SSS Manta

1978 Ranger 28 Sailboat

In January of 2005, Ship 468 took command of a 1978 28' Ranger sailboat, the SSS Manta.  Below are some links to pages telling a little more about our latest sloop and the progress we are making getting ready to get her underway.

Ship's Log

5/1/05 - Ship 424 took command of SSS Manta

2/5/05 - Shakedown

We took the Ranger out with the Nata Bella (J/29) for a quick trip for lunch down to Redfish Island.  Performed like a thoroughbred. 

1/25/05 - New carpet

A couple of us went down tonight and laid new carpet on the floor.  Looks great!

1/23/05 - Stuck in the Mud

We planned to take the SSS Manta on her sea trials today, but when we arrived at the dock we found the North wind had blown out the bay and dropped the tides to 2' below MLLW.  Popsicles in the mud - No way we are going to sail a boat with a 4'6" draft out of a slip with only 3' of water in her.  We spent the time cleaning, sealing the navigation lights, vacuuming the bilge and examining all of her sails.  New registration sticker was affixed.

1/20/05 - Restoring the Sole

A couple of our passionate leaders spent Thursday evening ripping the laminated flooring up that a previous owner had laid down on top of the plywood sole.  Much to our surprise the 3/4" plywood is still in good shape despite having had a plastic sheet (vapor barrier????)  laid between the laminate and the plywood keeping her constantly moist.  We intend to lay carpet soon and will hold off on our thoughts to rebuild the floor with mahogany until we see how things hold up.

1/16/05  Cleaning Day

We took a power washer, new fuel pump, and quick disconnects to finish our temporary fuel tank installation.  Below are photos of her berthed beside the SSS Nata Bella after we finished cleaning her up.

1/9/05 - New Berth

We replaced much of her running rigging and inspected the rest of the ship taking inventory and determining needs.  We motored/sailed the SSS Manta from her old slip at Watergate to her new slip at Lakewood Yacht Club.  Once we were out of Watergate and in the channel, we raised her jib and sailed her into her new slip beside the SSS Nata Bella.

1/2/04 - Taking Command

Today Ship 468 boarded the Ranger and took command.  We worked on her diesel (Yanmar 1GM) and got her running after bleeding the water out of the lines.  We discovered her fuel tank had been filled with water, and repaired with epoxy so we removed it and temporarily replaced it with a plastic fuel tank until we can get a new custom tank made.  Below are photos of when we boarded her.