Home Forums Forum Rudder Up-haul/Down-haul and Capsize Drill

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    • #51084
      Windychippy
      Participant

      Thank you Oliver for your last reply in the “How to search the Forum” post.
      I have deviated from that Topic Title so thought it best to start another thread with regard to this posts Topic Title.

      Your points on the Rudder Up-haul system have been noted and as you say the drag of a bit of line will not be noticed by Pensioners, along with so much more I don’t notice.
      With regards to smoothness of operation I have inserted two Harken blocks side by side in the rear top end of the Rudder stock. “See Pics” Hopefully this will work and make the operation smoother. Iv’e also moved the up-haul line 1/3 down the rudder ( mock up in pic. with a temp. line )
      I have also noticed the top front edge of the rudder is tight in the stock, so I will need to sand this down as it sticks at the moment making up-haul difficult.
      You are correct with regard age, strength and mobility, things are getting just a little tougher.

      With regard to Capsizing,
      I was persuaded to install an “Aero Luff” Sail head inflation bag into the head of the Main-sail which was executed beautifully by X-Sails. Of course this only stops the Dinghy from inverting if the Main-sail is up. On my recent Maiden, this did indeed work well.
      When finishing the Dinghy build, I designed and installed a set of extendable lines to port and Starboard tucked away neatly under the rubbing strips. These were to help me stay in touch with the Dinghy and lean back when I mounted and stood on the centre-board if capsized. The trouble was, I could not reach the extendable line from the water when the Dinghy is on its side. The Dinghies certainly float high when on their sides.
      I will admit, when we first capsized I panicked and immediately swam around to the centre board, but with everything being so slippery it was nigh impossible to mount the blade from the water. So the second time we capsized I went over the top from inside grabbing the extendable line as I went.
      Someone has probably already posted about this. You mentioned a line tucked away in a bag either side of the Dinghy, This also sounds a good idea.
      I had two other problems, but I,ll start another post about them.

      Thanks again Oliver.

      Windy

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    • #51086
      Windychippy
      Participant

      Hopefully pic will come through as it’s only 390 KB

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    • #51220
      Windychippy
      Participant

      Back to Up haul / Down haul on the rudder.
      As you see from the pics the system is a standard aluminium stock with a “Ginger boats” foil. The Down haul line was already installed by “Ginger boats” I have therefore noted the way the Down haul line is attached and duplicated that method on the trailing edge for the Up haul. The attached pics. should show how this was achieved. The system works very smoothly with the 2 harken blocks installed in the top back end of the rudder stock.
      Alternative blocks to use in the Rudder stock are in the follow up picture.

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    • #51224
      Windychippy
      Participant

      The missing pic. from above, plus the alternative blocks from Seasure instead of Harken blocks. The Seasure blocks fit easier as less filling is needed.

      • This reply was modified 2 weeks, 6 days ago by Windychippy. Reason: Pic. files to big
      • #51226
        Windychippy
        Participant

        I have reduced the picture file sizes to just over 400kb and the site still won’t accept them. So giving up tonight.

    • #51237
      Oliver Shaw
      Moderator

      As one very senior citizen to another, some further thoughts about capsize recovery.

      Righting lines; if you like the idea of external lines fitted along the hull just below the gunwale, you could continue them right aft and then across the transom, terminating in shock cord (to keep them taut), and with a seized eye in the shock cord dropped over a hook (to enable either line to be readily released when required). Even with the capsized boat floating high in the water, you would presumably be easily able to reach the “low” side of the transom in order to release the line coming from the “high” side of the hull.

      Like you, I imagine, I very rarely capsize; but it has occasionally been known to happen – I think three times in the last 20 years, and none of them when single-handed. I remember from my youth, my late Father telling me that by the time the mast hits the water one ought to be already out on the centreboard; and with only a single exception in many decades I have always achieved that. As the boat heels, normally to leeward, I am already sitting out; and when the increasing amount of heel becomes a capsize I am already starting to go out over the side onto the centreboard. Of course that does not address the capsize to windward, due to either a hole in the wind or to the gross instability of a rolling dead run; but I aim to anticipate the hole in the wind, and (when fully crewed) I reduce the roll on a run by having both helm and crew sitting up on deck on opposite sides of the boat. This disposition of crew weight increases the relevant moment of inertia, so slows down the roll, and one also naturally leans into the roll to counteract it; anyone who has ever ridden a motorcycle, or even a bicycle, will do that instinctively.

      The one exception was in gale conditions, directly under a large cliff, when I took the opportunity of the lee of the cliff to put the self-bailers down, momentarily forgetting all I should have known (and indeed did know) about the likelihood of gusts under cliffs. The inevitable happened; a vicious slamming gust while I was in the bottom of the boat. I immediately realised that if I attempted to climb over the side from inside the boat I would risk pulling her turtle, so for the first time in decades I dropped into the water instead, and then swam round the outside.

      My final thought is something that I was concerned about ten or more years ago, so I bought the necessary, but have never actually tried it out. I was concerned about my potential inability to climb back aboard the boat after a capsize, so I bought a rope boarding ladder, which I stowed under the stern deck, permanently tied on. The theory was that if I found myself in the water alongside the (righted) boat after a capsize, I could if necessary reach in and deploy the boarding ladder, to enable me to climb aboard. Is that a good idea, and does it work in practice? I have no idea, because I have never actually tried it out!

      Oliver

      • This reply was modified 1 week, 2 days ago by Oliver Shaw. Reason: Grammatical/typo correction
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