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Conference unifix::sailing

Title:	SAILING
Notice:	Please read Note 2.* before participating in this conference
Moderator:	UNIFIX::BERENS

Created:	Wed Jul 01 1992
Last Modified:	Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	2299
Total number of notes:	20724

11.0. "Equipment that works and doesn't" by MOTHER::BERENS () Tue Mar 27 1984 18:34

Among all of us, there ought to be a lot of knowledge about which 
products work well and which don't. I'll begin:

Autohelm 2000 autopilot: Don't delay, buy one! Ours has steered well 
upwind and down, calm and gale. Julie watched it steer in 35 to 40 knots 
while we beam reached across the Gulf of Maine. I went below and slept.
Best thing I ever bought for the boat.

TI9900N Loran: see previous note.

Woolsey Blue Streak (200SR) bottom paint keeps bottoms clean in 
Marblehead. 

Standard VHFs: Our Horizon 78 is 6 years old and still working about as 
well as new.

Signet instruments: Knotlog is good, digital depthsounder (D3D) barely 
acceptable.

Ritchie compasses: Good, but mine was delivered with substantial 
deviation which I have reduced to less than 3 degrees.

Marblehead Sailmakers (now North Sails Marblehead): Better than Hood at 
about the same price. I have bought 10 sails there.

Navtec rod rigging: Tune it and forget it.

Avon liferafts: I haven't tried it and have no desire to. Bought mine 
from Thomas Foulkes in London. Six person, double floor, canister pack for 
less than $1700, duty and air freight paid (US list $2980).

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
11.1		GIGI::JCR		`Fri Mar 30 1984 14:30`	25
	The Autohelm has attracted my eye also. For my purposes I'm thinking about the 5000. I've also purchased items from England. The weakness of the pound has made TopGear and Thomas Foulkes prices incredibly good deals. I've got several sets of Henri Loyd foulweather gear this way at less than half the best US discount price. Given that Autohelm is now marketed by Combi in the US, do you think that buying from England is smart - given warranty issues. The price difference is $600-$700. Warranty claims on foulweather gear don't concern me nearly as much as electro-mechanical devices would. Do you think that the Autohelm products are good enough that I can gamble? Lewmar winches are another good buy from England. I've unsuccessfully tried to sell my Lewmar #40C's (two speed) this winter. I had a sporadic ad in the WantAdvertiser. Would have replaced them with Lewmar self-tailing 43's. Doubt if I'd sell now as the mail from England is SLOW and might not get replacements in time for launching. Anyone considering purchasing Henri Lloyd gear from England: Beware of the british sizes, if in doubt, buy the smaller. John Rodenhiser
11.2		MOTHER::BERENS		`Sun Apr 01 1984 15:57`	16
	Based on my experience with my Autohelm 2000 and the reports from a friend with an Autohelm 3000, I wonder if an Autohelm 5000 isn't overkill for anything under 40' or so. From what I hear, the Autohelms are quite reliable. Nonetheless, I'm not sure I'd want to depend on the American distributor for service on a bought-in-England unit. At best you would probably languish forever at the end of the service queue. The big attraction of the Autohelm 5000 is that the whole thing mounts below deck and thus worries about weather sealing go away. I'm trying to design a below deck installation for my 2000 .... If you do get a 5000, I'd like to hear how well it works. Ought to work well. Anybody tried a wind vane? Alan Berens
11.3		GIGI::JCR		`Tue Apr 03 1984 15:22`	9
	Funny thing about my choice of the 5000. I have a wheel and the 3000 wasn't particularly desireable to me. I fell in the trap of looking up the price range instead of down. The 2000 would easily mount below deck and hook up to an attachment that Edson makes for their wheel assemblies. Furthermore the control unit would conveniently fit out of the way in the lazarette. Now I only need to decide if some time in the future I'd want to couple Loran and autosteering. If so, back to the 5000.
11.5	secret bottom paint additive	NEWVAX::POISSON		`Tue Feb 17 1987 08:30`	6
	Have any of you guys heard about the secret bottom paint additive? It seems that if you add one container (about 4 ounces) of Mc Cormicks red pepper to a gallon of bottom paint, the anti-fouling capability is very significantly enhanced.
11.6	pass the gumbolia	GRAMPS::WCLARK	Walt Clark	`Tue Feb 17 1987 16:50`	6
	However if you find yourself in a cove of very warm water and lots of shrimp, lite out of there. Cajun cookin' is getting to be very big these days :) Walt
11.7	Boat graphics	CSSE::COUTURE		`Wed Mar 25 1987 10:35`	28
	At the recommendation of Practical Sailor I ordered vinyl (or something similar) graphics for the name and hailing port. I checked with all of them and the company that had the best prices and assortments of colors, scripts, etc. was: Lenda Products In. 832 Fee Fee Road St. Louis, Mo. 63043 They sent out samples and a book of type faces which can be made to any size or length you need. After I decided what I thought looked good I called them (800-325-1300) and they sent me a free mock up done to size. A graphic designer I'm not, so another call was made and I talked to their artist who made some recommendations that really improved the looks. I then ordered the graphics (Visa or Master Charge) and they arrived about a week later. They even included a little tool for smoothing down the graphics. Installation was easy because they also included good instructions. The boat name was done in 6" letters and the hailing port in 4". Total price was $47. I'll let everyone know how they hold up. Encore un ete
11.8	Decals for Doc'td vessels?	CYBORG::CORKUM	CYBORG::/FRSBEE:: CORKUM	`Wed Mar 25 1987 23:45`	11
	Could this means of lettering a boat satisfy the lettering requirements of documented vessels? (I still haven't got my paperwork back from the Coast Guard and it's been 3 months already. The thought of having to register it with the state in the interum doesn't appeal to me either). bc
11.9	CG docmntation reqs.	CSSE::COUTURE		`Thu Mar 26 1987 08:49`	8
	Yup! Just make sure the letters are at least 4" tall and easily read (open to interpretation). p.s. I started my documentation process in December and just got my certificate last week.
11.10	go for it	PULSAR::BERENS	Alan Berens	`Thu Mar 26 1987 08:52`	5
	As long as the typeface you choose meets the Coast Guard requirements, it is unlikely that the Coast Guard or anyone else will object to vinyl letters. We've used vinyl letters on two documented boats -- they last longer than paint and are just as easy to remove as painted letters.
11.11	Decals great for Documented boats	NECVAX::RODENHISER		`Thu Mar 26 1987 08:54`	8
	I don't know about this particular graphic maker but the one I've used (Boat Graphics) will guarantee that your lettering will meet CG documentation requirements. You must tell them beforehand that the boat is to be documented. Interpretation of the CG rules for lettering is much less stringent than you might believe. There is quite a bit of leeway in typeface styles.
11.12	Line Drive Whisker Pole	CSSE::COUTURE		`Fri Aug 14 1987 17:25`	10
	I now own a line drive whisker pole and wouldn't own anything else. Instead of twisting a lock ring or pushing thumb-removing buttons, you simply feed the line in or out until the pole extends to the desired length. Then, you simply take a wrap on a small cleat on the deck end of the pole. I bought the Fore Spar, but Practical Sailor says the Amco is just as good and cheaper. Shipping costs will get you if you buy mail order because the thing is so darn long.
11.13	Survival Suits - Which ones are best?	VAXWRK::WOODBURY		`Tue Feb 05 1991 09:03`	8
	Does anyone have a suggestion on Survival Suits? Stearns gets good recommendations from the fishermen in Gloucester, and is the only one I can find in the catalogs I have. Are there any other brands worth looking into? Thanks, Mark
11.14	Fix for Lewmar deck hatches	SWAM2::HOMEYER_CH	No, but you can see it from here	`Fri Mar 01 1991 14:48`	22
	If any of you have a Lewmar deck hatch that will not stay open there is a free fix from the factory. I have a Catalina 36 that uses a Lewmar trapezoidal shaped hatch over the vee bunk. The hinge has a notched fitting which will hold the hatch open in several positions. The original design had a weak component which is prone to failure. Mine quit working after about two years. I contacted Lewmar and they admitted the problem and they sent me new internal parts for each hinge with instructions on how to remove the old parts and install the fix. They picked up all costs and UPS shipping. It took me about 30 minutes to do and the hatch works better than when it was new. They can be reached at; Lewmar Marine Inc. 233 Broad Common Rd. Bristol, RI 02809 A friend of mine has a Erickson 32 and both of his deck hatches had the same problem. In my situation the forward hatch is large and without a way to hold it up it becomes dangerous even at the dock. It is nice to know there are companies that stand behind their products. :-) Chuck
11.15	What temperature is the Beer	SWAM2::HOMEYER_CH	No, but you can see it from here	`Fri Mar 08 1991 13:37`	26
	I have a Cold Machine refrigeration system with a dedicated third battery. I found that temperature setting makes a big difference on how frequently the unit runs and how long the battery charge lasts. The question becomes what you are trying to keep cold determines how cold you really need to keep the ice box, beer is one thing, food for a week is another. The control has numbers 1 to 10. What temperature is 6 or 8? My solution is a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer from Radio Shack for about $30. I mounted the outdoor sensor in the ice box. It displays both temps, thus the indoor is the cabin temp and the outdoor is the temp in the ice box. It also records the high and low temps for both. Now I know how hot or cold the ice box got during the night. I also now know how to set the control to achieve a given temp. This has saved food from spoiling and maximizes battery use and reduced running the engine for recharging. You can reset the high/low setting independently on both displays. This also works very well in ice only situations. In the summer I let it run during the week with shore power so when I show up there is cold beer and no time lost to chill down the ice box. I know the temp extreems during the week. If you do this make sure you mount the unit away from the galley stove which will affect the cabin temp (sensor has a 10' wire). Chuck
11.16	FURUNO VS RAYTHEON	TOLKIN::HILL		`Wed Mar 13 1991 12:35`	6
	I am interested in experiences with Furuno and Raytheon Radars. I am going to buy either the nnew R10x or the FURUNO 1720. Price is about the same, the R10x (Raytheon) has more software features, but I am really interested in dependability. Any comments would be appreciated.
11.17	Raytheon inches ahead!	MRKTNG::WALKER_K	Ken Walker @TTB	`Wed Mar 13 1991 13:57`	13
	I installed a Furuno 1720 last spring on our Sabre 30. Although it has only been in service for a single season it performed flawlessly. I assume you mean dependability from a "doesn't break" point of view, I would NEVER depend on an electronic device for my safety. The unit is very useful for verifying that something is more or less where it ought to be but don't depend on seeing everything that's there! As far as a purchase decision I'd buy the unit with the most features and I think the 10x leads by an EBL and a VRM. When I bought the Furuno the competitive Raytheon R10 was missing a couple of features like quantization and I preferred the Furuno UI. Try out both units and pick the one whose features and UI appeal, I doubt that you'll be able to find any difference in reliability or quality.
11.18	Black tell tales, better than sliced bread!	UNIFIX::BERENS	The Moderator	`Mon Jul 06 1992 15:05`	32
	[restored by the Moderator] ================================================================================ <<< $1$DUA14:[NOTES$LIBRARY]SAILING.NOTE;4 >>> -< SAILING >- ================================================================================ Note 11.18 Equipment that works and doesn't 18 of 25 AKO539::KALINOWSKI 22 lines 15-JUN-1992 17:45 -< Black tell tales, better than sliced bread! >- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well folks here is your chance to make your life sail trimming much easier. In trying to relieve my go-fast equipment buying binge last week, I bought a set of black telltales. They are just like the orange win-tales, but made of black nylon. I had asked a marine engineeing company about such a product last year, but was told the manufacturer couldn't justify the cost of a major roll of a new color. Evidently they changed their mind. They are so much easier to see through the sails it is incredible! The more clouds, the better they perform. Whereas my sails are magenta (hot pink), they work wonderful. At $5.50 for 7 sets plus adhesive dots, they are not the cheapest telltales, but considering a single telltale window costs $30 and messes up the flow a bit, it is a great deal. Even my crew said it was the best value for the money on the boat. They are being sold through Hobie Cat dealers, but I image you will soon see them from other sources. john
11.19	How about (mylar?) recording tape for dark telltales	UNIFIX::BERENS	The Moderator	`Mon Jul 06 1992 15:05`	19
	[restored by the Moderator] ================================================================================ <<< $1$DUA14:[NOTES$LIBRARY]SAILING.NOTE;4 >>> -< SAILING >- ================================================================================ Note 11.19 Equipment that works and doesn't 19 of 25 UNIFIX::FRENCH "Bill French 381-1859" 9 lines 16-JUN-1992 09:32 -< How about (mylar?) recording tape for dark telltales >- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John, given that the dark color is significant, have you tried recording tape? I have seen it suggested as superior to the nylon tell tales on shrouds, but haven't heard of it tried on sails. Perhaps the ferric oxide would rub off on the sails but one of us should give it a try. Maybe I'll try it on the used working jib that I just bought which is without tell tales at the moment. Bill
11.20		UNIFIX::BERENS	The Moderator	`Mon Jul 06 1992 15:05`	15
	[restored by the Moderator] ================================================================================ <<< $1$DUA14:[NOTES$LIBRARY]SAILING.NOTE;4 >>> -< SAILING >- ================================================================================ Note 11.20 Equipment that works and doesn't 20 of 25 STARCH::HAGERMAN "Flames to /dev/null" 6 lines 16-JUN-1992 11:30 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How does recording tape work compared to the 1/2" wide strips of nylon that come in the official tell-tale kits? I have the nylon ones on my Laser sail and there's a real problem with them sticking to the sail if they're wet and there's not much breeze... Doug.
11.21	frayed edges on nylon cloth hang up	UNIFIX::BERENS	The Moderator	`Mon Jul 06 1992 15:06`	20
	[restored by the Moderator] ================================================================================ <<< $1$DUA14:[NOTES$LIBRARY]SAILING.NOTE;4 >>> -< SAILING >- ================================================================================ Note 11.21 Equipment that works and doesn't 21 of 25 UNIFIX::FRENCH "Bill French 381-1859" 10 lines 16-JUN-1992 11:40 -< frayed edges on nylon cloth hang up >- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Doug, I believe that is the advantage of the recording tape. At least the edges don't hang up because of frayed threads (when used on the shrouds). I don't know if they stick to sails when wet. If I can remember to bring some tape to my boat, I may have some experimental observations to report next week. Bill
11.22	Use the leader	UNIFIX::BERENS	The Moderator	`Mon Jul 06 1992 15:06`	17
	[restored by the Moderator] ================================================================================ <<< $1$DUA14:[NOTES$LIBRARY]SAILING.NOTE;4 >>> -< SAILING >- ================================================================================ Note 11.22 Equipment that works and doesn't 22 of 25 STAR::KENNEY 7 lines 16-JUN-1992 12:03 -< Use the leader >- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was talking to the sailmaker I deal with and he says that if you are going to use tape use the leader. The oxide coated tape wears off on the sails and leaves marks. Forrest
11.23		UNIFIX::BERENS	The Moderator	`Mon Jul 06 1992 15:06`	29
	[restored by the Moderator] ================================================================================ <<< $1$DUA14:[NOTES$LIBRARY]SAILING.NOTE;4 >>> -< SAILING >- ================================================================================ Note 11.23 Equipment that works and doesn't 23 of 25 STEREO::HO 20 lines 16-JUN-1992 12:50 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Everything sticks to wet sails. Luff telltales just don't work in the rain. Even yarn will leave stains on sails if the dyes are not colorfast. Of course, just because the dye leaches out of the yarn, that's not to say that the stain will ever wash out of the sail. Cassette tape works on sails but tends to be always flapping regardless of the smoothness of flow. Nylon does this less and yarn is the most stable. This is only a minor irritant and doesn't affect tape's uitility as a trim indicator. Tape's much better on the shrouds than anything else. It works in light air and resists collapsing from water weight in the rain. The oxide coating does come off. If a telltale survives more than a few weeks, it'll be noticeably lighter. If it makes it to the end of the season, it'll be transparent. - gene
11.24	tape's cheap now with CDROM	UNIFIX::BERENS	The Moderator	`Mon Jul 06 1992 15:06`	16
	[restored by the Moderator] ================================================================================ <<< $1$DUA14:[NOTES$LIBRARY]SAILING.NOTE;4 >>> -< SAILING >- ================================================================================ Note 11.24 Equipment that works and doesn't 24 of 25 OTOOA::MOWBRAY "This isn't a job its an Adventure" 6 lines 16-JUN-1992 12:51 -< tape's cheap now with CDROM >- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have some 9 track (for what it is worth 1600 bpi) tape (actually about 2398' of it) and use the tape as shroud telltales. Works well, and the price is pretty good. I have not got around to putting it on sails yet although that is in the plan. I was told that this works very well.
11.25	but wouldn't the mag tape point north?	UNIFIX::BERENS	The Moderator	`Mon Jul 06 1992 15:06`	24
	[restored by the Moderator] ================================================================================ <<< $1$DUA14:[NOTES$LIBRARY]SAILING.NOTE;4 >>> -< SAILING >- ================================================================================ Note 11.25 Equipment that works and doesn't 25 of 25 AKO539::KALINOWSKI 14 lines 16-JUN-1992 13:03 -< but wouldn't the mag tape point north? ;>) >- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have used mag tape on side shrouds. I find it gets destroyed real fast, and the kinks get into it real easy. I would think the same would be true of putting it on the sails. I hear vcr tape makes a good shoud indicator also. Like I said, this is the best stuff I have come across. I find a set of windtales is good for about 3 years before I need to replace them. And yes, everything sticks when the sails get wet :>( . Next week I am going to try it on my spinnaker, or should I say gennaker. Randy Smyth says this is the way to sail one as they are more sensitive then the sail. I remember seeing them on only one of the AC boats, but then they got LOTS and LOTS of people to watch sails!