Considerations needed for a Flying Fifteen to be placed on a swing mooring

[chairbowl1102]

Kia ora
I am a sailor in Aotearoa/New Zealand and looking to put my Flying Fifteen on a swing mooring. I'm ok with what I would need to do to access the yacht whilst its on the mooring with sails etc. My concern is the venturi's in the cockpit whilst moored. I've read they should be sealed? unsure how to do this if anyone could help. I'm also ok with placing a cover over the cockpit to minimise the rain water filling the cockpit.
Any advice or thoughts would be most welcome.

 

[Neeves]

What are the alternatives to the swing mooring and the costs.

If you race then you race to win (why else do it - I know, for fun). If you are competing against other Flying Fifteens some, many, will be dry sailed (less weight) and their hulls will not be fouled.

You will need to be very, very good to be a contender.

Here, in Sydney, for example 'wet Etchells' race together, not against the dry sailed Etchells.

Jonathan

 

[Stemar]

I think Neeves is right. If keeping her out of the water is an option, that's the way to go.

If it has to stay afloat, my first thought was one of these Unimer Drainman Wave Activated Bilge Pump, but I reckon you'd do better with a solar panel, battery and automatic pump setup for not much more.

Rain WILL get in. The only real question is how you get it out again

 

[Neeves]

I think Neeves is right. If keeping her out of the water is an option, that's the way to go.

If it has to stay afloat, my first thought was one of these Unimer Drainman Wave Activated Bilge Pump, but I reckon you'd do better with a solar panel, battery and automatic pump setup for not much more.

Rain WILL get in. The only real question is how you get it out again

I thought to add a bit.

If you keep on a swing mooring you will need to slip the yacht and antifoam her, maybe annually (you might be lucky and it be less frequent - but bank on annually). If you want to race her you will need to regular wipe her down - sitting on a swing mooring with AF does not mean she will not be fouled, just less fouled.

Going back a step - if she was dry sailed previously you may need to put on some form of primer coat, before the AF (I'm a bit out of depth here). All of this will cost money. Swing moorings might be cheap but maybe the additional costs will cover some of the cost of dry sailing - and allow you to be in with a chance.

I've raced in 'wet Etchells' as crew (in Australia) and we owned an X-99 in Hong Kong which originally we wet sailed and then dry sailed for 2.5 years. When we transferred from wet to dry sailing the X-99 we stripped off all the old AF and faired the hull, properly. For the X-99 it actually cost us the same to sail wet or dry - it was an easy decision

Jonathan

 

[Wing Mark]

Kia ora
I am a sailor in Aotearoa/New Zealand and looking to put my Flying Fifteen on a swing mooring. I'm ok with what I would need to do to access the yacht whilst its on the mooring with sails etc. My concern is the venturi's in the cockpit whilst moored. I've read they should be sealed? unsure how to do this if anyone could help. I'm also ok with placing a cover over the cockpit to minimise the rain water filling the cockpit.
Any advice or thoughts would be most welcome.

By 'venturis' I assume you mean Elvstrom/Andersen self bailers?
Maybe you can trust these not to leak if they are in good order.

Many small racing boats are kept afloat in the UK. Assuming you're talking about the same Flying Fifteen, a ex-colleague's Dad had one moored on reservoir for some years. So you might get some info from the class association website or facebook group?
Will it sink if the bailers fail?
A cover to keep the rain out, a solar/battery bilge pump and regular checks would be important.
Obviously the mooring hardware needs to be trusted and checked regularly.
I expect you will want to keep the bottom clean if you're going to race, but FF's are easily hauled out on a trolley.
Having said that, I'm not aware of FF fleets in the UK currently keeping boats afloat, but it's not a class I'm involved with.

 

[NormanS]

Members of the sailing club here kept Flying 15s on moorings in the harbour for many years without any problems.

 

[vyv_cox]

Bala Sailing Club used to race Flying Fifteens, most of which were kept on moorings. Fresh water, so minor fouling problems, but on the sea a monthly scrub would be sufficient.