Ok.....As I have said before, I am new to sailing and to this boat in particular. We will be launching her for the first time next week. Ultimately, we will lease a slip, but we want to try out several lakes before deciding where to get a slip. Having said that, I would be interested to hear what your ideas are as to the best way to launch and retrieve the 23.5. I would like to know what you guys have learned over the years. As always.....thanks for the advice and input. jer
Trailering Input
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Tips
I have a 240 and I make sure that my boat is ready to be launched. You might want to make a checklist until you familiarize with all the things to do. Go through your boat and write down everything that comes to mind in order to make it easier when you launch. Put them in a logical sequence. Some of the things that I would forget were to: Make sure that the water ballast tank is closed so the boat would float easier. Remove the trailer straps. Specifically the stern ones. Be carefull when the boat is partially floating and you are about to start releasing the winch. With the boat floating, extra tension will build up and the crank can unload with avengeance. What I do is before fully inmersing the trailer, I let go some tension from the winch strap so it is less dangerous. Always keep the bow safety chain until the last minute. Good luck!
I have a 240 and I make sure that my boat is ready to be launched. You might want to make a checklist until you familiarize with all the things to do. Go through your boat and write down everything that comes to mind in order to make it easier when you launch. Put them in a logical sequence. Some of the things that I would forget were to: Make sure that the water ballast tank is closed so the boat would float easier. Remove the trailer straps. Specifically the stern ones. Be carefull when the boat is partially floating and you are about to start releasing the winch. With the boat floating, extra tension will build up and the crank can unload with avengeance. What I do is before fully inmersing the trailer, I let go some tension from the winch strap so it is less dangerous. Always keep the bow safety chain until the last minute. Good luck!
Remove or stand clear of your winch handle
when you release the winch ratchet mechanism. I back my boat down the ramp and before the winch is at the water's edge I release the winch and let the boat just rest on the bunks, but leave the hook in the bow. As I back the boat floats still attached to the trailer and if there is a hand nearby they provide help on dock lines. I have found recovery more difficult, so have taken ideas from the archives to do this more easily. The most helpful was an idea illustrated regarding how a fellow H23 owner built keel guides on his trailer; I'll let you do the research on this site or you can contact me directly for photographs of mine. I'll every so often have a slot near the ramp, so observe. Launching and retrieving tell me the most of a "captain". Imagine that boat owner scoldinig his crew at the ramp when things really go wrong offshore. "Fill your pockets with thank you's, for they never burden a craft, and bestow them gratiously" I read somewhere...A captain who chastises his crew isn't in control, but full of fear. Be gentle. Mark Major 86H23 Lesismor
when you release the winch ratchet mechanism. I back my boat down the ramp and before the winch is at the water's edge I release the winch and let the boat just rest on the bunks, but leave the hook in the bow. As I back the boat floats still attached to the trailer and if there is a hand nearby they provide help on dock lines. I have found recovery more difficult, so have taken ideas from the archives to do this more easily. The most helpful was an idea illustrated regarding how a fellow H23 owner built keel guides on his trailer; I'll let you do the research on this site or you can contact me directly for photographs of mine. I'll every so often have a slot near the ramp, so observe. Launching and retrieving tell me the most of a "captain". Imagine that boat owner scoldinig his crew at the ramp when things really go wrong offshore. "Fill your pockets with thank you's, for they never burden a craft, and bestow them gratiously" I read somewhere...A captain who chastises his crew isn't in control, but full of fear. Be gentle. Mark Major 86H23 Lesismor
Checklist
You might want to use this checklist as a starting point for your own boat. http://kobernus.com/hunter260/checklist1/checklist1.html
You might want to use this checklist as a starting point for your own boat. http://kobernus.com/hunter260/checklist1/checklist1.html
THE list and sage advice.
Between Georges excllent list and Marks "be gracious" I'd only add that it gets easier everytime you do it. Your 23.5 should be a great experience if you take your time and make an effort to be safe. Have a great time. Michael
Between Georges excllent list and Marks "be gracious" I'd only add that it gets easier everytime you do it. Your 23.5 should be a great experience if you take your time and make an effort to be safe. Have a great time. Michael
Retrieving advice
Jer, I might suggest a different approach to retrieving your boat than Geroge's that works better for me. I tie up my boat at the ramp and adjust my bow line and stern line to get the boat out away from the dock (you may need a boat hook to help line it up). Then I back my trailer down the ramp and under the boat. (Remember to lift you bow line over the trailer guide pole as you are backing down the ramp) The reason I found this works better for me is that it takes more skill to "thread the needle" to maneuver the boat by motoring it onto the trailer. And remember that this is not a power boat. Everyone has watched a fisherman drive his boat up on to his trailer. That is becasue his boat is lighter than a sailboat and he as A LOT more horsepower to skid the boat up on the bunk boards. ALSO hook your bow eye to your winch cable and winch the boat up as far as you can. When you pull it out of the water and the ballast tank drains, you may find that your bow is not all the way up in the notch. If this occurs (which it probably will) then you will want to close your ballast tank valve after it has drained and back down the ramp again and crank on the winch some more to get the boat to come up on the trailer more. Remember that with the ballast tank closed the boat will float higer and with less weight thus allowing you to pull it up higher on the trailer. Just remember to take your time and think about what you are doing. Good luck and enjoy. Jonathan
Jer, I might suggest a different approach to retrieving your boat than Geroge's that works better for me. I tie up my boat at the ramp and adjust my bow line and stern line to get the boat out away from the dock (you may need a boat hook to help line it up). Then I back my trailer down the ramp and under the boat. (Remember to lift you bow line over the trailer guide pole as you are backing down the ramp) The reason I found this works better for me is that it takes more skill to "thread the needle" to maneuver the boat by motoring it onto the trailer. And remember that this is not a power boat. Everyone has watched a fisherman drive his boat up on to his trailer. That is becasue his boat is lighter than a sailboat and he as A LOT more horsepower to skid the boat up on the bunk boards. ALSO hook your bow eye to your winch cable and winch the boat up as far as you can. When you pull it out of the water and the ballast tank drains, you may find that your bow is not all the way up in the notch. If this occurs (which it probably will) then you will want to close your ballast tank valve after it has drained and back down the ramp again and crank on the winch some more to get the boat to come up on the trailer more. Remember that with the ballast tank closed the boat will float higer and with less weight thus allowing you to pull it up higher on the trailer. Just remember to take your time and think about what you are doing. Good luck and enjoy. Jonathan
"Powering On"
Powering on is illegal at most ramps. I tie a line on the bow U-bolt and pull the boat on the trailer by hand. The deeper you get your trailer in the water the better off you'll be but you should have someone help align the boat over the center of the trailer as it pulls out.
Powering on is illegal at most ramps. I tie a line on the bow U-bolt and pull the boat on the trailer by hand. The deeper you get your trailer in the water the better off you'll be but you should have someone help align the boat over the center of the trailer as it pulls out.
launching alone
I have a 240 and usually end up going to the lake alone. First thing to do is find a clear place to park. Free of trees and power lines. Start the procedure to raise your mast, unload the car. Take the strap off and put it in the car. You won't need it until you return. Make sure the tank is closed and the line to lower the board is locked in the up position. I use a 50 foot(1/2") line, tied to the bow cleat and to the trailer. I release and remove the winch cable. Choice is yours. I have been messing with boats for about 40 years and find this a better option. Back the trailer down the ramp. Get the boat in the water and with the ballast tank closed the boat will most likely float off the trailer. Tie it to a dock or pull it up on the beach, making sure the boat is not in the way of other boaters. Wish everyone else was considerate. Go park the car. Put the keys in your pocket and lock it up. Since your trailer is the only way to get the boat home, make sure the pin on the receiver is locked and trailer is locked to the ball. Usually takes me about about an hour to launch. It would go faster if you have help. Retrieving is about an hour as well. My trailer is came with the tall poles on the rear and they do help. I have added short bunks on the front of the trailer to force the boat to the center of the trailer when retrieving it. Wish I had a pair on the back as well. These don't support the boat but position.
I have a 240 and usually end up going to the lake alone. First thing to do is find a clear place to park. Free of trees and power lines. Start the procedure to raise your mast, unload the car. Take the strap off and put it in the car. You won't need it until you return. Make sure the tank is closed and the line to lower the board is locked in the up position. I use a 50 foot(1/2") line, tied to the bow cleat and to the trailer. I release and remove the winch cable. Choice is yours. I have been messing with boats for about 40 years and find this a better option. Back the trailer down the ramp. Get the boat in the water and with the ballast tank closed the boat will most likely float off the trailer. Tie it to a dock or pull it up on the beach, making sure the boat is not in the way of other boaters. Wish everyone else was considerate. Go park the car. Put the keys in your pocket and lock it up. Since your trailer is the only way to get the boat home, make sure the pin on the receiver is locked and trailer is locked to the ball. Usually takes me about about an hour to launch. It would go faster if you have help. Retrieving is about an hour as well. My trailer is came with the tall poles on the rear and they do help. I have added short bunks on the front of the trailer to force the boat to the center of the trailer when retrieving it. Wish I had a pair on the back as well. These don't support the boat but position.
It gets easier with experience
A few more things gleened from 14 years of trailering our 23.5. We use some light utillity line to support the spreaders from the lifelines while trailering, so they don't bounce around on the deck. While raising the mast, we use these same lines to tie the shrouds to the lifelines to keep the turnbuckles from binding. If you use a simple basket hicth, it will slip as the shrouds tension and pull away from the lifelines. Always pay attention to the wind. Even with the sails in the bags, there is a lot of windage aloft that can push the boat to one side of the trailer as you winch it on. Those guide posts are very handy to get on the trailer straight. They can also be marked to indicate the depth of the trailer as you back down the ramp. But be careful, we once got them caught under the rubrail after launching and pulling the trailer out from under the boat. If you do forget to raise the rudder before retrieving the boat, do not back up. The only time I've "motored" onto the trailer, is when the marina requires that you tie up at a courtesy dock next to the ramp while you get the car and trailer. Then I've backed the trailer into the water, then motored the boat over and onto the trailer, although the motor is in neutral once you have forward speed, and I go as slow as I can while still maintaning stearage way. Mistakes happen when I'm in a rush to get on the water or on the road, so the first thing I do when I pull into the set up area is take a deep breath and mentally review what needs to be done. By the third of fouth launching of the season, I generally have set up time cut to 30 or 45 minutes, depening on how much "stuff" the family wants to stow on board. When the kids were small, I would expect to add 15 minutes to the set up time for each kid that was helping. Fair Winds, Rob S/V Kinship
A few more things gleened from 14 years of trailering our 23.5. We use some light utillity line to support the spreaders from the lifelines while trailering, so they don't bounce around on the deck. While raising the mast, we use these same lines to tie the shrouds to the lifelines to keep the turnbuckles from binding. If you use a simple basket hicth, it will slip as the shrouds tension and pull away from the lifelines. Always pay attention to the wind. Even with the sails in the bags, there is a lot of windage aloft that can push the boat to one side of the trailer as you winch it on. Those guide posts are very handy to get on the trailer straight. They can also be marked to indicate the depth of the trailer as you back down the ramp. But be careful, we once got them caught under the rubrail after launching and pulling the trailer out from under the boat. If you do forget to raise the rudder before retrieving the boat, do not back up. The only time I've "motored" onto the trailer, is when the marina requires that you tie up at a courtesy dock next to the ramp while you get the car and trailer. Then I've backed the trailer into the water, then motored the boat over and onto the trailer, although the motor is in neutral once you have forward speed, and I go as slow as I can while still maintaning stearage way. Mistakes happen when I'm in a rush to get on the water or on the road, so the first thing I do when I pull into the set up area is take a deep breath and mentally review what needs to be done. By the third of fouth launching of the season, I generally have set up time cut to 30 or 45 minutes, depening on how much "stuff" the family wants to stow on board. When the kids were small, I would expect to add 15 minutes to the set up time for each kid that was helping. Fair Winds, Rob S/V Kinship
jib halyard
I have been securing the jib halyard to the rams horn on the mast but these instructions say "Tension red jib halyard (verify it is not main halyard) so pole is about 10 degrees. Secure halyard to cleat on side of deck & lock line stopper." How does that work? I can't understand how the mast will raise if the jib halyard is secured to a cleat on the hull?
I have been securing the jib halyard to the rams horn on the mast but these instructions say "Tension red jib halyard (verify it is not main halyard) so pole is about 10 degrees. Secure halyard to cleat on side of deck & lock line stopper." How does that work? I can't understand how the mast will raise if the jib halyard is secured to a cleat on the hull?
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