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I purchased this good used Ranger 20 from a guy in Longview Washington for $3000 including new dodger. I did some research and decided this would be a perfect boat for cruising the Puget Sound without investing a million bucks. I already spent my million bucks on the kitchen and bamboo floors anyhow, so this is what we get for a sailboat. Full coverage insurance for a year is $120, compared to $1400 to the robbers at Costello for the Nimbus 3. |
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She needed some sprucing up, a dent in the chine is quickly fixed with some MGS epoxy left over from my carbon-fiber glider days. |
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| The tiller needed a re-finish. Only way to get old varnish off is with a heat gun. This takes me back to my wooden boat restoration days of the early nineties. |
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After modifying the standing rigging and making a mast stepping system, Antoinette Bax is ready for the water. |
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| Renee and I put her at American Lake, moored at Bill's Boat House. This lake is in Lakewood, Washington, south of Tacoma about 5 miles, 20 minutes from home. About a mile from the Puget Sound. I tried to find a slip in Tacoma on Commencement Bay, but nothing open until the end of September, so this will work for now. |
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Moored right behind another Ranger 20 "Gust Rider". The 2003 Mercury 5hp outboard runs great. |
| October 9, 2006 - Columbus Day dawns clear and breezy, so I go down to the lake and install the genoa sheet winch in its new location on the bridge deck where tailing the sheets will be easier for the crew. |
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| Below - the winch installed on an angled pad that I fabricated from wood and coated with epoxy, then 3 coats of green epoxy paint. In the background you can see the old genoa sheet fairlead on the traveler car. I replaced these fairleads with turning blocks and the old winch locations now have a swivel fairlead with camcleat (behind the knife in the background). |
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| Above - the new turning block and the winch that is about to be replaced with a swivel camcleat (below). I'm hauling my tools in the bag Dave and Rebecca Piotrowski gave Renee for Christmas, it's made from old kevlar/carbon sail material and is perfect for hauling gear to and from the boat. |
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Below - the new jib from Banks Sails - it's excellent! |
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| Below - another beautiful sailing day in Seattle, with Rainier in the background and a 5 knot breeze, the new jib looks wonderful. |
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| 9 December 2006 - we haul A. Bax home for some maintenance before putting her in a slip in Des Moines marina. Neighbor Jill recommended Christmas lights, so I did. |
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| Among numerous other upgrades (including a new mainsail from Banks in Portland) I sand paint the bottom, complete with new waterline stripe. |
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| The rudder has been pretty well beaten up over the years, so I sand it down and fill it with some thickened West System. I use wax paper and tape to hold the epoxy in place on the trailing edge. |
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| I flip the rudder over and sand off all the old bottom paint - it was pretty thick and pretty well eaten up in places. The vacuum cleaner keeps the toxic dust to a minimum. |
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| Got some Micron CSC on sale at Boater's World in Tukwila. Good deal - this stuff is not cheap. |
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| Rudder painted first coat and the big dog stares at the rain. It rains here in Seattle, but it rarely ever gets cold, normally 45° to 55° and that's tolerable. Much better than Milwaukee where it seems it was always in the teens, except in July. |
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| Rudder looks better. Nothing keeping it out of the Puget Sound now, just need a dry day to launch and we're ready to go sailing. |