Pearson 365 and 367

I still have those blocks on Evening Ebb.  When I replaced my standing rigging we didn't replace them and it's never come up in my annual rig inspections. 

I use 1/4 inch PTFE flax shaft packing and the syntef shaft packing lubricant. I believe it's the same for the rudder post.

My experience has been the same as the post you highlighted.

I rigged a separate low pick up bilge pump to keep the bilge almost dry.

Dirk

I've been happy with just the old style with Teflon packing. If you're replacing the shaft log or packing hose it is 2 1/4" by 4 1/2". Fisheries supply carries them.

Dirk

Actually it's so you can ring the bell from either the cockpit or from below. Particularly useful in fog.

It's for the ship's bell. 

The bell has an arm with an end that fits into the slot.

Dirk S/V Evening Ebb

I've got an 8 1/2 foot Zodiac PVC airfloor that has served me well the last 10 years (even in the sun at 12 degrees north).  I've replaced the airfloor once, the zodiac decals are gone, and the transom has lost much of its paint, but that's pretty good since it's been in the Caribbean for 7 of those years.  It lives on my foredeck during passages or when I'm off-island.  I can pull it up on deck and launch it fairly easily by myself.  I use a 3.5 hp 2-cycle Tohatsu which is easy to pull up onto the stern railing.  The engine is also easy to work on and pushes me as fast as I need.

I'm starting to think about heading west again and my dream dinghy would be an OC270 from OC Tenders a New Zealand company [https://octenders.co.nz].  There was one in the bay here and it was really cool.  Although, I must admit there's something nice about having an old beat-up dinghy with a small engine -- no one will ever think to borrow, appropriate, or take it for a joyride.

Dirk

I've primarily used the hydrovane offshore where tacking is not really an issue.  Were I to have to tack (or gybe) I'd probably remove the  vane that sticks up, tack or gybe, and then replace the vane.  Alternatively, you could tilt the vane back and life up the topping life on the boom and the boom would clear the vane as you tacked or gybed.  It would not be feasible if you had to do this often, but a wind vane is set up for long offshore passages not inshore work.  If you were using it with a tiller pilot (autopilot) you'd probably remove the vane anyway, so then you could tack or gybe at will.

I've been very happy with my Hydrovane.  It's mounted in the center of my transom.  You do need to be careful with the mizzen boom since it could interfere with the vane, but I've never found it to be a problem (use a preventer on the mizzen boom to be sure). 

Check out their website  http://hydrovane.com and talk to Will Curry.  His email and info is on the site under the Contact tab.  According to their site, you can mount it off-center without any loss of performance.  Read through the "Features" under "The Hydrovane" tab and check out the installation and operation instructions.

It was a fairly easy install.  The only difficulty as I remember was getting the backing plates and the the mounting pads trimmed to adjust for the camber and pitch in the transom. 

I particularly like the fact that the hydrovane gives you an auxiliary rudder.  You can use the boat's rudder to provide take out some of the weather helm.

I centered the hydrovane on the transom.  You could talk to the Hydrovane rep about how to install their vane on your transom.  I've been very careful with the mizzen boom and the upper blade and have used a preventer on the mizzen boom and tilted or even removed the upper blade when tacking or gybing.  It really hasn't been a problem since the offshore passages I've done haven't require many tacks or gybes only adjustments to the vane when the direction of the wind changed. 

I've been very happy with my hydrovane.

Thanks to everyone who got the site up and running.  It's been great to have it back.

Here's a shot of my 365, Evening Ebb, two weeks ago heading from Grenada to Carriacou.

Nicely done!  Enjoy the rest of your time in NZ.

Dirk

I store my tanks in the starboard lazarette just aft of the water heater, next to the cockpit drain thru-hull.

Wow!!  Two 365s in the Neifu Tonga harbor at the same time.  Maybe I really do need to push myself to head west from Grenada this January.

Dirk