Maiden Voyage of the Triple J

B

breausaw

New member
Well we were able to take the Triple J out on its Maiden Voyage from my Wife’s folk’s place on Fisherman’s Cove at Hazel Point on the Hood Canal.

see Pictures.
http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... _album.php

We almost got skunked because as you Seattle folks know it snowed on the 27th of December, the day we arrived.
We only had a window of 3 days and it looked like the weather was not going to cooperate, but the next day wormed and we were able to launch the boat with help from a neighbor and his little John Deer tractor.
The access to the ramp is really steep, and the ramp is even steeper; if there were any ice all beats would have been off.
The other issue was the tide; the channel out of Fisherman’s cove often becomes a stream at low tide.
I barely got the covers off the boat before Bill came by with his tractor and started hauling the Triple J away. So here I am running along behind my new boat hoping nothing goes wrong, than Bill reaches the ramp access and turns down hill with the full weight of the boat behind him; thank god he had the forethought to scoop up some dirt in his bucked for weight.
So we launch the boat and spent the next hour trying to get the motor running. We ended up having to replace the fuel line pump bulb and then it took me a bit to figure out the high idle button on the side of the throttle lever; should have read the starting procedure but just didn’t have time.
So we took her out a couple of times and ran around the Canal to get the feel of her.
The Wallas kept us worm in the low 30-degree weather, but seems to stink if not turned up enough in the rough chop. The seas were pretty choppy in places but were able to maintain plane at reduced speeds.
So all in all I’m dully impressed with boat and quality of craftsmanship, think we’ll get many years of enjoyment out of the Triple J.

Jay Jody and Jacob Reausaw
 
Whew! What a launch for the Triple J. Glad you had a reasonably good cruise even in the choppy water -- better days to come and lots of good times on your new boat. Congrats on 'hitting the water.'
 
Congratulations on getting the new boat wet! Lots of exciting times to come. It's tough to have to leave a new boat behind, but you'll have some time to plan... for stuff she'll need and trips to be taken.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Jay and Jody - Congratulations on the new boat! I am sure you will all have many great times on it. It does seem that these maiden voyages often occur in rain, snow, ice, and with unexpected mechanical glitches, but you seem to be taking it all in stride! Sooo... I'm sure you'll have a great time cruising in the future.

Thanks for posting the maiden voyage pics...

ps,,, did you bribe that kid to smile that big?

John
 
I too recently took delivery of our new CD. The Wallas should not be smelling at all if working properly. There were three problems with ours when we took delivery. Try several of these fixes to insure it is operating properly. One of which I want to point out is a serious health issue and you need to double check!
The factory may not be using diesel fuel in the container. They may have subsituted kerosene, or something similar. Usually the shelf life of kerosene from what I understand is about 6 months. During storage after these are built it is also possible for moisture to develope in the container. Make sure to start fresh with the ULS diesel. This is an ideal fuel source for the Wallas and shelf life of diesel is about 5 years.
Secondly, the exhaust connected to the hull of the boat maybe loose and need a turn of the screw driver or use of heat puddy to insure proper sealing. I took the CD back to the dealer to properly seal this end. I watched when we were using ours and saw smoke coming in from this end. :smileo

Third and last, make sure to read the owners manual. No quick changes from low to high, always start on high setting until the Wallas is lit.

When working properly there should be no interrior smell, just clean warm dry heat!! :wink

Congrats and welcome aboard!
 
When you pull that beautiful boat up to Alaska, include in you trip prep some protection for the bow and windshield area. Apparently even duct taping cardboard will do the job. It's been discussed previously. Good luck.
 
Thanks for all the congrats and suggestions. Will defiantly change out the Wallas fuel and check the exhaust connection.
Also, I plan on taping some cardboard or similar material along the leading surfaces of the boat before making the trip north.
My father in-law suggested I keep the Sunbrella cover on for the trip, but the cover literature says no; has anyone had exercise towing their boat with a Sunbrella cover on?
I’m not sure if I’ll ever use the cover again because it will never fit the boat after I install a radar arch.
 
Don't get rid of your cover, most shops can retro so that they will fit when you install the radar arch. That way you can still use the Sunbrella Canvas!! When running around town we leave the Canvas/Camper back attached. However if freeway speeds are expected we either take all canvas off or convert the camper back to the boot. Better to be safe than sorry and cause any accidents because we neglected to take the canvas off... :disgust

If the Wallas is running properly there should be no reason to modify the outside of the boat what so ever.
 
breausaw,

Congratulations on your new boat!!

Unless a boat cover is specially made for towing, the cover can chafe the gel coat and even shred itself.

Towing covers must fit tightly, be secured to the boat with many straps, and have a liner which is soft and doesn't chafe.

Have you considered having the boat shrink wrapped for the transit?

You might be able to sell your cover here in Washington.
 
J,J,and J,

We towed up the Alcan in April of 2005. Here is a picture of what we did for protection of the hull and windshield. The green stuff is just closed cell foam camping mats from WalMart. The duck tape held it fine all the way home. On the windshield we had a sunbrella cover made as you can see in the picture. We then just cut squared of the foam and stuffed them under the sunbrella. The other thing you could do is just tape a sheet of the foam all the way across the windshield. This only cost about $20 for materials, took about 30 minutes to put on the boat, and made it from Portland to Fairbanks virtually without a scratch.

Two things on the Wallas. As previously mentioned, I'd get some high temperature RTV from an auto parts store and take the exhaust hose connections loose and re-seal them. What I found was that C-Dory had not put any kind of sealer and had just relied on tightening the hose clamp. That is an easy fix. Second, with the stove turned down low in high wind conditions or when you're running fast, the exhaust can back up into the cabin. As you already saw, just turn it on high if that happens.

Good luck getting her home. You'll have a blast this summer. Maybe we'll see you on PWS....

Dogon_Dory_battle_dress_for_Alcan_april_2005.sized.jpg
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dogon dory":2hyyv90a said:
J,J,and J,



We towed up the Alcan in April of 2005. Here is a picture of what we did for protection of the hull and windshield. The green stuff is just closed cell foam camping mats from WalMart. The duck tape held it fine all the way home. On the windshield we had a sunbrella cover made as you can see in the picture. We then just cut squared of the foam and stuffed them under the sunbrella. The other thing you could do is just tape a sheet of the foam all the way across the windshield. This only cost about $20 for materials, took about 30 minutes to put on the boat, and made it from Portland to Fairbanks virtually without a scratch.

Two things on the Wallas. As previously mentioned, I'd get some high temperature RTV from an auto parts store and take the exhaust hose connections loose and re-seal them. What I found was that C-Dory had not put any kind of sealer and had just relied on tightening the hose clamp. That is an easy fix. Second, with the stove turned down low in high wind conditions or when you're running fast, the exhaust can back up into the cabin. As you already saw, just turn it on high if that happens.

Good luck getting her home. You'll have a blast this summer. Maybe we'll see you on PWS....
Click to expand...

dogon dory,

Remember seeing that foam stuff on someone else’s boat, wondering where they got it; seems like a better alternative to cardboard.
I see you only cover your cockpit when storing, I’ve found that tarps and covers often cause more damage then they prevent. With the lack of UV rays here in the winter sun damage doesn’t seem to be much of a factor.
I’ll definitely be checking the outlet exhaust on the Wallas, have some high heat exhaust sealant in my tool box.
Thanks again,
 
Jay Jody and Jacob Reausaw,

Congratulations on the new CD. You are going to love it. :thup :thup

I have towed my 22 with the storage cover on, but it is a short tow, and at about 45mph max. It does blow a bit, and with an oncoming big truck, I get real close to the fog line. I don't think I would recommend it for a long trip or at hiway speeds. I don't think the cover would take much more, I would be concerned that it may shred or damage the boat, gel coat, rails or antennae mounts or put too much tension on the radar dome, post or anchors. I like the foam pad idea shown a few post back up the thread, both for the hull and windows.

Enjoy, and when you come back to get her, plan on spending a few days here in the San Juans. It'll be closer then, than later.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
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