| FWIW department -
After messing around with the boat for two summers I've got it sailing
pretty well. The mainsheet arangement is pretty standard for dinghys I
quess. The bitter end is tied off at the transom. From there it goes to
a block on the end of the boom, back down to a block on the transom,
back up to the boom, along the boom to a block above the centerboard
trunk and then down to the swivel block & cleat on the centerboard
trunk.
The blocks that guide the sheet along the boom are suspended from a rod
run along beneath the boom. The aft end of the rod is suspended by a
tang screwed to the end of the boom. The forward end is suspended by a
'claw', a 'C' shaped fitting that rests on the boom, but allows it to
rotate. This arrangment allows me to reef by popping the boom off the
gooseneck and rolling the sail onto it. The claw then rests on the
rolled sail, but still does it's job.
I suspect the boat was rigged this way originally but the rig must have
been pretty fragile, I've yet to find a picture of a boat with the rig
intact.
As pond-sailers go this boat is adequate. At 12' it's the right size,
the centerboard and kick-up rudder keep me out of trouble with the
misc. rock, (no tides on ponds of course, but water level does vary and
what was ok one day may thump you another). The rig is ok for
singlehanding. On the down side there are no cockpit drains and the
cockpit is sloped so that any water shipped runs right forward where
you can't reach it. This also means I can't leave the boat on a mooring
because she'd fill with rain and sink.
Mike H
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| more FWIW dept.
I found out something else about this boat. It sinks! Being an older boat it
does not have foam floatation, but relies on a double hull to retain air in a
capsize. Right after I got it I took it off the beach in shallow water and
deliberatly capsized it to make sure it would float good and high, which it did.
That was with the mast out horizontal to the water, but I figured even if it
turned turtle there would be a big air pocket underneath. (I also tried out my
PFD at the same time.)
That experiment out of the way I forgot about floatation which was a mistake.
There is an opening in the front of the cockpit that opens into the space under
the foredeck and thus breaches the outer hull. This is closed with a board held
firmly in place with a bungee cord. I made the mistake of removing this because
I wanted to use the space for stowing the oars when they aren't in use. My
experiment showed that the hatch opening was well above the water line with the
boat on it's side, and if it turned turtle some water would get in but the air
pocket would be maintained. Bad thinking!
The first time I capsized for real the boat stayed horizontal for only a couple
of seconds and then started to turn turtle. However the water at this point was
only twelve feet deep while the mast was seventeen feet long. This put her
about 45 degrees upside-down, which was more than enough to put the hatch
opening below water and fill 'er up. While this was going on I had paddled
around to the center board and was in the process of levering her back up. I got
the mast back level with the water but by this time she had too much water in
her and the bow went down. I let go and the stern went right straight up in the
air just like the Titanic. Air was hissing out everywhere and the boat was
sliding downward as I watched. It was at this point that I realized my mistake.
I was able to save the boat with the help of a fisherman in a Bass boat and a
friend who happen to come by in a canoe. I hauled down on the transom and got
the bow back up, the fisherman was able to get the bow line and towed us the
thirty yards or so to shore before the remaining air leaked out. We were able
to get the boat back upright and beach it and I got a ride back to the ramp
with the fisherman and went home to dry out and warm up, (this was late fall).
Later my canoeing freind gave me a lift back out to the boat and helped me bail
it. I hope that fisherman caught lotsa fish and I owe him a six-pack next time
I see him.
That was it for last season. I'm installing foam under the cockpit seats and
in the bow before going out this season, the hatch cover will be back in place
with new seals and the air leaks will be fixed.
Lessons learned:
1. Wishful thinking sinks ships. This boat relies on the integrity of it's two
hulls and I compromised that by leaving the hatchcover off on the basis of a
conjecture that it wouldn't cause a problem.
2. PFDs all the time. I had mine off while I was moving around the boat and
didn't put it on in the water because I was too busy trying to save the D&*
boat. I did put it on once we had the bow line and things were relatively
under control but those prioritys were dead wrong. I should have let the
boat fend for itself until I had gotten the PFD on.
3. Rig the boat on the beach. This all started as I was putting up sail. I had
been rowing and the breeze came up so I put down the anchor and raised sail
where I was instead of rowing to the beach. As I was stretched out over the
foredeck trying to straighten a jib hank a puff caught the boom which came
around and caught me from behind. The sail filled and I didn't get myself
untangled in time to get up to the lee side before we went over. Oh well, like
Phil Bolger says, "Never begrudge the neighbors a laugh." In the future I'll
row to the beach and mess with the hanks on dry land.
All in all, it's been an education.
Mike H
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