Their Hinckley 38 dreamboat came with a multi-year project list
Issue 33 : Nov/Dec 2003
Nixon was in the oval office, the Vietnam War was dividing the country, and up in quiet Southwest Harbor, Maine, H.R. Hinckley and Co. (now The Hinckley Co.) was building beautiful sailboats that have since become classics. The company’s William Tripp-designed Bermuda 40 and Sparkman & Stephens-designed Pilot 35 have achieved something approaching cult status.
Many sailboats were racing under the Cruising Club of America (CCA) rules. Hinckley, looking to capture part of the CCA racer/cruiser market, started to build the S&S-designed Hinckley 38. Our H-38, Kotchka, is the second hull of the series. Like many boats of the era, she has beautiful overhangs, a narrow beam, functional but modest accommodations, and fine craftsmanship. In the brokerage market a Bermuda 40 in similar condition will command nearly double the price of the H-38. The beautiful but much smaller Pilot 35 also commands a higher price. The H-38 with her affordable price, sweet-sailing characteristics, and traditional appearance suited us well.
When we bought Kotchka, we knew we were buying a multi-year project of changes, alterations, and upgrades. She required serious updating even for the comfortable, reliable weekend cruising that we could foresee. (Our cruising at that time consisted of weekend outings and a longer vacation cruise each summer.) Like many sailors, we dreamed of a more extensive cruising lifestyle, of moving aboard, and of setting off to parts unknown. Seeing the dream becoming possible later triggered further projects aimed at improved livability, safety, and handling.
One might ask, “Why not buy a boat that required less work?” Since traveling along the water at the pace of a brisk walk is hardly a logical activity, I can only respond that logic is not always the driving force with sailboats.
Rigging and sails first
Our first undertakings were rigging and sail changes. When we purchased Kotchka, she had a mixture of rod and wire standing rigging and an extensive quiver of hanked-on foresails. The old glass backstay insulators for the single-sideband radio were cracked and no longer functioning. We replaced the insulators with modern components and were able to keep the rod backstay. We also converted from hanked-on sails to a Furlex roller-furling unit. We replaced the fore and aft lower shrouds and cap shrouds. Our large quiver of foresails was reduced to one all-purpose 145-percent genoa, re-cut from one of the existing 150- percent jibs, and a smaller, heavy-weather backup sail, also re-cut from the inventory. The original sail inventory included a tri-radial spinnaker that we re-cut into an asymmetrical and set up with an ATN snuffer. This allows us to fly the chute simply and safely with a crew of two.
Next came the addition of a holding tank. Kotchka had a head that pumped overboard. We installed the plumbing, tank, and pump ourselves. We ended up with a stock 15-gallon holding tank mounted under the V-berth with a through-deck and through-hull with a manual pump-out option. Initially we had the head plumbed directly to the holding tank. We recently added another Y-valve between the head and the tank so we can pump the waste directly out when we’re offshore. This system has performed without incident with only regular maintenance, consisting of a weekly dose of white vinegar followed by a splash of vegetable oil.
Before our first launching, we had the old bottom paint removed. After a good drying, we applied a barrier coat and anti-fouling paint.
Thinking things through
We thought things out carefully in each case, and the results have been very positive. But updating a 30-year old sailboat is not always straight-forward. Each project was a mini-lesson, forcing us to learn more about the boat, her construction, and our capabilities. The bottom line, which we tried to apply every step of the way, was to take the time to consider everything before purchasing anything, cutting any holes, or taking anything apart. The old cliché reminding us to “measure twice, cut once” only gets at part of the issue. Our considered advice now is, “Before doing anything, carefully consider all the options.”
Case in point: after our first year of ownership we decided to replace the ancient (and frankly, scary) battery-charging system with a Heart inverter/charger and a Link battery monitor. This upgrade provided an opportunity to review all of Kotchka’s wiring — a great side benefit to the installation process. Like many older boats with multiple past owners, Kotchka had a mixed bag of wiring, some well done, some terrible.
We wound up removing what seemed like miles of old, unused wiring, some of which was household lamp cord. Some wires were simply clipped on each end and left in place, presumably as they were either replaced or no longer needed. Tracking each wire individually, trying to determine what was in use and what was a dead end, was a mess. In hindsight, we should have just pulled out all the wiring and started from scratch. We were negligent and paid the price by not considering all the options before diving in.
Kotchka has had some equipment upgrades as well. A broken Loran was replaced by a Garmin GPS. A massive 12-inch-deep CRT radar unit that was fading rapidly was replaced by a slick new Raytheon flat-screen unit, and we added a cockpit repeater for the GPS. Although Marci and I are not fans of linked electronics, we did opt to interface the GPS with the radar. This enables us to place a waypoint on the radar screen, a nice feature when looking for a particular buoy on a busy and fog-bound Maine coast. The Signet wind indicator and depth sounder and the ICOM M700 SSB on the boat at purchase remain in working order.
One big surprise
Most of these changes were anticipated, planned, and budgeted, but there was one big surprise. The fall after our second annual hauling and winterizing, the yard mechanic noticed oil in the antifreeze. A professional examination of our Westerbeke 4-107 diesel engine was inconclusive. Compression was low but not outside specifications. Westerbeke indicated the problem was simply old age. Not very satisfying.
After a lot of research, we boiled our options down to two: repower with a new engine or rebuild our 4-107. In favor of the new engine: quieter, lighter, and more powerful, plus a nice new engine warranty. Downside: cost, a big difference. On the plus side for rebuilding: parts for the 4-107 are easily available, any good diesel mechanic can work on it, it is tried and true technology, and no changes to the boat would be required. The engine in Kotchka is located under the floor of the main saloon on top of the keel bolts. A new engine would require new mounts, new plumbing for the exhaust, and other reconfiguration expenses related to the tight and awkward space.
We decided to rebuild. While the engine was out of the boat, we seized the opportunity to make a few minor upgrades. We changed the stuffing box to a dripless system, added a dedicated electric pump for oil changes, painted the bilge, and changed the location of the oil filter for easier access. We can now change Kotchka’s oil and filter in less than 10 minutes. This makes sticking to a regular oil change schedule a breeze.
This rebuild project, although costly and unanticipated, resulted in good operation and simplified maintenance for a bit more than 1,500 hours. The engine then sprang a tremendous oil leak. Examinations revealed a great deal of blowby air and oil coming back up through the oil fill. The most likely culprits were rings or valves or both. We knew we had to revisit the repower-or-rebuild issue. This time we opted to repower with a rebuilt Perkins 4-108, a slightly more powerful and a bit faster-turning engine with the same footprint.
Sailing often
During our first seven years of ownership, we sailed Kotchka as often as possible. We worked on keeping her varnish in good shape, improved her cosmetics with a new paint job, and plugged away at the 101 regular jobs all boatowners face. Then our cruising plans took a dramatic turn. I lost my job, and Marci was able to take a leave of absence. We seized the day and spent 10 weeks cruising Downeast Maine and the eastern shore of Nova Scotia. This extended cruise gave us insight into the difference between weekend cruising and being full-time liveaboards. We returned from this trip armed with a “to do” list in anticipation of moving aboard and cruising full time.
At the top of the list were several creature comfort improvements. We replaced the cushions in the sleeping berth. While adequate for weekend cruising, they and our backs did not hold up with their everyday use. We wanted a multi-density foam, firm on the bottom and soft on the top, for the cushion. We were talked into five inches of semi-firm foam. We should have been more insistent, as we quickly realized we wanted more softness. First we tried egg-crate foam purchased at a discount store. While this was an improvement, we still didn’t have the comfort we wanted. We’ve recently replaced the egg-crate foam with a thicker foam mattress pad cut to fit. This has made a dramatic improvement.
During our test cruise we also realized that getting out of the weather was important, so we installed a more robust dodger and a sun awning. New cockpit cushions were also part of this round of work. For this we opted to use Sunbrella fabric for everything: interior cushions, dodger, awning, the works. But cockpit cushions are exposed to the elements and are subject to lots of dirt, traffic, and stains. Sunbrella was not the right material. We have since recovered these cushions with a more cleanable, stain-resistant fabric called Phifertex. Once again a little more thought and research might have saved us some dollars, time, and aggravation.
Other quality-of-life improvements addressed storage and functionality in the living spaces. Long overhangs, a narrow beam, and beautiful tumblehome make Kotchka a sweet sailer and a handsome vessel, but they don’t do a thing for functional interior space. Her wide and deep cockpit lockers were great for carrying the sails necessary for a hanked-on racer in the CCA days. As functional storage space for a liveaboard, however, they leave a lot to be desired. Sliding saloon settees and pilot berths were great for an offshore racing crew but severely limited our storage space. We modified both pilot berths to improve storage. The starboard side was altered to create under-berth stowage. The port side was modified to create additional cupboards, drawers, and cubby storage. Cockpit locker storage is still a work in progress, but it is at the top of the list.
Ground tackle changes
Kotchka’s ground tackle, windlass, and so on — while fine for a racer/cruiser — were not adequate for liveaboards who use this gear nearly every day. When we purchased Kotchka, her ground tackle consisted of an adequately sized CQR linked to 6 feet of chain and 200 feet of 5⁄8-inch three-strand. She now has 175 feet of chain and 250 feet of rode linked to the CQR. We also carry a Danforth and a Fortress, both with chain and rode. Anchor sentinels were added to our ground-tackle inventory. The sentinels keep Kotchka from tripping the secondary rope rode with her keel when swinging in a current or wind shift. We also repositioned the windlass to allow for a better fall of the chain into the locker. This whole process of redesigning and changing the anchoring system was done in several steps. Had we known better what our cruising needs for an anchoring system would be, we could have saved a lot of time and money.
The transition from weekend cruising to liveaboard status caused us to make several changes. All of these were considered “must-haves” before moving aboard. We added a four-man life raft, an EPIRB, a Sailomat windvane, and solar panels to Kotchka’s inventory. Many cruisers opt for wind generators. We’ve never regretted our decision to go the solar route. The panels have delivered quiet, unobtrusive, maintenance-free operation. Even on cloudy days, they produce a bit of a charge. Every time we are anchored near a cruiser with a wind generator, the constant whir has confirmed our choice. After about a year of use, we reconfigured the solar panel mounting brackets to allow us to tilt the panels to better catch the sun’s rays. The improvement has been significant.
The list goes on
When we moved aboard, our mid-1980s-vintage belowdecks autopilot was functioning, albeit a bit erratically. During our first six months of cruising, it finally gave out. We opted to replace it with an above-deck unit from Scanmar. We looked at several below-deck and above-deck installations. Tipping the scales in favor of the Scanmar unit were easy installation, a competitive price, and generally good reviews. The unit has not performed well, however, although support from the company has been very good. It is awkward to engage and disengage the unit, and it has erratic steering. Plus or minus 20 degrees is about as good as it will do. In spite of less-than-stellar performance from the autopilot, singlehanded watches are now significantly easier, more enjoyable, and (in our view) safer.
Our first year aboard we sailed Kotchka to Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton, and Nova Scotia. Then we moved down the East Coast of the U.S. to Florida and on to the Bahamas. The second year saw us cruising Maine for the summer, followed by another trip south, then on to the Out Islands of the Bahamas.
During our two years aboard we’ve learned a lot, met many wonderful people, and have been aboard many great cruising boats. We’re often left yearning for their roomier interior, efficient anchoring system, cutter rig, and/or mizzenmast. But for all of her limitations, Kotchka is our home. It takes just one admiring comment from a fellow cruiser to remind us of what she has — great classic beauty, sweet sailing, and years of our own sweat equity — to help us to overlook any shortcomings.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
