pwrboatie with raggie queries

[Guest]

Right, there's enouigh raggies lurking about, so i can ask the daft questions about sailing here. Sometimes I hire a sailyboat and go out and about in solent or mebbe greece or carribee where bit too rough for powerboat. It's still a bit powerboatie type question, cos I need to know how to go faster, and of course reserve the right to turn the engine on to overtake that boat over there which if I admitted on a saily forum wd be instant death. Ahem.

1. The traveller makes the boom go to the left or right, okay? If going upwind, in order to go faster, and leaning over (say) to port, should the traveller be wound over to push the boom to starboard? I normally muck about with this a bit, then leave it in the middle.

2. The cars (ooh, bit saily, thats the bit that the rope to pull the front sail tight has to go through) can be adjusted all the way forward, or all the way back. When should they be where in order to go fast? As above, I always leavem about in the middle.

3. Is there a website or book "So, you don't mind leaning over a bit" or "hurrah, its a charter boat" or "no, I mean tighten it" or "no, not that rope, the yellow one. " for making sailboats go a bit faster? But not too much blather innem, sort of top tips praps. Obviously, I don't except top tips on turning engine on, which if it is on means you overtakem on thatside, not that side, otherwise they can see it's on from the exhaust.

 

[Guest]

I can see a fight starting

What questions.


Well lets start with no 1.

It depends on the boat..sail..wind strenght...wind direction.
On my boat i tend to pull the traveller up half way towards the wionf. This adds a bit of curl to the sail.

No 2.

The cars are adjusted to keep the genny tight. The smaller the rag out front the further foreward the cars go.
What you are looking for is the sheet to be leaving the sail at about 45 deg from the edges.

No 3.

Lots of books on this subjetc.

Try posting this questions on the PBO forum. You will get zillions of replies tellign you exactly what to do and when.

Or you could just go and buy a little sailing dingy and go find out.

 

[Dave_Snelson]

Well Matts, you could start by removing the keel, damn things weigh too much and only serve to get caught on sandbanks. Problem is that no keel means the boat goes unstable, so I recommend that you superglue some pre-moulded chines on to the hull so that when you are cracking along a bit stability will, of course, return.

While you are at it...that vertical stick thingy (blasted nuisance) stops you from ripping along under estuary bridges and blatently breaking harbour speed limits - saw the bl**dy thing down and make a nav arch to stick the nav arials on. Now as to that horizontal stick device - banged my head on more of those than you can poke a (horizontal) stick at, throw it overboard, I'm sure no-one will mind holing their boat on it.

The problem you will find regarding the boat not having any motive power is quite easily solved - somewhere on the quayside you will find a friendly Mercury dealer who will happily drop a nice 6 cyl Merc 125 on the back.

Then you can overtake whoever the hell you like on whichever side you like - good luck and don't get caught.

 

[Guest]

This maybe be an idea..but what happens when the outboard packs up.

This seems to be a common event with rag boats and outboards. Have you ever sat in St peter port and watched the frenchies and theie OB's. They either crash into everything or it won't start.

And you forgot to mention about ripping of the tiller thing and sticking a nice big XR3i sports wheel for Halfords on the rudder...or shall with get rid of that as well and just stick in a poofy bow thruster..??

 

[Guest]

Re: excellent...

ok , excellent.

1 So the traveller bit should sort of go a bit towards the wind, yes. But not too much hm? so it needs fiddling with up and down?

2. Excellent, 45 degrees at leading edge, gottit. So maybe about right leaving these most of the way back, but with little charter-type foresail, not all the way back. If downwind then praps a bit forward so sail is fuller? or just let it out a bit? I have not told crew that it is optional to have a part of the sail out instead of the whole lot and they seem to have accepted that the rule is that unless full gale it's full sails, so invariably boat is up on its sides, with praps swmbo downstairs reading a book whilst lying down on the bedroom wall...

3. Cheers. I will have a look for books.

 

[Guest]

Re: now now...

now now lets have no nastiness about people who drive their boat using the bowthruster. And of course, no powerboatie would ever ever rent a sailboat unless it had a steering wheel. A massive one. or even (much better) two quite big wheels.

 

[Dave_Snelson]

Mike, you should know by now that the O/B is destined to pack up, a) because its a Merc and b) because it guzzles so much fuel it wouldn't make it out past the harbour mouth.

I wish my poor boat did have an XR3i wheel, it would be a huge improvement on the Austin Metro wheel fitted right now (I'm so ashamed - I keep meaning to replace it but I haven't got round to it yet!).

Bow-thrusters....come,come. Half the fun is holing other peoples boats because you cant steer adequately.

 

[Guest]

I must admit that most of the fun in St P P is watching or hearing skippers shouting at crew just before the hit something.
I own a long keel yacht and you may or may not know that they are a complete bitch to move in tight spaces.
So far i have never hit anything as i take my time and prepare.

I have seen a lot of accidents in marinas and i think i can group them up.

1. The older skipper on a big yacht who is cannot do more than one thign at a time and does not plan ahead.

2. The charter skipper who wants to show off to the totty on board how fats he can come into a space.

3. The smaller motorboat owner with an outdrive who thinks that it will park like a car.

I must also admit that most drivers of bigger motor boats are very very good. They take time and do it all slowly.

But anyway...what would we have to watch and snigger about if everybody could moor a bit perfectly...well as long as it's not next to mine..

 

[Guest]

Re: now now...

I see...two wheels are better than one..is that so the wife can drive as well...or so that when you get to france you can drive on the other side of the road without being confused...?

 

[Guest]

Re: peter port

Agreed.

However, St PP does sepcialise in having the most monster-powered dories. The harbour staff belt around in these all the time. "yes, it very rough today" they say. Well, it's only rough in here cos they belt around.

 

[Guest]

Re: peter port

I agree...but i must say that some of the staff have improved this year...pleasing on the eye...say no more...nudge nudge wink wink..

 

[Guest]

Re: now now...

seriously, i found it on a boat we rented. jolly good for stern-to mooring, and much easier to see up the boat +mast. Doesn't quite work double-handed, but ok for airplane style "you have control" while other goes for a wander

 

[Guest]

Re: peter port

ooh. not seen that. A year or more since I was there.

Have they fixed the storm doors ? last time it was 8-9. Eventually after two nights I went to the harbour office and asked wimpishly if they could poss consider yerknow closing them seeing as um fairly windy. Apparently a total cockup on the storm-door ordering front, and either they have never worked. So the central thing to avoid on the way in (which is hingey bit ithink) need not be there at all...

 

[Guest]

Re: now now...

I've been on a boat like that as well. I liek wheels on boats but they are really good for one thing.

If you are having fun with a neighbour or they are making too much noise...what i do is creap aboard ...unscrew the wheel and suspend it from the stern so that it is just under the water....

it works a treat.

 

[Guest]

Re: peter port

I spent a few days there this summer and i must say that they hahve made they painful bit of parting with money a little bit eaiser.

No sign of storm doors or anything like that.

 

[Guest]

Re: heehee (nm)

.

 

[Col]

Isn't this a bit McGregor'ish

 

[Guest]

Re: who\'s mcgregor?

dave S is ribbing me about trying to go faster on a sailboat, assuming I am trying to do 25knots. Mike has explained some of it, altho (apparently) on a sailboat it gets used "all the time", but surely using the bog can't improve sailing performance...

 

[oldgit]

Re:yots n stuff

Why do they not built yots with all their bits angled at 45 degrees so that when it actually sort of eventually moves all the bits you walk on will be upright.

 

[Guest]

Re:yots n stuff

Because that's half the fun...trying to stand up when the world is falling over.

And what would you do in a marina...or would you lean the boat over so that the floor was level.

I could ask why don't builders of petrol power boats build them with a pontonn built onto the side....