So funny... I was on this site less than an hour ago after you mentioned the cost of the mod looking for dimensions
The Newb went sailing for the first time solo
- Thread starter RideTheWind
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great minds.... If you start looking for a new sail, try an internet store in Annapolis - they ship to your door.So funny... I was on this site less than an hour ago after you mentioned the cost of the mod looking for dimensions
http://www.baconsails.com/sailsearch
Knuttle is right, as is Piotr, My Mac 21 does not sail well with jib only. Mine is a masthead rig rather than fractional(which means the jib/forestay goes to the head of the mast) with about a 100% jib which is a little small. On many boats other than this one, the jib is the 'engine' but not the V21. I can sail all day with just the main or the main reefed. keel all the way down, but rarely locked unless I'm sure there won't be a grounding. In this configuration, there might be a bit of 'weather helm' though. with both main and jib up, the boat is easily balanced and I have soloed many times in all but the heaviest wind like this.
Good luck on the 'new' boat!
Good luck on the 'new' boat!
On most sloops, jib doubles the speed by creating a "jet nozzle" effect with the main. That's why the benefit of a jib is not it's surface area, but how it interacts with the mainsail. That's why carrying a jib alone is really counterproductive.
My rig is a mast head as well.
I do have a Genoa, but I'll definitely work on my sailing before I rig up the genoa.
Okay so today I took a little sail, maybe an hour and a half. I had fairly strong winds again today. Another breezy day at Topaz Lake. The wind report said it was 20 mph gusting to 22... This photo is when I was mototring back to the marina. So one question. Am I suppose to be experiencing moments of shear terror? I had a couple of times that it did heel a good bit and I popped the jib and main loose and it did right itself as I turned into the wind. I think a good portion of my well... panic is what it probably is, is that I don't know the limits of the boat, and I have never sailed a single hull boat to compare. I think I need to install an angle meter and figure out what is a safe angle and what is not. It might be that this boat is doing exactly what it should and has plenty left, I just don't want to find the limit by accident. Anyway it was exciting and the tips did help. I roller reefed the main about 2/3 or so. and the only issue was that the boom sagged quite a lot, so I'll have to figure that out.
The wind actually picked up a bit after this picture and the stays were whistling some.
The wind actually picked up a bit after this picture and the stays were whistling some.
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I think it's part of the challenge, so, yes. Our boats are light, and get tossed around pretty easily. Keeping her on her feet can be quite an intense experience.
If you need a number to tell you how scared you should be... Well, okay then.
"A man's got to know his limitations."
I would say 90 on the clineometer is bad. I have to say, I have never reefed and I can think of more than a few times I wish I had. I do plan on setting up the single line reefing this year tho. The hardware is there, just never put the line on.
No, you were doing it exactly right. And if you don't, the boat will round up on it's own, but I would not recommend it, as it means loss of control. The most I heeled was about 30 degs. The MacGregor manual states the boat (Mac 25) was designed to sail with a 10-15 deg heel angle. If you heel more, you lose speed. It also means you have too much sail. BTW, is the boat handling better with both sails up? 20 mph is the PERFECT wind for Mac 25 - not sure how V21 is behaving...
another way to judge if you are heeling too much is if your rail is in the water. One more thing - buy a couple of velcro straps from west marine and put them on your pop top legs to keep it down. That way even if you broach (lay on the side) the poptop will stay in place and water will not get inside.
I think I am heeling at least 30 at times. Of course I might be wrong. I tend to pop the sheets when I feel that the water may come over the rail. It hasn't yet but it is certainly threatening it. It did handle better with some main especially while trying to point the boat. It still wanted to heel a lot at times, but I was able to get it under control.
I also am not entirely happy with the whole rollers reef setup. The boom sags into the cockpit and is a danger in shifting high winds. Also I am finding the main sheet wonky. It ends up right behind my left side and the rudder is in my right hand. This tends to happen right when the wind is making the boat heel. I would rather have the option to have the main sheet rigged to the front of the cockpit somehow.
there are plenty of posts here regarding the main sheet. if you want the mid-boom mainsheet, then you'll need a traveller.
And I will have to get my Main modified for reefing
so it seems that there is a hole in the water I can toss money into...WHATEVER gave you that idea? That's what i said to my wife, when I installed a $30 new mainsheet block (used, of course)....And I will have to get my Main modified for reefing
Don't newbs have a tendency to overestimate both heel and wind??
Some of us LIKE to sail with the rail in the water - slow or not.
The sheer terror is known as excitement!
The terror lessens with experience and you know better what your boat can really do.
Usually the crew gives up before the boat does
Boom roller reefing on early Ventures is USELESS. Just my findings.
Our Venture has bolts to lock down the pop-top tight. Not yours?
We switched our main - sheet from stock end boom to mid boom. Don't have a traveler installed yet but I have one - no point in installing it until we replace our blown out main sail. We still get around.
When the winds are up and the admiral has had enough we go to mainsail only.
B.O.A.T. You do know what that stands for right??
Some of us LIKE to sail with the rail in the water - slow or not.
The sheer terror is known as excitement!
The terror lessens with experience and you know better what your boat can really do.
Usually the crew gives up before the boat does
Boom roller reefing on early Ventures is USELESS. Just my findings.
Our Venture has bolts to lock down the pop-top tight. Not yours?
We switched our main - sheet from stock end boom to mid boom. Don't have a traveler installed yet but I have one - no point in installing it until we replace our blown out main sail. We still get around.
When the winds are up and the admiral has had enough we go to mainsail only.
B.O.A.T. You do know what that stands for right??