HURLEY OWNERS ASSOCIATION
President: Ian Anderson M.R.I.N.A.
Affiliated to the RYA
www.hurleyownersassociation.co.uk


NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2005

FROM THE EDITOR

You are on the receiving end of a learning curve (some-thing a mathematician will doubtless write to say is not possible). After several years of having a DTP programme lying idle on my PC it is being put to work. Unfortunately this also involves me learning how to use it! You have been
warned. My thanks to the various contributors to this issue, I look forward to hearing of more daring-do
and problems from other members.

MEMBERSHIP

New Members. A very warm welcome to members who have joined since the October newsletter was published:

Phil Biggs 22 Gypsey Cornwall
Vivian Burridge 20 Laststraw Solent
John Hanson 9.5 m Lady Edwina Wales
Colin Hudson 22R Double Trouble Scotland
Ian Hull 24/70 Bibette Weymouth & Poole
Graham Hersey, 22 Ignis East Coast (Re-joining)
Duncan Mackinnon 30/90 Kirstiona Scotland
Rob Martin 24/70 Brittle Star America
C Shepherd 22 Whimbrel Torbay/Lyme Bay
Donald Phillips 20 Foxtrot Torbay/Lyme Bay
Peter Richards 22 Sandpiper Solent

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Directory. An updated list of members is included with this newsletter. Please check your entry for any errors.



ON THE TRAIL OF "TAILWIND"

You might recall my requests for information about the elusive Hurley 38 'Tailwind' in previous newsletters. Well, out of the blue, we had an email from Margaret Talling of Plymouth. Her brother, Colin Curtis, worked for Hurley Marine straight from school at the age of 15 in 1968 until the demise of the company in 1974. Colin then worked as a rigger, and now he works for Island Packet in Florida. Colin became friends with the boat's designer Lars Bergstrom who left 'Orangepeel', the second Hurley 38 to be built, to Colin in his will and Colin has restored her to her former glory and she is now ready for launching.

The next newsletter will carry the full story including pictures of Colin, the launch and the latest on the hunt for Tailwind.

Nick Vass


RALLY 2006

There has been a lot of column space re the meet this summer and some suggestions for the future. The excellent Cherbourg plan was frustrated by the weather but was it too ambitious? Should there be more local meets? How much time people can spare, if not part of an annual holiday, may be a significant factor in determining distances to be travelled.

Based on the feed-back so far it has been decided to run several regional rallies next year to encourage more boats to take part. The theory is that you won't have to sail too far from your home base. Other Hurley owners in the area could be invited to join in if the members were in agreement.

Tim Sharman has agreed to organise a Solent based southern rally and Mike Sheridan is organising an East Coast rally. Nick is dealing with the South West area with a rally in Plymouth. We need organisers for rallies in other areas, North East, Scotland, North West, Wales, Europe and the Americas so if you would like to help please get in touch.

SOUTH WEST. Nick proposes either joining in the open races of the excellent and long established International Silhouette Owners Association or hold our own meet at Plymouth. Either way it would base in Mount Batten, Plymouth Yacht Haven Marina who have offered a good discount. Plymouth is an excellent venue as the Sound is huge and sheltered. There are two rivers to explore and that's where a lot of our boats are from. Suggested date - early July: to miss the busy school holiday period but hopefully get some fine weather.

SOLENT & EAST COAST. No firm plans yet; will depend on the response. Please let Tim or Mike know if you are interested with preferred location and date ASAP.

Please contact Mike, Tim or Nick to register your interest in attending.

South West rally nick@hurleyownersassociation.co.uk
East Coast rally mike@sheridanfamily.me.uk
South Coast rally tim@tsharman.freeserve.co.uk


The Association has received the following notice.

Arun Yacht Club Golden Jubilee Cruiser Regatta
Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st of May 2006

To celebrate Arun Yacht Club's Golden Jubilee we are hosting a regatta for Cruising Yachts and the less extreme Racing Yachts over the weekend of the 20th and 21st of May next year and hope that as many of your members as is possible will support us.

The event will consist of four races, two sailed back to back each day, and the fleet will be divided into two; those sailing to IRC and the remainder to Portsmouth Yardstick. There will, of course, be a full supporting social programme for you to enjoy. The Littlehampton Harbour Master has already agreed to make his full complement of visitors' moorings available for the duration of this weekend and there will be additional facilities on the Club's moorings for those whose boats can take the ground.

Please make a note in your diary to attend this fabulous event and pass the information on to all your members who you think may be interested. Formal Notice of Race paperwork and posters will be sent out early in the new year.



A MATTER FOR THE BOARD!

I have had a leak into my Hurley 22 for some time now. I knew it was there as whenever I visited the boat after heavy rain I found the bunk cushions damp with puddles of water lying in the angle where the quarter berths met the hull. My wife had carefully made these cushions during the summer and I realised that if I didn't stop the leak I'd probably not get anything else made for the boat! So something had to be done. Interestingly the leak wasn't on both sides at once; often only one side or the other was wet which was an intriguing aspect.

Whenever I was on the boat it never seemed to rain enough to cause a leak to allow me to trace it. I had noticed rust stains running down from the stanchion through bolts adjacent to the cockpit so I assumed that this was the source. After re-bedding these I felt reasonably confident the problem was solved. On the next visit after rain though, more soaked bunk cushions!

A major breakthrough came a few weeks ago. I was sitting in the cabin wondering what to do about a chart table when the heavens opened and it poured for half an hour. I suddenly noticed water running down one side of the companion way steps, starting from the edge of the port washboard slide. I had discovered my leak!

On analysis I thought the sealant between the runner and the hull had broken down and was letting in water. I also assumed that depending on wind direction and the angle the boat had taken when grounding at low tide might could cause water to run in different directions along the main beam under the cockpit allowing it to drip onto alternate sides. I thought a quick strip down and re-bedding would solve the problem and so I started this weekend.

The washboard slides are each secured by 4 screws into the companion way entrance. When I started to unscrew the bottom screw on the port side the screwdriver blade just disappeared into the wood. The bottom 3 inches of the slide was totally rotten inside. I could easily poke my finger in although it looked sound on the surface. Further investigation showed the starboard slide was in an even worse state and the rottenness had extended to the companion way sill and to the bottom edge of the ply locker fronts on the companion way bulkhead. No wonder it was leaking: the rotten wood was no barrier at all, probably acting like a sponge soaking up water and transferring it into the boat.

What was going to be a couple of hours re-bedding has now turned into a major rebuilding job. The companion way has to be totally rebuilt and new locker fronts reconstructed. It's got to be done quickly as the washboards now do not make a watertight seal. Not that they did before but now there are gaps where the slides should be and winter is coming. Also the boat cannot be securely locked up. I hope my carpentry skills are up to the job and sincerely hope that the leak will be really stopped when it's all over. I must also give thought to the prevention of future rotting occurring. An interesting project and I will document it for the HOA newsletter.

Tony Kettley
H22, Hully Gull


OUTBOARD HASSLES

Have you ever experienced something of the following:

You are sailing single-handed and returning to harbour after a stimulating sail. The boat is going well under full sail, bucking a bit and you are thinking about how to make the transition from relatively open water, into the confines of the harbour. In my case (Portsmouth), this latter includes dodging Isle of Wight Ferries, hovercraft, motor cruisers, pilot boats and RIBs and plenty of other yachts trying to line up for the small boat channel, whilst avoiding the Hamilton Bank - always
there to catch the unwary.

On top of all this going on around you there is the need to get the outboard started. So, do you a) heave-to b) leave her sailing on autopilot c) stop and drop the sails? Having selected your tactic - what next?

In my H22 (Strider) I generally try to do it whilst sailing on Tillerpilot, but also try to calculate how long I can bury my head in the cockpit before I contravene the Rule of the Road through not keeping a look out "at all times by sight and hearing......". Anyway, I lift and secure the well hatch cover, remove one of the wooden covers which give access to the well, and lead the starting cord into the cockpit - and heave like fury! At this point the boat lurches, I miss my footing, trip over
the Tillerpilot and graze my knuckles on the Tillerpilot bracket! Another hovercraft screams past my stern and from somewhere I hear 5 short blasts (best ignored!). Repeat this about 3 times until the engine fires, whilst offering-up increasingly urgent prayers!

How different from those serene beings - yachts with docile inboard engines which start at the touch of a button and without the skipper having to take his eyes off the 'road' - and who achieve this without drawing blood!

So this is the outboard dilemma. I find I end up starting the outboard some distance from my destination, where there is room for me to do all of the above, without becoming a coastguard incident, so that I am relatively cool and calm for the final approach.

Moving on then to the H22 design and the outboard arrangements - my dilemma is to find the optimum solution. Is the outboard well really a very helpful design feature? Do you stick with it, or go for a transom mounted engine? Do you throw money at it and replace the lot with an inboard diesel (has anyone done this on an H22 - I would very much like to know how you fared)?

Other issues relating to the general arrangements seem to me to include:

So below I have set out a number of requirements, essential, desirable etc.. I would personally find it helpful to hear other owners thoughts and requirements.

Requirements

1. To be able to start the engine whilst sailing and 'looking out' (highly desirable)
2. To be able to start the engine without heart failure or a hernia (i.e. make it easy!) (very highly desirable)
3. To be able to remove the outboard from the water easily (highly desirable)
4. To be able the remove the outboard from the boat routinely and easily (desirable)
5. To be able to turn the outboard for steering (desirable)
6. To avoid having to re-fuel the engine at sea (desirable)
7. To be able to flush the engine with fresh water

Strider's arrangements

I bought Strider with a 4 HP Mariner Sailmate. This engine has performed well and is reliable. Despite relatively low power, I can get the boat up to 5 knots in a flattish sea. The engine does however struggle somewhat in a heavier sea. Recently coming out of the channel at Bembridge, where the wind had been in the east for about 4 days, we were reduced to about 3 knots as we headed the sea of 1 m to 2 m height.

The Mariner weighs only 21 kg and so I am able to remove it from the well when alongside and stow it down below in the cabin. This prevents all manner of sea life trying to reproduce within the cooling channels and general crudding up with weed etc. Getting it down below requires some practice, but is not too difficult. By removing a deck board I can put the engine foot on the floor of the bilge and prop the engine (nearly upright) against the adjacent seat edge.

The engine's small size also means that I can rotate it in the well which can be an advantage. Again in Bembridge, we were alongside the pontoon with 3 huge motor cruisers ahead and 2 large yachts astern, with only a couple of feet of space fore and aft. On leaving I was able to rotate the engine at right angles and pull the stern round within the boats length and into clear water.

The other advantage of being able to remove the engine from the well, which arises from having an alongside berth, is that I can flush the engine with fresh water. This I do by placing an old swing bin in the well, placing the engine in the bin and supporting it from a 2 x 2 placed across the top of the well. I then fill the bin and run up the engine. See Photo 1.

The main disadvantages of my Mariner are:

1. Rather less power than ideal, although it is generally adequate
2. Only 2.5 litres of fuel in the integral tank - gives me about 1.5 hours running
3. Re-fuelling at sea is messy and uncertain
4. Manual start requires the starting cord to be lead through the small hatch into the cockpit, which is an awkward arrangement with tiller and Tillerpilot. (I used to lead the cord vertically up from the engine and pull upwards, but this is hard work! Also requires me to bend down in the cockpit and try to balance against the motion of the boat whilst getting a decent pull on the cord.

So I hanker after a more elegant solution. The following table sets out the scope of the overall problem, for a selection of solutions. Who can suggest any other solutions - and can you improve

Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3
Photo 4
Photo 5

 

Solution
Requirements met
Advantages
Disadvantages
Small engine (4/5 hp) in well
Integral tank
Manual start
3; 4; 5; 7 Light enough to lift
Can avoid weed/marine growth
Can flush with fresh water
Less than ideal power
Low endurance
Hassle of lifting/stowing
Larger engine (6+hp) in well
External tank
Manual start
6 Adequate power
No lifting hassle
Probably leave in well,thus
accumulating marine growth
Probably cannot flush
Larger engine (6+hp) in well
External tank
Remote start & controls
1; 2; 6 Adequate power
Good control
No lifting hassle
Leave in well,thus accumulating
marine growth
Probably cannot flush
Transom-mounted engine
External tank
Remote start & control
1; 2; 3; 5; 6 Adequate power
Good control
No lifting hassle
Can avoid weed/marine growth
Gain stowage space in well
Reaching over the stern to
raise/lower???
Vulnerable???
Others?
Inboard diesel 1; 2;
(remainder not applicable)
Good power
Long endurance
Good control
Expensive
More complex electrical system
Maintenance costs/ease of maintenance

On this basis I am seriously considering a transom-mounted engine. Julian Hemstock (Blue Moon) kindly sent some pictures of his excellent arrangements, including a rig for steering the engine with the main tiller. See photo's 3, 4, & 5.

Tim Sharman


DREAMING

It is that time of the year again; got the boat to bed; made a list of jobs to do; laid in a stock of reading; brought the charts etc home for planning next season's voyages. No to the first one in my case, the boat is staying afloat this year in the hope of sneaking in some winter sailing, probably motoring, on some of those fine sunny if cold days one often gets. From past experience they are perfect days, just you and the wild life enjoying the peace and quiet.

When out for a walk my mind often strays to sailing matters, not always the current crisis (where is that water coming from?) but things past. The strange thing is that it is never the good memories that immediately spring to mind. Disasters come in all shapes and sizes and can be cumulative; you miss the tide, as a result you get the nasty weather coming up; instead of a reach home it is a beat; everyone is sick; and everyone remembers it just as much as that time the mast came down at
the point of no return as it were!

So I made an effort to bring the good to the fore. We were on passage from the Solent to Bayona with Caruna as the first planned stop. I was on the 8 pm to midnight watch. We were about mid way across the Bay of Biscay, that point where there is no Decca cover for some distance (this was pre GPS). Clear skies, no wind and an absolutely flat sea. As the sun set the colours between sea and sky were magical, more like a surrealist painting, pastel shades of blue and pink merging so that there was no visible horizon.

Some years later I was again crew on the same boat, a Nic 39, this time heading for the Azores. After a rough initial passage down Channel we had fair weather, if lacking the sun for the rest of the passage.

About 800 miles out we had two memorable encounters. We had noticed what appeared to be rubbish off to starboard and assumed some ship ahead was chucking its garbage over the side. But it continued to appear, small amounts in a near straight line. In the end we changed course to get a closer look as it all seemed too improbable. What we were seeing were turtles heading for their breeding grounds on the north coast of Wales.

No sooner had we got over our surprise than a school of whales appeared about two cables off to port. They stayed with us for quite a while on a parallel course and at a distance. It was fascinating to watch them surface then dive almost like the porpoises we had encountered earlier, only they played around the boat, diving under the bow.

But I did not have to travel that far to see nature at her very best. Last year I took passage from the Thames Estuary to the R.Crouch via the Havengore Creek (Ring any bells with Conrad readers?). I anchored in Yokefleet Creek just short of the Crouch. The creek dries at low water apart from a
pool about 200 yards from where I was. At low water as I supped a noggin I watched a school of seals playing on the sloping mud flat above the pool. They waddled to the top and then slid back down at best speed into the water with a splash, then back for more. Some lounged and watched, no doubt the elders, whilst the rest played. Pure magic.

Now where did I put that list?

Drifter


NATURE REPORTS

It would be interesting to hear from members of their wild life encounters on the water. With the changing climate species not previously seen, or only rarely, are appearing around our shores. So any sitings, particularly with pictures would be most welcome.


NOTICES

Hatches for Hurley 22 and 24/70

I have found a company that is willing to make hatches for Hurley 22 and 24/70 yachts .The hatches available are the forehatch, mainhatch, lazerette cover, cockpit lockerlids and will cost roughly £140.00 each including VAT.

To express an interest please telephone Nick Vass on 01722 790173
or email nick@hurleyownersassociation.co.uk


Hurley Marine

Did you work for Hurley Marine? I am writing a history of the company andwould love to hear from you to add to the information I already have.

Please contact Nick Vass 01722 790173

FOR SALE AND WANTED

HOA COMMITTEE
Chairman Mark Turner
Vice Chairman Nick Vass
Honorary Secretary Audrey Kynaston
Membership Secretary
Treasurer
Newsletter Editor
Mike Sheridan
Webmaster Rod Coomber
Member

Tim Sharman


NEWSLETTER

You may have wondered about the use of colour in recent newsletters. The reason the number of photo's & coloured text is limited is due to cost.
Any colour on a page increases the cost tenfold, hence the grouping in this issue and the b & w logo on page 1.

Copy welcome any time to:

Mike Sheridan, 152 Chesterfield Drive, Sevenoaks TN13 2EH
Tel: 01732 453069, E-mail: mike@sheridanfamily.me.uk


FROM THE TREASURER

Subscriptions. Yes I know they are not due until 1st March 2006 but....!

New members joining after 1st October 2005 are covered for 2006.Save the hassle of remembering to send a cheque by making a standing order - form enclosed.
Payment from overseas can be expensive if you do not have a UK bank account. Here are two possible ways to avoid this.

I am grateful to Hartmut Dietrich for informing me that in Europe you can get your bank totransfer the money using the International Bank Account Number (IBAN) and the Branch Identifier Code (BIC). For the HOA these are:

IBAN - GB52MIDL40202971155407 BIC - MIDLGB2130U

Rob Martin has drawn my attention to PayPal ( www.paypal.com ). This allows you to pay "bills" at no extra cost to you. The recipient pays a small fee, 3.9% of the amount + 20p. To use this you will need to register, again no cost, then make a payment to HOA. It would be appreciated if you added enough to cover the fee charged to HOA. But please contact me before trying this method.