08.13.04 - I'm sure that whoever said "Sample the fruits of thy labor" was talking about gourmet cooking, but I've decided that she was actually omniscient and that her mandate also applies to the equally demanding art of old boat rehab. As I am now starting to get a feel for the extent, the depth and complexity of the various projects that lie ahead, it is becoming apparent that it would be just crazy to wait until everything is "ship-shape" before putting "MoonTan II" in the water, as was my initial intent. I'm not shelving anything, just shifting attention from accessories to necessities - like the rigging, both standing and running, the trailer and an outboard motor. Summer is two-thirds of the way gone and I need to get wet, but before I can do that, I have to figure out how to put this machine together. There will be plenty of time later for sanding and painting and repairing sagging overhead panels... and sanding and painting.

Beginning from the ground up, the trailer needs a new tongue jack and running lights, plus an inspection and registration with Arizona MVD before I can legally move it. It's only a single-axle, but the tires look to be in very good condition. Unfortunately, the wheels aren't the same - one's a 14", the other a 15! One of the guys who works on the RV's and the other trailers being stored in the yard says he has so much "stuff" laying around that he can set me up with a matched pair for next to nothing. The closer, the better, I say.

I'll also want to look at the bearings, because it's 50 miles from Payson to Roosevelt Lake with a drop in elevation of 3700 feet and not a whole lot in between. The trailer's equipped with an old, non-functioning surge-brake system, but I'm not sure if I'll need them - the tow vehicle has 4-wheel disc brakes, and the longest downgrades are gradual and four-lane. Just to be on the safe side, though, I'll run it by Allen, the mechanic / storage yard mogul.

For the tongue jack, I've found a 15" Fulton 2K swivel top-winder for $41 out the door that ought to do the job. The lights I can cannibalize from a utility trailer that I want to upgrade anyway, and like any good amateur radio operator, I have miles of #12 stranded copper wire in the garage. The tail / brake lights are currently mounted quite low on the trailer, so I'll be re-positioning them on extenders that will put them above the waterline when launching and / or retrieving. Keeping the lights out of the water ought to be easier on the connections, and might actually help when it's dark. The vehicle-to-trailer connector I can get at WalMart for $10.

As for the rigging, this won't be quite so simple. Since I lack any diagram or previous rigging experience, I'm at a bit of a loss. I figure the best way to see what I have here is to lay all the pieces out on the ground, roughly in the positions they would occupy relative to each other when attached to the boat - the mast, the boom, the headsail and the mainsail, and all the various lines, both wire and rope, the pulleys and blocks and guides, all of which I'm certain have proper nautical names, but my "Royce's Sailing Illustrated" is still on back order.

I know it must seem that I'm doing a lot of sniveling about not having the boat's documentation or even rough drawings to go by, but for those who have forgotten what it's like to know absolutely nothing about something, I'll just have to beg your indulgence. To put it in its proper perspective, I'll share an eMail I received from another Reinell owner a few days back. He lives up in Montana and sails Flathead Lake. He saluted me well enough for the fine bargain I had struck in the purchase of "MoonTan II", but noted that although he may have paid quite a bit more for his 22 footer, his new boat included the old owner! Not only did his seller provide a thorough, hands-on run-through and a written history (log) of the boat, but he actually helped crew the first launch! In my reply to him, I told him that I was envious. I think I may have understated the matter, as I stand looking around at my boat in pieces on the ground, knowing all too well that I will soon be needing some answers, but not even knowing the questions to ask. Whatever he paid for the boat, the previous captain's experience was, as they say in those credit card commercials, priceless!

In the process of dragging everything out and laying it all over the yard, I've discovered that I have a standard set of Neil Pryde sails. The mainsail is missing one nylon sail slug, available by the 5-pack from BoatersWorld.Com for six bucks, plus seven more, that's a 116% premium, for S&H. I can understand a shipping charge, but how much "handling" could possibly be involved in throwing five slugs into a mailer envelope? For parts that only cost six bucks, I'm not sure I want or need that much handling! As usual, it looks like I'm in the wrong racket again.

Anyway, there's also a 110% lapper with bronze piston hanks, all intact. I know it's a 110% lapper with bronze piston hanks because there's a tag on the sail bag that says so! The main sports Reinell's logo, the hull length (22), and a cool little Neil Pryde "target" logo. Both sails are white Dacron and seem to be in excellent condition. According to my wife's accounting system, not having to buy new or even used sails is at least a $500 savings. But since this is less of an attempt to cut corners and thus costs, and more an exercise in dedication, commitment, patience and above all, honesty, I'll not fudge on the bottom line... yet. I understand that at $1,070 to date, we're not really talking huge dollars here. I also understand that I haven't even given two thoughts yet to the cost of a reliable 10-horse outboard. So, today it's still easy to say, "Damn the dollar signs and full speed ahead!"