[Rhodes22-list] Commissioning

[Julie Thorndycraft]

Dave,
I can't admit that we've ever raised the mast and been ready to launch in 30 
minutes. Perhaps 45 but generally it's closer to an hour. However, we have 
absolutely everything tied down so that process alone can take 10 minutes. 
We also know that when we've had problems it's been because we've been 
trying to rush or someone has come by and started asking questions about the 
boat - much better to take it slow and concentrate on what needs to be done.

There are some great checklists for both launch and retrieval, I believe 
Slim compiled one in the last year or two. We have our own version that is 
specific to our boat and our methods. I'm attaching our version and I'm sure 
you can ask Slim for his.

Once you get more familiar with the launch/retrieval process it won't be so 
exhausting nor will it take that long. We trailer our boat extensively and 
it does get easier with experience.

Julie
s/v Blue Loon

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <DCLewis1 at aol.com>
To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2006 7:39 PM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Commissioning




Bill,

I don’t think much went wrong.  The boat was in good shape.  We  did have a
dead batt, but there were 2 batts aboard so we could use the other  one to 
get
started.  We lost a little time changing out one batt later in  the day and 
it
took a little while initially for Elton to figure out that it was  just the
one batt and not something in the wiring.  Actually, there is more  to it:
turns out that the lid on the batt compartment was routered to  accommodate 
the
specific batt that was provided by GBI.  After Elton  figured out it was 
just
the batt, and not the wiring, and after we changed the  batt, we found out 
that
the posts of the new batt had a different configuration  than the posts for
the old batt; so he took the lid off  the batt  compartment to take back to
Edenton, they’ll router or drill new holes, mail it  back to me, and I’ll
install.   It was the classic daisy chain, you  find a problem, diagnose it, 
fix it,
which leads to another problem, etc.   It all took a fair while to get it 
all
sorted out - perhaps a couple of  hours.  But there’s a lesson here for the
board, all batts are not the same  because the posts are different, you guys
probably knew that.

There also may be a problem with the toilet water inlet valve on the boat,
right now it’s stuck open, Elton is going to do some checking at GBI to see 
if
there’s a fix.  We spent a little while on that , not a lot, it’s
unresolved.  I'm a little antzy about leaving that valve open, but Elton 
said it
wouldn't be a problem.  Certainly, no water was coming in.

Beyond that, I thought it just took a long time to get an R22 up from it’s
trailer.  I’m new at this, I have no baseline.  I see PT posted he  does it 
in
30 minutes, I’m amazed.  Maybe it’ll go faster next time (a lot  faster,
easily x20 faster).

We lost more than an hour in West Marine.  Shopping took a bit of  time, of
course, but far and away the biggest problem was they couldn’t get  their
checkout system to work right and some products weren’t marked so no one 
knew what
they cost.  It took a while.  Time in West Marine  shouldn’t count against
launch time, but it’s time.

After we initially splashed we probably spent an hour, certainly less than 
2
hrs,  in the harbor while Elton talked us through a few loops.  That 
shouldn’
t count against launch time, but it made for a longer day.

Also, there were some unique “first time out” things, like getting the
numbers affixed, getting the docking lines right, etc.  You guys probably 
have
all your docking and mooring lines sized, spliced, taped, from year to 
year.
We fumbled around a lot, it's still not the way we want it.

But it just took a lot of time.  Elton’s methodology, for the most  part,
was to tell me what to do and I’d do it (or try to do it).   That was a slow
process, because I wasn’t at all familiar with the components,  what came 
next,
where it attached, etc.  It took a while (hrs).

I’m really amazed at the launch times you guys report.  At the end of  our
commissioning I said to myself “I never want to do this again”.    Elton 
told
me he thought people on the board commonly did the sort of thing  we did 2 
to 3
times a year as they trailered their boats, I was skeptical.   Given the
launch time reports on the board, he’s likely correct.

Again, the delivered boat was in good shape and at the end of the day  we
were glad to have it in the water.

Dave

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