We get pretty windy conditions here. When sailing with whitecaps and up, I wrestle the wheel and have found the boat balances better with the the mainsail way out and flapping, with the headsail set well. I have pulled up the dagger to different levels and it helps but it does not balance the boat enough. By balancing, I mean the rudders aren't sideplowing to hold a straight line. When I look at the angle of the rudders with the mainsail pulled in enough to to stop flapping, they are cranked sideways a lot just to keep boat from rounding up. With the dagger all the way down while pointing in higher winds, the boat has swayed up and downwind a lot.?? I'm asking for help or comments as we bought the boat this december and other than that, enjoy it a lot. Thanks for any help.
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Some tweaks for rounding up
Bring the boom all the way in closer to amidships, rather than let the main flog loose outboard. Besides boom position, don't forget to harden the main sail by tightening the foot outhaul and luff downhaul to flatten the sail. Also, keep the main halyard tight. Do you have a lot of weight forward of the centerboard (Ms have daggers, Xs have centerboards)? If possible move more weight to the rear. Consider leaving the motor all the way down but freewheelilng in neutral, for more lateral resistance when steering. If these don't help then the one thing that surely will is reducing the rake in the mast. Many of us that do not have roundup problems have reduced mast rake to about 4 degrees instead of the commonly recommended 8 to 10.
Bring the boom all the way in closer to amidships, rather than let the main flog loose outboard. Besides boom position, don't forget to harden the main sail by tightening the foot outhaul and luff downhaul to flatten the sail. Also, keep the main halyard tight. Do you have a lot of weight forward of the centerboard (Ms have daggers, Xs have centerboards)? If possible move more weight to the rear. Consider leaving the motor all the way down but freewheelilng in neutral, for more lateral resistance when steering. If these don't help then the one thing that surely will is reducing the rake in the mast. Many of us that do not have roundup problems have reduced mast rake to about 4 degrees instead of the commonly recommended 8 to 10.
yeah...
What nightsailor said. Reefing helps also. We get plenty of wind here in the flatlands of Kansas!
What nightsailor said. Reefing helps also. We get plenty of wind here in the flatlands of Kansas!
blown out main
good info. would a stretched out mainsail add to the problem? I think I have it pulled as tight as I can on the luff and halyard. thanks for help
good info. would a stretched out mainsail add to the problem? I think I have it pulled as tight as I can on the luff and halyard. thanks for help
get new sails
If your sails are stretched out to the point that you need to sail as you described in the first post, then it's high time to get new sails. A properly cut sail of sufficient weight should be able to take the high winds no problem, and not flap or cause too much weather helm. Any decent sailmaker can tailor the sails to your sailing conditions. For windy conditions, they can cut the sails with less draft, so you can have the sails set properly and not have too much weather helm. Beyond being shaped better for your conditions, a new(er) sail will respond to the various control lines better. I.e., tightening the halyard, outhaul, and vang will actaully flatten the sail and enable you to sail longer without reefing. No, I don't work for a sail loft, I'm just a guy who had really crappy sails for a long time and finally could afford to upgrade last year. Let me tell you, the difference was like night and day.
If your sails are stretched out to the point that you need to sail as you described in the first post, then it's high time to get new sails. A properly cut sail of sufficient weight should be able to take the high winds no problem, and not flap or cause too much weather helm. Any decent sailmaker can tailor the sails to your sailing conditions. For windy conditions, they can cut the sails with less draft, so you can have the sails set properly and not have too much weather helm. Beyond being shaped better for your conditions, a new(er) sail will respond to the various control lines better. I.e., tightening the halyard, outhaul, and vang will actaully flatten the sail and enable you to sail longer without reefing. No, I don't work for a sail loft, I'm just a guy who had really crappy sails for a long time and finally could afford to upgrade last year. Let me tell you, the difference was like night and day.
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