ProDave
Well-known member
I have the full trangia set, frying pan and saucepan included.
Wayfarer - great little boat
- Thread starter hmm
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I have the full trangia set, frying pan and saucepan included.
Captain Sillyboxes
Member
I've just taken my centreboard out for some maintenance. It is made from varnished plywood. The front edge has some damage that I will sand down and coat with epoxy. But more generally, the sides of the board near the pivot are showing many white rub marks in arcs reflecting the path of rotation as it goes up and down. These marks seem to be only on the surface of the varnish.
So my question: do I need to get rid of these marks by sanding and re-varnishing, in order to protect the wood? Or, since the aesthetics doesn't matter as it is out of sight for the rest of the year, is it ok to just leave them as they are?
So my question: do I need to get rid of these marks by sanding and re-varnishing, in order to protect the wood? Or, since the aesthetics doesn't matter as it is out of sight for the rest of the year, is it ok to just leave them as they are?
Greenheart
Well-known member
I found the Osprey's centreboard was very slightly narrower than the slot...I mean, more so than it needs to be. To prevent wobble in the operation of the board, I put a couple of SWMBO's rotten old DVDs on either side of the bolt. They also have the effect of reducing contact between the board and the inside of the case. Even better, I never have to sit through those dreadful McConaughey movies. 
Seajet
...
Don't worry, that sounds normal.
A patch of thin vinyl say 6-9" square is commonly used, attached centrally via the pivot bolt.
Edit - just seen Dans' better solution, a perfect way of ridding the world of, if only hiding, any rap or musical soundtracks.
A patch of thin vinyl say 6-9" square is commonly used, attached centrally via the pivot bolt.
Edit - just seen Dans' better solution, a perfect way of ridding the world of, if only hiding, any rap or musical soundtracks.
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lw395
Well-known member
The best thing is to use something like formica for lining the area of the centrebox that takes the wear and the top bit of the plate, unless the plate is sheathed in GRP or other tough, waterproof coating.
For choice, I'd sheath the board in GRP/epoxy for strength as well as wear resistance.
If there's no space to do that, just keep it all painted or varnished as best you can.
If there's a lot of play to take up, PTFE 'Jap' tape is handy, or you can add a strip of grp batten, SRBP or hard plastic.
Some people make the trailing edge a tight fit and allow the front edge to move, a so-called 'gybing plate' to get a little more lift from the board, hoping to eliminate leeway. You really don't want the board twisting the other way. So don't just pack around the pivot bolt.
For choice, I'd sheath the board in GRP/epoxy for strength as well as wear resistance.
If there's no space to do that, just keep it all painted or varnished as best you can.
If there's a lot of play to take up, PTFE 'Jap' tape is handy, or you can add a strip of grp batten, SRBP or hard plastic.
Some people make the trailing edge a tight fit and allow the front edge to move, a so-called 'gybing plate' to get a little more lift from the board, hoping to eliminate leeway. You really don't want the board twisting the other way. So don't just pack around the pivot bolt.
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Seajet
...
I had never realised Wayfarer racing was so radical
Racing dinghies use plastic or stiff sailcloth gaskets to close the centreboard fore and aft of the actual board.
It's up to the helmsman as to how much board is left down for directional stability.
NB serious modern racing dinghies tend to use daggerboards rather than pivoted centreboards as the former keep the CLR Centre of Lateral Resistance constant - though there are snags like interfering with the kicking strap and it doesn't give when running aground on hard stuff - guess how I know... - I was crew and just had time to say " Err.. "
Racing dinghies use plastic or stiff sailcloth gaskets to close the centreboard fore and aft of the actual board.
It's up to the helmsman as to how much board is left down for directional stability.
NB serious modern racing dinghies tend to use daggerboards rather than pivoted centreboards as the former keep the CLR Centre of Lateral Resistance constant - though there are snags like interfering with the kicking strap and it doesn't give when running aground on hard stuff - guess how I know... - I was crew and just had time to say " Err.. "
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Not necessarily so. I seem to recall that many years ago the amateur yacht research suggesting that having it the other way round reduced drag which was better than the lee way lost due to the front edge moving up to windward, creating drag & not actually working to counteract leeway more than the drag created
They did tank tests with chine & round hulls & decided one way for chines & the other for round hulls. I believe that with chines it was better to have the trailing edge move rather than the front edge. Round hulls had less form direction & slipped sideways easier so the front of the board should move.
That is how I recall it - I may be wrong in what way round regarding hull shape.
But in the end It really depends on race results at the top end of the fleet
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ribdriver
Member
I watch A-class cats and Musto skiffs setting off from the beach with the sail neither flapping nor pulling...the singlehanded helm isn't even hiking - just securing his water-bottle or bending over the stern to lower his rudder, finishing his sandwich...
...and the sail seems to be in neutral, until the helm is ready to turn up the heat. No stress or noise, no hint of uncontrolled power hustling the helm into activity. I don't know if that shows the subtle brilliance of those boats' designs, or the newness of their sails, or just their users' abilities, but I blame myself more than the Osprey, for the fact I haven't managed the same relaxed control, yet.[/QUOTE]
Dan - don't stress over this last bit - the skiffs and cats have fully battened sails, whereas the Osprey doesn't. That's why they don't flap etc etc - just mostly depowered and calm until you sheet in.
...and the sail seems to be in neutral, until the helm is ready to turn up the heat. No stress or noise, no hint of uncontrolled power hustling the helm into activity. I don't know if that shows the subtle brilliance of those boats' designs, or the newness of their sails, or just their users' abilities, but I blame myself more than the Osprey, for the fact I haven't managed the same relaxed control, yet.[/QUOTE]
Dan - don't stress over this last bit - the skiffs and cats have fully battened sails, whereas the Osprey doesn't. That's why they don't flap etc etc - just mostly depowered and calm until you sheet in.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Dan - don't stress over this last bit - the skiffs and cats have fully battened sails, whereas the Osprey doesn't. That's why they don't flap etc etc - just mostly depowered and calm until you sheet in.[/QUOTE]
Fully battened helps, but with my Phantom having the plate up & weight in the stern whilst fiddling with the rudder, or anything else, means that the boat just slips sideways & the sails do not really flap that much, if there is a small amount of wind in them on the windward face. It is really technique, plus having the right boat. Dan's boat is not a single hander
Captain Sillyboxes
Member
Hi wayfarers.
I'm shopping for a combi trailer and have found one that seems the right size. But does this thread think this one provides enough support for the hull?
https://ibb.co/z4F8Htv
Thanks
I'm shopping for a combi trailer and have found one that seems the right size. But does this thread think this one provides enough support for the hull?
https://ibb.co/z4F8Htv
Thanks
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scruff
Well-known member
No.
Advice is to have almost all the weight on the keel with the side supports merely stopping the boat falling off. The one you linked too will punch two holes through the hull within 5 miles of towing.
Advice is to have almost all the weight on the keel with the side supports merely stopping the boat falling off. The one you linked too will punch two holes through the hull within 5 miles of towing.
lw395
Well-known member
No.
But you could make a cradle to fit the hull. And/or add a roller.
You should be looking to support the hull at the keel (if there is one!) and right out to the chines, not loading a flat hull section in the middle of a panel.
That trailer looks like a Mersea road base and a Rapide trolley, with some odd adaption to support the wheels of the trolley. I would suggest looking for two halves of the same thing unless you're very sure the adaptation is an improvement.
What dinghy are we talking about? I'm not sure whether to take it that you have a wayfarer or just posted here because it's the most current dinghy thread.
FairweatherDave
Well-known member
+1, that is the advice I got from UKWA forum too. My Wayfarer, when I bought it, had damaged chines from sitting on a trolley with no spaces for the chines. All the weight should go along the keel, with the side supports adjusted to allow half an inch of rocking space....
Captain Sillyboxes
Member
Ok thanks that's what I feared... I will look for a different one. And yes it is for a mk2 grp wayfarer. I have a launching trolley already but it is unusually wide so I think I need to find a trolley and trailer that are made to go together...
Greenheart
Well-known member
It's quite easy to find a cheap big dinghy without wheels, then spend twice as much money making it mobile and roadworthy.
Assuming the trailer has good bearings, tyres etc, but does not have supports that fit the hull precisely enough, I believe it is worth considering modification of the supports.
I accept that no launching trolley has to pass roadworthiness, but if a trailer is essentially roadworthy, packing the unsupported hull with robust rubber/sponge layers or even emptied repressurised 2l plastic pop-bottles, will give a dinghy hull good support and a soft ride...I know because my trolley is padded that way.
I packed my trolley's narrow cross-bar with pop-bottles five years ago, and half the boat's 150kg weight has been spread over the cushioned 5sq ft area almost ever since.
As long as the bottles can be held securely, probably with duct tape, I'd be sure that the boat wouldn't suffer on a long road trip too.
Assuming the trailer has good bearings, tyres etc, but does not have supports that fit the hull precisely enough, I believe it is worth considering modification of the supports.
I accept that no launching trolley has to pass roadworthiness, but if a trailer is essentially roadworthy, packing the unsupported hull with robust rubber/sponge layers or even emptied repressurised 2l plastic pop-bottles, will give a dinghy hull good support and a soft ride...I know because my trolley is padded that way.
I packed my trolley's narrow cross-bar with pop-bottles five years ago, and half the boat's 150kg weight has been spread over the cushioned 5sq ft area almost ever since.
As long as the bottles can be held securely, probably with duct tape, I'd be sure that the boat wouldn't suffer on a long road trip too.
Captain Sillyboxes
Member
That's interesting, I did wonder as to the feasibility of modifying a trolley to provide appropriate support but am lacking welding skills/equipment. You don't happen to have any photos of your setup?
Greenheart
Well-known member
I think I have a photo - I'll find it this evening. I must be clear that padding a launch-trolley isn't the same as making the boat secure for any distance on a road-trailer, but as long as the keel-line is properly supported on the trailer, I'm sure dense foam (or my favourite, pop-bottles) are an amazing form of support.
I once broke a baseball bat, slamming away at a plastic pop-bottle. It was uninjured. Ah, adolescence. The fact that I was in my thirties isn't relevant.
I once broke a baseball bat, slamming away at a plastic pop-bottle. It was uninjured. Ah, adolescence.
The fact that I was in my thirties isn't relevant.lw395
Well-known member
I've used bits of wood, Dexion angle etc in the past.
That trolley is perhap a bit lightweight for a Wayf, especially if you go drilling holes near the middle of the axle to take a roller.
langstonelayabout
Well-known member
Right. That explains it. Hence the suggestions about installing a step beside the centreboard and difficulties in control.
1 - Remember your Osprey is 'sitting down sailing', not 'standing up sailing' like in a skiff. Huge difference.
2 - Your postings seem to suggest that you could do with more understanding about sail controls, flattening, cunningham, mast bend, etc. In the right place and time these will keep your boat more controllable and upright. Might I suggest you take a racing course at your local RYA teaching centre?
3 - Might I also suggest that you create a set of exercises to develop your agility in the boat. Extra steps will become superfluous.
4 - Keep sailing, far more often. If you can borrow a really good crew sometimes, it will make it far more fun.
5 - Keep following Seajet's advice. He knows his stuff.
Greenheart
Well-known member
Thanks, Langstone...although, I'm not certain to whom LW395's quote was referring...I haven't been through this thread since January. I'm not quite as young as I was, but I'm not much older than my boat.
I expect you'll put me right if I've misunderstood, but if the 'step' in question is my (as yet not patented) diagonal step between the sidewalls and the mainsheet tower, they're not superfluous...
...they answer a need Mr Proctor himself didn't foresee. Don't forget I've made life harder by actually wanting to singlehand a boat made for two or three...so "find a crew" isn't a relevant solution.
It's just rather awkward climbing backwards up a steeply sloping cockpit floor then vertically 18" onto an overhanging sidedeck, all the while steering with one hand and controlling two sheets with the other. There's not enough in the standard cockpit, against which to push your weight back (and upwards).
It might be different if I were taller, but that's harder to arrange than making steps.
If I haven't put a photo here (I can't even be bothered to flip back a few pages) I will, and you'll see that it's not such a weird or awkward addition, it's rather neat.
Apologies if I've misunderstood what you meant - I've discussed the trapeze step a lot recently, but not necessarily here.
Also sorry I didn't find the trolley-bottles photo. I have it somewhere, but I can take another at the weekend.
I expect you'll put me right if I've misunderstood, but if the 'step' in question is my (as yet not patented) diagonal step between the sidewalls and the mainsheet tower, they're not superfluous...
...they answer a need Mr Proctor himself didn't foresee. Don't forget I've made life harder by actually wanting to singlehand a boat made for two or three...so "find a crew" isn't a relevant solution.
It's just rather awkward climbing backwards up a steeply sloping cockpit floor then vertically 18" onto an overhanging sidedeck, all the while steering with one hand and controlling two sheets with the other. There's not enough in the standard cockpit, against which to push your weight back (and upwards).
It might be different if I were taller, but that's harder to arrange than making steps.
If I haven't put a photo here (I can't even be bothered to flip back a few pages) I will, and you'll see that it's not such a weird or awkward addition, it's rather neat.
Apologies if I've misunderstood what you meant - I've discussed the trapeze step a lot recently, but not necessarily here.
Also sorry I didn't find the trolley-bottles photo. I have it somewhere, but I can take another at the weekend.
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