Molly 1979 Albin 36 Blog

Sailing legends Lin and Larry Pardey, who popularized the "go small, go now" mantra, understood that voyage prep is rarely ever finished and sometimes good enough is, and it's simply time to shove off. After installing a second holding tank, vacuum gauges for the fuel system, and getting the engines aligned and serviced, we decided that the remaining prep items could be finished underway. We (and Molly) were ready. We'd spent enough time at the dock tending to "one last project." Katlynn Marine had treated us well, helping us source parts, loaning us tools, even allowing us to stay on their docks free of charge for weeks after Molly's launch, so when it was time to go, I think we all felt a little like we were leaving home. Leila, my dad's GS pup, quickly adjusted to life aboard. The boys spent quality "bro" time together fishing, playing, working. Jake managed to catch scores of fish, among them this beautiful bass. ...

Twenty-two. Count them...16 holes below the waterline and six at or above the waterline. That's a lot of potential leaks, and many of them are located in hard-to-reach places, which highlights the importance of reliable bilge pumps and a high-water alarm. Five of the below-the-waterline seacocks/transducers are scheduled to be removed and glassed over this winter: the spare thru hull in the lazarette, the two non-functioning transducers, and the two head discharge seacocks. Fortunately, most of Molly's seacocks are bronze tapered plug-style, which work well. More recent seacocks, for things like the air conditioner and generator, are approved ball-style seacocks; not my favorite, but suitable. It was important to us to know where every seacock was located and how to access it quickly. Seconds count in the event of a failure.

Molly's DC wiring was a confusing, jumbled mess when we acquired her, which simply wouldn't do. It's critical that a system works reliably, and it's helpful to know a system well enough to troubleshoot problems. That meant cleaning up and streamlining Molly's DC system. Here's part of what we did to get her critical systems online: In the midst of our summer cruise, I opted to run the alternator output from the starboard engine directly to the stbd start battery with an appropriately sized wire. After discovering that the ACR was cycling on and off with this configuration, I ran the alternator output wire directly to the house bank, allowing it to reach full charge before the ACR combined it with only a partially discharged start battery. This worked and prevented cycling.

In our family, boat ownership has been a cooperative effort, and as the guy who maintains and repairs Molly's major systems, it's those details I'm keen to document first, not only for our benefit (and record) but also for fellow trawler travelers who might encounter maintenance considerations similar to those we faced upon making Molly ours. Besides, careful prep is the first step in any successful cruise. Molly's distance from home was both attractive and a challenge. Part of the reason my folks wanted to buy her was because she was located perfectly for a summer trip through some of the best cruising waters in the Great Lakes region. Ensuring that she was ready for an extended trip - likely the longest trip she'd ever taken - meant tending to critical details as well as those details that, under different circumstances, might have been delayed for weeks, months, or maybe even years. At almost 40 years old, Molly, although generally well cared for, showed some o...