We had three days before we were heading offshore. But the to-do list was still long, and the boat wasn’t ready!
After spending two weeks at the boatyard preparing our Catalina 387 for offshore cruising, the sails still needed work, our sailboat still didn’t have a name (which is a legal requirement in addition to being fun), we needed our new prop, and then there were problems with the propeller!
That’s where this episode starts.
Quantum Sails
Quantum sails did an excellent job! They came to our boat, helped us take down the sail, and walked us through the process of replacing the UV cover on our Genoa (the big front sail).
Renaming the Sailboat
We actually thought about the name for many months prior to buying the boat.
It’s original name was “Knot Working”, which is really cool.
Buy it needed something new. We had plans to take her places she’s never been before and to refit her for offshore work.
With such big changes, a new name seemed fitting.
So we named her Cadence.
For us, this journey is about finding a cadence – a rhythm with our lives, with the Earth, and with the people and cultures we intend to meet. The sailboat is the key, she is our Cadence.
New Propeller Problems
The old propeller needed attention. We knew that after hauling the boat out for our survey.
What we didn’t consider was that most places take 4-6 weeks to manufacture a new prop. That said, we placed our order.
Many people said we should buy a new technology folding prop, but given that we’re new to this, we trusted Catalina’s original engineering and decided to get an OEM replacement.
However, the prop was much thicker the the manufacturer’s version.
Sounds good, right?
We thought so until we put it on and started motoring.
It whistled and hummed loudly. And after 2100 rpms, the engine vibrated badly.
We knew this was wrong.
Thankfully, Mike Hood a well-known propeller machinist here in Houston, was able to file the prop down a bit and curve the back edges.
All was fixed!
…now we head offshore.
Wish us luck!
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