Assy spinn tack line....

[Rocinante33]

Chris,
You are correct that in my pics we were reaching. The gennaker is really cut for that, I think. Our sheets lead to the adjustable blocks on the rail set far aft, so they can turn back to the winches. I will add a longer tackline this year, per your suggestions.
Keith

 

[Rocinante33]

Seth,
Thanks for your comments, too. I'm learning a lot here!
Keith

 

[Rocinante33]

Ben, Chris, Seth & all,
One thing I have learned here is to take more pictures this year. Post them here & you get all kinds of helpful critique.
Keith

 

[Morgan Stinemetz]

Cruising chute

Guys,
I had a Flasher for about 20 years and eventually it wore out. Holes were appearing in it like mice had chewed on it. Went with a new Quantum chute and it has been interesting. The Quantum sail has much bigger shoulders and appears to give me about 30% more sail area. It certainly works.
The last time I flew it, I didn't attach the tack to the headstay as I normally do. I just tied the tack line to a bow cleat. The sail worked well and we made good time. The question is: Does flying it out, away from the b oat give me increased performance?
The second question is: Does anyone have experience with a Honda 15, long shaft motor? I think I would like the quiet and the performance, but I know of no one who has one. All replies appreciated.
Morgan
E-27 OB

 

[Loren Beach]

Flashers and Long Legs

Hey Morgan, 20 years... Time Flys!
I sold a few "Flashers" when I was repping for Ulmer Sails in 1980... Wow, a quarter of a century has passed astern.
Luckily we haven't aged a bit.

About the engine -- I went from an older Honda 10 "long shaft" (20" leg) to a Yamaha 10 Hi Thrust (25" leg) on our prior boat, a Niagara 26, and the difference was amazing. It was not just more torque due to the different gearing, but the prop no longer cavitated in short seas. (We have a couple of transit areas around here that require motoring into 20 - 25 kt afternoon winds once in a while in a narrow channel.) I would advise going with the 25" (extra long) shaft, for sure.

Best,
Loren in PDX

 

[Seth]

He's Baaaack!

Hi all,

Keith-Here's the deal: If you can't move the lead any farther aft, then the next thing you can do is LOWER the tack. I'm with you on the longer tackline idea, but with that particular sail, and if you cannot go farther aft, your only remedy to get a better lead is lowering the tack. If you think about it, if you rasie the tack, the clew will go UP, making the sheet angle MORE acute (in this case more vertical-which nets a tighter leech-exactly what you don't want for this point of sail). Lowering the tack will tend to lower the clew, with the same effect as moving the lead aft.

So: For close-ish reaches like this if you can get that lead back to the transom corner, great. If not, try lowering the tack a bit-it will help some.

For the deeper angles, that lead is good, and you can then play with the tackline-easing more as you sail deeper-why? again-as you go deeper and ease the sheets, the leech gets progressively less tension just when it needs more-so by easing the tack up, you do 2 things: get the sail higher and farther away from the boat-where the wind is better (and remember this is more beneficial the deeper you go since the apparent wind decreases the deeper you go-so you want more wind where you can find it-up to a point), but more to the point, easing the tack gets that clew higher and effectively moves the lead forward-so you can keep the proper tension on the leech and keep the better shape for deeper angles (a bit rounder)..

Morgan: great question! The tacker, or however folks keep the tack close to the HS is fine when close/beam reaching. But as you noticed, when you go deeper, the farther you can the sail out and away the better it will fly-and has been mentioned by others, it can "rotate" out the weather-thus projecting better, when sailing very deep. So, YES-this WILL improve performance at the deeper angles, and is a push at closer angles-which is why I don't bother with a tacker-IMHO, of course. I know some folks like the stability they can offer in some conditions-and that is a fact. Actually in very bumpy water and the right sailing angles, it would be a bit faster...

Loren: where did you rep Ulmer? I owned the Newport Beach CA loft from 82-87-were you working with Stef up in Seattle? I sure remember that guy!

Over...?

Seth

 

[Stefouellet]

Spinaker pole length

I have an Ericson 28-2 and the pole was missing when I bought the boat. The J is 12 feet according to literature and I found a pole which is about 10 feet 2 inches. Does is matter if the pole is a tad too short? Thank you, Stephan

 

[bgary]

Does is matter if the pole is a tad too short?

It won't be great.

Broad-reaching or running, with the pole well back from the headstay, it'll work but it won't project the luff of the spinnaker as far as you would want.

Close-reaching, with the pole forward, it'll create issues as it will not be long enough to keep the tack of the spinnaker clear of the headstay.

I'd look for a longer one.

$.02
Bruce

 

[p.gazibara]

Great thread!

I’m still figuring out how I’m going to put a sprit on Cindy. And I’m thinking a 2-1 tackline lead to the cockpit along the toe rail through a clutch to one of my secondaries.

2-1 may be unnecessary on a 35-2, I’m not sure, but it doesn’t take very much extra line, so I might as well try it.

 

[Seth]

2:1 is a good idea. Not absolutely necessary, but you will need to be able to run it to a winch in any breeze without it. You should set it so it can go to a winch even with 2:1, but the purchase gives you an easier time adjusting the tackline regardless of wind strength

 

[Seth]

It won't be great.

Broad-reaching or running, with the pole well back from the headstay, it'll work but it won't project the luff of the spinnaker as far as you would want.

Close-reaching, with the pole forward, it'll create issues as it will not be long enough to keep the tack of the spinnaker clear of the headstay.

I'd look for a longer one.

$.02
Bruce

For sure. You really want a 12 footer

 

[Seth]

Cruising chute

Guys,
I had a Flasher for about 20 years and eventually it wore out. Holes were appearing in it like mice had chewed on it. Went with a new Quantum chute and it has been interesting. The Quantum sail has much bigger shoulders and appears to give me about 30% more sail area. It certainly works.
The last time I flew it, I didn't attach the tack to the headstay as I normally do. I just tied the tack line to a bow cleat. The sail worked well and we made good time. The question is: Does flying it out, away from the b oat give me increased performance?
The second question is: Does anyone have experience with a Honda 15, long shaft motor? I think I would like the quiet and the performance, but I know of no one who has one. All replies appreciated.
Morgan
E-27 OB

Yes, getting the tack farther out will for sure give you more projected area and performance. That said, the difference will be measured in 10ths of a knot. But a couple of 10ths in a club race can make all the difference in the world

 

[Loren Beach]

Loren: where did you rep Ulmer? I owned the Newport Beach CA loft from 82-87-were you working with Stef up in Seattle? I sure remember that guy!
Over...?

Seth

I just noticed this thread, now restored to new life...
I see that I did not reply to you in the past, and do not know how I overlooked doing so.

I was selling Ulmer Sails in Portland for several years, early 80's, and Stef Clarke ran the Seattle loft which was close to Lake Union in those days... Only a block from Ivar's Indian Salmon House, matter of fact. (Yum.) I heard that Stef transitioned to the insurance industry and presume he's also retired these days wherever he is. He and the other loft folks always provided me and my customers with excellent service and attention. One of the last times we met, might have been late 80's, he was restoring a Baltic DP38, at a yard in Tacoma. Lovely teak interior!
My, but the years do slip by!

 

[Seth]

I just noticed this thread, now restored to new life...
I see that I did not reply to you in the past, and do not know how I overlooked doing so.

I was selling Ulmer Sails in Portland for several years, early 80's, and Stef Clarke ran the Seattle loft which was close to Lake Union in those days... Only a block from Ivar's Indian Salmon House, matter of fact. (Yum.) I heard that Stef transitioned to the insurance industry and presume he's also retired these days wherever he is. He and the other loft folks always provided me and my customers with excellent service and attention. One of the last times we met, might have been late 80's, he was restoring a Baltic DP38, at a yard in Tacoma. Lovely teak interior!
My, but the years do slip by!

Thanks Loren! In fact somehow you did transfer that info to me. Maybe we spoke on the phone. I knew Stef back when I owned the Ulmer loft in Newport Beach. Thanks for getting back to me though! Stay well!