"BAM!!!"...and how not to adjust your p16 dolphin striker rod

Have one if you can't find locally. Pete 909-800-5237

Bill.. Pete is my mentor here in CA.. I do not do Prinlels. He is the MAN !! H

Yeouch! Glad you had the presence of mind to turn back to shore before you lost anything more than the dolphin striker!

Tom

Good thing you didn't loose the mast. Make sure you measure the length from one end of the V brace bar to the other. Measure while it is still attached to the beam...you want the length from where the outer end bolts on to the other side.
I have 5 of those braces, & they are all different. If you don't get one the same length, you may not have enough room on the DS rod, or you will find that you have to force things to get the bolt holes to line up.
Pete sounds like he has your fix, if not send me a PM, I probably have the correct size.
Did you loose the pad that the DS rod sits on, or is it just not in the photo? I have a couple extras if you need one.

Edited by Edchris177 on Jun 20, 2012 - 07:19 AM.

the real bummer was that we didn't get to surf the swells longer...it was the perfect day for the 60 minute roller coaster ride and we were tacking our way out of the bay to get into the sound where there were neverending waves to ride. the wind has been relentless here lately, the real challenge was rigging the boat without tearing a sail. oh well, at least i know why it broke, and the old girl sailed us home again...got to check it out today and i'll be in touch with you guys trying to get parts together befor the horn island hop or else i'll be ganking some off of the sideways!(tehe!) for the race!

very lucky it wasn't a catastrophic failure (mast goes through the front beam, falls over, and pulls a hull off)

i'm surprised it didn.t break...a few years ago when i de-masted, the mast base bounced off of the crossbar on the way down putting a couple small dents on the crossbar near the stepping base. when i heard the BANG!, i looked up thinking the stick was coming down. when it didn't, i suspected the d/s rod/base, but was afraid to put my weight near the front crossbar...we just held our breath and gently sailed back to the beach sitting on the windward hull. funny that when you hear that noise, your looking for a hull to fall off!

was replacing the parts today and noticed this little beauty on the bottom of the crossbar where the d/s strap broke...it's a little blurry this close up but you can see the crack coming off the left hand bolt. i'm not sure how long we could have sailed before the bar just sheared off, but i don't intend to!

nacra did have some failures there and i think i sleeve used to be available that would go inside to spread the loads

maybe worth contacting nacra dealers to see if they have any sleeves or spare beams

made a deal with one of my local prindle sailors facebook friends for the whole enchellata... parts for help with setting up/tuneing and sailing lessons on his p 18. the crossbars are the same stock as the mast, so don't throw away those broken mast!

Glad she will survive the failure. Blue Ribbon was one of the things that convinced me to buy Pooh Cat. They are formidable boats. I hope to come visit soon and see Blue Ribbon healthy again!

any time your ready mike! i feel like the blueribbon is a dirt track race car...drive the crap out of it, smash it up, and do it again next weekend. finding parts throught my smash-up derby time with the boat has been easy...and believe me, i have been hard on the girl, so i have been finding parts reguraly. most of the repairs/upgrades have been preventative while the catastrophic type ones haven't prevented us from sailing home. the boat is perfect for some heavy people to raise a little hell on, especialy when it blows! the boat is easy to work on too, kinda like a fender stratocaster whereas a hobie is a les paul...the p 16 is the ak-47 of the catamaran world-built so the common man can service it easily.

it's a little blurry this close up but you can see the crack coming off the left hand bolt.

Check inside the beam for the bolt plate. Both 5.2s we had were missing that part. It goes inside the beam.
The bolt goes through it, spreading the load over a larger area of the beam material.
The Nacra part is not quite the same, the difference is that yours uses a 2 hole piece, the Nacra is longer, 3 holes, to reflect the V strap with 3 holes/bolts.
It is simply a strip of SS with the appropriate holes drilled to accept the bolts. Your current bolts appear to protrude 1/8" or more, they will be long enough.
If you cannot source or make the part, use large SS washers. Hold them with vice grips over a 2" OD steel pipe, & peen them with a hammer. The slight bend you put in them will pretty much match the ID of the beam, & once you do them up they will conform the remaining bit.

Edited by Edchris177 on Jul 11, 2012 - 11:56 AM.

Have that part for the P-16 striker band. Pete

after further review...the other side of the crossbar is cracked in the same place. looking at the owners manual it says the number one maintanace inspection is checking the d/s rod tension and looking for said cracks through the bolt holes. i'm not sure the cracks were not there before the brace snapped but i believe that loud bang noise included it. my new d/s rod didn't have the ss screw on the bottom to keep the rod from loosening up prompting me to over tighten it so it wouldn't come loose...again. when i get the new brace and stuff on i'm going to drill/tap for one. you never stop paying for your education...

I personally would not bother with drilling & tapping. That was done with the old style, thinner rods. The Nacras came with the 9/16" rod, & they do not use the screw through the bottom.
I would spend a couple bucks more, & use aircraft lock nuts for the DS Rod. Once those are snugged down against the beam, with appropriate washer in between, it is very unlikely they will come loose. I have never seen mine loosen up in 3 years of bashing the BeJeezes out of it.