by Ramcraft » Wed Jun 18, 2008 6:33 am
I'm replying to Allen about the Discoverer I owned and sailed in both the Atlantic (Raritan Bay by Staten Island, NY) and the actual Pacific (off San Diego, CA). I used the boat as the carrier of our personal gear as we traveled across the country to San Diego to seek a new life in 1970. It trailed as well as it sailed! We had an awsome amount of fun seeing our first porpoises, seals, sea lions and a sea otter while enjoying sails in San Diego harbor, Mission Bay and right off the coast, on nice days.
We used a 4 HP Mercury OB for auxiliary since it had a full gearshift in 1969 when other famous makes did not, in the 4 HP size.
Trailering and rig setup were easy for a sailboat. I could rig it single-handed in about a half hour and be ready to launch.
It had ample sail power with the 165 sq. ft. main and working jib. I did wish for a larger foresail at times in the light airs around San Diego, although there were days when sailing was quite lively. No spinaker option existed, ether. The centerboard was hollow fiberglass, and filled with water when you lowered it. This would sometimes create a problem if you changed tack and wanted to lower the board (go to windward). The lateral force on the board would cause it to scrape hard on the trunk and not want to go down, which required a momentary heading up to the wind to relieve the pressure. This quirk would not have been good if one was racing, but never really caused me much of a problem cruising about.
I owned the boat from 1969 to 1999 when it was sold to a fellow who planned to restore its' finish and replace the weathered teak combings as well as the old trailer which had helped us move west. The '69 Mercury OB still looked and ran like new. The only replaced part on it (besides the spark plug) was the water pump impeller, which was due to my ignorance of test starting the motor before launching (no water).
I had kept the boat in salt water for about 3 years (mooring & marina) with quality anti-fouling paint on the bottom. These were the years before bubbling in the gel coat was a really known issue. The hull did collect some small bubbles (nothing larger than 1/8th inch). Several years of storage in the back yard were off the trailer, on weedy dirt (trailer was my temporary truck (box built & bolted on). I don't suppose this did the bottom any good (good thing it never froze, in winter). The additional items I added were an adjustable boom crotch/mast support and use of a snatch block at the stem fitting when raising the mast single-handed so I could stand in the cockpit, lift the mast with one arm and haul on the line through the snatch block attached to the turnbuckle of the fore stay. All and all, it was a great little rig and friend.
Today, I sail a 1987 Sanibel 17, which is again being built by International Marine (Potter 15 and 19). I am moving to CO soon and will begin enjoying lake sailing. I plan on an annual pilgrimage to join the Southern California Potter group on their trek to Catalina Island from Los Angeles, which they do about June each year. This trip requires a tender of some sort to get to dockside and I am still studying all the possibilities which would work for the two of us and our small main boat. Inflatables are an inexpensive favorite but a folding rowboat like Glen-L offers plans for has it's merits. Aside towing a dinghy, does anyone have any other ideas???
Ramcraft of "Annabelle"