Category Archives: Upgrades

A New Set of Wheels

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Boy that could mean so many things…a new boat — na.  A new dinghy — na.  A new car — na.  We literally mean a new set of wheels.  But why do we need wheels on a boat?  Well, we don’t “need” wheels but we got them for our dinghy.

Many cruisers use wheels to help them pull their dinghy onshore during a beach landing.  Our previous dinghy was soooo heavy. We could have used dinghy wheels for her but she was too heavy for the wheels.  Yes, the wheels have a weight restriction.

But, our new Highfield 360CL weighs in at 75 kilos, the outboard weighs 55 kilos and we carry about 15 kilos in fuel for a total of 145 kilos.  Just the right amount of weight for a set of new wheels.

Which Wheels to Buy?

There are lots of different types of wheels on the market and we really had to do our due diligence.  We made sure they would accommodate our dinghy’s make, model, and weight while still being able to work in hard and soft sand.  Beachmaster consistently came up as the top brand. 

Matt emailed them to make sure they would work and hold up with our set up and we received an affirmative reply.  We ordered the removable mount set with retractable wheels.  We wanted to be able to take them off if we were not planning on using them for a while.

Matt placed the order on Thursday.  On Friday we received a call from Beachmaster asking if we were a foreign flagged vessel and I said “yes.”  She then asked if the wheels were being installed onto our dinghy which would be leaving the country with us, I said “yes.”  And then she said, I will then send you a new invoice as the original invoice charged you for GST (tax) and you qualify for a GST (tax) free order.  

What?  Yes, that is absolutely true.  Normally, both Matt and I automatically request GST free so I assumed he did on this order.  But he forgot.  So, the company proactively realized this and reached out to us to credit us the GST!  Seriously an amazing company.

Drilling Holes Into Our New Dinghy

The package arrived on Monday (1 business day after placing the order).  Talk about service.   We measure multiple times, tape off the area, and measure again.  We then put them up with VHB double stick tape so we could raise and lower the wheels without hitting the rub rail.  Then we drilled the holes into the transom.

The top photo shows he wheels down and the bottom photo shows the wheels up.

It took two of us to drill the holes so no photos.  Once the bolt holes were drilled, Matt taped them off and filled them with 5200 so they would not leak.  Then we installed each side.

Here are the final photos.  The before (upper left), installed and up (top right), installed and down (bottom left).

Now all we need is a beach to try them out!

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog post occurred around mid-January 2024.  In our last post we spend a lot of time redoing our dinghy chaps which came unglued.

Shattered Moonlight Hatch Frames

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We have lots and lots of windows on Sugar Shack.  Some are called “windows” and some are called “hatches.”  Windows typically do not open whereas a hatch opens.  Moonlight manufactures most of the hatches and many varieties of boats use them including us.

We have two escape hatches on our boat which we could use in the event of an emergency.  There is one on starboard in the master head (bathroom) and one on port in the forward cabin.  They provide excellent ventillation for the boat and are almost always open when we are not underway.  We love them!  

We also have 4 large hatches: (2) for the engine compartments and (2) for the bow lockers. These 6 Moonlight hatch frames come in multiple parts.  The top part of the frame is aluminum and holds the actual frame that opens and closes.  The bottom part of the frame is plastic and it is really just to cover the screws and make everything look pretty.

We have a total of 6 Moonlight hatch frames that are damaged, broken, cracked, and yellowed.  It has bothered Matt and I for years.  But, the replacement plastic frames are flimsy.  We have waited to find a better solution for replacing them and thought we had the perfect plan while we were at Norsand Boat yard.

We had hoped the yard could make a mold and build new ones out of fiberglass.  Unfortunately that did not work out.  It was going to take a really long time and cost close to a $1000NZD for just the two escape hatch frames.  So, we ended up buying all 6 Moonlight plastic frames from AB Marine for $1500USD (including shipping from Germany to NZ).

Moonlight Hatch Frames

The wear and tear on these plastic frames is very common.  We have met several other cruisers who have had similar problems with their frames.  I mean really, they are flimsy plastic and 23 years old after all.   Here is a photo of our old frame and the new frame (prior to cutting out the back).  This is the escape hatch in the master head.

The damage is extensive and none of the frames are salvageable.  Here are the escape hatches (inside).

The two frames on the bow hatches are almost completely gone – you can hardly see the plastic.  In fact on the top photo, Matt put wood in to avoid having the sails torn by the broken plastic and exposed screw heads.  But you can still see bits of the yellow plastic frame between the wood and the metal frame.

The sorry state of our bow peak Moonlight hatch frames.

The sorry state of our bow peak Moonlight hatch frames.

The two engine compartment hatch frames are not any better — either completely missing or shattered.

After posting these photos I realize how appalling their state truly is now!  How did we live with them like this for so long?

New Moonlight Hatch Frames

We ordered 6 Moonlight frames from AB Marine.  They safely packaged our very fragile frames and sent them to NZ for us.  We received them within 9 business days from Germany.  It was a rather large box.

We decided to see if we could strengthen the plastic frames prior to installing them.  Our hope was that we could fiberglass the back edges and insert foam in the empty spaces to create a more stable glueing platform.  However, after we removed the old frames we realized that only the starboard escape hatch has room for fiberglass. The port frame has no room – not even 1mm.  The two bow peaks can be fiberglassed but the two engine compartment hatches don’t have room either.

Top photo shows how tight the space is where the frame has to slip into (between the existing gray fiberglass and the gray metal).  The bottom photo shows the huge gaps that need a foam filler in addition to fiberglass around the frame.

Preparations

First the removal process begins.  Of course it is a messy job as the plastic crumbles easily.

Once the plastic is all removed we have to start taking off the 5200 super glue (or as Matt calls it the Devil’s glue) and the sealant.  It is a slow process…

Hatch surrounds are cleaned up.  Left photos with glue and right photos clean (hopefully you can tell without my description).

The (4) larger hatches are more difficult because we have to pick out the old plastic and old adhesive between the metal frame and the fiberglass.  We use picks, pudy knives, and exacto knives to get it all out.  

Fiberglassing the Frames

It is time to fiberglass (or glass as it is known in the industry) the 3 frames that have room to glass.  We bring 1 escape hatch frame and 2 bow peak frames into Norsand so Peter Palmer can glass them for us.  He is so sweet and did this over the holidays so we did not have to wait the 2 weeks for the yard to reopen after the Christmas holidays.  We only glassed the backside as we did not want it to show on the front side.

While Peter was glassing the three pieces, Matt filled in the starboard escape hatch frame so that it would provide better support.  The port escape hatch had already been filled in but the starboard one had huge gaps which left the frame unsupported.

Before we install, Matt had to cut the plastic frames to fit each area.  He started with the starboard engine hatch.  He measured, taped the frame, measured again, and then measured a third time just to be sure.  Then with an exacto knife he slowly cut the plastic frames.

The frames that have fiberglass had to be cut using an angle grinder at Norsand.  Once the fiberglass was done it made it nearly impossible to cut so we borrowed a protected room at the Norsand Boatyard and used an angle grinder to cut through the fiberglass.  It made a bit of a mess, but we got it done.

Ready to Install

Now that the frames and the surrounds are ready, we can start the install.  Here are a few photos of the larger hatches after the glue was removed and before the frames go in.  You can see the nasty screws that stick out.  It makes it really easy to hurt your head or shoulder and it opens it up for the possibility of damaging our sails and other items stored in these comparments.

Matt decided he did not want to use 5200 (the Devil’s glue) for the adhesion.  We spoke to several people at Norsand and decided to use Dow Dowsil 795 Structural Glazing Sealant with a few spots of 5200 to adhere the frames to the surrounds.  This will make it substantially easier to remove them in the future.  He loads the frames and surrounds with glue and then we carefully raise the frames into place before taping and locking them in.

We leave large clamps and tape on for 24 hours.  Then we remove the clamps and leave the tape on for another 48 hours.  Just to ensure it has plenty of time to dry and set.

The finished and installed frame looking gorgeous!

Now, just 5 more to go….

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This particular blog post occured over the 2023-2024 holiday break.  In our last blog we update a few more canvas pieces including new window covers and sun shades.

Shades of Canvas

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We bring Kim from Masterpieces in Canvas back to finish up a few more sewing projects.  We ran out of time and could not finish these two big projects last season.  Kim met us in the Norsand Boatyard where she worked with Matt to determine exactly what he wants before making a pattern.

She brings a huge roll of pattern material and custom designs each window covering.  Some windows get 2 patterns.  We are making sauleda covers for storage (they will be solid gray fabric that are not see through).  We are also making black phifertex window covers that will be our “everyday” window shades.  They will let in a little light, allow us to see outside, but will block 80% of the sun.

We also asked Kim to make us (2) side phifertex canvas sun shades for our cockpit enclousure.   These will zip on to the outside of our existing side panels and can be rolled up for storage when not in use.  So we can alternate between using the sun shade (phifertex) or the rain shade (sauleda/Isinglass) without having to change them out.

In the bottom photo, Kim is marking the snaps on the sauleda canvas window covers.  We will use these when we put the boat up for storage or when we are feeling particularly shy.  The yellow tape around the foward window is from a paint job that Matt was working on and will be removed.

And the final phifertex window covers.  We decided to go with two different grades.  The two side windows on both port and starboard are 90% opacity and the three forward windows are 80% opacity.  This will allow us to better see out the windows while the shades are on.

Sewing Projects By Us

In 2018, Matt and I made blue fender covers for our big round A4s and pencil type F4s.  See blog post dressing up our Fenders. 

Over the years the blue faded and frayed so it was time to replace them again.  Last season, March 2023 I replaced the A4 fender covers with black covers.  But that left the F4 (pencil) fenders ugly and blue.

So, it was time to replace them with beautiful black polar felt.  They should match better to our new gray color scheme and be soft on the boat.

New Line

We also purchased new line for the boat.  We bought 34m of a beautiful gray (with black/white flecks) in double braid heavy duty line for our main sheets, and 100m green mottled line with a dynema core for our spin halyard and reefing line.  While we were at it we replaced our red “oh $hit” line that we use to hold on while under way and bought 100m of 5mm dynema line for future projects.  Everything came from Nautilus Braids which provides the best customer service, quality lines, at reasonable pricess.  They custom made our lines for us!

By the way, there are no ropes on board a boat.  You will find lines, sheets, halyards, vangs, tricing lines, warps, whips, and jackstays, but not ropes.  

We will have Kim come back in early March to help us finish some really small projects:

  • Stern seat cushions over the line holders
  • (2) Line bags for our main sheets
  • (2) Recycling bags
  • (1) Remote wench holder
  • (2) Sets of 3 pockets for cockpit
  • (1) Table cover

Don’t worry, there still are a dozen other sewing projects for us to tackle with our Sailrite machine.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events. This blog post occured in mid-November.  We attack some beastly boat projects while on the hard at Norsand Boatyard.