Need help deciding on some things

[Shamwari]

I went to the marina yesterday to install a boat covet on my E-39 only to find someone had come on the boat and cut all the ropes - halards, lazy-jacks, and topping lift. The boom was sitting on the cabin roof.

A fellow who stays on a nearby power boat came over and asked what was the matter. I told him and said I suspected it was the person who had complained a week earlier about noisy halyards.

He stated he had complained and we discussed how I had tied them up to prevent the noise. The sailboat next to mine was much louder. Anyway I looked at him and he replied "I sure didn't do it" and he proceded to help me raise the boom by tying some of the cut ropes together.

Anyway - long story short - he left and the marina maintenance came down and we discussed it. They left to see if my boat was on a camera they had pointing at the yard - and came back later saying it was and that they could see who had done it, would I press charges.

I went to this guy's boat and told them of the camera - and he immeadiately confessed - said he had been drinking and made a mistake. His wife was so embarased she apologised and I realised she was going to make his life miserable enough he would never do it again.

Anyway he offered to buy me new ropes and here is where I need some help.
I have the jib halyard that is 1/2" rope to wire. Should I go all 3/8" rope or stay the same and where can I get rope/wire as I understand it's hard to make the splice?

The lazy jacks are 3/8". Should I stay that size and take them back to the cockpit or stop at the mast. They are going to need spliced thimbles which I have had trouble doing.

I had temporarily run the topping lift to a block on the front of the mast 3/4 of the way up.As it's on the front of the mast it was for some other purpose.
Is it supposed to go to the top of the mast, and should it be 3/8" or 1/2"?

The boom also dropped on my wheel making a 1.5" long dent. It's a Yacht Specialties 40" wheel. What's best for this as the dent will drive me crazy although I can cover it up with leather or braid.

The worst thing is this guy has owned a series of sailboats and should know better - maybe he is getting old and senile, something I can understand more each year.

Thanks for any ideas
John Gleadle
e-27, e-39

 

[Rob Hessenius]

What an A-Hole

John- I would be for surely pissed, but not enough to press charges as long as he is willing to pay for his vandalism. It sounds as if his wife will "shame" him. Where was she when this went on?
You can get everything you need to replace the halyards at WM or other riggers. They can do all the splices that you need. Remember you have a few other expenses, like someone going up the stick. I would not want to see a dent in my wheel either, throw that on the list too.
If you were happy with the diameter of the lines, why change them. Do you think they were stressed? The topping lift needs to go above the top of the sail for clearance.
Regards
Rob Hessenius

 

[Glyn Judson]

Cut rigging and dents.

John, sorry but if it were me, there'd be no playing the role of Mr. Nice Guy. Being drunk is no excuse, being under eight-years-old might be. Who knows, after you've taken your personal time to do the repairs while he watches from his boat and you finally present him with the (trust me, a large bill), he might be drunk again and his wife not there. I'd simply turn it over to your insurance company and tell them what you know. They can then be the heavy and the ones to pressure him to pay, etc. With the taped evidence, this guy should be up your mast as I type this in the hope of garnering your favour enough not to press charges. What he did is a very chargeable offense. How about the marina operator? I assume that they'll kick his ars out of there faster than a blink of an eye? Mightn't he simply do the same to the noisier halyards too as soon as his next drunk? Gotta love that alcohol, the man-child's best friend. Or if the marina operators wait for a week or two, about the time all the repairs have been done to your satisfaction, he might have hit it out of Dodge and be nowhere to be found ever again. Not your problemo!! Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA

 

[Emerald]

Wow, what a bummer. Very nice to have the camera and ability to have nailed him. Give a call to Bacon's at 410-263-4880 and ask for Walt and tell him David with the Ericson Independence told to call. They have a large rack of different wheels, and I can almost guarantee you can get a good YS wheel from them.

On the running rigging, a friend (E-27 owner) had all new running rigging done by Cajun Trading:

http://www.cajuntrading.ca/

I believe he upgraded the hardware to Wichard for not much more, and the set is very nicely made to his spec and was a good price.

Best of luck on getting it back together. Make sure he follows through. Get money now.

 

[vbenn]

John

Be sure to check your binnacle, cockpit deck, and wheel stud for possible damage. Is there damage to the boom where it hit?

Vince Benn
Wild Blue

 

[tenders]

Wow. What a tale. I suggest insisting to him that in addition to paying up for the damage that he vacate that marina or you'll press charges. Otherwise you, or your neighbors, are going to have to deal with him the next time he's been drinking.

 

[SurabyaKid]

Get a copy of the tape if you can and if not, then ask the Marina to make sure they save & do not tape over it & thus lose the evidence. No telling if the guy will back out once he finds ot the cost of his stupidity.

The Kid

 

[Rocinante33]

Let me make sure I understand. Is this the same guy who told you, "I sure didn't do it?" He seems like a time bomb.

Anyhow, this would be the time to switch to all rope halyards. The newer lines are much stronger, so I would think that a 3/8" in a low stretch line would be adequate in strength. Practical Sailor had an article about lines in early 2007 & it's a good reference.

If you were able to retrieve the cut ends of all the lines, you may not have to have someone go up the mast. You can whip the end of the new line to the old and pull it up and over the sheaves at the masthead.

 

[JMCronan]

I agree with Glyn. Have the insurance take care of it. I'm sure they have experience dealing with issues such as yours. From what you describe it sounds like the costs will add up quickly. You shoudln't have to spend your time making repairs because of this guys stupidity. I would assume the marina and yourself would want him out of there fast, I sure would. Who knows what he'll do next or what he's done in the past that wasn't caught on tape? Hope it all works out.

 

[Guy Stevens]

Call the police, have him arrested, call the insurance company

Look, John, I know you and you are a super nice guy,

However this needs to be dealt with by the police, press charges, and call your insurance company.

The halyards are best replaced with all rope, 1/2 is fine, 7/16 is fine, Stay set-x should be fine for your uses....

Lazy jacks etc, be done with a variety of choices, double braid should do you fine for this.

As for the wheel, call me, you have the number, I have an extra one we can talk pricing.

Guy

 

[Loren Beach]

Loads of good advice from others here.
My guess is that the insurance folks may want you to show the copy of the police report. It is, after all, vandalism.
The total costs for replacement of lines and some metal repairs may be higher than you think.
And *do* get a copy of that tape.

Sheesh, what a way to start the Holiday season!


Regards,
Loren

 

[hodo]

WOW! would it have been easier to just retie the lines rather than cut them? He must have been some sailor to come up with his plan. Loren is right as usual. You will need a police report to turn into your insurance. Unless you have a fair chunk of change laying around, I would call the insurance guy and let them recover the damages from the vandal. With a thought process like that, I would wonder what it would take to have him just cut somebodys mooring lines and set them loose? Stronger booze, maybe? I wouldn't want him in my marina. I guess you could also inform his insurance provider, assuming he has one. Sorry to hear there are people out there like that, on boats even. Good luck, I hope he gets more than a lump of coal!
Harold

 

[rwthomas1]

Listen to Guy. Thats the right thing to do and keep you protected should he act the fool in future.

My response to him would have been a bit more "blue collar" shall we say. You just don't mess with boats up here in NE. Comes from the commercial fishing vibe still apparent on most docks. The fishermen here are known to utilize shotguns to settle problems the result is very few people mess with boats.

RT

 

[jkm]

I've been following this thread with interest because it happened to me two years.

My response was to find a witness (found 2) filed a vandalism report with the LASD. Got it bumped up to felony vandalism by purchasing the most expensive lines I could find. Even to get the price over the magic threshold I paid for a cab to go to West Marine to retrieve the new lines.

Had him arrested on a friday afternoon at his boat so he sat in jail over the weekend. When I next saw him he told me I'd be sorry, to which I replied " You understand in California a terror threat like that is felony" I then pulled out my pocket recorder and told him the fun was just beginning.

I refused any form of restitution, he plead out and got two years suspended.
He tried to plead it down to a misdomeaner, but the threat made the Judge keep it as a felony. This is now his first STRIKE conviction.

I then filed for a restraining order preventing him for coming within two hundred feet of my boat-which forced him to move his boat to a much more expensive slip. He had to pay for a sheriff's deputy to stand around when he moved his boat.

Then the fun started. I filed a civil lawsuit for $ 10,000 which made him get an attorney and ran up his money meter.

After 9 months of court hearings I settled for $ 500 the day of the trial.

That's how you deal with an asshole

John

 

[Loren Beach]

John, I had no idea you were orignally a native of Tartary!
I found this explanation of an old saying:
"E. Cobham Brewer 1810-1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Catch a Tartar.
The biter bit. Grose says an Irish soldier in the Imperial service, in a battle against the Turks, shouted to his comrade that he had caught a Tartar. "Bring him along, then," said his mate. "But he won't come," cried Paddy. "Then come along yourself," said his comrade. "Arrah!" replied Paddy, "I wish I could, but he won't let me."
1 "We are like the man who boasted of having caught a Tartar, when the fact was that the Tartar had caught him."-Cautions for the Times.
Tartar \Tar"tar\ (?), n. 1. [Per. Tātār, of Tartar origin.] A native or inhabitant of Tartary in Asia; a member of any one of numerous tribes, chiefly Moslem, of Turkish origin, inhabiting the Russian Europe; -- written also, more correctly but less usually, Tatar.

2. A person of a keen, irritable temper.

To catch a tartar, to lay hold of, or encounter, a person who proves too strong for the assailant. [Colloq.] "

 

[Bomr]

Throw the book at him!

I have to throw in my two cents in favor of calling the police. If the guy would have confessed up front, I might believe he made an intoxicated mistake. However, he was presumably sober when he denied involvement and clearly had no intent of making amends. The fact that he confessed after facing indicting evidence is no indication he has character.
I wouldn't allow a bum like this to get away with it and I would not take the risk of him further screwing you down the road.
Good luck getting the boat fixed.

 

[SAILSHIGH]

I just love my neighbors...

I now feel very lucky that my neighbors are only rowdy drunks(Dock monkey power boaters). I can't believe he cut your lines. You are much nicer than I would have been. If you don't report it he can deny that it happened later and then say you were extorting him. Get a copy of the proof. Don't let him delay the reimbursement and buy high quality replacement parts. Don't skimp because you feel sorry for him. Make him realize that stupidity costs more than a bottle of Tequilla and a six pack.

Good luck,

 

[Shamwari]

Here is the outcome of this incident

I didn't involve the police. It just didn't seem right, particularily at this time of year. He signed a letter stating his involvement and his remorse which I have to assume is genuine. He admitted evrything.
I priced out a Spectra jib halyard and good quality lines for the rest. As for the wheel the dent was only 1/16" of an inch deep and 1.5" long and while I considered Guy's offer of another wheel I felt it would be better to get a leather wheel wrap from an outfit in Seattle.

The parts cost him about $750 and I feel that's punishment enough - it would be for me, but then I'm getting to be a cheap old guy nearing retirement.

I sort of feel sorry for him in that he has gone through so much of his life and still hasn't mellowed out - maybe he never will.

Anyway - does anyone know if a spectra jib halyard is the way to go. At $260 from Cajun is it going to make enough difference for cruising over a Sta-set X? I'm dropping to 3/8" from 1/2" rope -wire. Will I need to change out the sheaves on top of the mast?

Thanks everyone for your concern and Happy New Year

PS I live in Vancouver BC and we are getting 10 CM of snow today - we hardly ever get snow - whats happening to this weather?

 

[chaco]

Hang Em' High !

Do not FOOL AROUND with this GUY
Press Charges with your Harbor Police...make sure your fellow Owners are
aware of this incident...DEMAND his IMMEDIATE removal to the Authorities....
Remove ALL access privilages with a RESTRAINING ORDER and let him pick up
the Boat at the Harbor Impound after he gets out of JAIL
Let your Insurance Company follow up with the BILL, plus DAMAGES and the
THREAT of a LAWSUIT upon non-compliance.
It is not IF he is going to GO OFF again... it is only WHEN

Protect Your Fellow Owners and stick Together

 

[sleather]

Banishment!

John, You must have some pretty "thick-skin". I know that would have driven ME "over-the-edge" and I'm something of a "soft-touch". You've also got a bunch of LABOR involved in rectifying his rampage!

With all the evidence you have I would seriously consider getting him "banned" from the marina(if nothing else). IF this happens again to someone else's boat YOU may be "held accountable" for not taking the appropriate measures!

As Dan said if it was MY boat I'd have "HUNG him-out-to-dry(out)".

Get the "BUM" kicked OUT! He's proven he has the propensity for "anti-social" behavior!
HELP keep YOUR marina CLEAN!

JMHO