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  • in reply to: Centreboard case questions. #27053
    Oliver Shaw
    Moderator

    Thickness first;   the permitted range of thickness of the board is 13 to 20 mm,  so at 19 mm you are close to the maximum allowed,  which is good.

    As regards the interior space inside the case,  you will need at least some slack in order to allow the board to move freely,  and to have a reasonable chance of avoiding it jamming.   A particular concern is the risk of mud or sand or small stones getting drawn up into the case and causing the board to jam.    I happen to have my very early vintage boat in the garage (no. 64,  dating from 1951),  and I have just measured the interior width of the case at the top (the only place where it is accessible),  and found it to be 26 mm,  just very slightly wider than your slot (25 mm).    Given that the class was originally designed and built to Imperial measurements,  rather than metric,  those seems to be to be a very sensible pair of dimensions;   a gap of 1 inch (25.4 mm) and a permitted board thickness in the range 1/2 inch to 13/16 inch.      So my first thought is that this slot width is very probably right.

    If you wished to check further you could check against the plans,  available from the office.    But personally I would leave the slot width unchanged.

    I am mildly surprised at the chamfering of the sides of the slot,  which I don’t think is normal.   But I winder whether a previous owner has had problems with the slot gasket being drawn inwards as the board is retracted;   this could be an ad hoc solution to that problem.   This discussion is very much open to other people to chip in,  but in the absence of any advice to the contrary I would suggest cutting the slot with no chamfer,  and fit new slot gaskets under tension;    cut them longer than the required length,  secure one end (which will become the far end from where you will next be working) by means of a screw (driven through that end of the relevant keelband),  pull the gasket taut,  and while holding that tension drive in a screw at the near end (again through the keelband).    Then fit the remaining screws,  and finally cut off the surplus gasket.

    I suspect that this will be sufficient,  and that you will not have a problem of the gasket being trapped inside the slot;    but if that does happen then at that point you can consider chamfering the sides of the slot.   However I doubt whether you will need to do so;  but others may think differently.

    Hope this helps,

     

    Oliver

    in reply to: New Member and Highfield lever position #27024
    Oliver Shaw
    Moderator

    And if you are going for a new suit of cruising sails,  you might like to consider choosing tan,  rather than white.

    Many reasons,  starting with that it is a traditional cruising colour;   but in bright sunlight they also produce far less glare,  and (perhaps surprisingly) they are sufficiently different to enable your boat to stand out conspicuously from others on the water  –  which can be a safety feature.

    And as an added bonus they look marvellous;   see (four) photos of three different boats,   each with tan sails.

     

    Oliver

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    in reply to: New Member and Highfield lever position #27023
    Oliver Shaw
    Moderator

    If you do treat her to a suit of new cruising sails,  Edge are the headline make to consider,  and you won’t regret it.

    A Capella‘s sails,  from Edge,  are now 17 years old,  and despite a great deal of use during my own ownership of the boat they still retain their shape,  and they are still good for further service.

    Do consider having reefing points fitted,  and consider genoa reefing.   See my paper on Reefing Systems,  in the Members’ Area

     

    Oliver

    in reply to: New Member and Highfield lever position #27020
    Oliver Shaw
    Moderator

    Paul,

    Glad you picked the reply,  impressively quickly,  but you slightly beat me to it,  in that I was still editing.    Because of an intermittent technical glitch I was initially working blind,  in that my typed text was not visible,  so I typed with the intention of editing once the reply had appeared!     Then a couple of further edits followed.

    Do have a look at the final version!

     

    Oliver

    in reply to: New Member and Highfield lever position #27015
    Oliver Shaw
    Moderator

    Paul,

    Welcome to the Class, and I am sure you will enjoy the boat.    She is (in my opinion,  and also that of many others) one of the only two world-class cruiser-racer dinghies;   the other boat in that category is the larger (and significantly heavier) Wayfarer.

    The arrangement for the Highfield lever is absolutely dependent on the type of mast you have.   For the IYE mast shown in your photo, which is one of the two earliest makes of metal mast which was approved for the class,  bring the halliard out through the block at the bottom of the mast (ideally the port-hand sheave), then up to the Highfield lever, which should be set so that it pulls upwards.   Make an eye in the dyneema,  to hook onto the Highfield,  and attach a suitable length of line (which may be lighter if you wish) for initially pulling the sail up until the eye will reach the Highfield.   Any position convenient for the Highfield  around the position shown in your photo is fine.

    One word of warning;  there is both a safe way and a highly dangerous way to operate a Highfield lever.   It is an excellent device if used correctly,  but it does have something of a (well-deserved) reputation for serious injury to fingers.    Never under any circumstances clasp the fingers fully around the lever when opening it  or  –  still worse  –  when closing it.    Always,  always,  always close it (i.e. tension the halliard) by pressing it closed with the base (or the “ball” of the hand,  keeping the fingers straight,  and well clear of the gap between lever and mast!   When opening it,  to release the halliard,   if at all possible use one hand to pull it away from the mast while having the ball of the other hand lightly up against it to check it,  in order to prevent it violently flying open;   then,  once it is “past centre”  allow it to open under control.

    Hope this helps,

     

    Oliver

    • This reply was modified 2 months ago by Oliver Shaw. Reason: Technical difficulties at time of original posting; working blind because typed text was not visible. Became visible only after posting, so now able to edit and correct as necessary!!!
    • This reply was modified 2 months ago by Oliver Shaw. Reason: Technical difficulties at time of original posting; working blind because typed text was not visible. Became visible only after posting, so now able to edit and correct as necessary!!!
    • This reply was modified 2 months ago by Oliver Shaw.
    in reply to: Assymetric spinnaker on GP14 #26787
    Oliver Shaw
    Moderator

    the GP14 class rules expressly forbid single-handed racing (rule 16) 

    >  Entertainingly, the class rules set the maximum luff length and pole length, but don’t require the spinnaker to be symmetrical, or set any restrictions on the pole being configured as a bowsprit, so I might even be class-legal with it!

    Both are points that we might usefully address in the next revision of the Class Rules.   Purely personally,  and not in any way committing the Association,  I feel that Rule 16 might usefully be recast in terms of the normal complement being two persons,  but with specifically no bar to single-handing;   and I think I could make a strong case there.    That case would include that (1) the single-hander is normally at a slight disadvantage,  except perhaps in ghosting conditions,  and (2) the Rules have never (so far as I know) specified upper or lower limits on crew weight.   Possibly the youngest (and lightest) ever helmsman in the WLYC 24-hr race,  and featured on the front cover photo of Mainsail that year,  was George Graham,  in 2008,  then aged six.   He actually had an adult crew,  whom I presume was his father;   but he could “legally” have had a teenage crew.   If a six-year-old plus a teenager are class-legal,  which they undoubtedly are,   and rightly so,  why not an 82 kg single-hander,  of much the same weight and perhaps similar overall ability?

    On the matter of the spinnaker,  and the pole,  I am sure that the Rules clearly assume that the sail is symmetric;   but I accept that this is not explicitly stated,  and perhaps it should be.    You are possibly the first person to have raised this issue.

    On the matter of the pole,  agreed the Rules do not preclude it being rigged as a bowsprit,  but the maximum length is probably far too short for it to be effective in that role.

     

     

    Oliver

    in reply to: Assymetric spinnaker on GP14 #26781
    Oliver Shaw
    Moderator

     1/13-scale replica of Nelson’s HMS Bellerophon based on a GP14 hull:

    Found it!   And I had misremembered the name;  should have been HMS Belleisle,  “which as the second ship in Collingwood’s column had acquitted herself famously before being dismasted by the combined fire of three enemy ships. She was built in France as the Formidable, taken, and re-named for the British navy.”

    http://www.festinalente.org.uk/belleisle/belleindex.html

     

    Oliver

    in reply to: Assymetric spinnaker on GP14 #26765
    Oliver Shaw
    Moderator

    You are undoubtedly right in saying that this would be outside Class Rules,  so that raises the question as to the circumstances in which you might use the rig.   For non-racing,  I agree that it might be fun to try,  although I suspect that it would be not as much fun as a standard symmetrical spinnaker.    For class racing it is an absolute no go,  but you might perhaps be able to agree local handicap racing at your local club;   that would be a matter for negotiation,  and ultimately it would be for them to decide.   They would then need to allot you a suitable handicap,  which might be technically difficult (because of the absence of any hard data on which to base it),  but in the first instance you would need to ask them,  and they might or might not agree.

    There would seem to be some technical issues with mounting the bowsprit in the way you suggest.   Attachment to the mast should be reasonably straightforward,  except that on many GP14s it would obstruct the spinnaker pole downhaul.   Attachment to the stemhead fitting might be more problematic,  as you would need a secure and rigid means of attachment while simultaneously spacing the sprit off to one side of the fitting in order to allow adequate clearance for attaching and removing the genoa;   and also adequate clearance for genoa furling gear,  which I suspect you would regard as highly desirable if using an asymmetric spinnaker.    And the combined effect would possibly be to push the end of the bowsprit  –  which is where it matters  –  well off the centre line,  unless you made an appropriate adjustment specifically to correct that.     All these issues are no doubt solvable,  but they would require to actually be solved;    and the traditional solution to the third one is to offset the heel of the mast to one side,  significantly off-centre,  so that the end of the sprit ends up on the centre line.

    I agree that setting a conventional spinnaker single-handed is a challenge,  although in lighter winds it can be an interesting one;   I used to do so regularly in light winds until my late seventies,  but now that I am into my eighties I wouldn’t still risk it,  and I never did it single-handed in stronger winds.   A tiller brake helps immensely,  so that the tiller can be kept central while you go forward to set (or hand) the spinnaker.   In my youth I used a pair of lanyards permanently fixed inside the cockpit,  and just quickly tied each of them to the tiller,  but over the last 20 years I have instead used a fixed shock cord across the cockpit below the tiller;   just lift it and place it on top of the tiller when you want it to hold the tiller in place.

    For what it is worth,  I have the impression that asymmetric spinnakers are great on a beam reach,  but useless on a run;  so tacking downwind becomes de rigeur if you are using one.   Also it was reported a few years ago that one of the reasons our top youth sailors enjoy racing the GP14 is because it is a very technical boat,  and particularly because of the symmetrical spinnaker,  which demands far more skill than does an asymmetric,  and which then rewards that skill.

    Finally,  if you are thinking of modifying the rig,  two further ideas for you.   First,  a few years ago a group of Hampshire sailors fitted out a GP14 hull as a 1/13-scale replica of Nelson’s HMS Bellerophon,  for a local Regatta;   that is worth trying to track down online.   It is possible that I may have a record of the URL elsewhere,  but it is not to hand at the moment;   if I find it I will post an update.

    Second,  see the attached photo.   My own A Capella,  sailing in Holy Island Sound in 2010,  wearing the rig of a rather nice American 40-ft gaff cutter,  courtesy of photo-editing software.

    Have fun!

     

    Oliver

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    in reply to: Boat Repairs – MK1 #26755
    Oliver Shaw
    Moderator

    This is Will’s original reply,  which was inadvertently binned.    I had been wondering why it had failed to appear on the Forum,  when I had received it by email!

    “Maybe a few months too late, but having replaced a lot of my Series 1:

     “- I would replace the whole bottom panel, rather than patch up what you have left. It’s surprisingly less work to do fit just one big panel, rather than cutting and sticking and fairing lots of backer pieces and butt joints, especially in the fore tank with limited access. However many little patches I repaired in the old panel, a few seasons later there would be another bit nearby needing to be done.

     “- butt joints are best not aligned with the frames, as they aren’t wide enough to act as backer pieces themselves, and cutting separate backer pieces to fit neatly against the frames is a pain.

     “- convert the mast step to the Series 2 design while you have hull panels off, giving you easy access into the fore tank. Much easier than trying to do the work through a hatch. The old series 1 mast step design is a weakness.

    “Hopefully by now you are well advanced and looking forward to getting her back on the water!”

    in reply to: Bent Mast #26614
    Oliver Shaw
    Moderator

    It is also worth mentioning that over the 75-year lifetime of the class there have been numerous different methods of bringing the halliards out of the bottom of the mast,  and cleating them off.

    If it is convenient for you to take your damaged mast to a dealer they should be able to set up and rig a new one so that it is a facsimile of the old one.    Unless you specifically want to update (or otherwise change) the arrangements on your boat,  having the new one set up to the existing pattern could save you a lot of hassle.

     

     

    Oliver

    in reply to: Bent Mast #26611
    Oliver Shaw
    Moderator

    The first question is whether you are insured.    If you are,  this would seem to be a legitimate claim,  for a brand new mast.

    If going for new,  I suggest you get onto the website for either Selden or Super Spars to ascertain who their distributors are in Ireland.     Alternatively it is possible that Alistair Duffin may be able to help you.

    If not covered by insurance,  I suggest eBay,  and also the Classifieds on this site;   and consider posting a classified under the Recycling tab,  and you could also consider posting your requirements on the GP14 Online Community site.    The latter is independent of the Association,  but we have warm reciprocal relations,  and we each support the other.

    Be aware that series 2 masts are shorter than series 1,  and with a different foot.    When I had a new series 2 mast from Speed Sails 15 years ago,  as an insurance claim,  their stock was all made to the series 1 length,  minus the foot;   then when a customer ordered a new mast they shortened a stock one if necessary (i.e. if a series 2 was required),  then rigged it,  and finally fitted the appropriate foot.   It makes sense if manufacturers are producing them all to the longer length,  and then shortening if necessary,  as this probably lowers the production cost.

    If buying secondhand,  it is worth checking that the length is correct.     I have once been caught out,  with what was advertised as a series 1 mast,  and which indeed had a series 1 foot,  but which was actually only the shorter (series 2) length!

    There is currently a “job lot” of dinghy masts on eBay Ireland,  at https://www.ebay.ie/itm/116071327134?itmmeta=01HQJNYQGTBJJNEVBGE4QHJPTE&hash=item1b0663e59e:g:UDEAAOSwDXxlR4o5&itmprp=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4MqEepwDof%2BsToh4ijhpYJ8koUIMg%2BFpjbasUiZYeydDXWmPPRAtWOXdEaE%2FV7v9Ztqpmq4h8AHUu8FROK6kkw7jTuRX2u8gRNHWJ%2B5PI6krjRBJuP6g47XtHzc%2BIXgrYe67DKwJoRKqfkP4dayKiGoWy%2FXEwXLJQxOvnScDRUou4EA5VXltnyKMPfoUvoA0RIndIKwUAm2marPKOufLzVrA4wd7wbHgANL%2FiKrMigAL2mM7UHV0%2FMv%2Fypsr89KJAZ%2FxL9wgnZoqjyWN2NN5%2Fcza1USF0ZtsyPirhGTnCTK%2F%7Ctkp%3ABFBMwPj61bxj.   Make your own enquiries,  of course.

    Hope this helps,

     

     

    Oliver

    Oliver Shaw
    Moderator

    Thanks for that suggestion;    increasing the sizes of the blocks is indeed another sensible way forward.

     

    Oliver

    Oliver Shaw
    Moderator

    I think between us we may have cracked the problem.    Try fitting the spring.

     

    Oliver

    Oliver Shaw
    Moderator

    Thanks for the photos.

    The arrangement seems almost identical to what I have on A Capella (wooden,  by Tim Harper),  where it works well;   I certainly don’t have the severity of a problem that you describe.

    My first reaction to identifying the problem is that in photo gp14-14096-scaled.jpg it appears that the moveable block is failing to “stand up” properly in order to align correctly with the rope.    Next time I go down to the club I can photograph my set-up,  if we think it will help;   although she is a wooden boat the arrangement is almost identical,  and the principles are the same.    However it may be a week or two before it is convenient to do that,  as I am now starting my winter examining season.

    I rather vaguely recollect coming across a system some years ago for putting a stainless steel coil spring around the connecting piece to enable a block to stand up correctly;   indeed it might even have been on A Capella.    That may be a solution for you.

    In your photo gp14-14096-a-scaled.jpg I can’t quite make out where the rope is leading from as it comes into shot,   but it does seem to hint that it may possibly be coming out of the reverse side of a block.

    Hope this helps.

     

    Oliver

    Oliver Shaw
    Moderator

    Fine;   I look forward to seeing your photos when you are able to upload them.    You may possibly need to re-size them first,   there is a limit on file size which you can upload.

     

    Oliver

Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 701 total)