Jump to content

Core Sound Re-rigged.


Rob Blackburn

Recommended Posts

Hello All,

I have been absent for quite a while from the forum but thought would send you a few pictures of our Core Sound 20 with it's new rig.

I had John Welsford draw me up a new sail plan for the boat about 2 yrs ago. I initially thought I wanted a 'modern gaff' rig but John was busy at the time and by the time he got to starting my job I came full circle and decided on a standard sail plan. Largely due to the thought of having to deal with local mast and sail makers who would have no experience in that type of rig. (nor me for that matter)

So, once I had the drawing I then started trying to get a mast section etc that would fit the bill but that proved a bit harder than I thought. Most riggers were in the big boat $20,000 per job end of the market at a starting point and all their gear and experience was built around that. So the sections they had were all bigger than I needed and it got a bit frustrating sending off emails/plans etc to finally get out of them that it was not their cup of tea so to speak.

So, driving past the sailing club I spotted a couple of Nacra cats so rang the factory in Brisbane and after a bit of discussion they did a great job on the rig and also had their preferred sailmaker come and do the sails. So it all finished up well.

The final product is exactly what I asked for and works perfectly now that I have my head around the rigging etc. It does take a bit more to rig though. The jib in particular is a bit of a pain to rig as it has a luff zipper and when the boat is on the trailer it is not easy to manhandle as you are working above your head. If you put the boat in the water first then it is much easier. But the sail then falls in the water or in the mud. It has the luff zipper so you can use the roller furler drum.

The main has lazy jacks and pre-rigged reefing lines down to the boom, which go forward to the mast and jam cleats. It works really well and this is the main reason I did the whole exercise.

The problem I had was that the boat was not easy to reef or drop sail when sailing by one's self or when in rough conditions. Getting up on the foredeck really is not an option if you are being thrown around a bit and the wind is building. I found that if you lashed the tiller and the mizzen and then tried to reef the mainsail on your own it really was not easy. It was inviting me to fall into the water in my opinion. There was a thing in SCA where some guys had that experience in that they put too much weight on the bow and flipped their Core Sound from memory. I just did not feel confident that I could sort it out on my own if I got caught.

My option was to rerig the cat ketch with a mast track and halyards etc but I just did not have it in me to go down that road. It just looked too hard. Maybe I am wrong on that but I had a look at a 17 with all the reefing lines etc and it looked pretty busy.

I puzzled over the rig on the Bay Raider ie self tacking jib, gunter main rigged a bit further forward ie at end of deck in current 3rd mast hole but then needed a mizzen and bumpkin and all that. Could not face that either.

So in the end I let the easiest route become the one I would follow.

I don't think the boat is any faster really, I had an increase in sail area but it does not feel any faster. Down wind the old rig would have to be quicker wing and wing I feel, but am doing a whisker pole to get the most out of that. The boat runs so well downwind that I think the performance would probably be very little different over the type of sailing we do. If the jib gets annoying you roll it in.

I had the mast rigged with the fittings for a spinnaker/screecher but that will have to wait for next year. I am going to shamelessly copy the bay raider which I pored over at the Hobart Wooden Boat Festival.

So, the reason for all this is simple. We are booked in the Tawe Nunnugah Sailing Raid in Tasmania in Feb 13.

http://www.lbt.org.a...nugah_2013.html

(I went sea kayaking down that area in January of this year and was amazed at the wind we had so hence the need to have good reefing I feel.)

It should be a lot of fun for a week, then a few days of wooden boat festival... That in itself is fun but having your boat in the harbour and sitting on board having a few refreshments at the end of the day should be good too.

Anyway, it won't suit everyone but I am just putting it 'out there for discussion'.

Not sure if the attachments have worked so here is a link to download the photos off Droplr.

http://d.pr/f/67fG

Cheers

Rob Blackburn

Lennox Head Australia.

post-68-0-13212100-1350872742_thumb.jpg

post-68-0-78871700-1350872773_thumb.jpg

post-68-0-41145200-1350872802_thumb.jpg

post-68-0-71022100-1350872840_thumb.jpg

post-68-0-83888500-1350872873_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Maybe I am wrong on that but I had a look at a 17 with all the reefing lines etc and it looked pretty busy.

It does take a bit more to rig though

Hi Rob

I see you went with the sloop rig. I must say with stays, topping lifts and lazy jacks integral with the stacking sail bag, a zip luff jib and full length battens I'm sure I could beat you in the race from stopping the car to sailing off the ramp.

I only have 3 extra lines to clip on with snap hooks...the topping lift, the reefing line at the clew, and the reefing downhaul at the tack...compared to a standard CS17 with tracks. Everything else is permanently rigged.

Certainly though a roller reefing jib is a terrific way to reduce sail area quickly. You are probably a bit quicker to windward which is always nice.

Cheers

Peter HK

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Who did you interface with to get proper mast position? Do you have new formulas for capsize etc on this boat?

Is there any weather helm?

John Welsford did the whole thing. I sent him the sail plan drawing that Graham supplied which shows the centre of effort and centre of LR. I also did a fair bit of amateur checking of it all and initially I thought that John had it in the wrong place...(don't you love the irony in that sentence?) He clearly knows more about it than me and it has worked out perfectly.

Yesterday with all sail in about 10-12knots there is gentle weather helm hard on the wind which is as he predicted. When I say gentle I mean gentle. Not like a Laser etc. :)

John made a remark at one stage that the form of the hull has a lot to do with the true balance of the boat as it heels and his take on this project was that he thought it would be spot on and he was right.

So that was my big fear at the outset that I would be dragging the rudder through the water like a barn door.

So all good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe I am wrong on that but I had a look at a 17 with all the reefing lines etc and it looked pretty busy.

It does take a bit more to rig though

Hi Rob

I see you went with the sloop rig. I must say with stays, topping lifts and lazy jacks integral with the stacking sail bag, a zip luff jib and full length battens I'm sure I could beat you in the race from stopping the car to sailing off the ramp.

I only have 3 extra lines to clip on with snap hooks...the topping lift, the reefing line at the clew, and the reefing downhaul at the tack...compared to a standard CS17 with tracks. Everything else is permanently rigged.

Certainly though a roller reefing jib is a terrific way to reduce sail area quickly. You are probably a bit quicker to windward which is always nice.

Cheers

Peter HK

I guess when I say busy I mean that there is nowhere to put the sails if you go with the battened sails. My old rig was just wrapped up around the mast which was perfect at the end of the day etc so that you did not have a pile of sailcloth in the boat with you.

I did agonise over the whole thing and I can see the merit in that approach, I just wanted the things out of the way when they were down. The main is all nicely zipped away and in reality it is two topping lift clips and the gooseneck fitting pin (which is one of those irritating split ring things... made by Bastards Incorporated Pty Ltd incidentally)

You are totally correct on a race from the car park to the bridge and back. It does take more to do. I guess the bit that over rode that decision was the 'fright' I had out in Hervey Bay one day. It did not take much imagination that day to see me in The Courier Mail, page one.

The other thing that beats me around the head on this is that we bought a couple of those Hobie Adventure Islands. If you have a few hours free, you just chuck them in the water and go for a sail and go home. The 'boat' has always been a bit of a bigger project and this has not helped. But when I get to Tassie or Fraser, it will be better. So compromise is the word I guess.

Dunno as we say. I wondered about telling everyone about this but there may be something here that interests someone.

The cat ketch certainly looks better!

Rob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

Supporting Members

Supporting Members can create Clubs, photo Galleries, don't see ads and make messing-about.com possible! Become a Supporting Member - only $12 for the next year. Pay by PayPal or credit card.




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.