AD-14

[bondo]

The large radius cockpit seats are comfortable. The angle of the seats is too steep in my opinion.
Usually the boat is not heeling enough to level the seat tops

In fact you are sometimes on the lee side of the cockpit to induce healing. The boat does not want to sail flat.

I've anchored a few times. I anchored backwards from a rear cleat. (No swing)
The boat really swings on the painter (when tied off at the bow)

[bondo]

Deck stepped mast:
I've read people mention a compression post in the cabin when changing to a deck stepped mast.
The AD, being a catboat has its mast located forward.
If a person were to have a compression post it would not be in the way, not in the cabin. It would be just forward of "A" frame (the bow frame)

My mast is the keel stepped version per plan. It is light and works great. (A deck stepped mast will bow more than a similar keel stepped mast)

[terrulian]

I'm interested in the "won't sail flat" appraisal. I assume you mean when sailing to windward.
You don't want perfectly flat. In light air you want to induce a bit of heel by sitting on the leeward side.
Best angle of heel is what produces the best VMG and that differs from boat to boat in different conditions. Again, same test as I suggested above; sailing to weather and comparing tracks with gps or tacks when sailing to a fixed point.

[bondo]

Terrulian I'm sure I was confusing, I struggle with words.

[bondo]

How I would look to tweak the design?.... I would compress the height of the cabin. (reduce windage)
I am 6-2" and the AD cabin is plenty tall for me.
And I would reduce the angle of the seats.

[bondo]

I'm curious:
Since the AD 14 and the AD 16 share the same appendes...the same sail plan, i wondered if the AD 16 might suffer from more windage?

[bondo]

I made synthetic stays.
Be sure to get the "pre-stretched" dyneema for making them.

[bondo]

Okay, some basics about

The baseline is your cabin floor.

Your cabin floor is also the DWL of the boat (I believe)

The tops of the seats are level.

[bondo]

The tops of the windows are level.

All of these elements "agree with each other" to make the boat look in trim.

[gonandkarl]

Hi,
Earlier on you wrote

I have a removable, battery L.E.D. tri- masthead ligh

. How do you operate it ? Do you tape it to the masthead before you raise the mast and has it a remote control to switch it on or is it just mounted at the mast as high as you can reach and then switched on? I would like to also get such a light. Can you tell me the make because here in Austria it is difficult to find something like that and most probably I am better of to order exactly the model you have got from Amazon.
I enjoy reading about your sailing experience of the AD14. It will come in handy to know all these behaviours of the boat when I sail it in spring.
Greetings from Karl