MG Club 19?

[zedosian]

Hi folks, looking for any information on the Club 19, can't seem to find anything on the web at all. Mainly want rigging and set-up info so if anyone has this yacht and has any pictures of their set up I'd be most greatful!

Cheers

 

[farr10]

Hi, I can't help much with your question at the moment. However, I purchased a Club 19 a few months ago and intend to launch in the next week or so. At this moment in time, I have no idea what way to set the rig up, so there will be some trial and error for the first few weeks of sailing until I get close to an acceptable setup. There is another 19 that races at my club so hopefully I should be able to identify what works and what doesn't reasonably quickly.

I am assuming that you are in a similar situation to myself. Hopefully we could discuss the setup as the season begins.

There is very little info about these boats. I don't even know how many were built. I know a bit more about the construction after a few months of work on the boat, but otherwise, I don't know much about them.

 

[Club 19]

Help with Club 19/information sharing?

I am keen to get in touch with other Club 19 owners - there is very little about these boats on the web and I spotted this old thread. Hopefully someone still has one of these boats and picks up this posting.

I have recently broken the rudder of my Club 19. I would like to give the maker the exact dimensions to make a replacement.......but mine is at the bottom of the North sea! I still have the stock, but no idea of the blade dimensions. It would be absolutely great if anyone has any useful measurements of the rudder or could take some for me? Any thoughts on whether the blade is correctly sized as it stands would also be useful.

On set up, mine was raced on the Firth of Forth before I bought it. Certainly seems to go pretty well (fairly overpowered upwind in a breeze, but exciting! and very brisk off wind). Happy to contribute any measurements etc I can.

On sail plan modifications, I have managed to squeeze in a roller furling system (small Plastimo) to make sailing with wife and small child a possibility. This was really tight and involved cutting down the standard Plastimo base as the original Genoa is pretty much the full length of the forestay....but it can be done. I am musing on whether a bowsprit could be added to enable sailing with a Genneker rather than the current traditional spinnaker set up. Thinking about using some laser spars, but may need to reinforce the foredeck etc. Anyone tried this?

I think there may be a few variations on the boat and would be interested in what versions anyone else has. I did see another Club 19 with a fixed keel, but mine is a lifting daggerboard and (was) a fixed rudder. Not sure how many variations there have been but I am hoping to get the new rudder to lift in some way without having to take the entire rudder off (and risk dropping it every time). I have rigged up a pulley system to raise and lower it via the coach roof winch and it does mean I can set off with the keel up in shallows and drop it once into deeper water (wouldn't try it if it was rough though given the instability with the keel up).

Cheers

 

[farr10]

Hey,

Your in luck. I have the rudder sitting in my garage so I have been able to take a few measurements off it for you. However, my Club is a fixed keel but I have taken the measurements from the waterline. I don't know if the lifting keel version has the same max draft as the fixed keel version, so might be best to check. I can tell you that the rudder depth is very close to the keel depth.

Depth below waterline = 1.00m
Chord at top = 0.34m
Chord at bottom = 0.24m
The leading edge is appears almost vertical and the taper is on the trailing edge.
The leading edge has a cut out at the hull to allow the leading edge to protrude 35mm in front of the pintle centre.

If you need any more details, I will see what I can find out. I can't help you much above the waterline.

They are brilliant boats, I bought mine last year and didn't get as much sailing in as I had planned. Also, never had the right crew for the right conditions to see how she goes downwind in a breeze but the days is was blowing, two sail reaching was good fun. Very lively and sails like a big dinghy.

I would say the lifting keel version would be very unstable with the keel up as they are tippy enough with the keel fixed!

There are still a good few boats around. There are three 19s in the lough where I sail, one at another club near where I live and another up for sale about 40 miles away but its a scrapper. One of these looks to have tried a assymetric/cruising spinnaker but I am not a member of the club and so can't get a good look at it, I cannot be sure. It seems to have one end of the pole anchored to the foredeck about half way between the anchor well and front of coachroof. At the bow fitting, the pole is again secured and protrudes 3 - 4 ft. It looks very similar to a laser mast, maybe a bit thinner. I have never seen the boat up close or in the water so I cannot tell you if this works.

From what I have seen, apart from fixed vs lifting keel, there is very little difference between the boats. Very basic down below and no interior mouldings. Mine seems to have a different mast to the others locally but otherwise, they are all very similar. If you are interested, there is at least one club 21. A 19 with an extended transom. I found pics on the internet some time ago.

Regards,

farr10

 

[Lakesailor]

Noticed your thread and thought I'd post this vid. I thought about buying one (possibly this one) on Windermere, but as I sail single-handed mainly thought it a bit tender.
This one seems to have a cassette rudder.
BTW. I shipped my rudder when leaving my Seahawk and had a lanyard from the headstock to a small ring in the cockpit which I attached with a small carbine clip. Enough to save the rudder if it fell off, but long enough to lift the rudder into the cockpit before unclipping.)

​

 

[farr10]

I have never actually sailed mine singlehanded but that's because it was set up for a crew of three and things have been located in awkward positions for single handing combined with the fact that the mainsail has a bolt rope rather than sliders and there is no topping lift for the boom so it makes hoisting very difficult. Also, I am not sure whether it is just my mooring, which is in a small tidal channel, but the boat will not sit on the mooring with the mainsail up, it just tries to continually sail over the mooring.

However, with two up, the boats are very manageable because they handle so well.

The only thing than concerned me when I bought mine was that they are a balsa core hull.

 

[colston]

Club 19

I have owned and sailed/raced a fixed fin Club 19 for a number of years, they are great little yachts and sail well with a crew of three, I also set her up and was sucsessfull with her singlehanded.
They were built in Glasgow by a company called Marine Glass and seem to have been popular little cruiser racers.
If you live in the north Owen sails have the dimensions and Westerly in the south for replacement sails, I do have a copy of the original sails literature which I could scan and post on this forum if anyone is interested.
Mine is currently laid up ashore as I purchased a bigger yacht for family reasons and suitability and intend to work on heer at the end of the season before offering her up for sale.
All in all a great little boat

 

[farr10]

Hi Colston. If you could scan a copy of the original sales literature, I would like to see it.

The sails on my boat are Owens and they seem pretty good. The other Club 19 at my yacht club uses Westaways. There are some differences in the sail wardrobe on both boats. Firstly, mine are standard Dacron with a Pentax Genoa vs various exotic looking materials on the other boat. My boat as a non-overlapping jib and it works as well as the standard overlapping headsail used on the other boat. However, the spinnaker on my boat is tiny in comparison. I have heard that two sizes were available. The larger one is massive for the size of the boat. My crew last season was taking up sailing again after a 16 year break, so we didn't use the spinnaker much, so I wasn't able to tell how much of a difference the spinnaker size delta made.

 

[Club 19]

Thanks!

Hi farr10

Thanks very much for the measurements - brilliant help! (I might get on the water this season now!)

The spinnaker I have seems pretty big. Overall, the sailplan feels quite generous for a 19ft boat. Colston - the sales literature would be great, thanks. Mine are Owens and the gennoa doesn't overlap. Actually feels really balanced using one of the smaller jibs upwind and points slightly better too.

I am hoping to more or less manage singlehanded when out with the family. As well as roller furling, I have got hold of some lazy jacks to fit (farr 10, I have a topping lift, but you're right, the bolt rope is a pain on your own. I might investigate some sort of feeder). On sailing over the mooring, mine seems ok with the kicker right off....but I tend to hoist under way as I am moored on pontoons between piles on a little cut off a tidal river and it would probably all end in tears if I sailed off.

I got a glimpse of the balsa core when I changed the log. All seemed fine, so I guess a) the Sikaflex was watertight and b) there is a reasonable amount of glass wrapped around it - the boat certainly feels stiff in waves...very dinghy-like.

Thanks

 

[colston]

Club 19 sales literature

This is the copy of the copy of the sales literature, there are a few scribbles from the previous owner on there, not sure how accurate it is.
Interesting to see overlapping genoa in contrast to other posts, I suppose it all depends on how you find the set up best.

 

[farr10]

Thanks for the sales literature Colston. Its great to see the original sales info and get actual confirmed figures for the boat, especially on the ballast ratio!

Club 19 - No probs with the measurements, glad they are of help. When I had the log out of mine as well as the cockpit drains through the transom, the balsa core was well protected. The only area I had a minor issue with was the anchor well drain holes as there was damp core about 3" diameter around the hole. (However, I had other problems as I had to replace the front bulkhead and anchor well floor. I noticed this when I bought the boat and was due to a poorly fitted through-bulkhead electrical gland for the bow lights.) Also, based on the other Club 19 at the yacht club this area is one to watch. All in all, they seem well built, just a bit rough and ready down below.

The only other area I had a problem with was the chain plates. I had to do a chain plate reinforcement last season. The original chain plates seemed a bit lightweight for such a big rig. Now sufficiently over engineered extending well down the bulkhead with more bolts securing them!!

 

[colston]

The transom is solid not balsa core so no problems there, agree with point about chainplates though!

 

[farr10]

On my boat, the transom isn't solid. It is most definitely a cored construction. I actually have a delam in the transom and in preparation to repair have drilled into the core to check it is dry. Some of the boats must have been built differently.

Out of curiosity, what is the sail number of your boats? Mine is 1096, formally Mandy Sue but renamed a few years ago by a previous owner. I have been trying to find out how many were built and still sailing. There were a lot of boats up for sale a year or so ago and I took a note of each one to build up a list of boats.

Turns out there was also a 21 foot version with extended transom. There is also a Club 20 listed on the clyde yacht club association list as well as a number of 19s. I haven't been able to find out much about this one though. Anybody know anything?

farr10

 

[Finnersz]

Hi there,
I also own a Club 19 & have always been on the hunt for more more info on it. I sail on the West Coast of Scotland with it & do West Highland Yachting Week every year for about the last five or six years. Did the whole week last year inc. feeder race. Magic!!! Just the two of us for the whole week!! Did well the wee boat!! Red October!!
I was just wondering if you would be kind enough to send me the literature you have on the boat. i.e sales stuff & specs, etc. That would be awesome! Perhaps I can update my handicap... I think I just made half of it up!!
Yours.
Finners ;0)

 

[farr10]

Hi Finners,

Somebody else posted a scan of the original sales literature on page 1 of this thread. It gives some of the statistics for the boat, so this should be of help.

West Highland Week sounds excellent. I have only been doing a bit of club racing but my old dinghy crew can't always get out sailing and other person I sail with is still getting up and running and has not progressed onto the spinnaker yet. We go well upwind, but as soon as others pop the spinnaker we lose out.

Can't help with the handicap system as we use modified py numbers. I think the club's py should be around 1040-1050. For club racing mine is sitting around 1075-1090 which is ok for just 2 sails.

Are there many other club 19s based near you?

Farr10

 

[Finnersz]

Hi Farr10,
Sorry.... I did see that right enough!! But I hadn't subscribed at that point so couldn't see the pics! Thought it was just pics of boat or whatever!
I did quite a lot of single-handed stuff when I got the boat up to scratch.. So I set it up reasonably for that! Just reef early to avoid any epics!! Even raced West Highland Week single-handed, and flew bright, flourescent yellow gennaker! Pic is Still on front of the List of Entries every year.. Can be seen online!! Was lying about 5th overall for about 2hrs until the wind came round behind & everyone caught me with their spinnakers! I so wished I had put the kite up instead. Wouldn't have even needed to jibe either!! Woulda been a 1st Overall I think!! But, I wasn't quite as experienced back then as I am now!! All good fun though!!
The info would appear to be much the same as I have here... Owen Sails are my local sailmakers & I know them all very well & sail with them!! Just had training session with Chris before he headed off to fulfil his Olympic Coaching down south!! He's brilliant!! Worth getting him aboard, I'll tell ya!!!
Thanks for pointing me at the info though!! Good to have the ballast weight etc!!
Dont really know of any other 19's about though!! I think I'm the only mad one!!! ;0)
I love my wee boat!!

 

[farr10]

Hi Finnersz,

I had a look for you, the only pick I could see was on the title bar on the website which has a tiny little bright yellow spinnaker in the middle of much bigger boats. It sounds like you are sailing it well.

No experience with the guys from Owens sails, but their sails seem pretty good. I have Owens sails on my boat. I have a Pentax genoa but I prefer to use the dacron blade jib as I feel it goes better. The other club 19 at my club has Westaways sails and uses the standard overlapping headsail. There doesn't appear to be much difference in speed. How does the gennaker perform? Is it just for reaching or can you carry it a bit deeper downwind?

Although this is now my second season, I haven't really sailed the boat as much as I would like and very little spinnaker work. It sounds like you were sailing pretty well singlehanded, I'll have to give it a try!

They are great wee boats and punch well above their diminutive size.

Farr10

 

[fuddsi]

I also have a club 19. I''m new to sailing and would appreciate any advice regarding the set up. I currently can be seen sailing around and around cardiff bay!

 

[Pollywick]

Hello, be really greatful if anyone can help us out!

My other half has recently bought himself a Club 19 Yacht. There will be a max of 2 adults and 2 children, but what set ups of the interior do you guys have?

Pictures would be very grateful to give us a idea!

Polly

 

[farr10]

Hi Pollywick,

Can't be a huge amount of help on the interior. Although, I think that they are all pretty much the same inside. It should sleep two adults and two kids, provided you are all not too tall. I have a set of seat cushions but sadly that is as luxurious as it gets. I had planned to fit a seat back onto the shelf below the side deck to make it more comfortable to sit down below, but had other things to sort out over the winter.

There are two small 'units' / cubby holes between the side berths and forepeak, which should allow for a camping stove etc, but that's about it I'm afraid. More akin to camping than caravanning.

On the plus side, the hull construction should provide a bit of insulation but having never spent a night on board, I have no idea if this actually makes any difference.


Fuddsi,

What sort of setup notes are you looking for, rig tuning, control line setup, upgrades, etc?