Tabu

Line take up reels have been tried in elderly boats (Thistles, Flying Scots and the like) but quickly abandoned in dinghies. They just add serious weight and another system failure point. Some high performance boats have Velcro-closed halyard pockets sewn into sails - where you stuff the bundled halyard once the sail is raised. This keeps it out of the way, but accessible. A little phrase I've seen is "If it is there, it is too heavy!" meaning anything you add to a performance dinghy probably is not needed. "Less is more" in regards to compartments, fittings etc.

Typically, line take up is handled by bungee cords and little blocks under decks - see your local 505 for ideas.

Controls need to be run to locations accessible while sailing. On my boat I've got ready on-the-water control access to the 16:1 rig tension, 8:1 Cunningham and 12:1 vang right on both side decks for adjustment while trapezing. Each trap line had a 3:1 height adjust. My 2:1 outhaul is available on the boom. I do have adjustable tension lower shrouds. My split bridle is fixed. 1:1 main sheet is cleated off the boom. Shrouds (rig rake) are adjustable via 49er-style multi-hole chainplates, and can be adjusted using the trap lines as temporary shrouds, and the rig tensioning system.

I'm not an advocate of a 505/Flying Dutchman style spaghetti factory cockpit - I want just the essentials and nothing more.

I'll go out on a limb and disagree on the idea of skipping the Cunningham - this is a major control on performance dinghies for adjusting sail depth and de-powering the rig without reefing. A good Cunningham can flatten the sail tremendously, allowing you to shift gears going upwind versus reaching and downwind. The combination of vang, Cunningham and outhaul can make the same sail function in wind speeds from 1 knot to 35 knots without reefing.

When you are making your sail, you have to design in curvature of the luff and curvature of the foot to force draft curvature into the sail when it is placed in the sail track. This has to take into account normal, expected mast bend. This draft is wanted when reaching or running, but is generally reduced using the cunningham when going uphill. A flat sail with no designed-in draft would be very slow to ineffective. Modern full battened sails also induce curvature via batten tension and leech design.

You should see if you can beg/borrow/steal a copy of "Higher and Faster" a DVD designed to teach the basics of high performance sailing to club level sailors. Seeing how experts have refined sail and rig control, sailing technique and boat layout may be a great help. Higher and Faster is aimed at skiff sailors, but a lot of the material is very appropriate for your boat.

Another thing to consider is making the jib self tacking - with only one sheet. This will make single handing practical as tacking and gybing can be done without touching the jib sheets. Google "self tacking jib 29er" to get a good idea what I'm talking about. 49ers tie the bitter end of the main sheet to the bitter end of the (single) self tacking jib sheet, so that both sails are controlled from one rope. You never have to try to dive into the boat to find a missing sheet.

Cheers,

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Bill

 

Speaking of sails, what is the force applied to the boom / traveler block & tackle hardware and also the force applied to the boom vang hardware? ie: what is the block frame load rating required for each set of double pullys in a 4x advantage system. I expect to be using blocks containing two pullys on the same shaft.

My initial thoughts of racing Tabu in formal events have been dashed. I've contacted clubs all over the southwest and no one has a format that will allow Tabu to be raced. Guess her name says it all, she's tabu. This has not doused my enthusiasm at all because I will spend many hours winning my one man races on Norfork lake, a bit of water just down the road that has 600 miles of shoreline, Lots of places to explore going fast enough to have great fun!

The jib has a 120% overlap (genoaisk) and would not allow a self tacking arrangement without significantly shortening the foot. I havent a clue what that would do to the handling caracteristcs.

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions for me to consider while making sawdust and curly planing ribbons.

 

Thoughts:

Racing should be very possible for you - you will have to establish a handicap rating for Tabu and then you will be able to race other boats based on this handicap. If you win every race against similarly experienced folks, you handicap is too high, and the opposite is true as well. Over a season, you should be able to figure out exactly what handicap is appropriate.

In England (and by default the rest of the world), this is called a Portsmouth handicap - every boat type out there that races regularly has a Portsmouth value and then all different boats can race each other happily - and the owner/skippers can quickly find out how they are performing against their peers (people they drink beer with, even though they have different boats). Go to the Royal Yachting Association web site to learn more.

The US also does handicap ratings, although US Sailing as usual has to be a little different about their rating system. Why listen to the rest of the world that does 10 times the dinghy sailing as the US?

Forces on the boom of course depend on the person pulling the control line - a Gorilla can generate lots more force than I can. I would anticipate loads of hundreds of pounds - 3-500 pounds of pulling force would not be impossible with a multiblock vang. Two little wood screws isn't going to cut it! High performance boats often use Kevlar web strapping that wraps around the boom a couple times to spread the load to attach boom blocks. I do on my boat - there is no way I can attach a fitting via screws to carbon that is strong enough.

You may not have to go to a 120% jib to gain maximum benefit - it is the slot that matters, not the sail area. There are almost no high performance boat today with large overlapping jibs - but many classes have opted for self tacking jibs. You are probably safer following the designer's sail plan, but keep the self tacking option in the back of your head if you find sailing the boat a handful with the big jib.

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Bill

 

Bistros is correct. Many regattas have an open or Portsmouth class. It is a "run what you brung" kind of deal. Portsmouth ratings in the US were originally laid out with the Thistle as the standard. Thistles rated 100. Other boats were either faster or slower and had larger or smaller handicaps. Sunfish has a rating of something like 124, while a ripping fast International canoe is in the 70s. When, in the past , I have sailed odd boats in the Portsmouth class, there has not been quite the same air of respect or comraderie that established class boat people enjoy. Part of that is because some of the odd boats smoke the likes of Snipes and many other established classes.

More Bistro; An overlapping jib is a misery with a single hander. Even if the larger jib provided a tad more speed, you will get killed on windward legs. You ain't going to roll tack with a jenny. While you are fumbling with an over lapping jib the competitors will be stuffing you and the thrill of a tacking duel is thereby non existant. This reality may not matter much if you are planning to make your own sails. You are a Sawdust maker and apparently an exceptional one. But you are not a sailmaker and no matter how carefully you make them, they will not be in the same league as a suit made by an established pro. Unfortunately a professional sail is very pricey. In the long run the price is worth the fiscal pain if you have any hopes of being competitive. (no I am not a sail maker, just an an old dude with a lot of experience).

 

If you can't get a Portsmouth rateing (it requires a 5 boat class to qualify), most local sailing associations will assign a PHRF rateing to almost anything. At least here on the gulf coast we are willing to give a rating to just about anything that floats, including Fins, Stars, Homemade things, heck we had a guy get a PHRF rating for an Opti.

 

Thanks to y'all for your prompt, informative, and helpful replies. Now back to the rigging question if I may indulge you further. I really doen't want to get on the water and find my rigging blowing apart. On your boat, how many pullys does your main sheet pass through on its way from boom to your hand, are the pullys in single or double blocks, and what is the load ratings of the blocks? Additionally, I would like to pose the same question relative to your boom vang.

It sounds like the advantages of a self tacking jib would far outweigh the overlaping jib in my sail plan, especially for single-handed operation.

Just out of curiosity, what is the differentiation between a junior and a senior member here .

 

How many times you {figuratively} open your mouth... Once you post a certain number of times you get to be a grey hair.

Steve

 

I use Harken carbon blocks on my boat - they appear to be two dinghy grades - normal load and high load. High load carbon blocks have a breaking strength of 1200 pounds and up, normal ones run from 600 - 900 pounds breaking strength. Metal blocks can have higher breaking strength at a particular size, but weigh more. Marine blocks all have specs listed on the catalogs and sales containers.

I've used the "normal load" carbon blocks for most control lines, and used the high load metal blocks (2000lb +) for standing rigging (forestay tensioning system).

Shroud & forestay loads can regularly peak over 800-1000 pounds. Typical control line loads are at or below the lower hundreds of pounds. 505 shroud adjusters regularly see over 1000 pounds of tension.

Most high performance boats can and do flex (plastic deformation)/bend permanently (aplastic deformation) over time with high rig loads - I unload the rig when not sailing, keeping only the tension necessary to keep the stick in the air. There was a huge problem with the first manufacturer of 49ers in the USA - boats warp out of shape due to rig tension and the class never was accepted - you had to buy new hulls regularly as warped hulls aren't fast.

Shock loads and shock unloads due to standing rigging failure are not good and generally result in broken masts and broken boats. It isn't worth trying to save money on blocks - you'll spend more in the end and probably end up with expensive repairs.

 

The mainsheet can pass from no blocks at all to a whole bunch of them. The question of how many parts for the tackle is indeterminate. How long is a piece of string? To arrive at a reasonable answer to the mainsheet question, you have to factor in all kinds of stuff. How big is the main, where have you mounted the attachment point on the boom, how high are the turning blocks with respect to the path of the boom, what is the maximum wind strength you will anticipate, will you be using a winch or perhaps a ratchet block,??? and so on. A small boat like yours might get along well enough with a three part sheet tackle. One double block and a becket block will do the trick. A four part tackle is easier to pull, but of course, it means that you have to pull the line farther to make a similar adjustment. Thus more loose line in the cockpit. If your boat was a Cape Cod catboat, with that giant main, then you'd want 5 or 6 parts and hope you had no need for frequent tacks.

I believe that you are not likely to have problems with your running rigging even if you use modest sized components. You are surely going to use a 5/16 or 3/8 mainsheet. Any smaller and it will tear up you hands. No way in hell you will break that 3/8 sheet liine unless it is made of taffy. Modern cordage is far stronger than any thing you will need on a 16 foot boat. If the block is big enough for the 3/8 sheet to run through, it is big enough. It aint going to fail. You will run out of hand and arm strength well before the hardware is in danger. Here I am supposing that you will use common marine hardware form makers such as Harken, Shaeffer, etc...

Your failures are most likely to come from places like the attachment point of the bale on the boom, the attachment point of the turning blocks, of the vang bale, possibly a gooseneck failure (not likely if you use a good one in the first place). The most severely stressed elements are almost always in the standing rigging. The adequacy of the chain plates, the tangs on the mast, the forestay attachment, backstay attachment, and the swages in the wire are all the higher risk places. About as popular a place as any to have an episode that causes you to swim is something simple like a jammed halyard. Take care of those details and you can sail with confidence.

 

More here than I had anticipated in rigging the main sheet but now the die is cast. There will be a pair of Harken Carbo fiddleblocks between the traveler and boom. The traveler block will have a becket from which the sheet will travel to the small boom pully then back to the small traveler pully, returning to the large boom pully and back to the same on the traveler. From the traveler block the sheet will pass through a block mounted about the center of the boom and then to a block at the rear of the well. The sheet will be
3/8" braided poly and the traveler will be 3/16" vinyl covered wire cable. The horsey rig initially intended for service looked clunky once the first skin was applied and seemed that it might shred under heavy load. Besides, the split bridle traveler looks much cleaner and certainly more racey.

Before the mast there now sits a self tacking jib track. Attached to the car mechanism is a block through which will pass the jib sheet. From that block, the sheet will head to the bow, through another block and back under the track to the cockpit. I REALLY like the idea of a self tacking jib!

Happy Holidays to all and to all smooth sailing,

David

 

If I understand the mainsheet layout, it is going to be powerful. The turning block at the well could be a ratchet type which is a real welcome item when sailing in heavy air. The only critique of the layout is that there are a lot of fiddle blocks flying around, threatening the skin on your head. The one attached to the bridle will fall against the deck, with a thud, when tacking in moderate to light air. I assume that your 3/8 line which you described as poly, is NOT polyethylene or polypropylene. Polyester, yes ? The plasticy lines are hard on your hands and most do not run as well as the expensive stuff. It is also inclined to get, pardon the expression, *******s. Those will sometimes foul the block and lead to an unexpected and perhaps unpleasant event.

I presume that you are using a jib club of some sort. Without the club you will need something like barber haulers to get the jib to set nicely. When selecting the pivot point of the club, it is usually thought to be at the tack end. But it need not be so. It can be pivoted up to 1/3 of the way back from the clew end. That will keep the luff wire plenty tight. When using the aft pivot scheme, a topping lift is usually required.

Keep us informed. I think we are going to like your boat.

 

Agreed on the rachet block - I use one here as well. You can turn off the rachet in light air, but it is nice in a blow. From what I can see the fiddleblocks are going to be aft of his head, so no worries.

Agreed. I'd just use 3-4mm rope for the traveler - the wire isn't needed and it will kink.

This is the typical setup for a self-tacking cruiser, but performance dinghies usually just sheet right off the track. Each track has a travel stop that can be adjusted for wind conditions. The clew boards of the jibs have multiple sheet attachment holes to adjust the positioning for wind as well. Between the clew board and the track stops you can get the leech profile right for conditions.

Absolutely! We are all interested.

 

Nothing is for sure. The only constant is change. It's the perogative of a woman and sailors to change their minds so I've changed mine. The fiddle block plan for main sheet tackle will be replaced with Ronstan series 29 double blocks, they have twice the working load, lighter weight, and lower cost. I plan to devise something like pipe insulating foam in the shape of a miniture tire between the traveler block and the sheet block to keep the whole assembly from clunking across my pretty cedar decking. The first picture shows the bridle and bridle block. The bridle is vinyl covered 3/16 wire cable that couldn't kink if it tried. I tried to kink it and found it resistant to bending much less kinking.

The second picture shows the self tacking hardware for the jib. I have placed a screw in the deck to indicate where the clew will be at maximum haul (does that make it a clew screw?) The jib will have a 3/32 wire cable in its luff pulled tight at the lift block instead of ataching to the jib stay with clips. The leech will also have a 3/32 wire cable, attached to the jib sheet running out of the foot at the clew. The sheet will run through the self tacking traveler "car" (and who knew that I'd be into building cars as part of sailboat construction). As you can see from the picture, the track itself is a personal creation of mine also. once the sheet leaves the car block it travels forward to the bow where i have installed a temporary block for demonstration purposes. From the bow block, the sheet travels back under the track to the cockpit. If need be I can install barber haulers.

The third picture shows the bottom of the boat

Picture four is the cockpit looking fore and picture five is looking aft.

With the first layer of skin on, the form really takes shape (because this first layer will eventually be under the outer skin should I call it muscle?). Her form cuts a very nice figure to my eye (probably has something to do with her diet and exercise regimen)

Lately I've been thinking about her outer skin and imagine decking and sides of highly figured Eastern Red Ceder with some design in light contrasting wood like sassifras. Maybe the design could be a racing stripe down the centerline, flaring at the bow to meet the strong, tough, and stiff Southern Yellow Pine bottom strip laminate. The racing stripe would let everyone know that I believe that my boat is fast (so much for the idea of a sleeper).

One of many things I like about this project is that all of the wood in the boat, excepting the plywood and bamboo, was grown and milled less than 30 miles from my home.

One last question before I go off and sew a couple of halyard pockets on either side of the sail tack: Would you recommend using nylon rope for sheeting? Whatever rope I use, would solid braided or twisted be the better choice?

Thanks for all your help!

David

 

David:

Twisted or wound rope tends to try to untwist under tension, adding problems. It also stretches more. I would recommend braided as it stretches less and doesn't twist under tension.

The less stretch the better, so buy accordingly. Smaller diameter ropes are better than larger at any given strength, don't buy larger in diameter than needed.

The wire may not kink, but it will definitely take a "set" and be hard to change settings. If I were you I would consider a rope traveler, it is what I used. A good hard poly spar varnish on your deck will protect it fine. Make sure it has UV inhibitors in it - otherwise the sun will have you doing to job again far too soon.

Great progress!

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Bill

 

Nylon is to be avoided for use as a sheet. It is stretchy, it soaks pretty badly, with age it tends to harden, and UV radiation (sunshine) will degrade it soon enough. Twisted line of any sort is not a good sheet unless you are doing an antique replica. Just get a good quality braided line.

Consult catalogues such as West Marine where descriptions are given. (not a suggestion that you buy from West) The hand or the feel of the sheet is a factor in selection. Not too soft, but not too hard, you need "Goldilocks" style line which is just right.. No need to pay for exotic stuff like Vectra or Kevlar. Plain polyester is entirely adequate. I would use 3/8 diameter for the main sheet and perhaps 5/16 for the jib. You will be playing the main frequently and hand comfort is worth consideration. Thus, somewhat larger line than is necessary for strength. There are many fervent racer types who use the smallest line that will do the job. They do so to save a bit of weight, because wet line does become heavier, some even imagine less windage. Sure less is better in that case. I lean toward practicality these days but in my youth I was a minimalist too. Part of the decision making process has to do with the age and perhaps the strength of your hands, and how long you choose to endure pain or conversely to minimize it.

I'm looking at the pix that you posted...WOW!