Im looking to sail my oday 272 single handed. Does any one suggest any ideas on how to handle the main sheet and the tiller at the same time being that the maine sheet is located on the starboard housing.
Pat
Pat
Single handling an O'Day 272
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I single hand a catalina 30 all of the time. It is a piece of cake. Get yourself a good tiller pilot and also something to lock the tiller down if need be. I had a tiller tensioner on the tiller and a tiller pilot and did great on a Hunter 22 as well.
You won't have to mess around with the main sheet as much as the jib sheet. Leave the mainsheet alone and use the tiller pilot to tack the boat. You can then sheet the jib.
I have also steered with my legs and used my arms to sheet the jib. Very possible and easy to do if need be.
have fun and good luck!
You won't have to mess around with the main sheet as much as the jib sheet. Leave the mainsheet alone and use the tiller pilot to tack the boat. You can then sheet the jib.
I have also steered with my legs and used my arms to sheet the jib. Very possible and easy to do if need be.
have fun and good luck!
You can make a pretty effective tiller brake by tying a 3/8" line to the toe rail or the base of a convenient stanchion on one side; loop one turn over the tiller then over the standing part of the line then to the other side of the boat and tie it off.. experiment with tension in the line to get the braking action you want. The chafe when moving the tiller is hard on the varnish! There may be some pictures on this site of several ways to hold the tiller while you attend to something..
The best thing is, practicing it more & more
you'll get to use the boat, more & more!
My suggestion, to piggyback on the autopilot ideas, consider centering the traveler when you start out and sail close reach not close hauled, just yet. Get a feel for it and think of using the traveler to dump the main rather than the sheet.
Once you get more comfortable with that then you can come up closehauled and pull the traveler up if need be.
Don't be afraid the try things, like a fisherman's reef (a little backwinding of the main) or, even better, put a reef in the main even if you don't need it and see how it feels.
The keep going out on your boat, more & more. I see lotsa
coming your way.
Many of us went through exactly what you're planning, so even we can all say: It's very "doable."
Fair winds, all the best you'll love.
Oh, also learn, if you haven't how to heave to, for singlehanding it's great.
You're not the only one thinking of this, see: http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19299
you'll get to use the boat, more & more!
My suggestion, to piggyback on the autopilot ideas, consider centering the traveler when you start out and sail close reach not close hauled, just yet. Get a feel for it and think of using the traveler to dump the main rather than the sheet.
Once you get more comfortable with that then you can come up closehauled and pull the traveler up if need be.
Don't be afraid the try things, like a fisherman's reef (a little backwinding of the main) or, even better, put a reef in the main even if you don't need it and see how it feels.
The keep going out on your boat, more & more. I see lotsa
coming your way.Many of us went through exactly what you're planning, so even we can all say: It's very "doable."
Fair winds, all the best you'll love.
Oh, also learn, if you haven't how to heave to, for singlehanding it's great.
You're not the only one thinking of this, see: http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19299
My LAst boat was a C&C 27 and I had no problems at all. I had a tiller pilot but I did not use it a lot. I added a tiller tamer and I used that a lot more. You can be one up on ebay pretty cheap and the are very easy to install.
A lot of things depend on what you plan as far as single handing. Going out for a day sail requires much less than heading out on an over night trip. I think single handing makes you a better sailor. when you are out the and something goes wrong the really ain't anyone else to point a finger at.
The c36 I have now is a little more of a handful as far as hoisting the mainsail by myself but other than that it is not a problem.
Good luck and have fun
A lot of things depend on what you plan as far as single handing. Going out for a day sail requires much less than heading out on an over night trip. I think single handing makes you a better sailor. when you are out the and something goes wrong the really ain't anyone else to point a finger at.
The c36 I have now is a little more of a handful as far as hoisting the mainsail by myself but other than that it is not a problem.
Good luck and have fun
I totally (plus 10%) disagagree. You have no business using and depending on something like a tiller pilot until you can competently handle the boat without it. It's a convienience that can fail at any moment. Most things like this fail at a time when learning how to do without it would be a potentially dangerous distraction.
You can singlehand this boat without electronic hellp. Learn how to do it before buying a tiller pilot.
A couple of ideas:
Put the mainsheet and traveler in one position and leave it. (If the mainsheet and traveler are at the stern, you should be able to handle these from tiller position).
To adjust the jib sheets, if you have stern cleats near the tiller position, run the sheets around the winch to help snub the lines but cleat them off at the stern cleats, close to where you are. Again, if the place you sit is close to the sheet winches, you can frequently manage the jib sheets from that position.
Head up to take the pressure of the jib sheets so you don't have to overcome a lot of force or grind the winches. Need to make a fine adjustment, just head up again and do it.
Do things one at time...it takes a little longer and might look a little sloppy, but after all, you're singlehanding.
You should have no problem with the O'Day 272....just do it the first few times in light to medium winds so you can work out the best procedure for you and your boat.
Good luck.
Put the mainsheet and traveler in one position and leave it. (If the mainsheet and traveler are at the stern, you should be able to handle these from tiller position).
To adjust the jib sheets, if you have stern cleats near the tiller position, run the sheets around the winch to help snub the lines but cleat them off at the stern cleats, close to where you are. Again, if the place you sit is close to the sheet winches, you can frequently manage the jib sheets from that position.
Head up to take the pressure of the jib sheets so you don't have to overcome a lot of force or grind the winches. Need to make a fine adjustment, just head up again and do it.
Do things one at time...it takes a little longer and might look a little sloppy, but after all, you're singlehanding.
You should have no problem with the O'Day 272....just do it the first few times in light to medium winds so you can work out the best procedure for you and your boat.
Good luck.
More ideas:
If you don't have a topping lift (line to support the boom from top of mast, with adjustment at one end (boom end) so you can slack it off when sailing so it doesn't affect sail shape), then add one. It doesn't cost much and it will keep the boom from beating you and the boat when raising and lowering the sail. A pig tail on the backstay, will cause difficulties if you try to use it while hoisting sails...it's just intended to support the boom after sails are down.
Head into the wind to raise and lower sails. Slack off sheets so that the boat stops sailing and the sails won't fill when you are trying to raise or lower them. In heading up, favor one side just a little so that the sails then to stay just a little one side of the centerline, so that you can go up the other side and not get beat by the sail.
For attachment of jib sheets, use a rope connection...avoid shackles since they can really hurt if they hit you in the head.
Watch the boom for movement so it won't hit you.
If your mainsail doesn't drop or raise easily, spray the slides with McLube Sailkote.
In a few cases, one might need to use a downhaul sheet on the jib, although personally, I've never used one.
If your halyards are at the mast, a nice option, but not necessary is to route the halyards back to the cockpit and cleat them off there, so you can handle the sails from the cockpit.
A nice to have accessary (but not necessary) is a mainsail flaking system such as a "Dutchman" system (a particular brand) or lazy jacks.
If you don't have a topping lift (line to support the boom from top of mast, with adjustment at one end (boom end) so you can slack it off when sailing so it doesn't affect sail shape), then add one. It doesn't cost much and it will keep the boom from beating you and the boat when raising and lowering the sail. A pig tail on the backstay, will cause difficulties if you try to use it while hoisting sails...it's just intended to support the boom after sails are down.
Head into the wind to raise and lower sails. Slack off sheets so that the boat stops sailing and the sails won't fill when you are trying to raise or lower them. In heading up, favor one side just a little so that the sails then to stay just a little one side of the centerline, so that you can go up the other side and not get beat by the sail.
For attachment of jib sheets, use a rope connection...avoid shackles since they can really hurt if they hit you in the head.
Watch the boom for movement so it won't hit you.
If your mainsail doesn't drop or raise easily, spray the slides with McLube Sailkote.
In a few cases, one might need to use a downhaul sheet on the jib, although personally, I've never used one.
If your halyards are at the mast, a nice option, but not necessary is to route the halyards back to the cockpit and cleat them off there, so you can handle the sails from the cockpit.
A nice to have accessary (but not necessary) is a mainsail flaking system such as a "Dutchman" system (a particular brand) or lazy jacks.
I used to have a 272LE, and never found it too difficult to single hand, with no electronics. It was not a hard boat to balance, and I could manage almost everything from fairly near the wheel. I would use the wheel lock for the few seconds I needed to trim the sheets, but it was not much use. You nshould be able to handle it more easily with the tiller being tied to the jib sheet to help hold it on course. The one big problem I had was lowering the maninsail. Furling the jib was easy, but whenever I would turn her into the wind, she would get back on a tack before I could easily get the main down. I eventually rigged a downhaul line from a snatch block at the base of the mast, whcih I led back to the cockpit, and that helped quite a bit, though I never found a perfect solution. Given that problem, I was especially careful in building weather to head back or douse the main early, rather than leave myself with that job in howling winds.
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