Took my Vega home

[Douglas Pollard]

I purchased my Albin Vega 2225 Named Sealegs a couple months ago in
Elizabeth city North Carolina. I paid to much for her as I usually do,
but am happy with her anyway.
Well my wife and I got Sealegs up to Deltaville Va. We had a nice
trip but had to motor a lot more than I would have liked. We sailed from
the Elizabeth river at Norfolk up the bay in SW to NW winds from 5 to
20 knots with some gusting to likely 25. We kept a full main but
shortened the jib way down when in areas of higher gusts. I was really
surprised that there was so little difference in the helm with only a
rag of jib still set. The main has full battens I did not use the bottom
batten as it was missing one end cover so I didn't want to damage the
batten pocket.
A few things need repair. The water tank which is steady leaking
around the fittings needs a little teflon tape. Easy to repair! The
gusher builge pump needs a repair kit. The rear engine main leaks a
little when setting, but does not seem to leak when the engine is
running. Looks to be not too hard to replace that seal which I think is
nothing but a standard industrial seal. There are other similar repairs
to be made some of them electrical. The former owner did some
electrical improvements that have to be redone as the wiring is too
light and is not up to speck. He tried!
The topsides need repainting and I will paint the nonskid as glass
is showing through and the nonskid is worn through. The hull sides had
been painted at one time but has since worn through in some places where
fenders have ridden so that will also be redone. This is all work I
can do as I have built several boats and painted them. I have not
found any serious problems. The previous owner did a nice job of
replacing some wood that needed it in the cabin and repainting so she
looks good inside.
My wife is a canvas worker and seamstress so a new dodger is in the
works as well as a Bimini as we are too old to set out in the sun. The
cabin cushions look pretty good but the foam is about shot so she will
redo all that next winter. By Spring of 2011 she should look pretty
nice.
I would like to keep the old engine if I can find rebuilding parts
before time to rebuild. This engine seems good for now. I grew up with
similar engines in boats in the early 1940s. I know of no other two
cylinder engine that runs a quiet and smooth as does that Volvo with
it's big heavy flywheel carrying momentom through between fireings. She
actually has the pleasant sound some akin to a steam engine when setting
in the cockpit listening to run at about 1600 rpms. At rebuilding
time, if I can't find parts I may be able as a machinist to re-babbitt
the bearings and re bore the connecting rods and mains. If need be the
cylinders can be re-bored and some other standard piston might be
used. This all assumes that parts will not be available. I feel she is
a far supiorior engine to any of the newer engines like Yanmar and
Kabota and the other cheaply built motors now available. I would not
hesitate to spend the same amount of money to rebuild my volvo as the
price of a new engine. This engine developes it's horsepower at 2000
rpm where the newer ones develop thier power at 3600 RPM, are hard to
crank and sound and run like they are on their last legs.
I have a really fine and safe place to keep her. She is in a cove
in Jacksons Creek in Deltaville Va. where three sides are closely
protected by land with one side open but there is only about 200 yards
of fetch across the water. A perfect place with us living a couple
hundred miles away. I have friends that live on the creek so they
will check on her in Northeasters when there are very high tides. I of
course will have to do what needs to be done in hurricanes which is have
a nearby marina haul her for really bad storms. I have kept a couple
different boats there about 40 years ago with the present owners
father. The son has allowed the place to run down. I am sure that
when his mother passes on he will build condos there and that will be
the end of that marina. Maybe I will buy a condo if my money ship comes
in.

Douglas Pollard Albin Vega Sealegs 2225
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

 

[btfag0s]

Hi Douglas,

You'll find it much more comfortable, and probably faster, if you reef the
main early, and before you think about reefing the jib.

Alisdair

 

[dougpol1]

Alisdair you are of course absolutely right. I could have in the
morning or midday reefed the Main when wind was only 5 to 10 and then
rolled up a small part of the jib. Sailing would be faster and easier.
Never the less I found that when reefing the jib there was almost no
change in helm though the boat did slow some. All in all the sailing
was very comfortable. Some boats I have sailed would have required
fighting the helm all the way or having to fire up the engine and
possibly taking down sail. I am Almost 76 my wife 70 and its been ten
years since we have sailed extensively up and down the coast etc. With
this in mind we both know we have a lot to relearn.
I am a pretty good boat carpenter and plan to build a new wooden
boom with the correct shape to roll up a reef and maintain a level boom
and a properly shaped sail. I have sailed a lot of miles and the old
German Roller furling is by far the best there is. The modern roller
reefing around a modern straight aluminum boom was a disaster. As a
result it was replaced by slab reefing which I have never used but have
on Sea legs. I plan to use it this summer but will likely do away with
it next winter.
I would be willing to bet almost anything that the original Vega #1
which was wooden had a properly shaped wooden boom and roller furling
and the builder went to an aluminum boom on the production models. Most
American builders tried the same thing with complete failure. I wonder
if there is still know how where building a boom for roller furling is
concerned. Doug

Douglas Pollard Albin Vega Sealegs 2225
Alisdair Gurney wrote:

 

[groundhogyh]

Hello Douglas Pollard,I too feel the same way about my motor.
It sounds beautiful. I have had people turn their heads to my vega when i come by. My motor seems in good shape, but I would also consider rebuilding rather than buying new, just for that beautiful sound.Royvega #1813

 

[wxt8981]

dear friends and VEGA sailors;
I wish to thank you for the many e-mails I received because I no longer own VEGA 257.
Trust me- I plan on remaining a part of this VEGA group. Old sailors don't just disappear.....
Wilhelm

 

[groundhogyh]

Douglas,I would be interested in seeing the boom shape that you choose.
Roy

 

[dougpol1]

Roy I think the British Vega group is familiar with the oringinal Veg
#1 I will email the group and find out what I can about the reefing on
that boat. I at one time had a Japanese boat Yokahama 21 she had roller
furling on the boom. As I remeber the forward end of the boom taperd
down in a kind of rounded shape. This accomadeted The bolt rope that
it had along the luff. My sail has tape and track slides so I will have
to experiment with a boom shape that will work with that. The forwrd
2/3 of the boom should need to be somewhat larger to take up the
looseness of the luff area. I seems to me that the aft part of the
boom got smaller in a long taper. I guess this was to keep the leech
from pulling forward and allowing the aft end of the boom to droop. AS
I remember the topping lift hight had to be adjusted just right to also
keep the boom from drooping but also keep some tension on the leech of
th sail. Likely since none of this was perfect there may have been some
small loss of sail efficiency. I don't remember it being noticeable
and I don't remember envying anyone with slab reefing. Any way I plan
to experiment with it come late fall.
Douglas Pollard Albin Vega Sealegs 2225
groundhog wrote:

 

[groundhogyh]

Thankyou Wilhelm,I look forward to your posts as i have always enjoyed them.
When you talk, I listen.. LOL.roy

 

[dougpol1]

Wilhelm, If your experience with Your Vega is anything like my
experience with other boats I have owned you will likely find that you
looking back will come to understand better about the design of the
boat. I came to my Vega forty years after sailing one and coming then
over time to appreciate her. I believe I understand much more about
about some I have owned than I ever did when I was sailing them, both
good and bad. I have come to believe that most of the vices that a
design might have are related to the compromises the designer made to
make room and comfort the future buyer of the vessel. I hope you will
stay with the group and post because I feel sure you will have a better
understanding than most of us presentably sailing the design. I will be
looking forward to your posts and opinions, where your Albin Vega is
concerned. Doug


Douglas Pollard Albin Vega Sealegs 2225
groundhog wrote:

 

[groundhogyh]

Douglas,
That shape makes a lot of sense.Do you think the same thing could be achieved with a foam shape sewn into the foot of the main sail?Roy

 

[dougpol1]

Yes I think that would work for a while anyway. The thinking was with
the straight boom to put pieces of foam in as the sail is rolled up.
This I think was nothing more than a poor attempt to correct a really
bad roller reefing design. The problem I see with putting the foam in
the sail is that flogging and sunlight will turn the foam into a powder
in not too long a time. If the foam could be put in zipper pockets it
might be replaced once a year or so. OF course zippers also create a
problem as they don't last long in sunlight either, if made of plastic.
They would likely have to be replaced every couple years as well.
Shapeing a boom is a heck of a job but it is a lasting one. The
first thing you need to do is cut lengthwise the wood for the sail track
to fit into so the track will be straight and not curved as it would if
following the outside shape of the boom unless you want to curve the
bottom of the sail to fit the boom. If after the track slot is cut you
in a long piece of wood say 3"X3" you then plane the corners off you
have an 8 sided boom then go around and plane the corners off again you
have a 16 sided piece of boom. You might want to plane the corners again
so it is 32 sided. Give it a good sanding and now all those corners are
gone and it is round. The ends then have to be planed small then get the
right taper this is the hard part. The shape as far as I know is pretty
much by guess and by golly. There doesn't seem to be any formula to go
by.
There might be a possibility of gluing foam to a straight boom
but here again it will need to be replaced every few years. Doug

Douglas Pollard Albin Vega Sealegs 2225
groundhog wrote:

 

[pjacobs55]

I was not going to comment on this, but .... there's a good reason boom roller reefing died out: slab reefing.

http://www3.telus.net/sailing/slab.jpg

60 seconds at the dock, or 90 seconds while underway, and perfect sail shape on all three reefs! As the Staples button says, "That was easy".

I promise to say no more ;-)

Peter
#1331 'Sin Tacha'

 

[dougpol1]

Peter, It would be great if we had someone to post a comparison of the
same reefing using a properly shaped boom. As far as I know there aren't
any such booms on modern production boats. The Germans built keeled
canoe sloops for Navy officers to race against each other in the
1930's but they were a class boat and raced against each other so you
can't compare them to some other boat with slab reefing. The Japanese
did the same thing after WW2 with the Yokahama boats so again there is
no comparison as they were also class boats. I am just one that thinks
we don't know how roller reefing would stand up against slab reefing.
As far as I know there has never been any comparison between the two.
On the Y21, I had you just went forward cranked down the boom and locked
it in place. You didn't even have to luff up. It just worked. I don't
know if the shape was perfect or not as I was young and not all that
experienced a sailor but I do have to say it was OK with me. Doug
Douglas Pollard Albin Vega Sealegs 2225
Peter wrote:

 

[j.hunter9999]

Having employed both systems, I think you are both correct. Provided that sail shape is taken care of (via padding sewn in or some other permanent placement), roller reefing offers a wider variety of reefing options (virtually unlimited) compared to slab reefing. In addition, there is no way to blow a reef point with roller reefing. (Although, I've never actually spoken to anyone who personally experienced this problem.) However, slab reefing is much quicker to employ and shake out (halyard-tack-halyard-clew), and it is possible to run the lines to the cockpit and avoid ever going on deck to reef (highly desirable in rough seas or when one has forgotten to reef early).

Jack

 

[pjacobs55]

Douglas,
Hmmmm .... I think you would need a boom shaped like an Anaconda that had swallowed a donkey to get the main shape nice and flat LOL ;-)

When in conditions that require reefing I think it's very important to be able to sail upwind if needed. A nice tight main is required for that.

When I bought Sin Tacha she had a bagged-out main and roller boom reefing. For the pre-purchase test sail I took the broker out on a gusty 25 knot windy day. He was a seasoned offshore sailor, thank goodness. We rolled in a reef and tried to beat back to the docks, but the sail shape was so poor a close reach was all we could manage, and we ended up motoring in.

After repairing some seams and rips in the old main I installed two sets of slab reef points and have never looked back. Even that old baggy main pulled nice and flat for upwind sailing!

A well-setup set of reefing lines, whether controlled from the mast or from the cockpit, take all the stress out of pulling in a quick reef that will allow you to sail as close to the wind as a full main.

I've since built a new main (full batten, loose foot) with three sets of slab reef points, although I've yet to use the third reef. (I find it easier to drop the main and sail under jib only when the weather turns really nasty).

Peter 'opinionated slab (jiffy) reefing advocate'
#1331 'Sin Tacha'

 

[stevebirch2002]

Hi

Interested in the loose footed main. Never seen one on a Vega before... Reasoning behing the loose foot?

Cheers

Steve B

 

[dougpol1]

Peter, I think you, in a way, made my point. I have used such a boom and
main and it works so I don't have to think, I know. You are describing
a strait boom and I have already stated that they don't work. The boom
doesn't need to look like a snake. A difference of 1" in boom diameter
takes up about 3 inches of sail concidering that is the difference in
circumference. So here the problem is that 1" difference is possibly
too much. If the track slides wind on the forward end of the boom that
is a problem so the forward end of the boom needs to be behind the
leading edge of the sail with it's track slides winding around. I wish
we had some older Japanese members here that might have sailed those
Yokohama boats I'm sure they would confirm what I am saying. If there
is a problem in shape at all it is that the fullness of the sail may
become too tight and flat, not too loose, as the sail is rolled way down
to become very small.
The sail shape may not be perfect as needed for racing where you
have crew to reef but not far from it and certainly fine for cruising.
If a boom is used like I describe you still have the old one and if you
want to race all you have to do before leaving the dock is switch booms
about 10 minutes work. I am not convinced you will win any more races
though.

Douglas Pollard Albin Vega Sealegs 2225
Peter wrote:

 

[dougpol1]

Steve I have an Elver 20ft canoe yawl that I built. She has a loose
footed main and the only advantage I can see is, it can be a deck
sweeper without knocking someones brains out.
I you have any interest in the boat, Google Elver canoe yawl by Steve
Redmond. Pretty little cruising boat! Draws about 3" forward and 12"
astern. makes a nice beach cruiser. Run her up on a beach and back her
off when it's time to leave.
Douglas Pollard Albin Vega Sealegs 2225
Steve Birch wrote:

 

[eliassonguitars]

So what do you do with the wang???

Sailing in tough winds without a wang is horrrible IMO.

I´ve had 2 boats with roller reefs, one with a "correctly" shaped wooden boom. It cannot be compared to slab reefing, which I find to be very superior.
On a roller reef, you cannot put enough force backward on the lower part of the sail, which is an important thing in making a flat shape in the sail.

When sailing alone or shorthanded, slab reefs which you can control from the cockpit is a must IMHO.

Anders

 

[pjacobs55]

Hi Steve,
When I built my new main my sailmaker/mentor suggested a loose foot, full battens, and a full roach.

The loose footed main needs stronger clew and tack patches than a bolt rope main, as all the stress is on these two points. The clew attaches with a metal "slug" in the boom slot, and is controlled with a mini four-part tackle and cam cleat. There's quite a pull on the clew line, even in light winds.

Sail shape is easier to adjust than with the old shelf-footed main with flattening reef. A full sail shape can easily be set in light winds, creating a little more drive in the main. In higher winds the main can be flattened out to reduce heal. The only downside to the loose foot is sometimes the foot will flutter, but a small foot line cures this annoyance.

Tying off sails, or putting on reefing ties is easier, as they do not go around the boom ... a good thing if you forget to undo them when shaking out a slab reef! Also, a loose-footed main is easier to bend and unbend from the boom, especially with a full batten main.

So, I guess fewer parts, easier to build, and easier to make effective adjustments pretty well sums it up.

There's an article by FX Sails here:

Loose Foot vs. Attached Mainsail

www.fxsails.com

Hope this helps,

Peter
#1331 'Sin Tacha', foot loose and fancy free