rigging wrong?

[geehaw]

Well hello, New sailor, new boat owner. Bought a O-day 25 and trying to teach myself to sail. Had hard time finding wind. When I did it tried to blow me over. puckered me pretty good, twice!! Well finally did get some light winds that I could sail in and seemed to realize a problem. I was trying to steer the boat with the sails, thought this would be a good exercise. Now it's my understanding that a little weather helm is preferred? How ever to get any weather helm I had to have the jib so it was luffing slightly. And in the heavy winds, in which I was mostly in a panic trying to get sails down which I couldn't do because to much tension on them.I was unable to turn into the wind at all. Is standing rigging wrong? Or am I wrong? Oh yeah let out the main sheet next time!!!!

 

[Joe11688]

Well hello, New sailor, new boat owner. Bought a O-day 25 and trying to teach myself to sail. Had hard time finding wind. When I did it tried to blow me over. puckered me pretty good, twice!! Well finally did get some light winds that I could sail in and seemed to realize a problem. I was trying to steer the boat with the sails, thought this would be a good exercise. Now it's my understanding that a little weather helm is preferred? How ever to get any weather helm I had to have the jib so it was luffing slightly. And in the heavy winds, in which I was mostly in a panic trying to get sails down which I couldn't do because to much tension on them.I was unable to turn into the wind at all. Is standing rigging wrong? Or am I wrong? Oh yeah let out the main sheet next time!!!!

Welcome new sailor! You're going to have a lot of fun with that boat, but you're going to have to get some much needed knowledge first. This is where your local library comes in. It worked for me and it can work for you. Of course sailing lessons will get you there quicker, but this boat you have is very forgiving and it will allow you to screw up once in a while. It's not like a small day sailor with a centerboard that can capsize very easy if you zig when you should have zagged. This boat has a keel or keel/centerboard maybe, and it takes a lot to flip her. I would suggest that you take a safe boating course though. If you sail coastal waters, the U.S. Power Squadron has a great Piloting course. Another suggestion is to learn how to use a Windex or wind indicator at the top of your mast. You may already have one on a 12" bracket. This little gadget can literally teach you to sail. It's great for going downwind too. It will let you know where the wind is in relation to the sails at all times. Once you get the basic idea of how to set your sails for different wind angles, get out there with the boat and just use the Mainsail until you get the hang of it. Some O'Day 25s can't sail as well with just the Mainsail so if this is the case on your boat, run the Genoa up. Set the Mainsail and leave the Main sheet alone. If you get a large puff of wind, head up into the wind a little to spill it. Just work the Gennie sheets on tacks. The Main will swing around by itself. Take someone with you who is familiar with sailing. The key to good sailing is knowledge and experience, plus knowing your boat. Remember, if the weather conditions aren't good, don't go out. You can have just as much pleasure and enjoyment by hanging out on the boat at anchor. Good luck!
Joe

 

[geehaw]

Thanks Joe. I have read plenty so far on sailing. I want to take lessons but after buying the boat don't have the money. I have a wind indicator. And was doing good tacking back and forth but I all ways had to hold a lot of helm to go straight and couldn't make much head way. And as winds got heavier I had the helm pushed over as far as I could and it still turned down wind. I didn't go out in heavy wind. I went out with no wind the second time out and it went from no wind to 30 knots in like a half hour. The first time I went out out of Port of Valdez through the narrows in the Bligh reef (Exon Valdez oil Spill )area where there was wind but it was more then I could handle. And yes she is forgiving I had the inclimeter over 45 degrees. it was poping up and down as it spilled the wind. I have put up a ad on the bullitin board down there for someone to sail with. But there is not many sailers up here. Well thanks again

 

[Joe11688]

Thanks Joe. I have read plenty so far on sailing. I want to take lessons but after buying the boat don't have the money. I have a wind indicator. And was doing good tacking back and forth but I all ways had to hold a lot of helm to go straight and couldn't make much head way. And as winds got heavier I had the helm pushed over as far as I could and it still turned down wind. I didn't go out in heavy wind. I went out with no wind the second time out and it went from no wind to 30 knots in like a half hour. The first time I went out out of Port of Valdez through the narrows in the Bligh reef (Exon Valdez oil Spill )area where there was wind but it was more then I could handle. And yes she is forgiving I had the inclimeter over 45 degrees. it was poping up and down as it spilled the wind. I have put up a ad on the bullitin board down there for someone to sail with. But there is not many sailers up here. Well thanks again

I've only sailed one O'Day 25 years ago from Cape Cod to Bristol RI, and she sailed pretty good with just the Mainsail in 18 to 20 knot winds. It was a 1975 k/c with the CB pendant cable on a winch down below mounted on the table stanchion. I had the boat on her beam quite a bit and she sailed very well. You may need to tune your rigging a little, I really don't know. If you can get someone who owns an O'Day 25 to go out with you for an hour or so, he could probably give you a better assessment of how she should perform. If not, you're just going to have to experiment with it on your own. As you get more and more familiar with this boat, you'll discover through trial and error the best settings for your boat. Good luck with that.
Joe

 

[Sunbird22358]

If the bow of the boat is turning away from the wind (downwind?) if you let go of the tiller, it sounds to me like the mast is raked (leaning) forward instead of being slightly raked aft. Surprisinly enough, a large Genoa often produces some weather helm (boat wants to turn the bow into the wind if you let go of the tiller).
I assume this is a Keel/Centerboard 25? if so, how do you have the centerboard positioned while sailing? Lowering the CB more reduces weather helm, raising it will increase weather helm, assuming using both sails. If you were sailing with just the Mainsail, you want to raise the Cb a bit to balance the sail area, ie: raising CB moves the center of lateral resistance aft to match the fact that the center of effort of the sail is now centered on hte Main (when using just main). Sorry to throw in new terminology.... but I've been sailing too long to easily come up with a "laypersons" term for these names.

 

[Joe11688]

Try raking the mast aft a little. This should give you some weather helm.

 

[geehaw]

Thanks. I was kinda thinking the same thing from what info I can find on the rake. Going down for 6 days leaving Thursday so will hang a weight from the halyard and check it out. Yes it is the keel/ centerboard 25 but I don't recall what the position was at the time. Greg

 

[Joe11688]

Thanks. I was kinda thinking the same thing from what info I can find on the rake. Going down for 6 days leaving Thursday so will hang a weight from the halyard and check it out. Yes it is the keel/ centerboard 25 but I don't recall what the position was at the time. Greg

I've owned a Loos Gauge for years, and I break it out about once a year and check my rigging tension. I understand that they are kind of pricey today, but at any rate they're well worth owning. When you get your mast raked to where the helm feels good, it's a matter of picking a number that corresponds to the tension of the thickness of your stays, and set your upper stays to that number. I always set my lower stays to a number that is a little lower. This gadget takes all the guess work out of tuning the mast and keeping it straight. If you're using the same number for the like stays, it stands to reason that the mast is going to be straight. There are two gauges, so you need to get a gauge that will accommodate the thickness of your stays.

 

[emergpa1]

Thanks Joe. I have read plenty so far on sailing. I want to take lessons but after buying the boat don't have the money. I have a wind indicator. And was doing good tacking back and forth but I all ways had to hold a lot of helm to go straight and couldn't make much head way. And as winds got heavier I had the helm pushed over as far as I could and it still turned down wind. I didn't go out in heavy wind. I went out with no wind the second time out and it went from no wind to 30 knots in like a half hour. The first time I went out out of Port of Valdez through the narrows in the Bligh reef (Exon Valdez oil Spill )area where there was wind but it was more then I could handle. And yes she is forgiving I had the inclimeter over 45 degrees. it was poping up and down as it spilled the wind. I have put up a ad on the bullitin board down there for someone to sail with. But there is not many sailers up here. Well thanks again

damn me gee haw, you sound a bit frustrated but if you plug away you will be a hell of a sailor... i had a similar situation a few weeks ago. got my but kicked on a little lake in north Alabama. dropped sail and headed home under 9 hp and tucked tail
anyway, not all you are fighting is wind. don't forget the waves and the pitch and the undercurrents have a HUGE HUGE HUGE affect on your boat., tuck it in baby and go back out, over and over again, you are gonna be the one we go to for advice on how to sail, my advice would be to be sure you motor is best you can afford and keep at it.
keith

 

[geehaw]

Well Keith hope you are right about that. I just spent 4 days in the Prince Williams Sound!! Had weather that never happens there,sunny, hot,clear. Even got sunburned!! Well cruised a 100 miles. about 50 of that under sail. Felt a lot better about it all !0 knots of wind was about the most I sailed in. Had some bigger winds coming back but decided not to tempt fate. Plus it was a direct head wind and didn't want to take the time to tack back and forth though the narrows into Valdez. Greg

 

[emergpa1]

Well Keith hope you are right about that. I just spent 4 days in the Prince Williams Sound!! Had weather that never happens there,sunny, hot,clear. Even got sunburned!! Well cruised a 100 miles. about 50 of that under sail. Felt a lot better about it all !0 knots of wind was about the most I sailed in. Had some bigger winds coming back but decided not to tempt fate. Plus it was a direct head wind and didn't want to take the time to tack back and forth though the narrows into Valdez. Greg

Greg, that sounds nice. I read an article about sailing in your area in a book called 5o places to sail before you die. What I recall is the author's description of the abundant wildlife. I can't imagine sailing and seein a pod of orcas of the port bow. too cool for me to imagine. I hope to sail there "before I die"
keith