Modifications

[Nicky17000]

No boat is perfect.
They all have some virtues and vices. Did anyone add or changed something from the original setup that considerably improved the boat's general behaviour.
This is what I did so far. When I bought our 23.5, I found that with the 110jib we where being overpowered in moderate winds and since the fairleads are fixed, it cannot be depowered.
This brought up the dillema whether to install roller reefing or get a smaller jib. finally I got a 95% jib taylor made by Doyle. Its heavier and has a higher clew so when we ease a bit the sheet, it twists slightly, so depowering the head. The result is that she sails more upright and takes longer to reef.
I added another pair of jib fairleads about a foot backwards from the original and outwards touching the toerail. I use them with the original jib and while we may lose a couple of points when closehauled, it opens the slot and backwinds less on the main. I also use a tiny line from the jib head down the hanks through a small block attached to the tack and led back to the cockpit. I use it as a downhaul; very convenient when single handed and it keeps the jib from blowing up until you pick it.
I'm also interested in any improvement to the rudder and the centreboard.
Thanks

 

[VT Fitz]

Downhaul & other projects

I've had a notion to rig a foresail downhaul too. I have all the hardware I need but haven't made it happen yet. Besides, I just send the kids up there! Were I to singlehand regularly, it would be much a higher priority.

I also have an inkling to install adjustable jib tracks but haven't pursued it yet. I have concerns about securing any hardware I might install. Backplates would be essential, IMO, and I'm not eager to cut through the cabin headliner. Foresail inefficiency is just one of the compromises I live with for now.

I have a main sheet traveler much higher on the mods list. I bought the car for cheap on eBay but still need track & track ends. I keep an eye out for track ends on eBay, but I'll have to get track through regular retail. Of course, I also need to engineer how/where to install it. There have been several threads on that subject here over the years.

I have a solar powered cabin vent that is still in the planning stage. There have been many threads on that too, especially apropos of placement. That's kinda where I'm stuck. The kids love to be on the foredeck & I'm concerned about the vent being a trip hazard and/or jib sheet snagger.

My first mod was replacing the crappy jib cleats & halyard jam cleats. Our first couple of sails, we'd have halyards release by themselves at very inconvenient times. I now have a triple line clutch for the halyards & centerboard uphaul. I installed quick release jib sheet blocks too. I posted pix of those at some point & they should be in the archives. There have been several threads on jib sheet cleats. These mods were very, very useful. Not only for convenience, but also -- and more importantly -- for safety.

I did install lazy jacks for the main, which we love having. Coming into harbor is a wet dream now. Deploy the jacks, drop the main, tie off at leisure. No sails flogging & flopping on to the deck.

I installed a hatch in the aft cockpit to access the storage room aft of the double berth easily. We love that too. The Admiral gave me a little heat about it, but she turned to me this season & said, "This hatch is really, really great. Good job. Thanks for putting it in." Better than sex, that remark...

I installed an openable port between the double berth & the starboard side of the cockpit. This mod was added as a standard feature in later years, I believe. Having a bit more light & ventilation under there is wonderful. The Admiral also approved heartily on that one.

As for other nice mods, there was a great thread recently posted on expanding the galley space. He moved the sink more to the cabin wall & expanded the counter aft so it covers the space over the cooler. More storage for galley stuff underneath & the counter's a great place to double as a small chart table. The Admiral really likes this idea & I may take a run at it this spring.

Another project I have in mind is to install a permanent icebox in the cockpit. The space aft of the galley & below the port cockpit seat seems fairly wasted. I'm thinking to install a hatch on the port/forward cockpit seat, install a liner below it, insulate the heck out of & box it in from below with glassed-in luan. It would make grabbing a drink while under sail so much easier. It would also free up space in the galley cooler for food. When the ice melts, I'd just use the hand bilge pump to empty it. I could also install a drain out the bottom, but that's probably way overkill & a needless through-hull hole. I could probably engineer a way to splice it into the sink drain, though... More thinking to do on that one!

Ah, the projects! Almost as much fun as sailing! As Water Rat says in Wind In The Willows, "Believe me, my young friend, there is NOTHING -- absolute nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."

Amen!

 

[VT Fitz]

Oh... Performance Improvements

I see you were more interested in mods to help sail her better... Sorry! I guess we're more about convenience & comforts on Grasshopper!

The traveler definitely would be a useful project in that vein.

Another project I've considered after reading this forum a while is supplemental bow cleats. It's being revisited now. When tieing off at a dock when weather is due, I always have a bit of trepidation in attaching a bow line & a spring line -- and maybe another spring line down the other side of the boat -- all to the same single cleat. I have nice stainless cleats I was going to install on the our previous boat (that's another story), so now I'm thinking it would be prudent to install them on Grasshopper.

Not really a performance mod, but a good one nonetheless.

 

[Ray T]

performance enhancements

I would suggest a spinnaker pole with bridles for a topping lift and a down haul. I know some prefer a whisker pole but they a missing one of the real benefits of the rig I am suggesting, and that is the head sail fixed firmly in place and not pumping up and down as the boat rolls. when the head sail pumps up and down you spill air out of the jib and lose power this is really apparent when you are racing. Another benefit is that you are on the way to a rig that will handle a spinnaker. Just remember the pole cant exceed the measurement of J for most club racing and PHRF. Your project sounds like fun. Ray T

 

[VT Fitz]

How about an Asym?

As a cruiser, I really can't be bothered with the fuss & muss of flying a traditional chute. Rigging it, flying it, dousing the jib, tending it... it's just more trouble than it's worth for us. We use the whisker pole often, with significant speed improvement. Very much worth the effort to rig. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't notice the pole moving much up and down, spilling air.

On the other hand, a spinnaker no doubt would be of significant benefit for a racer. However, on those odd times when I think about adding a bigger foresail, I've been rather more attracted to the idea of an asymmetrical spinnaker, which doesn't need all the extra rigging for the pole. I'm no expert on spinnakers, mind you. Just another point of view to consider.

 

[Jim Kolstoe]

ease of handling modifications

Most of the modifications to our h23 were for ease of handling and improved performance. We moved the halyards from the mast to the cockpit with a winch and double clutch. We added a cunningham and a backstay adjuster (easy with a split backstay), bought a whiskerpole and put a ring for it on the mast, bought a 150% gennie along with tracks and cars to adjust the fairlead (the most expensive modification) and added a tiller extention (so usefull that I have to question why it was not original equipment). I also faired the rudder with marinetex and then epoxied the blade. Inside the cabin we added a VHF radio (nice but not necessary on inland waters) and a switched 12v power outlet (my wife would kick me off the boat if I tried to remove it). Finally, because we had young kids, we added a hammock type storage net in the v-berth to hold their toys and books.
While not modifications to the boat, we have gone through several changes in what we keep on board as family and typical activities changed over the years.
It reflects the basic life lesson, "if it ain't broke, you can still mess with it."
Jim Kolstoe, h23 Kara's Boo

 

[Hawk4661]

Re: Downhaul & other projects

Kevin...I have a solar fan installed in my fore hatch cover.
It operates beautifully and keeps the cabin dry...hope this helps...mark<><

 

[Nicky17000]

Re: Downhaul & other projects

Thanks everyone for all the information.
Other things I did not mention; lazy jacks made life easier.
I got a cruising chute but never used it. Now the boat is hibernating for the Winter so it will have to be shelved untill next Summer.
Another modification was to the Nissan 9.9 2stroke outboard. I added four 10mm holes, two on each side of the housing, just above the horizontal plate. This has improved the pulling power in reverse without reducing forward efficiency. I had previously changed the propeller to one with less rake and more surface area.