[Rhodes22-list] Miracles launched!

[Lou Rosenberg]

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