Having the main tough to raise and lower is very common for "older" sails. I say older with no offense meant. Lay the sail out on the grass. You will probably notice the bolt rope wrinkled up. This is the issue. Sailcote or any dry lubricant will help a little, but you will kill yourself getting it up and frustrate the heck out of yourself doing it. Look at the bottom of the bolt rope and cut the stitching holding the bolt rope down. It will probably shoot up 6-8" inside the bolt rope sleeve. many sailmaker use a poly bolt rope which shrinks over time. A couple of options; cut the stitching and release the bolt rope, replace the bolt rope and tape, or buy a new main. Releasing the bolt rope will help, but it will still be tough to raise the main. I have owned a P-19 since '89 and now have a modified 18-2. I frequently launch out of harbors or marinas. A roller furler jib is very helpful in these situations. The anchor idea is also viable, but retrieving the anchor if there is chop can be tough. Having a downhaul system that is easy to attach is also important. Keeping things simple is critical for staying motivated in sailing. Being able to pull the main up easily is essential for releasing the halyard lock.
Thanks for the great feedback Scott. I am excited to continue upgrading the boat, and another new sail may be in the cards next year. The current one I am using is a 2017 Neil Pryde, and it is in pretty good condition, however there is some wrinkling on the bolt, which is no doubt increasing friction. I’ve learned a lot of lessons since purchase, and and actually sailed into the marina under the main when blowing 7 knots. I am excited to see how much the new rudders that don’t pop up improve the handling of the boat and hopefully confidence. Simply replacing the gudgeons with longer ones made a difference (tested with old rudders while refinishing). I have sailed a couple times now without locking in the main on the hook. Wind was under 10, and I barely used the downhaul. Not ideal I realize, but necessary to allow my wife and sailing partner to feel confident. Had some great outings and are increasing wind speed. In hindsight, going out in 18 knots on the sound with only a couple outings under my belt on a cat probably wasn’t the best choice. Still haven’t flipped her, nor exploited her full potential- although it’s pretty darn easy to hit 18 knots. I love this boat, the challenges of sailing her well, and the steep learning curve. It’s funny when you think you’re a good sailor because you’ve got many years of monohull experience, then you get on one of these.
theblackpearl wrote: Well after all the useful insight, and MN3's guidance on the unimportance of ROI, I decided to go all in and fix it right. New gudgeons, new castings, new lift and lock assembly, and new MX rudders! They lock in strong and hold properly. Of course now I haven't had a chance to take it out in conditions that previously caused them to pop, but I am confident that this fixed the problem. I was going to get the casting/tubes gold anodized for looks, but I was told I am an idiot. Now I'm working on restoring the old set of rudders just to have an alternative on hand. Finished the many hours of buffing the gelcoat, and I'm surprised at how much shine a 40 year old boat still has in her!
Edited by theblackpearl on Nov 07, 2020 - 11:54 AM.
You will love the handling difference with the new style rudders.
Main up/down while sailing: During the summer, I sail in and out of a marina and a narrow bayou. Many times I have raised and lowered the main while underway. From the ramp, the waterway is maybe 60' wide. When there is an east wind, it is perpendicular to the ramp and dock. I'll just sail out with the jib and when I get out of the narrow area, I raise the main. It takes a few minutes. I've done the same coming in. When there is a north wind, it is straight down the waterway. I drop the main and sail under jib for a bit, then furl the jib to sail in bare poles to the dock. Every situation is different, but I have found you have to work a bit sailing just jib in wind
I love the Prindle 19 once tuned up it’s a well mannered rocket sled that’s a sure fire good ride. I have discovered predictive feedback when sailing it right and have learned a lot about correct sail trim and hull trim. Although it’s a dated design there’s enough go-fast tweaking controls to squeeze out every knot of speed. Best upgrade outside of new sails was installing a jib furler which enables significant depowering especially when singlehanded.
For the past year and a half I have been building a wooden sailboat (Core Sound 20 Mk3) in the garage. Upon completion next spring I expect to put my Prindle 19 on the market to free up yard space. It’s a gem of a boat with tons of spares parts, sails and gear. Age and injuries are catching up with my ego.
Todd,
I am very interested in your boat when you consider selling it. Since I purchased my boat last spring, I have consistently looked on CL and various other classified sites to justify my purchase price (lol.) and look for available parts. I am surprised by how little I can find. I have a neighbor that I bet I could talk into picking one up, and that's the start of a fleet! Keep me posted.
The Core Sound 20 is a really cool looking boat. I hope to find the time in the future to build something similar myself. I frequently sail the bogue and core sound areas, so I'm definitely partial to the name.
Andrew
theblackpearl wrote: Thanks for the great feedback Scott. I am excited to continue upgrading the boat, and another new sail may be in the cards next year. The current one I am using is a 2017 Neil Pryde, and it is in pretty good condition, however there is some wrinkling on the bolt, which is no doubt increasing friction. I’ve learned a lot of lessons since purchase, and and actually sailed into the marina under the main when blowing 7 knots. I am excited to see how much the new rudders that don’t pop up improve the handling of the boat and hopefully confidence. Simply replacing the gudgeons with longer ones made a difference (tested with old rudders while refinishing). I have sailed a couple times now without locking in the main on the hook. Wind was under 10, and I barely used the downhaul. Not ideal I realize, but necessary to allow my wife and sailing partner to feel confident. Had some great outings and are increasing wind speed. In hindsight, going out in 18 knots on the sound with only a couple outings under my belt on a cat probably wasn’t the best choice. Still haven’t flipped her, nor exploited her full potential- although it’s pretty darn easy to hit 18 knots. I love this boat, the challenges of sailing her well, and the steep learning curve. It’s funny when you think you’re a good sailor because you’ve got many years of monohull experience, then you get on one of these.
Solving the bolt rope issue is easy. At the bottom of the bolt rope, there will be some hand stitching that goes side to side. Cut that out. This stitching just holds the bolt rope in place while new but makes the sail a beast with a bit of age. When I build mains, I extend the bolt rope 6" below the tack and never stitch it. You will find the bolt rope will suck inside the tape a few inches and the luff will smooth out. This will also help raising and lowering the main. I would also suggest to clean the sail track. I use a large sponge, soap it up and inset it in the sail track like the main bolt rope. Make a couple of passes of the sail track. You can either rinse it out or leave the soap. The soap will actually help reduce friction if you are going out immediately. With older sails, it is also worth a dry silicone (McLube works very well). You can either spray the track or spray the luff of the sail. The dry silicone also works very well on the jib zipper luff. During the winter (or COVID if you're not sailing much) is a great time to roll out the sails and do a double check. Go ahead and remove the batten caps and make sure all the screws are present and the batten hasn't punched through the pocket.