dunedin
Well-known member
No, I use weather forecasts to avoid the need to go upwind into 40kts
(Though I am sure the boat would be fine, I would prefer not to - and generally upwind is a dawdle for an autopilot)
Does size really matter when you’re single handed?
- Thread starter Bellinos
- Start date
(Though I am sure the boat would be fine, I would prefer not to - and generally upwind is a dawdle for an autopilot)
Buck Turgidson
Well-known member
Weather forecasts don't predict morning squalls 3 days out. ;-) Sometimes you just get what you get and make the best of it. ;-)No, I use weather forecasts to avoid the need to go upwind into 40kts
(Though I am sure the boat would be fine, I would prefer not to - and generally upwind is a dawdle for an autopilot)
I suspect this is strongly the case - so many different factors of boat types, points of sail, sail-plans, particular sea-states etc.We have a [...] The autopilot can steer the boat in any weather over canvased, with poor sail balance, steering to compass or wind regardless. The boat never rounds up or misbehaves. Maybe more about the boat than the autopilot
Of course my own boat, being cutter-rigged, has the mast stepped further aft than an equivalent sloop - so downwind sailing with the main in use (unless significantly reefed - and prevented over plus maybe the yankee poled out) is going to be less stable still.
A lot to ask then of an ageing ST1000 !
Nom de plume
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- 26 May 2011
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As a little aside - it might be worth mentioning to those who have experienced 'steering jam' (which may manifest itself as electronic even when it is actually mechanical / geometrical in origin) that one of the first things to check is that your steering ram arm (or tiller arm) is not being subjected to 'fold-over' (as the Americans call it) or 'Dead-heading' as we used to refer to it.
I.e. That the ram / arm is not caught out trying to push at exactly 90 Deg axis to the extent that it can be trying to go 'over-centre' and hence dead-head itself (not know whether to pivot left or right).
Sorry if that is teaching egg-sucking but if anyone still doesn't know what I'm talking about I'll look for a link diagram to explain.
Basically, the arm(ram) has gone 'over centre' trying to stop the turn (apply more rudder) but now it (or the computer controlling it) needs to pull back to get back on the correct side of centre but cannot do so because that would mean pulling when the boat course needs to to push (or vice-versa).
I.e. That the ram / arm is not caught out trying to push at exactly 90 Deg axis to the extent that it can be trying to go 'over-centre' and hence dead-head itself (not know whether to pivot left or right).
Sorry if that is teaching egg-sucking but if anyone still doesn't know what I'm talking about I'll look for a link diagram to explain.
Basically, the arm(ram) has gone 'over centre' trying to stop the turn (apply more rudder) but now it (or the computer controlling it) needs to pull back to get back on the correct side of centre but cannot do so because that would mean pulling when the boat course needs to to push (or vice-versa).
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jaydee1976
Member
I have a 21 foot sailing boat and thats easy on my own.. but i just got a kingfisher 30 and that was even easier to get on my swingmooring on my own, actually got on it first time when i brought the boat home more than likely luck then... but i just motor up slowly to my bouy i prefer it on my right side i have a line from the front of the boat which i keep at the cockpit and just lean over and with a snap ring i attach it to my mooring bouy.. i let the boat stop and go up front and reel the boat into the mooring and never had a problem with this . and i only sail alone..
Stemar
Well-known member
I normally just trundle up to the buoy and go forward with the boat hook, aiming so the wind will blow the bow onto the buoy, but I have a line like that lead aft for when it's too windy to do that. One time it was a bit breezy, so I used the line and the wind was so strong, I couldn't put the line in. I tried the winch on the mast and stopped because I didn't like the way the mast was bending. Took me half an hour to get the mooring chain onto the Samson post, getting a foot or two at a time in the lulls. This on a 24 footer! These days, it's sod it, I'll stay on the club pontoon and try again tomorrow.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Why not take the line back to the cockpit sheet winch? which is where you are when you hook on.
then you should be able to tweak the engine revs & tiller at the same time
ashtead
Well-known member
I have moored a 50footer to a buoy in Sardinia using the sheet winch as described. It was a Bavaria charter so not that heavy but worked and had lines back to the stern cleats initially.
pandos
Well-known member
Why not just put a pickup buoy on a handy length of floating lineattacjed to the mooring. Come up stream to it..in neutral or idling depending on current...pick it up with the boat hook and wrap it on a cleat...then relax...
Perrycas
Member
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I single handed my Sadler 25 around Ireland and twice (effectively - wife and children no help) a 39'er and 46'er in the Med. Both successfully but the difference was conditions. It took me awhile to learn how to handle mooring, both in the marina and bouey, especially when the wind was blowing me off the pontoon. I'm not sure how easy that would be in a larger boat. While it has been mentioned that a centre cleat is really useful, if you can't reach it from the cockpit, then it's less useful.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Sailing with wife & kids aboard is NOT single handing
I could only find them on the manufacturer's website, and you had to buy four of them. Let us know if you have any luck elsewhere.
Perhaps a group buy?
KompetentKrew
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Yeah, has to be a group buy. WX Honga's current minimum order is 8, but they come to less than $100 US each, including shipping, so definitely worth organising.
I made an order recently for delivery to me in EU, so will have some available, but I'm not really comfortable with shipping outside of the Single Market.
KompetentKrew
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Hi @Perrycas,
I'm not sure which one of my comments you're referring to, as I've now written about this a number of times, but the Pelagic is a drop-in replacement for the Raymarine Q047 tiller drive - you just wire on an appropriate plug and away you go. My boat was wired with a Bulgin Buccaneer plug (on the Q047) and socket (on the boat) so I just used one of those.
I may be mistaken but I don't think "control head" is a term I would use - I have the previous generation of Raymarine "brains" to the Evo, the SmartPilot (whereas you will have the ACU-100 or -150). I assume that the Pelagic will work equally well with either. I'm thinking to upgrade to Evo, but was very lazy last year.
Both the Q047 and the Pelagic arm are just 12v motors - apply a voltage and the arm moves in or out, depending (I assume) on the polarity. You don't need any more control unit than you already have.
On my boat this Pelagic / Raymarine combination will cope in excess of 30 knots. With it I crossed Biscay singlehanded, and it steered for a couple of days in force 6.
The Pelagic is a rebadged WX Hongba actuator arm, but Pelagic add a bracket - the drive can be sourced cheaper from Hongba, but you would need to have that holder fabricated, or find it from another supplier.
A couple of my previous comments:
ibbo
Active member
Quite right, it's worse.
Just coming up to the mooring and a voice pipes up, "Grandad there's all this water coming in from the toilet" etc.
Mike
Daydream believer
Well-known member
deleted
Kukri
Well-known member
+1.
Stemar
Well-known member
Even if it's the wrong time to do anything about it, I think I'd rather be told than find out when the water starts flooding the cabin.