New guy questions

Apr 17, 2020
7
Starwind 19 South Haven
Hey everyone, I have just got my first sailboat. A Starwind 19 and I have no idea how to find the parts I need. It has not been sailed in a few years, and needs new standing and running rigging. I also need to fix a small hairline crack on the top of the stern. After all that I'm thinking of painting it, but not sure on the type of paint to use.

Thanks for any information, it is very much appreciated .
 
Mar 2, 2019
609
Oday 25 Milwaukee
A very cool coat to be sure . On another website here called TrailerSailor which requires a second user name and password is a poster Named Charles Brennan who bought a Starwind 19 new in the '70s . He would be an excellant source of information for you
 
Jan 11, 2014
13,066
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Congratulations! Enjoy your boat.

A photo of the crack would be helpful. It could be nothing or it could be something. Photos help.

Painting a boat and doing a good job at it, is a major undertaking. Some elbow grease with a good cleaner/polish and some wax will make the boat shine. Polish and wax is also a lot less expensive than good quality paint. Check out this thread for tips on a good finish.

 
Sep 22, 2018
1,869
Hunter 216 Kingston
Hey everyone, I have just got my first sailboat. A Starwind 19 and I have no idea how to find the parts I need. It has not been sailed in a few years, and needs new standing and running rigging. I also need to fix a small hairline crack on the top of the stern. After all that I'm thinking of painting it, but not sure on the type of paint to use.

Thanks for any information, it is very much appreciated .
Welcome

Here is a link to the trailer sailor portion on this site.


If you use the Search feature you will find info that might help.
 
  • Helpful
Likes: Will Gilmore

capta

.
Jun 4, 2009
4,952
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
Congratulations on your new boat. Definitely rerig the boat and do any repairs necessary, but if this is your first boat, do not waste your money on paint until you have learned to sail her, dock her and all those sorts of things.
 
Apr 17, 2020
7
Starwind 19 South Haven
Congratulations! Enjoy your boat.

A photo of the crack would be helpful. It could be nothing or it could be something. Photos help.

Painting a boat and doing a good job at it, is a major undertaking. Some elbow grease with a good cleaner/polish and some wax will make the boat shine. Polish and wax is also a lot less expensive than good quality paint. Check out this thread for tips on a good finish.

 
Apr 17, 2020
7
Starwind 19 South Haven
Thanks for the info. I will post a pic later today, we got 3 in of snow yesterday. Where would be a good place to look for riggings, and how do I know I’m getting the right stuff
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,650
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
Do you have the existing standing rigging? Making new standing rigging is infinitely easier if you have the old stuff. If you have such I would go ahead and rig it up and see how it goes together. If it's complete - and don't be surprised if it isn't - then you are pretty assured you have the dimensions nearly correct. (Watch out for overhead power lines).
I agree with Capta. If you have rigging, and it isn't a mess, take it out sailing. See how it works before modifying it very much. Rigging can be expensive so if you don't like how the mainsheet system works, for instance, you can change it. Same with leads for the jib. Mast rake? It helps determine the balance of the helm. Spend time on the websites for Starwinds. BTW that seems like a lot of boat packed into 19'!
 
Apr 17, 2020
7
Starwind 19 South Haven
That’s part of my issue. I can’t seem to find anything on how everything is supposed to look when set up correctly. I had the mast up but the wire rigging had a lot of slack and I don’t know what to do about it.
 
Jan 11, 2014
13,066
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
That’s part of my issue. I can’t seem to find anything on how everything is supposed to look when set up correctly. I had the mast up but the wire rigging had a lot of slack and I don’t know what to do about it.
There should be turnbuckles at the bottom of the shrouds. Tighten them to take up the slack. Tuning a rig takes some practice and knowledge. Selden mast has a good rig tuning guide, although it may be a little overwhelming to the novice sailor.


Also check sailmaker's websites for their advice and guides.

The short story is you want the mast centered over the boat, with the mast straight, and the masthead tipped a little aft. The shrouds (wires on the side) should be snug and evenly tensioned. You get this by slowly and carefully tightening the shrouds on alternating sides.

One other thought, there should be spreaders that stick out from the side of the mast. The upper shrouds (cap shrouds) should run through the ends of the spreader. If the spreaders are missing the uppers will have way too much slack. If missing, you'll need to replace them.

Keep asking questions!
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,650
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
That’s part of my issue. I can’t seem to find anything on how everything is supposed to look when set up correctly. I had the mast up but the wire rigging had a lot of slack and I don’t know what to do about it.
OK, that's good - I mean asking a specific questions. Do you have turnbuckles or are the shrouds attached in some other way to the deck? Which wires are loose? Fore and aft, side to side or all? You'll get a lot of insight from this website.
If you don't already know sailboatdata.com has a diagram of your boat with rigging. So from that I see you have a fractional rig, lower diagonal shrouds and mildly swept back spreaders. Is your backstay adjustable - meaning is there some way to change the backstay tension that is easily adjusted? Some 2 part system like a mainsheet has, with a sliding element to increase tension on the backstay. A lot of fractional rigs have this to power up or power down the rig.
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,650
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
BTW, by the numbers that should be a pretty good sailor. Jim Taylor has done a number of well regarded designs such as the Colgate 26 and some of the Precision line. His email is www.tayloryachtdesigns.com. I'm pretty sure they can give you sources for information you may need. (All this info is from sailboatdata.com)
 

PaulK

.
Dec 1, 2009
1,418
Sabre 402 Southport, CT
You’ve most likely found this already: https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/starwind-19 ,. That and pictures from Starwind 19’s for sale would help to show how things go. Loose standing rigging can be caused by a number of things. The previous owner may simply have eased everything off to make taking the mast down faster. An overlong forestay (too much rake) can lead to loose shrouds; tightening up the forestay will fix that. It looks like you have a deck-stepped mast. Compression (squishing) of the cabin top can make the standing loose too, especially in a boat this old. Look for cracks or bends in the cabin top in the way of the mast step and the bulkhead inside for indications of this problem.
Try to avoid painting the boat (except perhaps for antifouling) if at all possible. Hopefully the topsides and deck haven’t been painted already. Gelcoat, even old gelcoat, is about ten times thicker than paint, and will last accordingly. Paint will get dinged, scratched and grow dull much more easily than gelcoat. It is a LOT of work to paint a boat. Because of the watery environment, regular housepaint preparation and materials won’t last a season. Linear polyurethanes like Brightsides and others last longer, but require meticulous multi-step surface preparation. Even they will still have a hard time staying “like new” for long. Two-part polyurethanes, like Awlgrip last much longer - perhaps ten years. They require the same multi-step preparations as the linear paints, along with a primer undercoat and multiple topcoats. They cost more, are toxic, and have to be applied with the right atmospheric conditions (temperature, humidity, dust, wind...) in order to set and finish off properly. The problem is that even with the best paint, if you paint now, you will paint again. And it is a LOT of work to paint a boat. Others have suggested polishing and waxing the gelcoat instead. A much better idea.
 
Jan 11, 2014
13,066
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Here's a link to a page of images for the Starwind 19. Some of them might be helpful. The boat looks to have a pretty traditional sloop rig, with single spreader, slightly swept back with only cap shrouds and lowers. For tuning, look for guides on a rig that has those characteristics.

images starwind 19

Jim Taylor is a good designer. His boats are attractive, with both contemporary and traditional elements. More importantly they sail well for their intended purpose. Full disclosure: I sail a Jim Taylor Design, the Sabre 362.
 
Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
Congratulations on your new boat!

Below is a link to Starwind 19 sailboat data. Also do an internet search for forum threads like the one below:
 
Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
............I'm thinking of painting it, but not sure on the type of paint to use.
You can do a search on the forum and on the internet on painting boats like the link below: