Hard start to the season

andrewscott wrote:

Hey thanks to everybody that has been helping this idiot,

unless you know him, and this was a joke, it's completely unnecessary, inappropriate and bad form. no wonder your forstay jumped ship! your a jerk

At first I didn't understand your post but I get it now. I've been posting in a couple of forum sites. The idiot I was referring to was me. I have a self-depreciating sense of humor, and like most cat sailors, I'm generaly a nice guy.

And to reply to the forestay issue, let me repeat that I checked eveything very carefully. All cable ends were inspected thoroughly and I masted the boat 3 times using the forestay and a winch! After getting back to shore, I looked the turnbuckle bolt over, and I cant believe it held at all...the amout of material that was not long-ago corroded was less than the size of the small bend on a standard paper clip. The idiot part was where I didn't just do the careful thing, and replace eveything regardless. If anyone else took my post wrong, I'm sorry I wasn't clear.

At first I didn't understand your post but I get it now.

I thought you were calling Wolfman an idiot (for his misfortunes) and i thought that was incredibly rude, so i called you a jerk.

I later felt my tone was a bit harsh (its not the first time i have spoken my mind, to later feel i may have been to hard on someone) and had gone back and removed the jerk part of my statement. So i also apologize for being a rude.

That sounds like wuite the adventure Dave! As Bob said above tie some loops in your righting line and use it as a ladder. When i sailed a 5.2 i would reach over the side and grab the footstraps and pull myself on the boat. Glad this story didnt have a bad ending like losing your main or someone getting hurt. Obviously youve learned alot from this experience and i bet it will never happen again!

Pirateboy....I guess you made the class last weekend. I stopped by for a bit but must of missed you. Saw a few prindles sailing when i stopped by. TCDYC is a great bunch!

This weekend should have a decent crowd down at Tenmile. Beach access6 surfside beach. Its ten miles from the 332 bridge to access 6. its just a little further down towards san luis pass then access 3 where the class was held.

Well Dave I have been replacing parts these two weeks and get out of school(teacher) today and have been salivating waiting for tomorrow. Then I read your post. I think you have deflated me. Great to hear everything came out all right, and yes I will check all my replacements before I go out. Thanks for the reminder Also if your wife stays on as your crew she loves you.

Andrew: I'm a sarcastic ba$tsrd, and what I say is taken the wrong way often. Someday I'll learn. I got no problem with you defending a bud. Maybe you'll do the same for me some day.

TC: I wish! The class was the same time as my daughter's graduation, so I had family in from everywhere for the weekend. I sure need a refresher, tho, so count me in for the next one. Date of?
If I can talk one of the guys into a long sail I'll see you at ten-mile. I'm attending a Stag party and we're staying at the motel behind Kity's Purple Cow.

🙂

He he, I've been called much worse things than an idiot. 🙂 And to be honest I think I would have deserved it if that was what was meant, but glad to see everything was resolved.

I got a collapseable ladder from West marine and tied it off to my rear beam and strapped it up under my tramp for quick deployment. Should work fine for the wife, I think that she will be OK from here on it. I know she loves me, I'm a seriously hairy bugger and she has stayed with me for 20+ years now. 😉

Good advice on mast rake guys! I was actually struggling with that a bit because my new Shrouds (from Murray's) are shorter than the originals and I had to add a second adjuster on the forestay to make up the difference. I was going to go to 10 hole adjsters on the shrouds to correct the rake back to straight up, but now I'm thinking I should leave it raked. Especially with the extra power provided by the flat head main, wow what a beast!

Golfdad, don't be deflated, you are going to love your boat and it will treat you well. I just made the mistake of replacing ALL the rigging at once and taking her out for the first sail of the season in rediculous wind. Should have been patient and waited for a calmer day to try things out, but I was too excited.

I got out solo last weekend with just the main and light winds and worked out the kinks. I'm ready to rock and roll!

Oh I posted some photos of my boat on my album here http://www.thebeachcats.com/index.php?module=pictures&g2_itemId=74145 with jib block rigging and my homemade sideloaders. Not much different than Airborne's but more angles might clarify better. More to come.

I've been re-reading our horror-story posts, and a thought struck me. Someone who's never been sailling might come across this site and wonder "You guys do this for FUN?"

I can't wait to get my buddy who teases me about not having a REAL boat out on the water this weekend. He keeps asking why I don't have a motor, and when I point out the 30 ft tall motor, he just doesn't get it.

They said they got a few people out for their first cat ride at the sail clinic. Awesome! I know I was hooked after the first sail. It's worth all the headaches and danger when that hull lifts, and you're hanging straight out over the water with all the mainsheet you can pull. No gas, no oil, sure. No motor? Then tell me how the heck are we flyin across the water.

It's not for everyone.

neither is skydiving, scuba, lion taming, high wire walking, being shot out a cannon, etc.

but for us A type, adrenalin junkies, it is for us.

Great Looking sail - Chip is the Man!!!!

fair winds....

boat and sail look great! nice job wolfman...makes you feel good don't it?

Thanks!

My only regret is not getting a jib made also, I will do so this fall (sunk over $2000 into the boat this year already). Didn't realize how nice Chip's sails are! Super stiff 5 oz Dacron and bolt rope, his seams are top notch also!! Believe me, I have another sail that is almost brand new with loose stitching in places, so I'm super stoked about Whirlwind's workmanship. I'm hooked for life.

i've been carousing around his site and heard much good feedback on his work. i can see myself with a fresh set big time! just wondering how long before the dang oil stinks up my spot...been lucky so far but i think i'll wait to see how it pans out, i would be bummed if i got a new set and couldn't sail...would be nice!

ummm.... i've never been that close to a pitchpole on my 5.2 and i had the mast almost straight up, but i guess i'm pretty light and on a lake there are few waves to stick the bow in..............

This isn't almost pitching, or coming close and then having a wave to stuff it in. If I move my mast forward even a notch I can, will, and have, most definitely pitchpoled the crap out of it.

Last time I landed about 20 feet past the mast. The time before I was trapped and the crew wasn't and she started screaming when I flew over her head. Time before my crew went flying and I hit the mast. It happens.

The faster it goes the more the friction works against the hulls and the sails outrun them. On a reach, I start trapped with my feet by the main beam and at speed am straddling the rear beam.

I have a buddy with a 5.2 that hasn't had as much issue as me, and I think he's actually a notch forward of me, and I don't know exactly where the difference lies, but I know how mine works. Some lessons are easy to learn.

Yeah, as you can tell Chip made a walking billboard out of me. 🙂 Good luck on the oil, I hope it doesn't get to you! I suspect BP isn't going to be a viable company much longer, hopefully they don't go under before they clean up thier mess.

Rob, sounds to me like you are sailing it like you stole it!! 🙂

I haven't pitchpoled my N5.2 yet and I have buried the bows pretty badly. One of the reasons for wanting a Nacra was that it was way more resistant to pitching than the Hobies. I suspect however that I do sit farther back than you should for good balance and speed. I also haven't had it in high winds and had the balls to have it completely cranked. I guess every boat has a personality and you have to deal with it. Could it possibly be that your hulls are toed in on the front beam?

D.

chip was fantastic to work with when i was looking for new jibs.

great looking dog. what breed? hope he has a pfd 🙂

That is my buddies dog Flint. He jumped off the dock during my first sail where that picture was taken and followed us into the middle fo the lake. Also the first time I did a man (er dog) overboard drill.

He's a border collie/labrador cross. He is much better travelled than me, he spent a year in South Africa with his owner and toured Mozambique and Namibia. He even has his own facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=1054445418&v=wall

I actually have 3 Samoyeds (white fluffy sled dogs) that I cross country ski with in the winter.

edited by: Wolfman, Jun 14, 2010 - 10:05 PM

I guess every boat has a personality and you have to deal with it. Could it possibly be that your hulls are toed in on the front beam?

Actually there might be something to that. I just redid the beam straps and put some effort into making the hulls as straight as possible. An owner prior to me had shimmed the hulls 1/4" on each side at the main beam, which toed the hulls out a touch. I don't know why, and I don't know if it helped or hurt, but I took the shims out.

yurdle wrote:

ummm.... i've never been that close to a pitchpole on my 5.2 and i had the mast almost straight up, but i guess i'm pretty light and on a lake there are few waves to stick the bow in..............

This isn't almost pitching, or coming close and then having a wave to stuff it in. If I move my mast forward even a notch I can, will, and have, most definitely pitchpoled the crap out of it.

Last time I landed about 20 feet past the mast. The time before I was trapped and the crew wasn't and she started screaming when I flew over her head. Time before my crew went flying and I hit the mast. It happens.

The faster it goes the more the friction works against the hulls and the sails outrun them. On a reach, I start trapped with my feet by the main beam and at speed am straddling the rear beam.

I have a buddy with a 5.2 that hasn't had as much issue as me, and I think he's actually a notch forward of me, and I don't know exactly where the difference lies, but I know how mine works. Some lessons are easy to learn.

I buried the leeward bow today almost to the beam and hardly slowed down...whole new experience to me. I was using my square top which has a COE much more aft. I'm thinking of raking forward a notch and trying it out.

My problem before may have been tied to the original main (or my inability to sail it.)

I was out in 20 kts (real 20, recorded by nearby airport)the other day, & had two friends out on the wire. I told the front guy to experiment with moving back & forth, & see if the balance changed speed.
He took my advice a little to far & moved way forward of the beam. With one hull in the air, the other went under, right up to the beam. There was solid water shooting up from the front of the beam, but it didn't seem as if the stern was going to come up. I was amazed that at that speed & the front 6' of the lee hull submerged we just kept smoking along, though speed did drop.
We did crash shortly after, but that was cause i wasn't quick enough on the sheet or tiller in a big gust, I think we were screwing with mast rotation. The crew ended up on the mast & sail & we turtled the damn thing.
Once they got off, & we stood on the sterns the mast popped mostly to the surface, then two of us righted it with the line.
It's kind of fun being on the edge of losing it, as long as you have the manpower to right it again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYsF-wtdjEE&playnext_from=TL&videos=ShaippCHrSo

Have a similar story that happened to me 2 springs ago. I was helping a buddy clean/rig a Hobie 16 for the beginning of the season. It was an old, heavy '82 boat that I probably should have checked myself a little more thoroughly. Well, it turned out the wind was great that day, must have been doing a steady 15 knots. Sure enough, we decided to go sailing and 20 minutes into a great sail, the leeward hull snaps just foward of the front pylon. Fortunately, we were close to shore and neither of us got too friendly with the standing rigging. Good news was I got a case of beer out of the ordeal 🙂

Moral of the story: check for soft spots...even on a buddy's boat

Wow Erice, I did exactly that with my brother last weekend. I thought for sure I would have stuffed it, makes me happy I bought the boat I did. There is nothing quite like riding the boat to the very edge and then going beyond what you thought it could do. I am certainly learning how far you can push it and that Nacra constantly suprises me about much hull you can push into the water without flipping it!

Yellowhulls, Glad to hear you didn't hurt yourself when it broke! I'm pretty sure I have my 1981 in tiptop shape but after the first sail this season I'm always a little scared when I hear something creak or crack. And I'm constantly checking all my connections even after replacing all the rigging, you never know when something is going to give it up and I certainly wouldn't want to recieve a mast to the noggin!

erice wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYsF-wtdjEE&playnext_from=TL&videos=ShaippCHrSo

Heh, I sailed with them today. The guy who owned that 5.2 has since upgraded to a I20.

yurdle wrote: [quote=erice] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYsF-wtdjEE&playnext_from=TL&videos=ShaippCHrSo

Heh, I sailed with them today. The guy who owned that 5.2 has since upgraded to a I20.

yes, it obviously wasn't quick enough for him

do you call him "lucky dog"?