[Rhodes22-list] Miracles launched!

[Hank]

Lou,

Congratulations!  I have a bit of a project boat myself, but, fortunately, I
can sail while I tend to the other projects.  Here's looking forward to many
long years of use to come.

Hank

On Mon, Jul 28, 2008 at 3:14 PM, Lou Rosenberg <lsr3 at nyu.edu> wrote:

> Dear Rhodies,
>
> On Saturday I launched my boat "Miracles" after 4 long years of hard
> work, frustration and fear of not being able to sail this boat.  But
> hard work,  God's help and
> lots of money finally prevailed and she floated and we sailed her
> around Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn to Mill Basin where I am
> keeping her in a slip.
>
> Things almost went flawlessly, but my centerboard cap did leak but I
> was able to add a fastener and stop it.   Orbit chewing gum works
> every time! ( along with
> plumber's emergency epoxy)
>
> Some history for those new comers to the list:  I bought this boat
> for $1200.on Aug 9th, 2004  from the second owner who had sailed it
> only sparingly.  I found it with a cabin full  of mildew and leaky
> portlights,  a rusty trailer and an old Merc 7.5 electric start which
> I sold.   This is my first boat and I hadn't bought the Don Casey
> books on how to evaluate a used boat, which was one of my first
> mistakes.    I asked the owner if the centerboard mechanism worked
> and he assured me it did but I might as well have bought the Brooklyn
> Bridge.   It wasn't until almost November that I learned that it was
> stuck inside the trunk due swelling of the trunk walls from water
> that leaked into the trunk through the flange which was also in
> terrible shape.
>
> With the help of Roger Pihlaja, a very patient chemical engineer who
> had posted many things to the owners site and to the list,  I was
> able to spend the next year ripping out the bad laminate and
> replacing it with garolite panels glassed into the the interior trunk
> wall.   There is a pdf file at the owner's site under the
> R22 tech section that details the repair job.
>
> I spent another year re wiring and acquiring new parts and some
> recycled ones from Stan like: the Harken 00 furler, a more current
> rudder head, another bow rail, and the mast crane and crutch system.
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>
> At times throughout those four years I  felt overwhelmed, frustrated
> and angry at myself for taking this long project on, but felt that
> one day it would all pay off.
> Its also a miracle I'm still married too, because my wife Cindy
> really had to put up with all this s__t way too much for too long!
>
>
>
> I now have to tend to the cabin and put my sliding doors back on add
> my cooler, head and tweak the rigging a bit then give her the tiller
> as we bend sail for the first time!
>
> Thanks to all the Rhodes owners especially:
>
> Roger Pihlaja
> Rick Centalonza
> Stan  and Elton
> Mary Lou
> Michael Weisner
>
> Richard Smith
> Rummy
> Ed K
> Peter Thorn
> Hank
> and Bill Effros
> and anyone else I may have left out!
>
> peace
> Lou
>
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