Scope Creep In Preparation For Cruise

[Trim50]

I have this nagging problem. I have a spreadsheet, a list if you will, that provides me with a schedule and cost estimates for things that need to be purchased and installed before we depart. Six months ago I was making great progress at completing each task. Now, as the date for departure inches closer, I am finding that the list is growing faster than my progress and the cost is out-stripping my savings rate. In engineering projects, we call this scope creep. Scope creep has been the "Nemesis" of many a failed project.

The question is, where to draw the line? I fear a postponement in departure at this rate.

1. Life Raft - 4 Man Revere Offshore Ocean w/hydrostatic container (purchased & installed)
   
2. Watermaker (Install initiated)
   
3. SSB Marine Radio (Purchased)
   
4. Gennaker
   
5. Davits
   
6. Fowl Weather Suits - Henri Lloyd Shadow Salopette Y10041
   
7. Edson Instrument Enclosures (Purchased & Installed)
   
8. Air Compressor & Hooka
   
9. New Shroud & Stay Cables (30% complete)
   
10. Solar Panels Sunsei Solar Charger SE-16000 260W
    
11. Battery Fill System
    
12. Lazy Jacks
    
13. EPIRB
    
14. NextGen Extended Cruising Repair Kit
    
15. Type 3 Hydraulic Autopilot (Purchased & Installed)
    
16. Tank Tender Fuel Guage
    
17. Mast Steps
    
18. Link20 Battery Monitor
    
19. Rocna Anchor
    

[Lighthouse]

Identify 5 of the most important items. Do these and just say to yourself that you will attempt the rest before you leave - don't delay departure plans as the list of "wants" could grow for years and you could become a slave to it. Delays cause all sorts of problems further down the line. As long as you are safe.

How many yachts are cruising without mast steps, Rocna anchor, Tank tender guage, battery fill system, etc., etc.

YOU ARE GOING ON ........ (date) .....!

[Trim50]

I think last week's broken shroud made me stop and ask how ready is the boat really? What I really need are some extended stays (3 weeks) off the grid to fully test how balanced the systems are and what things on the list are must haves versus wants. Unfortunately, I'm working longer hours than ever.

At this point,

1) Shrouds & HF back stay

2) EPIRB

3) HF/SSB Radio

4) Solar

5) Watermaker

Then..

6) Lazy Jakes

7) Davits

8) Hooka

9) Rocna

10) Mast Steps

[SeaVenture]

Trim,

I hear you. My husband is working longer hours and keeps editing his "absolute to do before we go" list--paring it to the point that all safety/sailing/engine issues are solved and deciding that the rest can wait. It's hard because I derailed him for a while when I convinced him to move the galley. So...my fault we haven't gotten back out!

My neighbor, whose trip was derailed over a health issue, is also down to the short list. As we've told ourselves, if we can just sail out of SF Bay and get to some southern anchorage, we'll feel a whole lot like we're on the way. Then back to Mexico. Then the world!

[duckie]

Trim,

I suspect the problem is not a practical one; - more a psychological one.

Just lie down on the couch here, and lets talk about how you feel.

[Putting pop-psychologist hat on]

While being an engineer gives you great knowledge, it looks like it sometimes it has downsides.

The problem may be that you want to do things should be done "properly", but that your knowledge means your standards are very high. I suspect you are always thinking about how things can be done better. A bit of a perfectionist?

I have many of these characteristics myself.

In my line of work (financial planning) it is agreed that the two most difficult types of clients are engineers and actuaries. This is because their training and mental approach means they cannot help delving into the detail, and have difficulty trusting that the big picture recommendation will work.

To be really blunt, you need to reflect what your goal is.

Is it to make your boat perfect?

Or is it to go sailing safely?

Unless you are prepared to compromise, you may not get around to much sailing.

I agree about the suggestion to put your list in order of priority.

Is it essential for boat safety?

If not, put your thoughts on a separate list - things to do when you have more money and time.

Just like some people have to conquer nerves to go sailing, you may have to conquer feeling uncomfortable if things on your boat are not "perfect".

Henry Lloyd gear may be great, but cheaper gear will do if it is all you can afford. A hooka is not essential.

I realise the broken shroud may have unsettled you, but it sounds like a one-off.

Your boat sounds better prepared than 99% of boats out there. You are very unlikely to have a life-threatening experiences due to boat / equipment failure.

best wishes

Rob

[Trim50]

Most of what remains is for Lori's comfort and safety. Give me my top 4 and I'm outa-here. As Lori often says, She's a delicate flower...but very tough at heart. She has a really difficult time flaking the main and therefore needs lazy jacks or a furling main. Lazy jacks will have to do. Actually, I need to get her at the helm more so that I can take down the main.

The genset was absolutely for her comfort…but I’m glad to have it now. The new galley was for her as well…but I’m glad to have it now as well.

I’ve wrapped lines on my prop and know that a Hooka is worth it’s weight in gold when it happens.

The watermaker is a luxury considering we carry 500 gallons of water. It will certainly be installed before we leave since I’ve already installed the thru-hulls. Lori likes her hot shower in the mornings. Plus, the genset needs something to do besides charge batteries and run hair dryers

[Auzzee]

Hey Trim,

Instead of a commercial hookah, I have a SCUBA tank, regulator and 30 feet of air tube, a face mask, small weight belt and a smile. I can put the tank amidships and jump over the side and visit any part of the underwater surface of the boat safely and economically. Maintenance is zero, reliability and ruggedness is absolute. The whole kaboodle is far less expensive than a hookah of equivalent subsurface merit.

Cheers

David

[Trim50]

I've been piecing together the options. I can buy a full commerical hooka for $1000, or put together an AC Thomas compressor, hose, regulator and belt for less than $600, or your approach for around $300. With the tank, I'd have to get it filled and keep it filled and store it. I could mount the compressor in the lazarette with 50 -75ft of hose. The nice thing about a tank is that you can throw it in the dink and go dive a reef for dinner. Hard choice really…maybe both would be nice.

[dnelson]

Originally Posted by Trim50

I think last week's broken shroud made me stop and ask how ready is the boat really? What I really need are some extended stays (3 weeks) off the grid to fully test how balanced the systems are and what things on the list are must haves versus wants. Unfortunately, I'm working longer hours than ever.

Ken,

Try to stick with you departure date - you will be amazed at the feeling you get when you finally cast off for the whatever (like you can really breathe)... but plan a short cruise with an intentional stop for a few days/weeks at the end. Then stop someplace where you can catch your breath, enjoy your boat, and catch up on the endless glitch list.

You might head out and go all the way down to Ensenada - and plan to stay there for a few weeks. There is a good boat yard there (Baha Naval) and you can install the gear you didn't have time for...

But let go of land as soon as you planned...

[Trim50]

Dave good to hear from you! How is Australia?

Man I'm trying to get outa here...I'm falling behind though and it's stress'n me out. I need to somehow double my income this year

[JeanneP]

re Hookah. If you want it just for bottom cleaning and that line-clearing emergency, make your own, as Peter did. I just found a 12V tire inflator for $45.00 on line. Add an accumulator bottle (the tire inflator is high pressure, low volume), and an air hose and regulator (the regulator is an absolute necessity since the pressure out of the pump could be 300 psi), and for $100, perhaps less, you've got yourself a hookah.

For the rest, will you be going offshore immediately, or cruising US and Mexican waters for a year. If the latter, some of your "must haves" aren't and can wait, and Lori's helm experience is a must-have and cannot wait.

Don't worry, you'll get there.

[redbopeep]

Trim,

I hope you get Lori at the helm so you can skip the lazy jacks for a little while if you must. Regarding large sail handling I'm in the same position as Lori--on the (54' LOD, 67' LOA) schooner that we're now rebuilding for our own cruising, the main is huge and as configured I cannot reliably deal with a sail of its size without harming either me or the boat. When we re-rig the boat, our plan is to put in lazy jacks to start and then (eventually) put in a fully battened main for ease of flaking/reefing as well.

Even on our much smaller 30' boat, I usually take the helm and my husband runs forward to deal with anything that needs "dealing" including reefing. Given almost any situation, he's a better helmsman than I am (I hate to admit it) but he's also a lot stronger than me and much more agile as well. Going with the "soar with your strengths" theory--the last thing I should be doing is dealing with the sails! I stick with the helm!

I'm also an engineer (married to an engineer...), and I know the about that creep... We all (on this board) seem to have the same wants/needs too...Regarding the hookah, we just moved our smaller boat onto a mooring and we're now doing the bottom cleaning ourselves (it was provided at dockside via a cleaning service that costs too much to get to the mooring). So, we've cobbled together a good little hookah system using a little air compressor that we already owned for use with our air tools and plan to take cruising with us anyway. That 120 VAC high pressure pancake compressor is driven by the onboard generator. I also purchased "gently-used" dive equipment (tank, (2!) wetsuits, BC, regulators, weights, mask, fins, snorkel, booties, hood, gee...the whole nine yards...) for $200. Much cheaper than getting it all new... In doing the hookah system, we skipped the accumulator tank and we just added the air hose. Ours is a hookah system with the added bene of a nice dive tank of air "just in case" we need it.

We like to be "clever" and find multiple uses for things and to have all the things on board that will help us to be safe while cruising. This forum is great for sharing that kind of information--I love it

[Trim50]

Originally Posted by redbopeep

to start and then (eventually) put in a fully battened main for ease of flaking/reefing as well.

You may be surprised to find that a full batten main is morre difficult to flake. Mine is like folding cardboard and it is 3 years old. If anything, the battens make the job more difficult because the sail doesn't want to conform to the bend between the boom and mast.

As far as getting Lori behind the helm, I make every effort. However, she refuses to try pulling it into the slip because she is afraid to scratch the LP. And since the main usually comes down just before pulling into the slip, I'm always at the helm at that point.

[Gallivanters]

Trim,

I suggest you begin each day by reading a chapter of Joshua Slocum's book SAILING ALONE AROUND THE WORLD.

And end each day with a chapter from Sterling Hayden's WANDERER.

Make the time to relax, take a few deep breaths and immerse your mind in how others have cut their dock lines and sailed over the horizon.

Both are old stories which will show you how little you really actually need to get going and realize your dream.

When cleaning out all of my personal stuff from our last boat, I came across an old notebook containing my first "To Do List". And it was quite similar to your's. I'd written my list ten years and 25,000 miles earlier and very few of the items had ever been crossed off!

While I believe pre-conceived ideas are okay - I now think it's better to just get out there and let the boat tell you what you really need... instead of pondering the West Marine Catalog or letting other "experts" tell you what they think you must have.

Finish your rigging and just get going...

before it's too late.

Kirk

[Trim50]

Yep, I read Wanderer last year cover to cover in one sitting. I was amped and ready to quit my job the next day

"Before it is too late" is my concern. Men in my family don't live to be 80 or 90yo...the average has been 65-67. This is a fact that weighs heavy on my plans to circumnavigate.

[redbopeep]

Originally Posted by Trim50

You may be surprised to find that a full batten main is morre difficult to flake. Mine is like folding cardboard and it is 3 years old. If anything, the battens make the job more difficult because the sail doesn't want to conform to the bend between the boom and mast.

As far as getting Lori behind the helm, I make every effort. However, she refuses to try pulling it into the slip because she is afraid to scratch the LP. And since the main usually comes down just before pulling into the slip, I'm always at the helm at that point.

That's interesting about it being harder to flake with the battens. I know someone who did put in the battens and found it much easier afterwards--that's where I'm getting the idea that it will be easier for me, too. Their battens are these very thick fiberglass tubes (like an inch in diameter) that are perfectly parallel to the boom and drop down for reefing like a dream.

I'm laughing about scratching the LP When I was thinking about my husband being a better helmsman than me but me taking the helm and him going forward to deal with things, I was actually thinking about dealing with wind, big waves and tricky quartering seas where he's got the natural rhythm understood while I'm constantly a bit un-nerved by the bit of "wheel-weave-wallow" that's a natural part of sailing in some of the more trying conditions. The docking thing is entirely different. Neither one of our boats back down worth a darn. Getting into and out of the slip we've had this last year for the Rawson 30 was very tricky. I'm glad she's now on a mooring that I can just sail right up to. With our slip, we could get in under sail but always had to use power to get out because of the narrow fairway and wind direction. I'm so controlling about not scratching the hull and babying the little vintage Volvo Penta in that boat that I'm always the one at the helm for docking I am good at docking under sail or power--its the one place where I am as good as my husband in my boat handling capabilities.

Why not just tell Lori that docking is her new job? Faced with a "must do" situation, we all learn somehow to do what we have to. Whereas strength may not be available for her to deal with the sail. She'll learn quickly and then you'll have the strength where you need it dealing with the main and she'll probably be lots more comfortable with the boat once she's good with docking. Besides, you can always touch up that paint...

[dnelson]

Ken,

You can make lazy jacks with a bit of 5-6mm line (1/4"?) and some pulleys (I can send a diagram if you need) a great project for Ensenada, or the sea of Cortez. If you use your engineering to find solutions you would be amazed how many of your "to-do" projects can be completed while underway (I love Jeanne's hookah Idea)- and you'll have the benefit of seeing what you really need and what will really work.

Cast off...

Australia is good but a little cool after south-east Asia - not as cool as Europe was last year though.

Fair Winds