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PK78 Ready for Sail

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 11:27 am
by MadRus
Hi,

I got my sewing machine back and finally got everything rigged for sailing next chance I get. Below are pictures...

PK78 set up for sail and oars. Sail is homemade according to the included sail plan. Spars are douglas fir and the rudder and DB are pine. So is the tiller handle.

Only took me two years to finish all the extra stuff- sail, spars, rudder, dagger board and tiller. Yikes. I better love this whole sailing thing!

Edit: recovered images from archive.org:
Imgur Album

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 12:34 pm
by Q
Verrrrryyy NICE! :D

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 2:35 pm
by Daniel Huckleberry
Very pretty! Love the color.

Congratulations
Huck

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 2:50 pm
by TomW
The old saying is once a sailor always a sailor. Good luck on the launch and enjoy! I really like the colors it is very similar to the Morgan 28/30 that my wifes parents owned. That boat could fly.

We still have a Mirror Dinghy sitting outside that we do not use and needs some work. I've just gotten to big to sail it.

Good luck again at the launch and really take pride in the beautiful boat you have built.

Tom

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 6:20 pm
by jeremy
Looks great, and boy was that fast. It took me about a month to handsew my sail. I've got to get one of them newfangled machines that sew.

If you're looking to do keep doing more, one fun addition is to put delrin in the mast partner and mast step to help the mast rotate. I wrote a bit about that here.

I can't wait to see some pictures of it underway!

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 6:44 pm
by navyarkangel
Boat looks awesome!!! Good job on the sail!

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 6:46 pm
by gk108
Beautiful job! Cool little beach cart, too. Learning to sail in a dinghy is the best way to go. You'll love it.

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 7:42 pm
by MadRus
Thanks everyone, and I do hope I love sailing. I probably will because I like rowing and paddling and moving at a slow pace once in a while.

I've always liked the color too, it's S3 Orcas White custom tinted by HD after about an hour of talking to the manager.

Jeremy,

I'd like to do something like that, but I don't even know what delrin is. Can you give me a hint where I might score some?

-Dave

Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:28 am
by jeremy
I like the color of your boat a lot too. I bet you can't wait to sail her.

Delrin is a plastic. The generic name is acetyl. I got mine from onlinemetals.com. I bought a round, I think maybe 4". Natural color and probably only about 2" long. It's not the cheapest stuff, but you don't need much.

To make the part that fits in the mast partner, I drilled a hole the size of the mast using a hole saw on a drill press. Then, I routed out a rabbet to make it mushroom shaped so it would fit in the mast partner hole. I also rounded off the top for so it wouldn't be quite as uncomfortable to sit on. Then, I just stuck it in the hole with some 4200.

I used a 1/4" or so piece from the part that I drilled out to use in the mast step. I sanded it roughly convex and stuck it in the step with 4200 as well.

The delrin machines very easily, but it's slippery and hard to hold onto with clamps so be careful.

Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:43 am
by MadRus
Okay, good tips, I'll check it out. It does give it that finished touch doesn't it. Thanks Jeremy.

Actually, I owe you and bunch of others a huge thanks, Kurt, Charlie, Rick, KS and I'm sure I'm missing folks, and I'm sorry for that, but the small boat builders have been more than generous with their time and consideration on my PK78 project. Thanks again.

Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:39 am
by WobblyLegs
Beautiful boat - love the colour and the bright wood!

I didn't even know you were building another boat (possibly shows I don't read this section often)!

Congrats,

Tim.

Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 2:01 pm
by MadRus
Thanks Tim. No, I finished the hull two years ago and have been enjoying the boat since then, rowing only. I only just got to the sailing parts- sail, db, rudder, etc. So, I haven't had her out under sail yet, but she rows very well. I fish out of her sometimes, when I feel like doing some rowing.

Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:30 pm
by ks8
Great job! Of course we need pictures underway, sailing off the top of a breaker? :lol:

Gee, that color looks familiar... 8)

Of course, at this point, mine is only *virtual*.

Congrats, and get us those pictures while sailing. :)

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 6:06 pm
by kmccullum
Looks great! Let us know how she does on the water.

One minor piece of advice. From the pictures it looks like your mast is smaller in diameter compared to the holes it fits in. This will give you a bit of play in the mast that you may not like. Some kind of plastic insert may be in order to tighten it up. You'll know for sure after your first sail.


Kurt

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 7:25 pm
by TomW
MadRus, haven't been back since I saw your first Post of the pictures. But, definately if you do not do the delrin Jeremy suggested. Do like Kurt recommended, and do some kind of donut to close up the sloppyness of the mast in its holes. You will find the sailing much easier and more fun if you don't have to deal with that on top of everything else.

Red skys at night

Tom

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 8:11 pm
by MadRus
Thanks guys, good to know. I'll either go the Delrin route, or go the other way and make a sleeve for the mast at the partner. I don't know if it's going to keep me off the water though. :)

I think I should have waited to cut those holes until I had the mast complete. Live and learn.

-Dave

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 9:35 pm
by Cracker Larry
Nice job, Dave :!: I love sailing if I don't have any where I have to be at a certain time.

I would make a bushing. Maybe you can find a piece of PVC pipe the right size?

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 12:46 am
by TomW
By all means Dave get on the water. Whats keeping you! You showed us some pictures of your pretty boat and none of you on the water! :D :lol:

Tom

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 8:00 am
by MadRus
Thanks Larry, yes, I looked into the bushing idea and even thought about a simple wedge to keep things from shifting. I've been thinking it over, and I may just dam-up the partner from below, fill with epoxy/woodflour and redrill to a tighter size. Then perhaps wrap the mast in that area with a leather. The problem is, my mast is hand shucked :), so it's not exactly round, but more of an oblong shape.

We'll see. I like the Delrin idea, but it's quite expensive. The thinking continues. The sailing does not. Tom, I need to find some hours and lump them together. I'm sure you know what I mean.

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 9:09 am
by gk108
Hey Dave, a cheap easy bearing for your mast could be made with a couple of pieces of plastic cutting board material. Not as high tech as delrin, but would serve the purpose.
Also, have you checked http://www.mcmaster.com/ for delrin?

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 9:30 am
by MadRus
I just did, thanks for the link. Apparently, that plastic cutting board stuff might actually be Delrin. I have a couple of those myself- unfortunately, they're in fashion colors and I think my wife might miss them.

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 10:39 am
by jeremy
Yeah, the trick is finding a cutting board thick enough. I debated about it for a while, but eventually figured a 4" diameter, 2" thick delrin round is $25+shipping and I should stop fretting about it.

That said, if you can find a cheaper solution, I'm sure others would be interested. I thought most 'plastic' cutting boards were UHMW, which would most likely also work.

My mast was also rounded by hand, but the delrin is slick stuff and it seems to rotate just fine.

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 2:54 pm
by MadRus
Update...

This might seem a little wasteful, but I had a readily available, left over supply of epoxy from the build, so I thickened some with wood flour, took the paint off the inside of the partner and filled the partner with the epoxy. When it's cured, and it's almost there now, but I'll let it be overnight, I'll redrill it to more closely fit the dia. of the mast.

I think I can get within about 1/4", which is a lot better than the 1/2"+ there is now.

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 8:44 pm
by MadRus
Another update...

Epoxy cured and sanded, I went a little over 1-3/4" with my rotozip and now it fits nicely with a bit of play- maybe 1/8"-1/4" max. It's primed and waiting for paint. I'll try to post pics tomorrow if I remember.

Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2007 12:19 am
by TomW
If you hit an 1/8" you'll be in heaven. Hope you get a sail this week-end.

Tom

Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2007 8:51 am
by Cracker Larry
It sounds like you picked the best long term solution. 8) Do it right, do it once.

Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2007 10:46 am
by MadRus
Here it is. Admittedly, it needs a bit of fairing, but I'll save that until I have some left over epoxy in a cup and don't know what to do with it. I also got a bit of paint on my mast, but that's okay too.

I guess if the movement in the step ever bothers me I can do a pour to get it tight as a glove.


Image

Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2007 1:26 pm
by TomW
That looks beautiful. As Larry said always better to take the time to do it right, if your doing it. Way to go.

Tom

Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2007 11:01 pm
by Charlie
The mast in a sprit rigged boat should be able to rotate a little. So, as long as the mast isn't leaning backward it is probably OK as is. Mine came out a little tight so I dust some talcum powder on the butt end of the mast to help it rotate.

Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 6:34 pm
by MadRus
Wow! That was a lot of fun. I think I'm a sailor now. Took her over to a little pond in the next town over to avoid the seadoos on the local lake. The rig was just fine, it moved in the partner, but there wasn't a lot of jarring motion.

Took me about an hour to relax and start to work with the wind. At first, I was running with the wind and that was easy of course. I quickly ran out of pond and had to turn up wind. After about an hour of fighting to make headway, I finally relaxed and just let the wind move me where it was going and I just tried to ride as close hauled as possible and tacked my way back to within an easy row of shore. The wind was coming right from the direction of the landing. :( Eventually, it started getting a little squirelly, coming from the S then SW then W then S again. It kept up like that for a while, and then it settled down and stopped shifting on me, then I had some fun. The pond has trees right close in and there's a wicked wind shadow or land shadow I can't remember the name, but there's no wind at all for about 300' from shore.

Sorry if I got any terminology wrong.

What a fun little boat, that's all I can say. It's easy to see why many people like this boat and her cousins. Clearly I have a lot to learn, but it sure is fun.

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 3:10 pm
by gk108
MadRus wrote:What a fun little boat, that's all I can say. It's easy to see why many people like this boat and her cousins. Clearly I have a lot to learn, but it sure is fun.
It sounds like you learned the important parts already. It's fun, and it's more fun when you don't try to beat hard upwind. Any pictures? :D

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 3:55 pm
by ks8
Hey! Congrats! First sail done... hundreds to go! :)

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 4:42 pm
by MadRus
Hey thanks guys. Yes, I learned that one the hard way- it's much more relaxing when you accept that you can't sail directly into the wind.

No pictures from that first trip, I had to go alone because the girls were sleeping, so my wife had to stay home. Next time, I'm going to try to get someone to take a shot of me. Maybe have my buddy bring the GV13 and get some good shots.

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 5:10 pm
by TomW
Wow way to go your first sail and you didn't even capsize. Wind shadows are the bane of all sailors on small lakes, you just have to live with them. Tacking is fun you can really trim it in and go you get some of your best speed trimmed in.

Tom

Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2007 7:46 pm
by MadRus
Wow way to go your first sail and you didn't even capsize.
HA! Okay, I came close, but having been on a Sunfish twice before, I knew enough to let go the sheet when I got the rubrail wet. :)

Yeah, I trimmed it in on the way back, and things picked up quite nicely and evened out too, she got real smooth and fleet.

I've got some interesting behavior from the rudder, but that's a post for another day. It might just be me, as I said, trying too hard to fight the wind. I'm going to get another day under my belt before I start embarrasing myself with stupid questions.

Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 6:26 am
by Q
Dave....at least you're learning in what I would call the preferred method, on a sailing dingy. I learned on my 23 foot sailboat and made some painful mistakes early on...especially on the raising and lowering of the mast. Gravity's a wonderous thing....committed and absolute.

It was also complicated by the Fractional Marconi rig and all that standing rigging....but still can be single-handed.

The more you go, the more you'll realize increased enjoyment....and suddenly, it won't be work anymore. :D

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 5:04 pm
by kmccullum
Glad to see you had a great first trip. They sure are a hoot to sail. Remember to take pictures next time!

My first time out was a learning experience. I kept stalling the boat with the rudder. Took me some time before I learned to let the boat pick up speed before I tried to turn into the wind.

Kurt

Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 6:17 pm
by MadRus
Boy, you're good Kurt. Is that what I'm doing? I've had the tiller handle jacked right out of the boat to port or starboard and she just wouldn't get moving. It kept pulling in the wrong direction. I'd let off and she'd actually straighten out and start moving, so I'd reef it over to turn and it would just kill the boat. I eventually got so frustrated I turned with it and rounded up into the wind to get some momentum and that seemed to work, but that seemed like the wrong maneuver for tacking. I've never heard of anyone actually giving up ground to tack. :lol:

After I started moving at a good clip, I figured, I probably shouldn't need to use the rudder outside of a 90-110 degree swing and I was probably over steering. Sure enough, when I started working the boat that way, it all seemed to come together. This is why I was wondering if the rudder issue is with me (which it sounds like it is) or with the boat.

Q, I can't imagine taking that much boat in hand my first time out. I guess I need to step my way up slowly.

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:13 am
by gk108
I've never heard of anyone actually giving up ground to tack.
I have been known to make a 270° turn to accomplish a 90° gybe downwind. :oops:

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:33 am
by mecreature
What a cool dinghy, Very nice..

Looks like tons of fun..

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:40 am
by MadRus
I have been known to make a 270° turn to accomplish a 90° gybe downwind.
Phew! Well, maybe I'm wrong gk, and we should get together and write a new page for the sailing handbook. The Quick Jibe and the Long Jibe(?) :)

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 11:05 am
by gk108
I'll have to include the account of the infamous "Hat Overboard" drill last year. It was a successful drill if taken in the context of the aviators axiom, any safe landing is one you can walk away from. We retrieved the hat. About 9 miles of sailing and motoring after it went overboard. :roll:

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 11:48 am
by MadRus
:lol: :lol: That reminds me of that video of the guy who just dives off a boat going what looked like 35+ mph to retreive the hat that just blew off his head. Have you seen that footage?

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 12:29 pm
by Q
MadRus wrote: I've had the tiller handle jacked right out of the boat to port or starboard and she just wouldn't get moving. It kept pulling in the wrong direction. I'd let off and she'd actually straighten out and start moving, so I'd reef it over to turn and it would just kill the boat.
...Sounds to me like you've discovered how to "heave to".....

...and possibly how to "dump the wind"! Two methods I use on Surprise, in the case of a larger gust, pointing her into the wind will "luff" the sail. Or, for a quick dumping of the wind, I can just ease off the tension on the main (in your case, let go of the sheet)

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 12:45 pm
by MadRus
Hi Q,

That's what I thought is sounded like I was doing, although I forget the actual definition of "heave to". But yeah, basically, I've discovered how to position the boat with sail and rudder working against each other to go nowhere. I also like to call it, "how not to sail". Whoopie! :(

Now I just have to get good at the other skills, you know the sailing skills.

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 12:54 pm
by MadRus
I may be taking her up to Maine this weekend, to the camp, so I'll be able to get some motion pics and hopefully some video of her. It should be fun.

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 1:43 pm
by fishingdan
You're starting to sound like a sailor! Sounds like your having fun. I need to try that some day. I may build something we can throw on the pop-up camper. What does your rigged PK weigh?

I just returned from a weekend in Harrison ME. We spent Saturday goofing around on Sebago. Beautiful area!

Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 2:35 pm
by MadRus
Hey Dan,

I'm not sure, but she's built heavy with 6oz glass on the bottom and up the sides for scratch resistence. I'll have to give it a good weighing some day, but I'd say, with the wheel contraption attached, it's in the neighborhood of 75lbs.

You have to try it. It's a hoot right now, but I hope, with a little practice, I'll become good enough to step up to a sharpie or possibly one of my other favorites- the cat boat, the Caravelle, the cat ketch or, let me sneak this in, an Arch Davis Penobscot 17.

How's the Penn Yan? Any progress photos available?

Our camp is in Raymond, on Raymond Pond, maybe 15 minutes from the Rt. 121/302 intersection of Sebago- Eastern part of the lake.

Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 5:02 am
by TomW
My wife and I have a Mirror Dingy the first of the stich and glue boats. She has a cat rig and a spinnaker and will absolutely fly but watch out she will also dump you.

I love her but I hate her as she is a fickke lady of the sea so we must handle all our lady's and treat them with the respect they deserve and let the winds they want to follow take us to our ports of where our loved ones are.

Tom

Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 1:54 pm
by kmccullum
Yep, that sounds like you are stalling the boat with the rudder. Not hard to do with such a small boat. Give it a few outings and you'll be a pro. The PK78 doesn't have enough weight to carry any momentum out of the tack. It basicly comes close to a stall and then zips up to speed when it catches wind. But if the rudder isn't straight, it never has a chance to get the speed back. You loose a little but once you get the hang of it you'll know when to pull the rudder back.

I'll offer another little piece of advice which I learned the hard way. When you are in heavy weather it's hard to come about if your weight is dead center or forward. Like when you are sitting on the middle seat. The boat tends to go into irons in these situations. I found that if I leaned my body towards the stern, the boat would turn much faster and wouldn't go into irons. I got rather good at this when sailing in 20+ knot winds. In light wind it helps a little too.

Have fun!

Kurt

Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 11:48 am
by MadRus
Hey guys,

I didn't bring the boat to camp last weekend, so no pictures under sail yet, but I got out on her yesterday. I tried keeping the rudder under control this time and overall, I was much more relaxed and therefore, had a much more relaxing time.

Not a lot of wind yesterday, but I managed to make the most of every breeze I think. I even ended the trip by running downwind on a breeze right out of the north, straight to shore. Well, "running" makes it sound like I was really moving, more like crawling. :)

Kurt, I noticed that on my first trip out, that sinking the rudder changed the handling. I didn't get it ironed out, but I did notice that and I'll be sure to play with that on future trips. Thanks.

Also, today I redid my snotter. I was using a single screw counter top clip as a thumb cleat. It came loose and spun while I was on the water. Not fun. I crafted a new one today from wood. Came out pretty nice and it's held with two screws, so it should hold up pretty well until I get to epoxying it in place after the season is over.

Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 9:09 pm
by Charlie
When running before the wind the big boys (the kids in Opti prams) pull up their daggerboards to get a little more speed.
When running before the wind it is important to stay on the desired line to avoid a "goosewing jibe". If you get careless the sail can whip from one side to the other. I've had it happen with such force it spun the mast 90 degrees.

Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 11:17 pm
by MadRus
Good tip Charlie, I'll try to be aware of that when running with the wind. I'll bet that smarts if it whips you in the face. I haven't played with the daggerboard at all to test performance. I'll give it a shot.

Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 1:00 am
by TomW
The other thing that will help with your speed is to put a little of your weight over the side. This is called hiking out and actually lifts the bottom off the water and onto the side, forming a V instead of a flat bottom that holds the water.

Get comfortable with each step one at a time and then try the next one. Learn how to control the rudder and dagger board then try this. you'll enjoy it.

Tom

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 3:08 pm
by MadRus
Well, third time out, what a beautiful day up here in the northeast. Just took a nice two hour sail. I'm feeling much more comfortable. Did everything I wanted to do and am really getting a handle on the peculiarities of this little boat.

One big thanks and confirmation to Kurt about weight back and weight forward. I discovered, if I sit with my back against the back seat, the rudder does a much better job of biting the water and steering the boat. Sailed quietly and gently for about two hours. Then...

I let the sail luff for a minute while I was adjusting myself and didn't the freakin' sprit get hung up in the snotter and spun around. My sail was about 3/4 size- kind of an un-natural reef. That's when the wind decided to really pick up too. Son of a ! By the time I had it straightened out, my rudder had come loose and was floating- just hanging on by a bit. I jumped out back just in time to catch it. I figured, well that's just too much, time to head in.

Then, as I was preparing to leave, I gathered up the sail and did a little slip knot to keep it somewhat controlled while I rowed to shore. Once again, the wind picked up strongest it has been all day and opened up just enough sail at the top to keep me fighting for forward progress for about three minutes. Felt a little foolish on that one. I see the benefit of a brailing line to avoid something like that in the future.

Still not happy with this whole EZ-Cart dolly thing- it's clunky and convoluted and my boat is getting more and more banged up because of it. I've got to buy a jeep or something and get a trailer for this little boat, which is quickly becoming a favorite.

Still, it's cramped... hmmm... C12, CV16?

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 3:28 pm
by WobblyLegs
MadRus wrote:Still, it's cramped... hmmm... C12, CV16?
Uh oh... (need another two feet, sir?)

Sounds like you're having fun though, most of the time. Sailing little boats is cool, though I haven't done it for many years...

Tim.

Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 12:01 pm
by MadRus
Okay, I could use some advice. I have a little problem keeping my rudder in the gudgeons when the wind dies. It's made of very light weight and boyant pine. Any recommendations on a system to keep it down?

Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 12:09 pm
by UncleRalph
MadRus wrote:Okay, I could use some advice. I have a little problem keeping my rudder in the gudgeons when the wind dies. It's made of very light weight and boyant pine. Any recommendations on a system to keep it down?
http://boatbuildercentral.com/proddetai ... 4410_82-01

Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 12:28 pm
by Charlie
One way they keep dimensional lumber centerboards in the down position is to cast a small lead weight into the board.
Cut a suitable sized circular hole in the wood, drive some small screws part way into the perifery of the hole and fill the hole with molten lead so the lead locks onto the screws.
You can also fill the hole with epoxy that is larded with a lot of lead shot.
My D4 rudder is made from plywood and has only popped up when it hit the bottom. The 39" oak tiller may have something to do with keeping it in the gudgeons, too.
http://gallery.bateau2.comdisplayimage. ... 0905&pos=7

Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 12:52 pm
by TimF
The easiest way is to use a rudder retaining clip, mounted on the transom just above the gudgeon and pintle. It will stop a wooden rudder stock from floating up, used on many sailing dinghies including the Laser, search for "rudder clip" on Google and you will find many examples, made bt RWO, Holt Allen or make your own from a piece of Stainless Steel

TimF

Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 12:56 pm
by TimF
Ok, I must remember to read earlier posts on topics before jumping in and repeating what someone has already said.... Oh yes remember to wear glasses .......

:oops:

TimF

Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 12:57 pm
by MadRus
Wow, that was fast, thanks guys. Okay, so I'm looking at this clip, which seems cheap enough. My question is, how does it work? Do you bend it up and install the rudder and then when you release it it rests against the pintle neck? I'm a little lost here.

Oh, wait a second, I think I get it. Is it wing nuts? That must be it.

No, no, I remember this from the Sailfish now, you press it down flat to put the rudder on and take it off. That's right. Thanks again.

-Dave

Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 5:08 pm
by ericsil
I have been sailing my PK78 for a couple years now, although not that often. I had the rudder clip on since I started and have not had it pop out of the grunions unless I hit something. One of the problems I have routinely is tacking off the shore with the rigging in place before you can properly steer. The coast of Maine is rocky enough that you really don't want to be bumping along the bottom while you mess with the rudder. Before I head out next summer I'm going to replace the rudder with a folding version that can be in place when I launch.

I started out with a home-made sail as well; but once I convinced myself I would be doing this for awhile bought a professionally made one from Bateau. The up-wind performance increased quite a bit making be feel better about the cost.

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 5:07 pm
by MadRus
Hi ericsil,

I was thinking about the sail the other day, after I read your post. It struck me that, even though the lightweight canvas I've used seems extremely light to me, I have sometimes been hit with very modest and erratic winds. I think a very light and tightly woven sail cloth would allow me to make more use of those days when the winds are just a whisper. I still think I can make my own very nice sail, but I agree that I should look into some finer sail cloth.

I'm definately going to use a rudder clip from now on, and I think I may run my brailing line through a small hole in the mast partner down to a cleat on the forward bulkhead. That way, it's handy and under control.

It has been cold and damp for a few days here in the northeast. I hope we get a couple more good days of sailing in before the autumn winds come screaming in from the great white north.

-Dave

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 12:18 pm
by Charlie
Any sailboat as small as as a PK78 has a lot of performance limitations and a homebrew sail may limit it even further.
For folks who are building small because of cost it seem sensible to make a sail as well. It's hard to convince them that a sail isn't just a fancy bedsheet.
I found a professionally built sail helped me to get on with learning to sail. When things fouled up I always assumed it was my fault and not the boat's or the sail's.
Once you are comfortable with the idea that your boat and your gear are all in order it's not so worrysome when you are far out and everything on shore looks real small.
My relatives always got worried when my sail started to disappear but I never felt endangered as long as I had control of everything.

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 3:30 pm
by MadRus
Thanks Charlie. I think I see your point. I still have that "do it myself" bug, always have, always will. I've been sewing for years on my wife's old machine- slip covers, curtains, cushion covers for my boat, snap down covers for machinery, and now one sail. I'm fairly confident I can improve upon my first one. I think, if it got into adding camber, while I wouldn't be afraid to try it, I might then turn to a pro. We'll see.

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 6:54 pm
by Russ5924
Madrus, Not trying to change the subject but would you have better pictures of the inside of your GV13. Going to start mine soon and I like some of the modifications you made. I saw the plans that you had made up would like to see the inside after was finished. Thanks

Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 12:48 am
by kmccullum
MadRus, It's been some time since I checked in but I looked at your last few posts. Glad to see the weight distribution worked out. As an answer to your EZ-Cart problem, look at the smalest harbor freight trailer. The one that is only 4 feet long. I don't dunk this in the water but I take it down to the waters edge and tilt the boat off.

Here is a picture of how it works.
Image
The biggest advantage of this little trailer is that it can be towed by anything. I used to have an old GEO Metro that I towed it with.

Also, put the brailing line on. I can't imagine sailing without one now. When I get into trouble I just yank on that line and about 95% of the sail is taken out of the wind. Had I not had one a few months back, I would have ended up smacking against a jetty.

Kurt

Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 7:34 am
by MadRus
Hi Kurt,

Thanks, we're on the same wavelength. I've been checking out that model- 170.00 or something close. That's exactly what I need, especially since I'm getting rid of my truck I think- have to go with a mini-van for the kids.

I did the brailing line and it works like a charm. I'm glad I did it. Added a cleat down low too to tie it off.

Russ5924,

Let me go through my pics and see if there's anything clearer than on my site.

Have you seen the pics there?

http://www.prokofievcreative.com/Boat/BoatHome.html

Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 11:02 am
by kmccullum
They put that one on sale every now and then. I think I got mine for a little less but it's still a good deal. The only problem is that the springs are made for a much heavier load (850lbs). I'm toying with the idea of taking one or two of the three pieces of the leaf spring out so it has a softer ride.

Let me know if you need any close up shots if/when you buy the trailer.

Kurt

Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 11:49 am
by MadRus
Thanks Kurt, I will. Right now I'm vacilating between that one and the collapsible one (4' x 8') for $40.00 more on sale. If I lose the truck, it will be good to have for yard clean up, transporting the 4-wheeler, etc.

Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 7:06 pm
by Russ5924
MadRus. Those picture will do just fine must have missed them, the ones I saw was when the boat was in the water :D