Wednesday, April 16, 2014

CSY Pilothouse Ketch Memory Rose: Highly Modified

I had searched for 3.5 years in the 80's for just the right boat and kept coming back to this model. I found it extremely comfortable and well thought out. My goal was an ultimate offshore cruiser, but while our modifications have been extensive, I think many of the changes and upgrades probably would have been the type CSY company would have incorporated into the 44 over time if the company had remained in business.

The ketch rig does require a 2nd mast with all its fittings, rigging, sail, complexity and refitting costs, just one of the reasons the Pilothouse 44 cost more out of the factory.  The aft cockpit is deep and secure;.. not...... expansive as it is, in the Walk Over's . I feel quite secure in it when the going gets rough as I can move about with confidence from one handhold to another but at anchor and entertaining, it only accommodates a small crowd before we find ourselves migrating to the saloon.

The Pilothouse version, with large fuel tankage of 350 gallons in 3 evenly sized tanks, erases guilt when reaching for the start button in light winds or if we just want to travel into the wind.

The tankage of 350 for fuel  is great but 250 gallons for water is a plus of the Pilothouse design.

The Water Tanks were opened in 2000, the baffle removed and I physically got into then, in order to grind and sand the gelcoat inside.  Then while inside... I glassed over the entire interior of tanks  with a layer of fiberglass cloth and several coats of West System Epoxy.  Next, a couple of coats of Micron 2000 Interprotect barrier coating, then final coatings of Ceram Coat to their specifications.   Ceram Coat is an epoxy product with 90% ceramic particles and 10% evaporating material.  Once applied, you and up with a glass lined tank........this product is used in the food industry for lining pipes and tanks for food production.   Expensive, hard work, but our water 10 years after tastes like bottled water and lasts with not a hint of odors, ever.

Full controls and full instrumentation inside the Pilothouse, is relied upon often, but the steering is not in my opinion/having lived worked and sailed this beauty.   It/the Pilothouse Inside Steering Station, is there as a safety backup and used by me, as a place to stay Out Of the Sun.... Out of the rain, and stay Comfortable during Night Watches...   When OFF WATCH, I chose to slumber in the Saloon's berth so I could read all the instruments at the forward helm.

When offshore?  I still prefer to be out on deck for optimum safety and control, on 10 minute increments.   Step out!  Look around! then....rest a bit more..

 Old habits........

In many discussions 25-30 years ago, I learned of the potential problems of stainless steel.  It is just one of those things that every boat owner should understand.  I finally decided to modify Memory Rose with beefy External Chain Plates and over a few years of looking at researching, came up with a design I felt really comfortable with.  The design is an adaptation from Steve Dashews Cruising Encyclopedia, Page 582.  I modified his concept to fit our boat  and had them built and then finally installed them in 2000 and so have a number of satisfied CSY owners.

(if you are looking////// you will find CSY's without serious UPGRADES have just Dump their 'value'.  Stongest production boat built in the U.S. and with upgraded systems???? is worth every penny spent!

We ended up removing our teak cap rail AND teak toe rails.  I glassed the Hull to Deck joint around the entire boat and made a custom 1.25" thick Genoa track of solid fiberglass/molded into and bolted through the deck.

Removed the CSY rub rail, as mine seemed to be beyond a good permanent fix for it's many minute cracks, and built a 3 layer thick solid teak rail at the decks upper edge.  Took the Bronze half round molding from the original rail and added it to the new teak rail.

Pilothouse was strengthened inside with a custom fiberglass grid around all windows.  Made custom series 6000 Aluminum HD window frames for inside 1/2" thick clear Acrylic windows.  Then added 1/2" dark grey tint Permanent Storm Windows that are 2" larger than all window dimensions and screwed into the outer Pilothouse over rubber seals.  One inch of glazing in 2 layers....bullet proof heavy weather protection and 90% UV protection.

Insulated the upper pilothouse and underneath side decks as well as aft cabin with 1" of extruded Owens Corning Pink Board.  This keeps the boat much cooler in tropical sunlight.  No awnings necessary.

Engine is a Lehman Super 90, naturally aspirated 4 cylinder diesel.  8 years after ownership I cut and reglassed engine beds to obtain perfect alignment of engine to shaft.  Added Purifiner bypass Oil Filtering system for optimum cleaning of oil, removed engine diesel fuel filters and added instead a Racor 500 in a remote and easily accessible location to make changing filters an easy project. Added double Racor 500's between triple tank manifold valves and engine with 2 micron filter in one and a 30 in the next and also mounted this in a comfortable location.

Transmission is the original  but I changed out the reduction gear assembly from 2.91 gears to 2.57.  My engine has more power than the boat needs, so by making the prop turn faster at any RPM, I can lower the RPM's to get the same speed, while keeping the engine in it's proper torque and horsepower range.
For the past few years, I have averaged about 1.35 gallons per hour fuel consumption.  This covers all hours, of idling, true, but I usually motor at 7.6 to 8 knots and rpms are 1650-1850 depending on sea state. Engine tops out at 2300 with full throttle, about 10% under max rating of 2500.  Note, propeller was also repitched to 19" and custom balanced.  Now it's a 24"Diameter x 19" Pitch, not the original 24 x 14 or 15.

11 Through Hulls were reduced to 4.  One 2" Forespar Marlon valve now is the Only Inlet valve.  It leads to a custom fiberglass Sea Chest and all water for engine, 2 heads, air conditioner, salt water washdown, 12vdc refrigeration, are all separately valved from this chest.  3 outflow valves, one for each head and one for galley sink.

Having helped rebuild a broken CSY rudder in the late 80's (the owner backed into a sandbar), I decided to build a stronger rudder before going cruising. I opted then too to make it more modern in design and 15% larger in area.  Read some books, looked at many rudders and went to a couple of manufacturers first.  then talked to a couple of  naval architects about my ideas.  Finally built the rudder in 94.  Also added turbulators to side gap between skeg and rudder for improved water flow.

A big change I made and as you see there were several, was adding a bowsprit to move the headstay forward 6 feet. The Original Sail plan of the CSY Pilothouse Ketch worked fine and was well balanced . However, I wanted a stay sail, larger genoa and generally more sail area.  Adding the 'sprit' created a Double Headsail'd Ketch with a larger heads'l by 125 square feet. Also adding roach to the leech of both the main and mizzen sails, brought my overall sail area for working sails from 950 to 1150 square feet. Heavy boats like having 'more' sail area in light airs.  It offers the easy option to sail with working sails, rather than motor; also negating the need for messing with optional light air sails such as code zero's, spinnakers or drifters. Moving the headsay out 6' forward added the benefit of using the original stem location to mount the bottom of a new stays'l stay not otherwise offered on a CSY Ketch.   This stays'l is installed on a Profurl of equal size to the Profurl on our headstay's genoa, both Profurl NC42's.    The Staysails additional 260 square feet brings our total working sail area up to 1400. This amounts to a 50% boost of permanent sail area from the original 950 sq. ft., 'in place', spread out over 4 sails rather than 3. Many adjustable sail combinations and lots of power in Light Air where a heavy boats need some help. We also do carry an original nylon mizzen staysail and new asymetrical spinnaker for real light air fun or longer 'one tack' passages; Both of these light nylon sails are containable within "Socks".

 Many other interior and exterior modifications were made over the years and too much to put here at least now.  Some mods are individual posts shown on my personal blog     http://memoryrose.blogspot.com   and others are yet to be written up.  You know how that goes!  Will probably edit this post in the future but for now...the fat lady has sung.  Stay well and keep smiling! ron

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