible to install and use a minimum-height Porta-Potti in
that space instead. That would be more secure and less hassle, but might be
pretty uncomfortable with the higher seat and resultant reduced headroom.
It would also preclude sleeping on that side of the boat unless you moved
the potty into the cockpit.
4. There is a bulkhead that has started to rot aft of the centerboard,
under the deck and seats. It appears to be only 3/8" plywood and does not
appear to serve any structural purpose. Can it be removed or should I
replace it with something more substantial. I am thinking of using a piece
treated wood under the deck and maybe putting some foam (pool noodles) in
that area too.
I am under the impression the partial bulkheads are intended to prevent
rapid sloshing of water from one end of the boat to the other and resultant
instability in the event of swamping. I think I read something to that
effect in an article about the original Stanley Smith Potter.
Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA