Manowar

IslandHopper · Post by **IslandHopper** » Fri May 30, 2008 2:22 pm

There is a swivel block, but I'm not sure if it's original or not. The bailer is gone, but the hole is merely plugged with a rubber gasket and piece of hard plastic bolted in from the bottom... Thinking of ordering the one I saw posted on here somewhere.

No moniker yet, that takes time to come up with just the right name

... My Hunter 35 sailed for a couple years before it got a real name!

Leeway · Post by **Leeway** » Fri May 30, 2008 2:37 pm

Yeah, I posted about the mini-bailer.

That will probably be an after-season upgrade for me. For now I'm using a gallon jug with the bottom cut out.

If you have a swivel base with cam cleat already, but only a single block, I found a Harken fiddle block with becket that will work great for the mainsheet. It's about $68 at West Marine and you could probably get it a few bucks cheaper at a local marine store if they stock it.

Harken is local for me and one of my neighbors is an employee there, so she was going to get me a 10% discount if that is cheaper than West than I will get one from her.

Here is a picture of the fiddle block I think will work.

IslandHopper · Post by **IslandHopper** » Sat May 31, 2008 12:52 pm

Thanks, I've a double block already.

I also took it out for its maiden voyage today. What a fun little boat!!!
Was having a grand old time till i hit a submerged tree or something under the water... the daggerboard caught it while doing about 4 knots... nearly threw me out of the boat and managed to break loose both ends of the trunk. Oh well, nothing a couple days of playing with fiberglass can't fix... and the side supports needed work done anyway, so I guess I'll just rebuild the entire trunk. And order that bailer while I'm at it!

(It even sails decently with 6 inches of water in the cockpit!)

gizmoJoe · Post by **gizmoJoe** » Sat May 31, 2008 7:11 pm

Hopper,
Nice looking boat, welcome to the forum. I think you can find the info on its age on this website. Look below the owners list.

Joe

http://chryslersailing.lizards.net/sail_owners.html

IslandHopper · Post by **IslandHopper** » Sat May 31, 2008 8:06 pm

Ah!, handy item... so mine is a '75. Thanks for the help.

gizmoJoe · Post by **gizmoJoe** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 5:28 am

Hopper,
When I got mine the daggerboard trunk supports were broken also, that seems to be a weak spot. When I started to repair the trunk i discovered all the wood encased in the fiberglass was water soaked and rotted. Something to watch for.

Joe

Leeway · Post by **Leeway** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 5:56 am

I took a wrong turn and hit bottom in shallow water the last weekend I was out. I was going between 3 and 5 knots at the time when we hit. The trunk was torquing back and forth as we dragged along and I thought it was going to snap off. Didn't think fast enough to pull the center board up!

To my surprise it took the beating and was no worse for wear.

The next time I have it home for an extended stay I'm going to reinforce the trunk.

gizmoJoe · Post by **gizmoJoe** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 9:58 am

Well I had a sailing window from 8am until 1pm today, unfortunately rain all am then no breeze. Gonna give it a go again tomorrow. How does everybody keep their boats clean and dry between sailing trips? Garaged? Tarped? Up in the northeast with all the rain my boat is getting filled up like a bathtub. Dead leaves and treebuds block that little drainhole and then she fills up. im thinking of making a little tarp tent that goes over the boom like you see on bigger boats moored out in a harbor.

Joe

Leeway · Post by **Leeway** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 11:50 am

Joe,

When I have it out at the lake for the weekend I just have it beached and bail it out if it rains before I use it.

If I leave it at the lake I put a tarp on it. My Father-in-law had made a nice PVC tent-like frame for our patio set when we cover it over the winter and it fits perfectly over the cockpit of the boat to prevent sagging and water collection on the tarp.

When I bring it home I will either keep in the garage or tarp it as above.

I will try to remember to take pictures of the PVC frame when I am back at the lake. Probably won't be up until the 4th of July weekend though.

Lee

Leeway · Post by **Leeway** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 2:08 pm

IslandHopper wrote:Oh... another thing...
Is there anyway to figure out just how old this boat is? (Year of manufacture?)

I haven't been able to figure that out either, but if there is no Hull ID then it was built before 1973. Mine just has a serial number and no HID.

IslandHopper · Post by **IslandHopper** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 2:31 pm

Leeway wrote:I haven't been able to figure that out either, but if there is no Hull ID then it was built before 1973. Mine just has a serial number and no HID.

Gizmo's link provided the answer... mine's a '75.

I've got the hull patched now where the trunk was broken loose... waiting for some fiberglass to set now where I'm rebuilding the trunk supports. Both sides had NO wood left... it had ALL rotted away. They were merely hollow fiberglass shells providing very little support!.
The wood along the top of the trunk (that supports the main sheet tackle) was also extremely soft... wouldn't have taken much of a blow to pull that tackle off the trunk!

It'll be back in the water by next week.

At least I'll know the boat inside and out now!

Leeway · Post by **Leeway** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 6:23 am

Hopper,

You have a Hull ID which makes it easy to determine the year of manufacture. Mine only has a serial number, so there is no way to tell unless someone can dig out a master serial number list from the Chrysler archives.

Anyway, sounds like you had to do a lot of work on the trunk. What type and brand of epoxy do you use? How much do you purchase at a time and at what cost?

Did you have an aluminum sleeve in your trunk at all? Mine does and the top support is all aluminum as well where the swivel block attaches. Looks like everything has the same black speckle on white paint job in the cockpit, so I don't think mine was ever redone.

gizmoJoe · Post by **gizmoJoe** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 7:16 am

Lee,

Mine had a plate on the transom and one inside the cockpit in back
and was dated a 1967. Are one or both of yours missing? Maybe we can all compare serial numbers and get an approximate age for the Sea'chele.
Are either of you guys gonna try to recreate the speckled black finish on the trunk, mine is just white where I patched it and it stands out like a sore thumb. Maybe spatter it with black using a big brush ( like you did back in kindergarten with a toothbrush, load it with paint, point it where you wants the speckles and pull your thumb across the bristles?)

Joe

Leeway · Post by **Leeway** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 8:51 am

Joe,

I have both those plates as well. The serial tag on the transom with s/n 430301181 on it and the model plate in the back of the cockpit, but no indication of date of build.

Where was the date located on yours?

Lee

IslandHopper · Post by **IslandHopper** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 9:47 am

Mine does NOT have any aluminum in the trunk, (except for the bracket the main sheet tackle attaches to.) It is all fiberglass, except for the side supports and a wood rail along each side of the trunk at the top (for the aluminum bracket and the plastic cover to attach to, as well as for area to support the daggerboard.)

I bought cloth and epoxy at Lowe's (Elmers brand) at half the price of West Marine

One quart is more than enough to do this job. Oh... also a can of chopped fiberglass filler... used that to secure the backing block for the new bow pad-eye, and using it again to "build up" the right angle where the trunk meets the floor... hopefully spread the load a little next time I hit something!)

As for the paint-job... I'm not gonna worry about it... eventually i might get around to refinishing the entire cockpit (I'll do it with just white, no black flecks.) Until then, it can look bad, all I care is that it's watertight and sound.

gizmoJoe · Post by **gizmoJoe** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:08 pm

Hey All,
Had a fantastic 5 hours sailing on the Man-o-War today. The only downside is the sunburn on my back where I couldn't reach with sunscreen. How well do your Manowars go to windward? I got mine without a mast or sail so I made a Lateen rig for it and I was amazed today how well it sailed upwind. I have a skull and crossbones pennant that Im gonna put on top of the mast so i can get an idea just how well upwind she sails.

Joe

Leeway · Post by **Leeway** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:24 am

IslandHopper · Post by **IslandHopper** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 6:30 pm

Finally ready for the water again!

A picture of the damage and rot before repairs:
(The photo doesn't do justice to the broken hull at the front and rear of the trunk... water comes in through those cracks at a rather alarming rate!) The wood in the side-supports was non-existant; along the top of the trunk it was more like a very soft sponge.

And a picture of the completed repair:
(It's not painted... that'll wait, I'm not concerned about cosmetics. The new bailer arrived today as well, so I've one more hole to cut.)

(edit)
I got the bailer installed as well... should work well, I've no doubt we'll bring water over the bow in the gulf!

Leeway · Post by **Leeway** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 6:08 am

Nice job Hopper!

Looks like you have the original Fiddle block and swivel base. Mine was missing when I purchased Sea'chele. Instead, the guy rigged it with a single large block and a smaller block on a line attached between the trunk support struts. I have since added a swivel cam cleat base, but want to add the fiddle block to get rid of that awful line between the struts.

Is that the Anderson mini-bailer you installed? Let me know how well it works because that is on my list of things to do as well.

IslandHopper · Post by **IslandHopper** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 9:06 am

Sailing was successful yesterday... me and my 5 year old spent a couple hours on the water. Managed to avoid all the submerged obstacles this time, so we came home with no damage!
It is the Andersen "Super Mini Bailer"... but the wind peaked at about 5 knots yesterday... so we were never able to get up enough speed to see how well it worked at draining the cockpit under way. (Andersen says it needs 4+ knots.)

So... that main-sheet rig you described sounds like it would be in the way of raising and lowering the daggerboard!? In any case, you can see how the base is made (mine's aluminum)... just screws into the wood along the top of the trunk... three screws on each side.

Perhaps I'll be able to talk the boy into going out again this afternoon or tomorrow....

Leeway · Post by **Leeway** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 10:58 am

Yes, the rig can be in the way somewhat, but not terribly. It has enough play that I can pull it back so the dagger board can come up. However, I would like to bring it back to how it was originally intended. If sailing with 3-people the rig, how it is now, can get in the way and can even come down over the legs of the person on the leeward side.

Maybe you will have better air this afternoon to test out that bailer. I don't recall seeing a "super" mini-bailer. What's the part number, where did you buy it, and how much?

So, the sleeve is entirely fiberglass? I could swear mine is aluminum. I will have to pull the top of mine off sometime to get a better look.

IslandHopper · Post by **IslandHopper** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 11:28 am

I got the bailer from defender.com.
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?pat ... 0&id=75542

I originally ordered it from the link you posted (but by phone), but a week later, I called to ask them where it was and they couldn't find the order. So that is the last time I do business with that company. Defender/UPS had it at my doorstep in 2 days.

I think the difference between the "super" and regular Mini-Bailer is that the Super mounts inside the hull.

Yep, no aluminum in the trunk... all fiberglass, with wood structure for support and hardware mounting.

You'd be able to engineer that bracket for the mainsheet tackle easily enough out of 3/16 aluminum plate. So long as there is SOLID wood along the top of the trunk to attach it to. (Mine was about as solid as wet newspaper before the repairs

)

Leeway · Post by **Leeway** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 11:57 am

My aluminum bracket is fine, it's the original fiddle block that I don't have. Mine is a single.

I will definitely inspect the wood under the plastic cover just to make sure it is OK, but everything seams solid.

I can't wait to get back out there. Have to wait a few more weeks. June is just too busy for me to get out to the lake. Plus with all the monsoon weather we have had in the Midwest it really hasn't been conducive to boating around here.

gizmoJoe · Post by **gizmoJoe** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 12:50 pm

Im gonna try to hit the waves friday noontime fellas! The layer of skin i burned on my back has peeled away, i'll get the woman to coat me up with sunblock before I leave .

Joe

EmergencyExit · Post by **EmergencyExit** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 5:54 am

Here's one on Ebay today, nice pics

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 0263681976

Leeway · Post by **Leeway** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 10:15 am

Wow! That one is in really nice shape!

Not sure if it is worth the $1500 reserve though.

Hope the new owner finds our forum.

Leeway · Post by **Leeway** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 7:28 am

This weekend was great for sailing. Friday not so good, but Saturday and Sunday had good air. Couldn't get it up to 14 knots like last time, so I think that was just a fluke because I was really moving at times. I did have it up to 10 knots consistently.

Hit another unmarked submerged rock, which made the crack at the rear of the trunk worse. Water coming in tiny bit. Not enough to make repairs yet.

Hopper, I inspected the inside of the trunk more thoroughly and found that the wood is health and that there is no aluminum sleeve like I thought, just glass. It is all in good working order though.

Also, I took another look at your before and after pictures and noticed that your original bailer location was to the stern side of the trunk, whereas mine is on the bow side of the trunk. Chrysler must have realized how stupid it was to have the bailer in the front where a single-handed sailor couldn't reach it and changed it in later models.

Did you have another chance to try out your new bailer? If yours works OK I will get one and install in the back like yours.

gizmoJoe · Post by **gizmoJoe** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:23 pm

Hey Guys,
That manowar that Lee mentioned on ebay back in june was relisted and went for 760.00 a couple of days ago, great looking boat. Last time I tried to sail had no wind so i went fishing instead but i hope to go tomorrow. Weatherman is calling for 10 knot winds.

Joe

Leeway · Post by **Leeway** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 6:51 am

gizmoJoe wrote:Hey Guys,
That manowar that Lee mentioned on ebay back in june was relisted and went for 760.00 a couple of days ago, great looking boat. Last time I tried to sail had no wind so i went fishing instead but i hope to go tomorrow. Weatherman is calling for 10 knot winds.

Joe

I paid $750 for mine with trailer so the $760 is a bit more realistic than $1500.

Like I said before, I hope the new owner finds our forum.

IslandHopper · Post by **IslandHopper** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 11:01 am

Leeway wrote:Did you have another chance to try out your new bailer? If yours works OK I will get one and install in the back like yours.

Not yet ... sailed it again, but it was nearly calm ... so not enough speed to get it working. It DOES work great in the back yard though... the tarp I cover the boat with leaks a bit, but leaving the bailer open avoids boat full of water

Hopefully will find myself under/near a thunderstorm next time I go out... that's the only way to get any significant wind around here during the summer.

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