Tabu

I have found a 3/8" braided line that is composed of polyester, nylon, and polyurathane. It has equivalent working load of nylon, has very little stretch and good feel - not limp like nylon and not stiff and scratchey like poly. It seems like a winner. West Marine is only a few miles from where I lived in California and I know their products are quailty. I will buy my main tackle from them. Also have decided on a Ronstan Series 40 ratchet orbit block as the final element in main tackle. As a 65 year veteran of life, my hand and arm strength is old too. A reason that a ratchet block is inviting. My go-fast racing days are long gone and any such thing now will be for fun and games as opposed to fame and cash. I do expect to have a boat that will turn heads at the marina and provide years of pure delight.

 

The holiday season is over but I've just begun to decorate. The transom of Tabu is in laminate layup (she's beginning to dress for an aqua ball).

I've run across a 3/8" solid braided round 100% polyester main sheet - that's gotta be the way to go!

David

 

Good! You have located a mainsheet. Now to add to the conversation, there is this.......When you sail in very light air, the 3/8 line will not run smoothly through the blocks. It will be too heavy and you can not persuade the boom to go out. You will need to use something smaller and lighter. A quarter inch clothesline or some such. With the light line installed you are to pray that a sudden storm does not come zooming over the horizon. Best to check weather expectations before hand. Ask me how I know this

If you choose to use the 3/8 line in light air, do not reave it thru the blocks. Attach it directly to the boom. You will have a single part sheet which will work fine unless the wind pipes up.

 

mesabout.
As dear a thing as braided polyester sheeting t'is I want to hold on tight. In light wind it seems running the sheet from the becket on the traveler block through a pulley on the boom block then to the ratchet block on the thwart would give the boom sufficient animation - what do you think. If a squall tracks over the horizon, I can put her in irons, reave the full tackle and head out into fresh wind with power in my hands. And now that you are thinking, let me ask you the advantages of an automatic ratchet block and the advantages of a manual ratchet block. Is there such a thing as an automatic ratchet block that can be switched to manual mode to get the best worlds of both?
David

 

Not sure what is meant by "automatic" ratchet block. There may be such a device but I do not recall having seen one. The ones with which I am most familiar have a little knob that can be turned to ratchet setting, or free wheeling setting. The pulley in the block has either a serrated or octagonal form. The line runs free when pressure is released and will hold when there is pressure on the line if in ratchet mode. Harken has them in at least two sizes, maybe more. There are others who make "em too. Matter of fact there is another brand in my goody box but I like the Harkens better. These are quite a welcome gadget on a breezy day. You can also use a dumb winch for the same purpose. That is a small winch that has a ratchet inside. It has no cranking handle but it works well on a dinghy. It is normally mounted atop the centerboard case or some other convenient place. The block is the more convenient deal because you dont have to wind the line around a spool as in the winch thingy.

 

David: your boat is looking better than good. Give some thought to bringing it to the Great Florida West Coast Small Craft Festival. Next April. There is judging in several different builder categories. You just might win a blue ribbon. The festival celebrates traditional small craft in particular but all small boats are welcome. The older design that you have used will be appreciated by most of us. There are races for Kayaks, canoes, rowboats, several categories of sailboats, beer drinking, bragging, lying, good food, comradery, camping if you choose, and other fun stuff. The racing is most informal but great fun. The site is at the Manatee Maritime Museum at Cortez Florida (Bradenton/Sarasota) area. People seem to like this event because they come from far off places like Colorado, Vermont, New Jersey etc...A week or two after the Cortez festival about half a zillion small boats show up at the annual Cedar Key Gathering. That one is the least organized deal in existence. There is no schedule, no fees, no races except the inevitable informal ones,( like when two sailboats are in the water at the same time and place), no pretenses, no nothing, except boats and fun. That event has been going on for some twenty years. People come from everywhere for this one. The Gougeon brothers usually show up with their latest odd creation.

 

There are automatic ratchet blocks that automagically ratchet under load and free wheel under low loads. They are expensive and complicated - I chose the Harken ratchets that can turn on or off. I put the ratchet off the boom - you can then use the ratchet alone from the boom, skipping the cleat in light wind days. It doesn't matter where in the series the ratchet is located - just that it is there when you need it under load.

At pushing 50 I don't need a winch yet, but it is not a bad idea if hand strength or arthritis bothers you. Bram Dally - the designer and father of the SwiftSolo class retired from sailing this year due to arthritis of his hands. I'd use a winch if it kept me on the water.

I'm going to look into the show you've talked about - I may be in the area with family around that time and it would be nice to schedule the trip to coincide. I've always wanted to meet the Gougeon brothers - I've used enough of their products!

--
Bill

 

Wow your craftsmanship is superb. If i throw you the design will you build a boat for me? Seriously that boat should be present at a wooden boat show or two.

 

Here is another picture of my shop air conditioner. The nice thing about it this time of year is the integral heater.

future, this little project will take about 6 months, averaging 6 hrs a day - if you want to throw a design at me to build then I'd probably be happy to accommodate you at $20 an hour.

Now tabu's mast is fully stayed - stay mast! Talk about a voluminous collection of bits and pieces. Turnbuckles and thimbles and shackles oh my! Everything is neat and orderly when attached to the boat. When the mast is removed, every cable wants to go a different way to tangle with it's neighbor. Soon I must devise a Velcro containment for all the errant accoutrements that collect at the bottom of the mast. I have grown to appreciate at least on of the attributes of an unstayed mast.

messabout, I'm not sure my truck would make the 1,000 mile journey to Cortez. Sounds like something I'd enjoy. The ratchet block of which you and Bill speak with an on/off switch sounds good. If the block is placed in ratchet mode, do you have to reach the block to turn off the ratchet mode in order to allow the sheet to feed back through the block?

 

No, you don't have to switch it off - once you take tension off the line, it slips through without problem. The ratchet only makes a difference under tension, even though the sheave doesn't turn "backwards".

Things are looking great. I use old bungee cords to keep shrouds, trap wires & halyards under tension when I unstep the mast.

--
Bill

 

The question as what to do with all the dangeling things after unsteping the mast is answered. A shoe that fits over the foot of the mast has a horn projecting from it that has bungie cords which put tension on the stays.

 

You are one clever dude. I believe that you just like to build things that can solve problems. That means that you are one of the chosen.

I admire your well executed solution but claim that velcro bands or short pieces of bungee are quicker and use less storage space. A small piece of bungee tied into a clove hitch is really all that you need. Tie the bungees in several places up the mast to keep the wire from flapping around while in transit. My homely method is not as elegant, to be sure, but it works nicely

 

messabout, The "clever" device I built was prompted by bistro's comment about keeping shrouds, trap wires, and halyards "under tension" . I can recall situations in the past where wire rope would coil and snarl if left unattended for awhile. My shoe with its horn will keep all stays under tension at all times while the mast is unstepped. And, you are right that I enjoy building to solve problems. My past as an engineer follows me.

 

Deck laminate almost complete. Next the freshly tuned planes come out - what else should I do during 9 days of power outage due to an ice storm?
After smoothing, the poly goes on then the boat is flipped for a tough southern yellow pine lamintae on the bottom. Hope this project is complete before spring.

 

Only a couple of weeks 'till Tabu is launched. I took some pictures today while she was out of the shop for final rig fitting.