Morgan Stinemetz
Moderator
Hi,
I don't want to sound like a smart a--, but relying on someone else's opinion at to the height of your own mast is probably not in your own best interests. Were I you, I'd meaure from the antenna tip to the waterline and then add a couple of feet, if it is bridges that you are thinking of going under. With my Ericson 27, I know I can get under a 40-foot clearance, but I never look up anymore, because it makes me real nervous.
Morgan Stinemetz
I don't want to sound like a smart a--, but relying on someone else's opinion at to the height of your own mast is probably not in your own best interests. Were I you, I'd meaure from the antenna tip to the waterline and then add a couple of feet, if it is bridges that you are thinking of going under. With my Ericson 27, I know I can get under a 40-foot clearance, but I never look up anymore, because it makes me real nervous.
Morgan Stinemetz
Morgan Stinemetz
Moderator
Fred,
Good question. I would take a tape measure and take the starting end up the mast on the main halyard. That would give you the height of the mast, but I would add a couple of feet to allow for any other stuff you may have at the top---VHF antennae, Windex, WSI, etc. Then you would have to do a measurement from the bottom of the mast the the waterline. That's pretty easy to fingure out. I'd also put a DO NOT EXCEED measurement on the boat, like on the fiberglass that you can see under the companionway hatch. I note that you are in the Dallas area, so you are prbably lake sailing and not going under bridges. In any case, don't rely on other people's judgment, because you would necessarily pay for their mistakes. I always tell people that the free advice that I am giving them is worth exactly what they are paying for it. If you want to discuss this or other matters, you can call me in Florida (the Hurrincane State) at 941-792-3044.
We were all beginners once. You started with a good boat. Pat yourself on the back for your good taste. And remember that experience is what you get when things don't turn out like you wished they would.
Morgan Stinemetz
Good question. I would take a tape measure and take the starting end up the mast on the main halyard. That would give you the height of the mast, but I would add a couple of feet to allow for any other stuff you may have at the top---VHF antennae, Windex, WSI, etc. Then you would have to do a measurement from the bottom of the mast the the waterline. That's pretty easy to fingure out. I'd also put a DO NOT EXCEED measurement on the boat, like on the fiberglass that you can see under the companionway hatch. I note that you are in the Dallas area, so you are prbably lake sailing and not going under bridges. In any case, don't rely on other people's judgment, because you would necessarily pay for their mistakes. I always tell people that the free advice that I am giving them is worth exactly what they are paying for it. If you want to discuss this or other matters, you can call me in Florida (the Hurrincane State) at 941-792-3044.
We were all beginners once. You started with a good boat. Pat yourself on the back for your good taste. And remember that experience is what you get when things don't turn out like you wished they would.
Morgan Stinemetz
"Measure Twice, Whack Once!"
I vote with Morgan on this one...
Run the end of your hundred-foot tape up the main halyard shackle, but do tie a piece of light line to the shackle as well -- that way you can retrieve the halyard even if the tape should come loose. Never ask how I know this.
You could then hold the tape over the side by the dock, down to the water. Now you have most of your number. Then make a conservative guess as to how much further it is from the sheave box to the top of the antenna, using some binnoculars and your calibrated Mk-I Eyeball.
(Probably another 3 or 4 feet?).
FWIW, in a close situation with the underside of the bridge, I would be sure that my $40 Windex and my $400. windspeed/direction transducer would clear, even if the top of the shorty antenna bent a bit......
Now you will have the "air draft" for your boat. So, whether you have a short rig, tall rig, or mystery mast height modified by some unknown prior owners, You KNOW what you have.
Write this down on the cover of your Log book in big print, along with your call sign and any other basic stuff you might need in a hurry...
Hope this advice is worth... what you paid...
Loren in PDX
(No hurricanes, but we did have a typhoon once... Oct 12, 1962, and we aint forgettin' it real soon, either!)
I vote with Morgan on this one...
Run the end of your hundred-foot tape up the main halyard shackle, but do tie a piece of light line to the shackle as well -- that way you can retrieve the halyard even if the tape should come loose. Never ask how I know this.
You could then hold the tape over the side by the dock, down to the water. Now you have most of your number. Then make a conservative guess as to how much further it is from the sheave box to the top of the antenna, using some binnoculars and your calibrated Mk-I Eyeball.
(Probably another 3 or 4 feet?).
FWIW, in a close situation with the underside of the bridge, I would be sure that my $40 Windex and my $400. windspeed/direction transducer would clear, even if the top of the shorty antenna bent a bit......
Now you will have the "air draft" for your boat. So, whether you have a short rig, tall rig, or mystery mast height modified by some unknown prior owners, You KNOW what you have.
Write this down on the cover of your Log book in big print, along with your call sign and any other basic stuff you might need in a hurry...
Hope this advice is worth... what you paid...
Loren in PDX
(No hurricanes, but we did have a typhoon once... Oct 12, 1962, and we aint forgettin' it real soon, either!)
Measure Twice... or...
Actually, the tape measure approach makes more sense than getting a baseline distance along the deck, whipping out a protractor and computing it w/ trigonometry (and you thought the math in school would go to waste!).
However... I'll close with some humor...
Q: Did you know that Jesus had an unfair advantage as a carpenter?
A: After all, he only had to measure once!
Actually, the tape measure approach makes more sense than getting a baseline distance along the deck, whipping out a protractor and computing it w/ trigonometry (and you thought the math in school would go to waste!).
However... I'll close with some humor...
Q: Did you know that Jesus had an unfair advantage as a carpenter?
A: After all, he only had to measure once!
Mast height above water
Well, I will go look at the sailplan. But, here are some things you can do. On a masthead rigged boat, the "I" measurement is virtually the top of the mast above the sheerline (within inches). Add the sheerline height above water and you have the total.
On a fractional boat like the 30+ it is slightly more complicated. The "I" dimension does not go to the top of the mast, but the "P" dimension is the distance from the top of the boom to the bottom of the sheave for the main halyard (again, within an inch or 2). Add about 6" at the top, and measure from the top of the boom (the gooseneck) to the waterline and there you are. If you have the sheerline to the waterline value already, then go from the top of the boom to the sheerline, etc.
But, since I am here:From the top of the mast (the very top) to the waterline (designed waterline) is 46'5". Typically loaded: 46'3"
Hope this helps!
Good times,
Seth
Well, I will go look at the sailplan. But, here are some things you can do. On a masthead rigged boat, the "I" measurement is virtually the top of the mast above the sheerline (within inches). Add the sheerline height above water and you have the total.
On a fractional boat like the 30+ it is slightly more complicated. The "I" dimension does not go to the top of the mast, but the "P" dimension is the distance from the top of the boom to the bottom of the sheave for the main halyard (again, within an inch or 2). Add about 6" at the top, and measure from the top of the boom (the gooseneck) to the waterline and there you are. If you have the sheerline to the waterline value already, then go from the top of the boom to the sheerline, etc.
But, since I am here:From the top of the mast (the very top) to the waterline (designed waterline) is 46'5". Typically loaded: 46'3"
Hope this helps!
Good times,
Seth
Thanks for all the good advice!
At present I am in Dallas but always have the "what if I moved..." in the back of my mind. I regularly go to Florida (my old home) and occaisionally charter there.
I love the boat and become more attached to it as time goes on, however I 'm not sure if the deep draft and tall rig are suited to the gulf coast and Panhandle / Intracoastal side.
At present I am in Dallas but always have the "what if I moved..." in the back of my mind. I regularly go to Florida (my old home) and occaisionally charter there.
I love the boat and become more attached to it as time goes on, however I 'm not sure if the deep draft and tall rig are suited to the gulf coast and Panhandle / Intracoastal side.
Morgan Stinemetz
Moderator
Of course it is. The controlling bridge height on the Gulf Coast and Northern Gulf Coast is 65 feet...or as they say up in the Panhandle, "65 foot." The old bridges are bascule bridges anyway.
Morgan Stinemetz
Morgan Stinemetz