New to Sailboats. Just bought an Irwin 3/4T

[PotomacSouth]

Hello everyone,

So like I said I just purchased an Irwin 3/4T which needs a little help, nothing major, halyards, most of the sheets, bottom cleaning/paint, and a hydraulic going over. (It has hydraulic forestay, backstay, vang, and baby).

I've posted in the Irwin forums but maybe will get better response here.

I've had beach cats all my live and still sail a Hobie 20 but the rigging on this boat has me scratching my head. There are many winches and tracks as well as 8 sails 2-154's, 2-Mains, a 150, a Blooper, Spinnaker, and Drifter.

Also this boat has a daggerboard with a pulley system to lift it.

The forward mounted Yanmar diesel has a drive shaft with universals bringing it around the Daggerboard housing before it goes through the hull. This is strange to me. Why not just an outboard and bracket?

Sorry for such a broken up post, but if anyone has info on this boat or pics of one rigged, or knows where one is around MD or Va I'd like to hear from you.

Thanks.

 

[BobM]

This might help for starters. I am not familiar with the 3/4T.

http://www.harken.com/rigtips/29-34ra.php

 

[Ted]

New to Sailboats. Just bought an Irwin 3/4 T

Does this look like the boat you just bought?

http://irwinyachts.com/Competition/3 qu ton/Irwin three quarter ton.jpg

It looks like a pretty radical racing boat from the mid 1970's. If you're new to sailing, you just took a GIANT leap. Looking at that pinched stern, I would think that you would have your hands full on a spinnaker run or reach. Did the pervious owner give you any background information about the boat? I would imagine that with the engine being mounted so far forward near the mast, and the fact that it is a dagger board (or centerboard) design, the prop shaft would probably need a universal joint to get around the trunk as going through it is not an option. Is the engine mounted on the port side of the boat next to the trunk? An outboard on a 34 foot boat would be a stretch for a few reasons. You would need a really long shaft outboard to get the prop deep enough to do any good. Hanging off the stern trying to reach the controls would be difficult because of the reverse transom. I would imagine that there weren't too many of these boat produced. I'm curious as to how you plan to use the boat.

 

[PotomacSouth]

Thanks for the links guys, and yes the link to the irwin website is the correct boat. The previous owner didn't know much about it. He sailed it very few time in the 13 years he owned it.

My brother in law who has about as much sailing experience as myself (I sold him a Prindle 16, and he windsurfs) is going to be my parter in this. We plan on restoring it to sailable condition and sailing locally here in the Chesapeake Bay. I think we can have it ready by January, were in no rush. So mostly recreational. There are smaller wednesday night regatta's here we plan on racing. His father owns a Beneteu First that he wants to be able to beat. Also we plan on racing the Governors Cup 2010.

I have another question about fore/backstay tension. There seems to be a lot of slop but the Hydraulic tensioners are both compressed so it seems there is no way to tension them, only loosen. Does this sound correct? All the stays and are 3/8 steel, is it possible that they have stretched over the years?

Thanks again.

 

[Ted]

New to Sailboats. Just bought an Irwin 3/4 T

It's highly unlikely that your 3/8" forestay and backstay stretched that much. There is usually a minimum of a few inches of travel in the hydraulic cylinder so you should look for other reasons for the slack stays. Are your uppers and lowers slack also? Are they at the end of their adjustment with the turnbuckle? I assume this is a keel stepped mast. Is the mast step collapsed or rotted?

 

[PotomacSouth]

When you say only a few inches you're saying they may only have 3 inches of travel? If that's so maybe I'm wrong about them being fully collapsed. I thought there would some hydraulic cylinder showing when extended but now I'm thinking they could be extended and could be drawn back in 2-3 inches. Maybe with 2 or 3 inches on each one the tension would be correct.

The side stays are taut. The mast mounts on the deck, and the daggerboard housing joins from the underside adding support. The deck looks solid and has minimal flex throughout. I'm pretty sure it's a matter of the fore/back stays requiring tension. If they are fully extended which seems to be the default if assuming the hydraulics have no pressure, then they have very little working distance. Like you say i'd give them 3 inches max.

Thanks.

 

[BobM]

How long is the First? You will probably kick butt on a run (low wetted area and you can raise the board) but I don't think she'll like the weather much as she's as light as my 30 footer.

 

[PotomacSouth]

I think the first is an early 80's or late 70's boat low 30's length.

 

[Joseph Shirley]

Hi; I did see your post under Irwin but you didn't ask any specific question. Now you ask if an outboard would have been as good as an inboard placed forward. The answer is no. That boat is a hot design to the IOR & MORC rule. The operative letter in both is O for Offshore or ocean. An outboard out in the ocean with that pinched stern wouldn't be worth squat in any kind of bad weather. It would be out of the water most of the time. The inboard is placed where it is, to help compensate for crew weight in the cockpit so the boat will sail on her lines. A normal further aft placement of the engine with that pinched stern would make her sail uphill like dragging a bucket. I'm sure Ted Irwin wasn't happy to add the extra cost and effort to put the engine there, but what he was about in that design, was making a boat that would sail further above it's rating, than someone else's design. That's the name of the game. Now that IOR & MORC have fallen into disfavor like the older CCA rule, most people race those boats under PHRF which is based on perceived boat speed, and not measurements. Consequently many of the design considerations are wasted.

Good Luck

Joe S