[Rhodes22-list] Coronado 35

[Herb Parsons]

I forgot to mention, we moved it to another part of the marina while the
remove the destroyed docks it was on. I talked to some folks on their
live aboard, and mentioned that I had finished most of the AC wiring,
and that it "scared me", because it was basically a bunch of extension
cords strung together. The guy I was talking to said "Oh yeah, that's
right, Joe (not his real name) ran it into a high voltage wire right
after he bought it, blew out ALL of the wiring." That explained both the
scary wiring, and the repair guy mentioning that it looked like it had
been struck by lightning.

Funny thing is, at the price I bought it, him being honest about how
the shroud got damaged wouldn't have mattered at all. PO's, gotta love
'em. 


Herb Parsons

S/V O'Jure
  1976 O'Day 25
  Lake Grapevine, N TX

S/V Reve de Papa
  1971 Coronado 35
  Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana Coast

>>> hparsons at parsonsys.com 11/28/2005 8:47:02 PM >>>
I wish I could answer that one for you personally, first hand.
Unfortunately, we bought the Coronado late last year as a "project
boat". It wasn't in good shape then, but we practically stole it. I
immediately set to working with two immediate goals in mind - replace
all of the wiring, and get it out of the dock.

On the former, the PO told me that he "didn't know why one of the
shrouds was missing, he got it that way" (which indicated he had never
sailed it). I had a guy look at all the standing rigging, the motor,
and
the packing glands. He told me the rigging ALL needed replacing, that
it
had apparently been struck by lightning. He said there was no packing
left in the packing glands, it was metal to metal, and he took care of
that. That enabled me to get it out of the slip, where I had
understood
it had sat for 4 years. Bringing it back, the steering mechanism
broke.
I JUST LAST WEEK found a replacement steering system I could afford.
It's on the way. But, I digress. We were able to actually take it out
and motor it for a day. This was very late last year, a couple months
after we bought it.

I also worked on replacing the wiring. Bought a nice new AC panel and
installed it. Ran all new wiring, receptacles, batter charger, etc.
Next
comes the 12v. Got the new panel, the new wiring, just have to get
started.

In the middle of that, I had two delays pop up. The first, my O'Day 25
got dismasted. It's all fixed now, but I concentrated on fixing that.
Then Katrina struck, and the Coronado is on Lake Pontchartrain, at one
of the marina's that was destroyed. Fortunately, most of the work I
had
done was inside, and there was no major damage, so I haven't lost
ground, just time.

So, all that said, I haven't sailed it yet. In January, I'm replacing
the standing rigging, and hope to put it out on the lake at that time.
Late January, it comes out of the water to be faired, sanded, and
painted. At that point, we're going to really start getting serious
about rebuilding the interior. 

Ironically, when I was doing a web search for Coronado 35's, I found
Don Casey discussing them (well, actually the 41, but it's the same
boat
just bigger) in is This Old Boat book. I bought the book, then found
that what he said about it wasn't exactly "complimentary". I think he
said it looks like an aircraft carrier with a bathtub on it.

However, my wife and I like the layout. The high center cockpit makes
for a ton of room below. The aft cabin has a bed that's almost king
size. I can lay abeam on it and fit, and I'm 6'0!. the forward cabin
has
a bed that's between a double and queen. The settee's convert to
bunks,
perfect for grandkids, and the table (that I have to rebuild) will
convert the starboard settee to a small berth. Great boat for all the
grandkids we're acquiring.

I think "Mack Truck" might be a little harsh, even though it's no
classic beauty. It's really not as heavy as it looks. It displaces
14,000 lbs, which is about average for that size boat. Mine is a shoal
keel, which means it's only 3 ½.

A charter service owner I took my captain's class with said that he
used to crew on a friends Coronado 35, and that as ugly as they are,
they handle great on the water. He said they're a little hard to dock
in
heavy winds, (lots of freeboard), but they're a dream to sail. I'm
looking forward to it. If you make it to Louisiana this summer, let me
know, and we'll take it out.


Herb Parsons

S/V O'Jure
  1976 O'Day 25
  Lake Grapevine, N TX

S/V Reve de Papa
  1971 Coronado 35
  Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana Coast

>>> hnw555 at gmail.com 11/28/2005 7:55:47 PM >>>
Herb,

Here's a question out of left field for ya, about sailboats, no less. 
A few
years ago I looked at a coronado 35 that was for sail and thought it
estrememly roomy inside, but not necessarily, the most graceful
looking
craft in the marina.  One friend of mine described it as the mack
truck
of
sailboats.  I'm curious, how does she sail?  Does she perform better
than
she looks?

Hank


On 11/28/05, Herb Parsons <hparsons at parsonsys.com> wrote:
>
> Of course, you're right, he's baiting me. He might even be a master
at it.
> Baiting that is.
>
> Must be a laywer thing...
>
> Herb Parsons
>
> S/V O'Jure
> 1976 O'Day 25
> Lake Grapevine, N TX
>
> S/V Reve de Papa
> 1971 Coronado 35
> Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana Coast
>
> >>> napoli68 at charter.net 11/28/2005 7:57:33 PM >>>
> Hey Herb,
>            There's more bait being thrown out to you than I've seen
in a
> long time!  Just ignore it, or better yet store in the porta pottie,
along
> with the Naughty Call Lawyer!
> Chris G
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list 
>
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list 
>
__________________________________________________
Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list 
__________________________________________________
Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list