Enlarging a 7/8" hole to 1"?

[Wade Lippman]

Here you go. Looks like the original is so hard to find because the design was updated. A google search for "drain plug requires 7/8" installation hole" found it.

http://www.apsltd.com/rwo-screw-in-d...AaAqEREALw_wcB

edited to add: I was thinking it was the same inner hull plug that Lasers used, so a google search for "laser inner hull plug" turned up this:

http://www.apsltd.com/rwo-1-4-turn-d...lete-assy.html

That's incredible! I googled on "drain plug 3/4"" and got nothing.
Thanks.

And thanks all for your help.

[Tom M King]

I knew it either had to be still available, or had been replaced with something that would work. I was in the small sailboat business for 7 years, back in its heyday in the '80's. I probably have some somewhere, but would be really hard to find. Jetskiis took the market for small performance sailboats. I tried to sell the business for a couple of years, but that whole market had tanked. I was lucky enough to have it wiped out by the largest tornado to ever hit North Carolina, and didn't reinvest the insurance check in the boat business.

[Bert Kemp]

this should work
https://www.amazon.com/Five-Oceans-M...a-570473710730

[James Waldron]

If you go offshore in a sloop, you will surely get your feet wet.
OBTW, we crossed the Gulf of Mexico both North-South and East-West.
We crossed the Gulf four times.

Back in the day, I was a bowman. My rule for offshore racing was to run foredecks only for owners who brought their (pretty) daughters along. Now-a-days, I'm so old that I only go for rides on boats, but only ones with owners who bring their (pretty) mothers along.

[Alan Rutherford]

Back in the day, I was a bowman. My rule for offshore racing was to run foredecks only for owners who brought their (pretty) daughters along. Now-a-days, I'm so old that I only go for rides on boats, but only ones with owners who bring their (pretty) mothers along.

You couldn't have crewed on my boat. No daughter. There were some women, though. Except for a token male, the crew on my Cal 40 was almost all women. Maybe you could have bribed your way aboard. Now that I think about it, I should have put that token male position out for bids.

That was 35+ years ago and even then the Cal 40 was getting outdated for serious racing but we had a good time. It's harder than you might think for competent female sailors to find a boat to crew on, largely because so many of the men who own boats also have wives. There's also the reality that when you need a foredeck ape, men are more likely than women to have the brawn. I had a good crew and what they lacked in beef they made up in teamwork and camaraderie.

I sold the boat a long time ago and no longer live in that part of the country, but I understand some of the women who met on my boat are still in touch. I know a few have continued to race and cruise and at least one has since sailed around the world.

I've probably sailed 20,000 miles on the ocean and many more in the PNW but you move on...

[James Waldron]

You couldn't have crewed on my boat. No daughter. There were some women, though. Except for a token male, the crew on my Cal 40 was almost all women. Maybe you could have bribed your way aboard. Now that I think about it, I should have put that token male position out for bids.

That was 35+ years ago and even then the Cal 40 was getting outdated for serious racing but we had a good time. It's harder than you might think for competent female sailors to find a boat to crew on, largely because so many of the men who own boats also have wives. There's also the reality that when you need a foredeck ape, men are more likely than women to have the brawn. I had a good crew and what they lacked in beef they made up in teamwork and camaraderie.

I sold the boat a long time ago and no longer live in that part of the country, but I understand some of the women who met on my boat are still in touch. I know a few have continued to race and cruise and at least one has since sailed around the world.

I've probably sailed 20,000 miles on the ocean and many more in the PNW but you move on...

Deck apes work aft of the mast. Any owner who has a "foredeck ape" has to live with spinnaker wraps and halyards up the mast. Better to get a proper bowman.

And for those who don't sail, you should look into it. Bowmen often serve as "boat nannies" as the modern terminology goes, and are some of the most proficient varnishers extant. If you find one who'll let you watch, you can learn some wonderful technique.

[Alan Rutherford]

Deck apes work aft of the mast. Any owner who has a "foredeck ape" has to live with spinnaker wraps and halyards up the mast. Better to get a proper bowman. And for those who don't sail, you should look into it. Bowmen often serve as "boat nannies" as the modern terminology goes, and are some of the most proficient varnishers extant. If you find one who'll let you watch, you can learn some wonderful technique.

A good crew is the most valuable thing on the boat. Setting or jibing the spinnaker in strong winds takes skill and teamwork and everyone on board can be proud when it works the way it should.

What I learned about varnishing, though, is that if you're not going to make a fetish out of teak, the best thing to do is not much. You can get away with that with teak. I once owned a wooden 1940's 40-foot power boat that had a varnish skin like nothing I have ever seen since or been able to reproduce. It was beautiful but I didn't keep it long and went back to fiberglass and teak.

[Roger Feeley]

I live in the DC area. I don't own a boat but know a guy who does. He told me about his arrangement that sounded pretty good to me. He has his boat at a marina where it's stored in a multi-level warehouse. When he wants to take out the boat, he gives them at least a couple of hours. They take a fork lift and put his boat in the water, gas it up and have the cover off so it's ready to do. They will clean and maintain it. I think he pays about $500 a month during the season for a spot very convenient to downtown DC. The basic services above are included. The marina also offers repairs which he says are competitive.

If I had a boat, this plan seems pretty good to me. You know how much you are going to pay and are relieved of the drudgery of spending the your time off cleaning the boat. You go to the marina, hop in and go.

The guy that told me about this cleans our pool so he isn't crazy rich. I think he does ok. He doesn't spend a lot of money on other things. The boat is his and his families primary pleasure. I remember when I was a young sprout, a friend of my parents were out every weekend in their Airstream. Their house was really modest because they dumped all their money into Airstream caravans and other travel.