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Traveler for mizzen? (CS-17)


MisterMoon

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This reminds me many years ago when I raced one design in competition.  At a big race, a favorite thing of many skippers was to go around the fleet and look at how the other guys rigged their boats.  Loose rigs, tight rigs, sheeting angles, various adjustments and so on and so on.  There was usually quite a variety in how individual guys would set up their boats and the results on the race course rarely favored only one set over the other different ones.  Much is personal preference and what you prefer often means that you will perform better than with a set up you don't trust.  Fortunately everyone can do as they please as long as it is within the rules or doesn't sink you.

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Tom, so true. I fish a lot with some of my buddies who think I'm some kind of bass master because I catch more fish than they do normally. What I have observed is I stick to a couple lures I have faith in and just fish. My line is in the water a significantly longer amount of time than those who are switching lures all the time. I think sailing is like that. Find something that works and concentrate. I crewed on a J40 for a whole season with a skipper who micromanaged every crew member and when you looked at our wake we were all over the place. Most frustrating season of competition ever. He was worried about something set a bit wrong when not driving the boat straight was what was killing us.

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Tom, so true. I fish a lot with some of my buddies who think I'm some kind of bass master because I catch more fish than they do normally. What I have observed is I stick to a couple lures I have faith in and just fish. My line is in the water a significantly longer amount of time than those who are switching lures all the time. I think sailing is like that. Find something that works and concentrate. I crewed on a J40 for a whole season with a skipper who micromanaged every crew member and when you looked at our wake we were all over the place. Most frustrating season of competition ever. He was worried about something set a bit wrong when not driving the boat straight was what was killing us.

 

Steve,

 

We do think alike on that subject.  I have sailed with some owners like that but never more than once.  I made it a rule to sail only with a skipper good enough to win and let the crew do their jobs or one who would listen to me teach him how to sail the boat well.  I'm now a bit past the hard work of crewing and only do either tactician or helmsman on other people's boats.  I do miss the rigor of one design small boat sailing though.  Graham and I used to knock heads racing frostbite in Spindrift 10s.  That was fun.

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Hi guys. I've not done much racing in sailboats, only crewed on half a dozen MORC races, but I did race stock outboards for several years. I found that finding what worked for me, and then practice, practice, practice, was much better than constantly trying new things looking for that "little extra edge". I consistently beat those guys by being sure everything was set up properly, and getting the best from what I had, and "knowing my boat". We liked to play "mind games" with the other racers, like covering the prop like it was some new secret, claiming that some brands of gas were faster, or sticking "gadgets" on the motor. Once, we added a fuel pressure restrictor in our fuel line. The next race, almost everyone else in my class had one. (Mine was all the way open, so it had no effect.)

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 I will have a bridle with a fixed loop on the centerline of the boat.  The block will be attached to the fixed loop.  It will not, therefore, be allowed to move off the centerline of the boat. 

I am curious why you want it fixed amidship?  This might be desirable in light winds.  But in a good wind, having the block a little to lee helps keep the sail flatter, reducing healing forces.  You can then just feather up on the lifts and puffs instead of having to sheet out a fuller sail.  I use the short line traveler Tom describes and it gives me what I think are the 2 best over-all locations, can sheet in all the way in light air with sail shape and can flatten the main in a full wind.  I am still tweeking the length of the line.  The next step up is some kind of adjustable traveler.  If I raced I might rig such a thing. For now I will KISS.

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Let me preface this with the fact that I have almost no experience sailing a cat-ketch rig.  I've got plenty of tiller-time sailing sloops.  But this is a brave new world for me, and I'm eager to get sailing in it.

 

I do hope to have a very simple rig, except for having the mizzen controls ahead of me instead of behind.  The entire mizzen sheet(s), two or three* blocks, and bridle all come on and off the boat as a unit.  The bridle gets attached by  my "secret knot", which is fast and easy to do and undo.

 

That said, I intend to control my sail shape with the downhaul and the snotter.  I see that I could induce some mast bend by pulling downward.  But this also creates an imbalance of forces between the foot and leech, distorting ideal sail shape.  Pulling downward will tighten the leech at the expense of the foot.  I do not see this as ideal sail control.  My previous boat was a Wayfarer.  All those original boats had adjustable travellers mounted on the transom-- not exactly keeping it simple.  The winning skippers today have the fixed bridle I intend to use on my BRS15.  If it gets too blustery, I'll come in and drop to one sail, since I will primarily be daysailing this boat on inland lakes.  (I will not be reefing, btw, speaking of the KISS method.)

 

But time will tell.  Who knows?  In the end, maybe I'll be installing a couple of clam cleats to control the mizzen.  I see the beauty in this, but I still think I don't want to reach back for those controls.  I can't wait to play with the rig, and realize where I went wrong. 

 

* I'm currently not sure whether or not to leave the third, forward block on the sprit, or have it come off as part of the mizzen sheet system.  I'll probably try both over time, starting with removable.  

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 I intend to control my sail shape with the downhaul and the snotter.  I see that I could induce some mast bend by pulling downward.  But this also creates an imbalance of forces between the foot and leech, distorting ideal sail shape.   

I guess I just don't understand something here?  Tightening the luff with the downhaul doesn't really bend the mast much, it does flatten the sail some.   Tightening the snotter can as it pulls on the leach (as well as the foot).  Tightening the sheet a little to leeward can bend the mast as well by pulling down on the leach.  Bending the mast aft flattens the sail regardless of how you do it.    All 3 of these (tightening snotter, tightening the downhaul and sheet angle to leeward)  flatten the sail, which reduces healing forces and is desirable as the wind picks up.  Balancing all 3 is the key to the best sail shape for the conditions.

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My Wayfarer had a "bendy rig", and all the junk that went with it.  If you want to see my version of that, it is on a web link I referred to in another thread.  For this boat, there will be no bendy rig.   We'll see if I need to do what you're recommending.  I think if it gets that blustery, I'll come ashore, crack open a beer, and forget about sailing for the day.

 

Don't forget that this skiff is a baysailer/daysailer, not a passage maker.  I'm not going to change the boat from what it was intended into something it was not.  If I wanted to go on trips, I'd be building something from the Core Sound line-up.

 

Mission Statement for Local Honey:

  1. Solo daysailing on the local reservoirs.
  2. Solo fishing on the local reservoirs.  (Using my 5 hp "Iron Genny".)
  3. Two-hour sails with my "other honey and dog  on the local reservoirs.
  4. Sunday afternoon daysails and/or sailing lessons with friends  on the local reservoirs.
  5. Occasional trips to the coast, to immerse my painted trailer in salt water.
  6. Occasional trips to Michigan, to sail "home waters".
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