I have an 21' American Fiberglass

[Perry Welch]

Lets go back to the :Short Sail", problem.
As you can see from the pictures I got the cunningham hook and attached a frictionless ring to pull tension.
I did a test run on short sail adjustments and fund that I will also need to add a plug below the gooseneck, because when I drop the sail to move the hook to the first reef point the gooseneck falls to the bottom of the mast.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Sail track stops

-Will

 

[stickinthemud57]

Hey Stick
If you would bother to look at the picture, you will see that the center board is a Dagger, NOT a swing. The only pin in it is the one on top of the Dagger that connects the cable that raises and lowers it.

Hey Perry

I'm sorry now that I bothered.

Perhaps it would have been helpful if you had referred to it as a daggerboard rather than a centerboard. A centerboard swings up into the hull of the boat. A daggerboard travels straight up and down.

That kind of snarky response to someone attempting to be helpful is unnecessary and works against you when you are trying to seek the help of others. I'll be sure not to make the mistake of responding to your queries in the future.

You're welcome.

 

[Perry Welch]

Hi Stick
I would suggest you revisit my first post when I made sure to tell all that I do not know all the correct terms and terminology. The original reply's I got from you and others (including a picture of a AF 21), gave me hope that I was indeed talking to people who knew the difference, and could indeed give me good information, and not information that I had to hope was useful.
I am just fine if the information I do get is NOT what I would LIKE to hear (bad news), as long as it is what I NEED to hear.

Have a nice day.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Actually, I am the one who both found a picture of the American 21 and first referenced the pin on the centerboard, ignoring the OP's original post stating he didn't know the nomenclature. It is easy to assume things like, a reply is flip and wasting my time, or that the other person is intentionally being sensitive. I own a19' sailboat with a centerboard, so that's where I went when I read the term centerboard and saw the image of the American. Daggerboard or centerboard or swing keel, the boat will be designed to keep everything in place. However, this type of exchange doesn't aid anyone, not the original poster, the reply poster, nor anyone reading these threads. I hope we can up our tolerance level and not assume we are being attacked when we are all just trying to enjoy talking about sailing.

I apologize for perpetuating a misconception and hope we can reset this conversation. It is a good thread that I hope to keep reading.

-Will

 

[stickinthemud57]

Good points, Will. I will try to respond (or not respond, perhaps) with more patience and tact in the future.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

I use to provide an entry level book on sailing to new sailors which helped. A suggestion to Hunter was to color code running rigging for example raise the jib halyard or red line

 

[Perry Welch]

Hi guy's
I put all your info into use and I am pleased with the results. Thankyou
Along with the improvements to the "short sailing" you helped me with, I made some changes to the hatchway on my boat.

What I would like to talk about today is "battery maintenance". Last year I rewired the boat, including the wiring in the mast. I have only the typical lighting for a 21' sailboat. Nav lights on deck and mast. Below deck I only installed two small reading lights in the "V" birth. I never did end up using any of the light except to test them a couple times, as I never took the boat out at night. When I took the boat out of the water this year to make some improvements I found the battery was dead, and my charger said it was "Bad".

Is it ok to put a battery maintainer on the system and leave the battery installed, or do I need to disconnect the battery to charge it. I have shore power available so I can plug it in. I do not have any faith in Solar, but I would listen to someone with real life experience.

 

[Davidasailor26]

The battery being “bad” could mean a few different things, anywhere from being discharged and just needing a recharge to being internally damaged and unusable.

Some questions to help narrow that down- What kind of battery is it? What kind of maintainer/charger is available on the boat? I presume the battery was just sitting connected to the DC circuits but not actively powering anything? What does the battery read for voltage with a multimeter?

 

[Perry Welch]

When I took it to "Interstate battery", and pick up a new one I asked that they test it. there meter read 3 volt. They are going to put it through a deep cycle charge and will get back to me on if the battery is any good or not.

I am more interested in information on keeping the battery charged on my boat.

 

[Davidasailor26]

If the battery’s been sitting at 3V or anywhere near that for any length of time it’s likely beyond redemption.

I am more interested in information on keeping the battery charged on my boat.

If you have access to shore power a 3 stage marine battery charger is the way to go for that. A maintainer / trickle charger won’t have the output to bring a discharged battery back up to full quickly enough to prevent it from sulfating. And a 2 stage typical car charger won’t keep the battery floating at the right voltage over time

 

[Perry Welch]

Hi Guys
New question
On the stern where the rudder mounts on the boat there is a stainless steel rod that prevents the rudder from swinging out. It is easier to launch the boat when i remove the rod so i can swing the rudder up and out of the way. It's my understanding that the rudder needs to swing if it is hit by something when underway. Is that correct?
If the rod is not suppose to be in place underway then what is it for?

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

@Perry Welch

I am having a difficult time what you have. Can you remove that rudder and take a full picture of it. Also, take a picture of the transom with emphasis where the rudder would hang.

I have never seen a rod like that on the back of any sailboat in the years of sailing nor as a dealer who also helped design sailboats. I do see a lot of holes where hardware was attached