The Alameda Rig Shop was at it again with another custom job for their customer.
Original varnished and painted pine spreaders. After pulling the mast with a crane at the yard for a re-rig, we discovered that the spreaders had a ton of dry rot.
The customer was on board for building new ones.
Picked up a board of 1″ white oak from the local lumber yard. Traced the old spreaders on to the new wood.
I then cut them out and planned them down to proper shape. Prefit and drilled for hardware. A final sanding with 180 grit sandpaper.
A couple coats of West Systems epoxy.
Another round of sanding and then off to the paint booth for four coats of Interlux Brightside.
Re installed the original hardware and they are ready to go back on the mast. Another happy customer!
Check out more of what Alameda has to offer for your rigging service needs by giving Ryan a call today
West Marine Rigging
730 Buena Vista Ave.
Alameda, CA 94501
510-521-4865
A brand new Parker Built International 505 got dropped off at the shop last week. The boat is a revolutionary 505 design that is the only one in the states.This new design uses carbon tubes to support the high rigging loads of the boat, instead of traditional bulkheads and stringers.
Ryan and his team at the Alameda California shop have been tasked with the complete fit out. There is not a single hole drilled in the boat! We will keep you posted as to the progress of the project.
The Alameda Rig shop was asked to fully commission a brand new Selden Mast. They then paired it to the customer’s brand new Catalina 385 getting them ready for the season. With the stunning quality, craftsmanship and dedication, we can see why our customers trust the best.
Doug Young came to the Newport Rig Shop in April of 2013. With a basic knowledge of rigging, we watched his talents grow as he assisted Noel in the shop over the next year. He was able to pick up the trade as fast as possible even with the vamping up of the spring/summer seasons. With that, he’s now moved up and out, entering Officer Candidate School with a focus to become a surface warfare officer in the US Navy. He has also recently gotten engaged to his long time Girlfriend; Mandy Poirier and we congratulate him on this as well.
Doug, you will be missed and we give you our best!
Ryan Nelson and the Alameda CA shop have been hard at work this week with six 505 masts covering their benches as well as four 505’s taking up some of their parking spaces. This can only mean one thing. 505 North Americans next week in Santa Cruz California.
Two of the masts came to the shop as bare Selden tubes needing to be completely fitted out from the deck up. The other four are spared that needed some upgrading and servicing which the shop handled with an amazing turnaround for next weeks race. Along with the masts each boat was meticulously checked and parts upgraded as needed before the race.
We can’t wait to see how well these boats do after going through the Alameda shop.
We received an update from Pete and crew in Bermuda.
They came in to port to catch a beautiful Bermuda dawn on May 11th and met up with the remains fleet of the ARC Europe crossing. The first leg went well with a calm sea but the lite winds after the second day caused them to tugged to the dock with just a little less than 2 gallons of fuel left in their tanks.
They are currently now on track heading to the Azores with the rest of the fleet. We were told that a tight low was forming which was disrupting the normal Azorean High. Osprey will aim to take the rhumb line in hopes that the low gives them a decent shove, but fear of being too far south might not allow them to take advantage of normal wind patters after the low moves out.
We’ll keep you updated on Osprey’s progress as we hear!
You can track Osprey Here on ARC’s Fleet tracker
Todays Update:
Pacific Seacraft 37 –
A Canadian company contacted us in need of emergency tow line systems for two of their vessels. They were about to start operations for the season and needed to take delivery ASAP. We discussed the strength and handling requirements with their operations manager; which resulted in production of systems that fulfill their needs better than what they had planned to use. Twelve strand Dyneema rope, with a Cordura chafe sleeve on the spliced eyes, minimizes weight while exceeding their system strength requirements. The crews will appreciate the safety and ease of installation these floating all rope systems provide when faced with an emergency tow situation. Our soft shackles, used to connect the tow lines and bridles, replace all stainless fittings at a fraction of their weight. No corrosion issues, easy to install, and they float.
The blue New England Ropes 12 strand Dyneema used to produce these systems has tensile strength’s ranging from 97,500 to 205,000lbs! Our production facility got the final specifications on a Thursday and shipped the systems on the following Monday. Our expedited delivery will allow time for the crews to use them in practice drills and then, we hope, stow them for the remainder of their season.
-Mark Chandler
Osprey – Underway
There’s no greater adventure than crossing blue waters to a distant shore, especially after being invited on the trip after outfitting a vessel with all new standing and running rigging. Pete Ackerman out of our Ft. Lauderdale rig shop gained that opportunity after a job well done. With 45 years of sailing experience and many blue water deliveries under his belt, who better to tackle a full rigging refit for Osprey, a 37’ Pacific Seacraft destined for Portugal. After the project completed and seeing Pete’s dedication and superior work, Osprey’s owner personally invited him to join the expedition. They will be joining up with ARC Europe (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers), a rally devised for the ‘average’ cruising boat and crew; helping people to realise their dream of making a long offshore passage. Their first leg will be to meet up with the two groups (East Coast and BVI) in Bermuda and will then head to their final destination of Portugal.
Follow along with Osprey’s adventure as we continue to post their progress and check out ARC Europe to follow along with the all the ships logs.
(source: Sailing Anarchy)
Scribbler, sailmaker, boat designer, and waterman Ted Hood passed back in June. Come down to Newport next week to celebrate the life of one of the real legends. From the family:
“In honor of Frederick E. “Ted” Hood (May 5, 1927 – June 29, 2013) the Hood family cordially invites all he has touched to a Celebration of His Life to be held at the New York Yacht Club, Harbour Court, Newport, RI Friday, September 20, 2013 at 11:00 am.
“Parking may be limited, with overflow available on Wellington Ave., and further at the Underwood School, located just past the yacht club. There will be people on hand to help assist in parking. Carpooling where possible and arriving early is suggested.
“The family welcomes and greatly looks forward to seeing all that have touched his life and family.”
One of our customers came in to the Newport Rig Shop recenlty to work with Noel on a tow bridle for his 28′ Chris Craft launch. After working it all out with the customer, they came up with a really nice desgin.
A Tylaska T-40 with loop is attached to the 5/8″ Amsteel Blue tow leg. This removes the metal to metal by using a synthetic loop that won’t damange the Chris Craft’s bow eye. The two leg is then attached to two 1″ double braid nylon stern legs. All splices are covered with a strong nylon chafe sleave to prevent any kind of damage. Noel even went as to add a bungie shock absorbing system right into the tow line. This will take out any slack in the line as the two boats might get a little closer thus less ‘Shock’ exerted on the Chris Craft when it becomes taught again.
West Marine Rigging 