SteveKos Posted May 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2014 Thanks Graham. I certainly had no trouble tacking and there was no undue rudder pressure, so it's only marginal. I am told that tightening the snotter in heavier wind will often fix lee helm too. I'll try the fixes you suggest and see how it goes then. I can also get another sail made with a slightly different cut to place the CE aft a bit if necessary. Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveKos Posted May 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 I was down at Seacliff beach today and saw this big kid with a new toy - he seemed rather pleased and I can't blame him as I was rather impressed myself........ Starting out P1000098 640x480.JPG Sailing around P1000099 640x480.JPG P1000100 640x480.JPG Well out P1000101 640x480.JPG Zoomed in P1000102 640x480.JPG Well done that man! I have some short videos too but have never put any up on forums. Presumably they need to be hosted elsewhere and linked to - can anyone tell me the best way to do this? The best way is to post them to a free hosting site like Flickr or Photobucket, and then you can post the link directly into forum posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveKos Posted May 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 After some discussion with Graham about my slight lee-helm problem, I decided that the easiest first step would be to extend the mast collar by about 20mm to put some rake in the mast. This has made it possible to have the mast either dead vertical or raked a few degrees aftwards. I had wanted to make the mast adjustable anyway, but just didn't initially, so this was what I did to achieve that: No turning back now! Timber spacers inserted and oversize to allow for some mis-alignment. (I can't drill straight holes by hand to save myself!). Not looking too bad. An extra layer of 6mm ply for extra insurance. And after some sanding and re-applying some undercoat... I tested out the fit and it's pretty good. I just need to make a wedge to secure it whether raked or vertical. If that isn't enough to deal with the lee-helming I will try the other fix that Graham suggested, which is to cut off part of the dagger board to allow it to rake forwards. I also had a bit of a problem with the rudder jamming when I tried to lock it. I discovered that the hole for the adjusting line was a bit too far around and the line was able to slide off the edge of the rudder. I'll try to cure that by making a groove along the edge of the rudder to reduce that likelihood. Pics on that later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveKos Posted May 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2014 Now have a tiller extension fitted. The padeye and snap hook you see on the starboard side is for a simple tiller lock I will try on my next outing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prelude Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 Steve, What a fast build!! Mine is nearing the paint/varnish stage. One question if you will. I'm about to start on the mast & boom. Doing the three part mast. Two sections of alum and the topper of wood. Building up the bearings that slide into the adjoining shaft. Any hints on estimating how many layers? Over build and sand down or?? How tight of loose of slip fit is desired? Any comments appreciated. Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveKos Posted June 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2014 Steve, What a fast build!! Mine is nearing the paint/varnish stage. One question if you will. I'm about to start on the mast & boom. Doing the three part mast. Two sections of alum and the topper of wood. Building up the bearings that slide into the adjoining shaft. Any hints on estimating how many layers? Over build and sand down or?? How tight of loose of slip fit is desired? Any comments appreciated. Dave. Thanks Prelude. I found that 2 wraps were enough. It's not hard to add another layer if two isn't enough, but I found that I could get a pretty tight but not over-tight fit with two layers and a light sand down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveKos Posted June 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2014 I have just come home from a weekender away with some mates for a fishing trip. I took the Spindrift and got some sailing time in to really get some fine-tuning in. Firstly, the mod I did to the mast collar to deal with a bit of lee-helm worked fine. The boat is now about perfectly balanced in light air, but rounds up in a heavier gust, just as I was hoping. Secondly, the carrying capacity is great. I had myself and another friend and all our camping and fishing gear, food, water etc.on board and the Spindrift took it all in her stride, with no loss of stability at all. I'm going to have heaps of room for the river camping trip I'm planning for later this year. And I was very impressed with the speed and responsiveness in light air. On our return trip across the Coorong estuary here in South Australia, the wind was almost non existent. I resorted to oars for part of the way back, but even a hint of breeze was enough to get us sailing again. I'm loving this boat, and although I've really appreciated getting to know her in light conditions, I'm looking forward to seeing how she handles in slightly heavier conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.J. Posted June 16, 2014 Report Share Posted June 16, 2014 Steve, I rarely post anything on this forum and usually just lurk, but I just want to say I have really enjoyed your build thread. Nice boat you ended up with and I am glad you are pleased with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveKos Posted June 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2014 Steve, I rarely post anything on this forum and usually just lurk, but I just want to say I have really enjoyed your build thread. Nice boat you ended up with and I am glad you are pleased with her. Thanks TJ. Yes, I'm very pleased with how she turned out. The Spindrift is everything I was told it would be. I got a chance to get out in some slightly heavier conditions last weekend. I was very impressed with the boat, but not so impressed with my seamanship . I haven't sailed a mono-hull single-handedly before, and I got a bit caught up with the tiller extension in the wrong place a couple of times when tacking. At one stage I almost capsized, but I was impressed with how forgiving the design is. It's a great learner's boat, but she also gets along. At one stage I was doing over 12km/h which I think is not too far below the top hull speed for the Spindrift 11, so I wasn't doing too bad I think. With some experience I wouldn't be surprised if it will do more. I will definitely be installing the andersen bailer though. Trying to bail or sponge in lumpy conditions isn't really practical, and in rough conditions it does ship some water.. Thanks all for your assistance and encouragement. I hope to be back building again before too long . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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