Refurb 1988 Moody 376

[Marcjsmith]

Well I took the plunge from small boat to big boats.   Target date for being ready to use is March 1.    going to be a wild ride with lots of uplifting moments and likely just as many "what was I thinking" types of moments.

First day on the boat I removed half a dozen 50 gallon garbage bags full of trash.  old paperbacks,  20 year old boating guides, dozens of plates, glasses, cookwares, crab pots, casts nets fishing pole ect.,  I replaced all running rigging with messenger lines cleaned up V berth area, clean out anchor well started cleaning the bilge, removed damage teak veneer from cockpit sole and seats, flushed all scuppers.   the in boom outhaul,  did not want to be removed, and now my messenger line and the line i was trying to replace are stuck in the boom.  so I'll likely have to drill out the rivets on the endcap of the boom to access.  

 

[TUBBY]

Sound like time for your first boat beer!

 

[Albatros]

friends have one like that, located in Greece, have been sailing with them quite a lot : bloody heavy & solid yacht that is, backing it needs skill and luck so if you feel like adding a bowthruster then go for it, the one real problem was/is the electrical wiring and the big instrument panel ... bit of a disaster zone, but mostly due to previous owners adding stuff, then taking it out and leaving tons of cabling, most of it unused but only way to know is to disconnect and see what happens, the original documentation shows how/where the wiring goes but in a very simple way and there don't seem to be real electrical conduits, it's squeezed behind panels etc... so if you are stripping the inside for some reason then you might as well redo the whole wiring. Another problem area as the owners are not that young anymore is size of the winches, that's one of the reasons they like me to come along, I can still handle them but it's tough, they have been considering electrical winches for the sheets but cost is quite high and not any type can be built in.

sounds like time for your first crate

 

[Bristol-Cruiser]

When you removed all the crap it must have felt like you bought a bigger boat.

 

[Slick470]

The in-boom outhaul may have a purchase and the control line may dead end to a block becket. Ours is like this and you have to take an end cap off to remove that line, even then it's a bit tricky. 

Maybe try to bring the boom home with you to make it easier to work on. 

 

[Marcjsmith]

Sound like time for your first boat beer!

a bottle of Tito's was one of the things that I left behind on board.   when the bag of ice is fully melted/gone, then that means the day is over.

When you removed all the crap it must have felt like you bought a bigger boat.

it definitely helped make it easier to see what going on and easier to clean up.  I know some stuff is going to find its way back on board, just in a clean newer state, and quite possibly fewer qty.  the boat is heavy enough, doesn't need too much extra weight...

The in-boom outhaul may have a purchase and the control line may dead end to a block becket. Ours is like this and you have to take an end cap off to remove that line, even then it's a bit tricky. 

Maybe try to bring the boom home with you to make it easier to work on. 

definitely has a purchase on it as I can see it through a hole in the end cap, but the hole isn't big enough for the block to come through.  with a 16' boom, getting it home in a hatch back that isn't much larger than a Prius wouldn't be my first choice.  

washed all the reefing lines, halyards, main sheet, jib sheet, and dock lines.  all came out ok, except for the topping lift,  it got "frizzy" on me  so I'll salvage what can of the parts that were protected by the mast and use it elsewere and I'll have to start spending the $$$

 

[Cal20sailor]

Marc, 

I'm sure you will question it, but I think you bought a gem of a boat and one that will justify the sweat, tears, and bucks you put into it.  

 

[bodega87]

Once you clean the crap out, give it a good wash and buy yourself an el cheapo buffer from harbor freight. Compound the hull and then a compound/wax. You'll shine her right up and it'll feel like you've made real progress even though you have a long road ahead. 

 

[Cal20sailor]

If you plan to paint the hull, please think Navy.  That would set off the cabin top and look awesome.  Any darker color but Navy doesn't get second-guessed.  Pictures and a progress blog would be appreciated and applauded.  

 

[Marcjsmith]

If you plan to paint the hull, please think Navy.  That would set off the cabin top and look awesome.  Any darker color but Navy doesn't get second-guessed.  Pictures and a progress blog would be appreciated and applauded.  

No plans to paint above the waterline except boot stripes, and maybe something near the sheer

  I’ve got pics of the boat with a dark blue antifoul and it looks sharp with the red and blue boot stripe.  But it does seem to need something near the sheer line....  to break up all the whiteness 

and some sort of stripe connecting the windows adds something as well based on pics of other 376’s

but yeah some spit and polish goes along way to make the progress look like things are moving along...

if I don’t plan to splash the boat until March.  Should I paint now, since we’ve got some good weather, or should I wait until a couple weeks before splash, knowing that Late February/early March are usually pretty chilly.  I know It also depends on paint formulation, or I’m looking at a scuff job before I splash.

i will keep this thread updated as progress is made.  And yes I own a random orbital buffer, that I will become intimately acquainted with 

 

[Cal20sailor]

Do you have a copy of Casy's This Old Boat, if not PM your address.  

 

[hobot]

Once you clean the crap out, give it a good wash and buy yourself an el cheapo buffer from harbor freight. Compound the hull and then a compound/wax. 

Make sure to wear at a minimum some foam ear plugs or a combination of the foam plugs and noise reduction earmuffs.

Tinnitus is not a very fun condition to have.

 

[cms]

Good sailing boat from my friend Bill Dixon. Built by Marine Projects (now Princess Yachts). Solid and simple construction, although one or two bizarre failures of rudder stock. Roomy and practical interior. Interior wood work quality pretty basic, but that means you can restore it. Cabin linings usually age OK. Plumbing, wiring etc decently done by the yard, but sometimes screwed around with by owners.

 

[Marcjsmith]

CMS,  this boat had a complete rudder delam while going down the ICW back in 90, at least that's the story i was told by the PO.

He had a yard in NC weld some skins onto the frame so he could continue his trip.  Moody sent him a new rudder/post under warranty and paid for the shop time, hauling fees.  at least according the pile of receipts he gave me and correspondence from moody

I have a few hanging wires from one of the removed ceiling panels near the nav station.  looks like autopilot/instrument stuff. 

good friends with the owner so he'll be receptive to Q/A as it come up. 

all of the ceiling panel vinyl is sagging and has mildew staining.  my plan is to remove all the interior headliner and wall vinyl.  I figure the wood ceiling panels can be painted and put back up sans covering.

Electrical panel was replaced in 92  by a yard due to a lighting strike.  so I'm hoping that the PO didn't muck with it up too much.  Genset, hvac, refer, all installed by professionals, according to the receipts.

next visit will be Wednesday.  tackle the outhaul and pull all the chain out of the chain locker  and clean up that area.  I might have a couple extra hands on board which is nice.

 

[ROADKILL666]

And let’s not forget the cursing.congrats on your new baby.

 

[Albatros]

next visit will be Wednesday.  tackle the outhaul and pull all the chain out of the chain locker  and clean up that area.  I might have a couple extra hands on board which is nice.

ah, yes, the chain ... one of my little tasks while on the Moody is that when they heave anchor I go to front cabin, there is a little door to the anchor well and the chain tends to pile up  to bottom of the windlass and block the whole thing, so a shove now and then to spread the chain around the well is needed. depends of course a bit on place of winch etc... but you might look into that later if it's a similar problem. Couple of years ago windlass stopped working, appeared that all electricity related to windlass was located in the -wet- chain well and was corroded all over, no idea if that was original or not so another detail to check. That Moody comes to its own in the typical Greece afternoon F5/6 blow

 

[Marcjsmith]

And let’s not forget the cursing.congrats on your new baby.

Bloodletting as well...

ah, yes, the chain ..

mechanical windlass.  so no electric to worry about yet.  and I understand about the possibility of the chain building up.  I just want to pull it out,  clean it, inspect, and mark, and clean up the area.  already though about repalcing the flimsy wooden door with a proper sealed hatch. and also thinking about relocating the drain so any water on the chain drains outside the boat and not into the bilge.

 

[Lynch]

Good luck with new boat

Did he not sell you the bottom half of the keel?

 

[Marcjsmith]

Good luck with new boat

Did he not sell you the bottom half of the keel?

Scheel keel.  draft of 4'6"  which is nice for the shallow water of the chesapeake bay, until you run aground and the soft mud sucks you in.

rumor has it the the loss of a foot  of keel depth didn't hurt performance too much.  but that's like someone telling you that your blind date has a nice personality...