I think that I have thoroughly worn out the fender in the middle…
Use it up! Wear it out! Make it do, or do without! –That’s the old cheapskate’s mantra, and one that it currently in use here on Idle Queen, where I am consistently trying to eke just a little more life out of each old component and piece of gear.
Not buying new stuff for the boat is one of the ways that I am trying to keep my boating costs in check, and it is a real uphill battle. At every turn, there are shiny new pieces of boat gear just begging to be purchased. It is true that there are a lot of things aboard old Idle Queen that really are quite worn and are ready to be replaced, but equally there are a lot of things that I just don’t need that I have to fight the impulse to buy and put on board. For instance, there is currently a working anchor windlass aboard. It is electric, and not a very large windlass, but it works and it pulls harder than I can by hand. I want to replace it with a stoutly-built manual windlass that won’t require long runs of heavy electrical cable or place a big load on the aging batteries, but I don’t need it right now. Instead, I should replace that rotten pile of dust that used to be a supporting member of the boomkin. That is more of a necessity than the windlass that I want.
Keeping the boat’s actual needs prioritized and focusing my energy on actually whittling down the list from the most important to the least is a trying exercise in self-discipline. I mean, shopping for, fabricating, and installing a new piece of spruce for the boomkin is hardly as much fun as shopping for marine electronics or even anchoring gear. (I love shopping for anchors and gear–crazy, I know…)
I am trying to make as few trips to the marine stores as possible to reduce the temptation to get sidetracked on things that I don’t really need, and so far the strategy is working. Staying out of the stores means that there are fewer opportunities to buy something on impulse. I am taking that strategy further, though, by coming up with simple solutions to needs that I find aboard Idle Queen and reminding myself that I can go a long way with what is already on board, or even less. Harry Heckle Jr., the original owner of Idle Queen, didn’t even add a windlass until he had been out voyaging for decades. I don’t know how he dealt with hauling the hook up in a blow, but I know that I can rig up a block and tackle to a strong point to get almost as much mechanical advantage as some windlasses would provide, thus solving the problem with gear I already have aboard.
Getting Idle Queen out cruising again is going to be an exercise in frugality if I am actually going to make it work. I will share what I learn as I go along.
I have been to a lot of museums over the years, and some of the things that have survived the best from thousands of years ago are pieces of pottery. Even when there are only shards because a piece has been broken, they are still recognizable. Where the pottery was painted and glazed, the finish has often survived in good condition. So, I like to think that the painting that I did of Idle Queen on this bowl will be around for a good, long time to come.
This bowl is the product of my second visit to a pottery studio where you get to paint your own pieces. There is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to figuring out what the glaze is going to do after it is fired, so I am pleased with how the Idle Queen bowl came out. The experience was more fun than I had anticipated, so I am looking forward to visiting the studio again in the future. Maybe I will even try visiting a place where I can experiment with the pottery itself instead of just painting on pre-made pieces… Then again, the last thing that I need is another hobby.
Cavendysh and Sirocco facing each other. Sirocco weighs three times as much, but motors in a flat calm at almost the same economy as the smaller Contessa 26.
Many sailors pride themselves on how little they can use their engines, but any boat equipped with an auxiliary will end up motoring some percentage of the time. Being able to motor somewhere is a big part of the reason for having the engine, right? My last three boats have each come equipped with auxiliary engines, and I have used them at times to travel a good many miles on rivers, canals, and in confined channels. Sometimes that meant motoring all day, and I would begin to wonder just what I was getting out of each gallon of fuel consumed. With fuel prices currently over $4 per gallon this subject is on my mind frequently, especially now that I have moved to a much larger boat. So, I pulled out my logbooks and did a little figuring.
Here is Cavendysh on stands next to Sirocco. From this angle it is a bit more apparent how much heftier Sirocco is.
The three boats that I am comparing are a Contessa 26, which weighs about 5400 lbs; a William Atkin “Ben Bow”, weighing about 17,000 lbs; and a Dreadnaught 32, weighing in at 20,000+ lbs. They are all powered by inboard diesels.
One of the things that I had enjoyed most about my trim little Contessa 26, Cavendysh, was that she was very efficient both under both sail and power. I figured that would be the case when I bought her. Efficiency was one of the reasons that I chose the design. For power, she carried a little one-cylinder Bukh diesel engine that made all of 9-hp. The propeller was a 2-blade fixed model. I could motor all day at 4 knots with that little one-lunger banging away and only burn a couple of gallons of diesel fuel. Cavendysh returned about 20 nautical miles per gallon on calm water at that speed. Pushing the throttle forward farther resulted in a big drop in economy. She returned about 10-12 miles per gallon at 5 knots. I motored quite a lot when I had the mast down heading south from the Great Lakes. My efficiency through the water over 150 hours of motoring worked out to about 20 nautical miles per gallon of diesel. That number reflects varied conditions–sometimes I was motoring into wind and chop, and sometimes I had the wind behind me (when the mast was down), but overall, that is pretty stellar economy. The little Bukh could run for ages on just cupfuls of fuel.
A view of Sirocco with a freshly refinished bottom. Sirocco has a full keel with a deep forefoot.Looking at Sirocco head-on while she hangs in the slings. Her fine underwater lines are apparent from this angle. The very bottom of her keel is narrower than that of the Contessa 26, which contributes some to her efficiency.
When I moved to Sirocco, the “Ben Bow” designed by William Atkin, I was prepared to spend a lot more for fuel. The new boat was almost three times the displacement of the Contessa, but also longer on the waterline (28′ versus 21′) and with a much fuller keel. The big full keel meant a lot more wetted surface, which results in more drag as the boat has to overcome more friction with the water. The engine in Sirocco was a big jump up too–a 28-hp three cylinder Beta diesel driving a three-blade fixed prop. However, I was surprised to find that my mileage over the last 150 hours only dropped to 15.2 nautical miles per gallon. That was running mostly between 4 and 5 knots, and mostly in calm water, although at least 10% of that was motoring into headwinds, which consumes a lot more fuel. Sirocco was also capable of motoring at over 6 knots, but would burn 2/3 of a gallon per hour at that speed (9 miles/gallon). Motoring at 4 knots in a glassy calm I could still get 20 miles per gallon out of Sirocco–about the same fuel economy as the Contessa, but much more efficient because Sirocco weighed three times as much. I was more comfortable on the larger boat, as well, and the engine was much quieter.
This is a good view of Idle Queen to show off her long, shallow keel.
My present boat, Idle Queen, at 20,000 lbs, is definitely the biggest and heaviest of any boat that I have owned. She is also the most lightly powered. Her inboard engine is a 15-hp, two-cylinder Beta Marine engine that drives a 3-blade fixed propeller. That gives her 1.5 hp per short ton (2,000 lbs) of displacement–relatively less than half as much power as either of my last two boats, which were both very close to 4 hp per short ton. Would this drastically different setup change the economy of motoring in a calm? Well, I don’t have as much data yet as I do for the other boats, but it seems that at 4 knots in a glassy calm Idle Queen gets very close to 20 nautical miles/gallon! At 5.5 knots on flat calm water, Idle Queen seems to burn around .5 gallons per hour, giving an economy of 11 miles/gallon. I need more data to be sure that figure is accurate, as it was taken over relatively few hours, but I have enough data to be close.
I am surprised that all of the numbers are so similar across such different boats and engines. I really thought that the Contessa 26 would come out far ahead of the bigger boats, but that was only true when motoring into wind and waves–hence the better overall economy of the Contessa. Even then it was not as great a difference as I had expected. The numbers show that moving displacement hulls at relatively low speeds in a flat calm is really quite energy efficient. There are many factors at play here, but I think that the biggest surprise is that I can move a 20,000 lb boat in calm conditions at about the same cost per mile as a 5,400 lb one as long as I keep the speed to about 4 knots.
The next biggest surprise is that the larger wetted surface of Sirocco and Idle Queen really didn’t translate into a much greater cost per mile under power. Modern boats are made light and with small keels and rudders to improve their efficiency by reducing wetted surface. At least as far as economy under power is concerned, the difference is not as big as I had thought. Granted, even the Contessa had a relatively full keel, but she had less than half the underwater area of the other boats (measured by how much bottom paint it took to paint her).
When the wind and waves come up, the smaller boat requires much less energy to keep her moving, and then her fuel economy is much better than the bigger boats. Motoring into wind and sea is frustratingly slow as well as expensive. Idle Queen’s fuel economy quickly drops to about 10 nautical miles/gallon with only a 12 knot headwind and small chop. Motoring into 15-20 knots and a bit of sea will take her right down to 2 miles/gallon or so. I have only tried this for a short while, so my figures might be off a bit, but you get the idea.
My estimated long-term figures are based on actual volume of fuel added to the tank versus engine hours and average conditions. Still-water economy was measured in calm water (no current) by GPS, on glassy calm sections of canal, and the fuel volume was taken by sounding the tank.
A head-on view of Idle Queen while she hangs in the slings. Her very shallow keel is evident, as well as her almost barrel-shaped (round) underbody. This semicircular section, along with her shallow keel helps keep wetted-surface low.
The foredeck hatch of Idle Queen. The blue square in the foreground is a solar panel. The hatch is not actually attached to the boat because all of the wood trim has rotted away.
Having an old boat and a small budget means that things aren’t always going to be perfect, but there are a few things on Idle Queen that are going to need some attention before I take her out on any long trips.
To try to bring Idle Queen up to a “yacht” standard of finish would end up just being frustrating and expensive, and I would not get the chance to leave port any time soon. It would take years to rebuild and refinish her. Instead, the goal is to keep things strong and simple. First, there is a lot of cleaning to do.
The heart of Idle Queen’s electric system. Some marine electricians would recommend that a few things should be done differently here. Alligator clips for attaching the navigation lights are not shown…View of the engine room. The main fuel tank is the box to the right of the picture. Duct tape and string holds most of the plumbing together, but amazingly it all works.The galley on Idle Queen is very simple, with a one-burner stove that uses butane cartridges, a sink, and an icebox. There is refrigeration installed, but it doesn’t work.Looking into the head compartment. The companionway stairs are to the right of the frame. The dogs that close the porthole in the head are all broken.This is the staysail outhaul. It works, but is not very easily adjustable… It’s a good thing that there are lots of lashings, because the blocks fell off when I touched them. The aluminum boom was corroded through.
Idle Queen as I found her. She looks pretty good from this side.
It seems that one of the universal problems aboard small boats is not having enough room–not having enough storage space for clothes; tools; toys; spares; fuel; awnings; safety gear; etc… Immediately after finding a storage solution for a particular piece of gear, a new thing arrives that just has to be kept somewhere aboard and the challenge of finding a place to put it begins. I strive to keep my boat as simple as possible, but it still seems that there is never enough room aboard. When the space is shared, such as when guests come aboard, the problem compounds. The obvious solution to this problem is to have a bigger boat. A boat just a few feet longer than the current one sounds about right to a lot of people. This is such a common phenomenon that there is even a name for it: three-foot-itis. Three-foot-itis is when a boat owner decides that his or her current boat is inadequate, but that a boat three feet longer would be just the ticket. There is no other solution in the owner’s mind. A bigger boat must be found.
I succumbed to the above described boat-owner’s malady and have been working on Idle Queen for a while now. Idle Queen is a Dreadnought 32 built by the Dreadnought Boatworks of Carpentaria, California. She is three feet longer than Sirocco.
Idle Queen as I found her–the view on deck
The space problem was just one part of what drove me to this boat, however. Cost was the other driving force. Everyone knows that bigger boats are more expensive, but in this case, I took a big step down. Sirocco, my last boat, is a beautifully finished boat. She has teak trim and bronze fittings and beautiful joinery. Idle Queen is home-finished with plywood and plexiglass and latex paint. I found her moldering in the back of a boatyard. She had been for sale so long that the sign had faded and broken. She is heavily-built and practical though. Because of her rough-and-ready working finish I won’t feel bad keeping her going with whatever I happen to scrounge or buy when things break. I don’t have to worry about a “yacht quality” finish. Strong and cheap will do it.
Idle Queen as I found her–not in pristine condition…
I will start getting some more pictures up in the near future and maybe some videos to document progress on Idle Queen‘s rehabilitation. My goal is to have a safe, strong, inexpensive voyaging yacht with this project.
The dinette in Idle Queen on the first day that I went to see her. It was a bit depressing below and difficult to breathe because of all the mold in the air.Cockpit view of Idle Queen when I found her. This photo does not show the pool of water that was in the forward corner of the cockpit slowly leaking into the diesel fill.
One of the best ways to see the Dry Tortugas is by cruising sailboat. The cruising sailor can stay for an entire week for less than the cost of a day trip on the ferry from Key West.
While speaking with a friend a couple of days ago the subject of the average age of cruising sailors came up. He had the idea to start a “young cruiser’s club”. It would be a place to meet other cruisers and encourage more people to get out there. My first question was, “Well, what qualifies as young?”. Who should we focus on? After a couple of numbers were tossed out there I finally said that we should admit anyone who isn’t yet eligible to collect Social Security benefits. That really thins the crowd these days.
The fact is that I don’t meet very many people out cruising who are not fully retired and out enjoying their golden years afloat. I immensely enjoy meeting other cruisers and rarely focus on the fact that they may be a few (or more) decades my elder. I have made some wonderful friends who are old enough to be my grandparents, but I can’t help but feel just a little bit removed from their social circle. There is more than just a generation gap between me and the average cruiser that I meet. It’s more like an immense, yawning canyon with a tiny little river and some trees waaay down there in the shadows at the bottom. We can laugh together for a few hours at a potluck on the beach, but there isn’t usually much shared experience beyond the fact that we are all out cruising.
The fellow who brought up the idea of some sort of club for younger cruisers is in his 40’s. He sails a Bristol 30 that he bought on the cheap. He is a new cruiser and told me that he often feels that he is the only “young” person out sailing! He was floored by the fact that he seldom sees anyone under the age of 50 out cruising. I am in my early 30’s and should probably feel even more removed from most of the cruising crowd than he does, but I have been cognizant of the demographics of this group of people for years because I have spent a lot of my spare time in boatyards and in anchorages where cruisers gather ever since I was a teenager. I had stopped giving it much thought except for the times when someone near my own age would call me an old man because the average age of the people that I hang around with is about the same as that of my grandparents. This time hearing from someone who was looking at the cruising lifestyle with fresh eyes got me thinking about what is keeping younger people off of the water.
Cost is the obvious answer, but a summer cruise could easily be done on a modest boat for less than a summer cross-country road trip or similar, and there are many people who undertake trips like that in any given year. There is a minimum knowledge that needs to be acquired before setting out so that the cruise can be made safely, but that can be had at one of the many Coast Guard Auxiliary or sailing school training courses available throughout the country. It would be great to hear from others about what is keeping people in their 20’s and 30’s from taking to the water.
I would like to see more people take a “gap year” cruising vacation before going to college or before starting work or before starting a family. These are natural transition periods for young people. Those transition periods work well for providing the time necessary to have a grand adventure. Going on an extended cruise can be fantastic way to hone decision-making skills, take the time to decide what to do next, unwind, get fit, meet new people, and visit new places. All of this can be done at a very reasonable cost, especially with the very low price of some quality used boats out there right now. If more people begin to make these sorts of cruises, then there will be an even better market of inexpensive but adequately outfitted boats as people enter and leave the cruising lifestyle.
I hope that there is a new wave of young cruising sailors about to take to the waters in small but seaworthy craft. They should be ready to spread their sails to a fair wind and discover the exhilarating feeling of true freedom that is still available to anyone on their own boat on the wide rolling sea. They will discover the peace of a snug, deserted anchorage, and the wonder of a sky full of bright stars on a dark night. They will feel the excitement of new landfalls and learn of the satisfaction of successfully navigating their small ships safely to their intended destinations. They will benefit from learning the art of self-sufficiency and from having their personal horizons broadened by meeting new people in new places.
