Hi Måns
Graham and others may have better ideas but from my experience with Gladys, a similar boat, I suggest:
a) Water in the sump is nothing to worry about but should not flood the cockpit floor in normal situations. The leak is likely to be through the self-bailer which is probably ineffective but again nothing to worry about. In fact, the boat is designed so that the cockpit floor is above the water line - just - and having the bailer open allows surplus water to drain out. It doesn't matter that it will not clear the sump.
Incidentally I have a Gusher Titan pump which is the biggest I can fit and significantly higher capacity than the usual Chimp. I fitted a "Y valve so I can switch between pumping out the ballast tank and the sump. Two pumps, one each side, would be even better because one will always be within reach on either tack.
Pumping out the ballast tank is hardly ever necessary if you know the lazy way to empty the ballast tank when winching it onto the trailer. To do this I remove the round cover between sump and outboard well, open the ballast tank hatch behind the centre board and - most importantly - open one of the forward ballast tank hatch covers to let air into the tank as it drains. The water then freely drains out of the ballast tank as the front of the boat is raised onto the trailer. The small amount of water remaining is drained by opening the drain plug once the boat is on the trailer. I leave the drain plug open and then usually forget to put it back in next time I launch which is why I sometimes need to pump out the unwanted ballast while sailing in calm weather!
b) If the aft end of jib boom is sticking on the deck then either there is not enough tension in the fore-stay or the shrouds are too slack, or both. The way to achieve this is to let the jib boom hang over the side of the deck with the jib furled while you tighten the fore-stay and then lift it into position as you unfurl the sail. The fore-stay tension should be enough for the end of the jib boom to take as much effort as a suitcase to lift - I guess about 10Kg - with the jib unfurled. This seems a bit scary but I've not known it break under normal use. If I'm feeling nervous I tie a slightly slack line from the towing U bolt to the bottom of the fore-stay. If the boom breaks (unlikely) this will prevent the mast from falling into the cockpit, although it could not be sailed without further attention. I like things big and I like belts and braces if weight limits allow.
Gladys habitually slackens her shrouds when sailing which I've never solved but I don't really think it matters and in the hands of Mr Peers The Sailing Master did not seem to effect her ability to win races
c) Interference between the mast down haul track and hood sounds as though it may be caused by lack of tension in the for-stay, as discussed above.
d) The boats are fitted with flexible flaps in the outboard well when they are built. These work quite well until after a few years they get tired and bent. A hot air gun or my wife's hair drier restores them to order but they are never quite as springy as they should be. I now use a plywood plug to partly fill the outboard hole which is a wet operation to fit but effective. It is a good idea to leave a hole big enough to fit easily around the outboard shaft because if the cockpit does ever get swamped (very rare) then water from the cockpit needs to be able to flow over the top of the internal outboard transom (the hefty plank) and out of the boat. Provided water can escape over the top of the outboard transom and not get trapped in a sealed off outboard well the Bayraider's built-in buoyancy system will prevent the cockpit flooding above the lockers. Unless the helm insists on sailing the boat on its side, which The Sailing Master never does - and I don't either.
e) The pivot pin needs attention unless the boat was built after the yard modified the design. I'm sure Swallow Yachts can advise on this if you tell them the serial number of the boat.
One final check is to see that the bottom of the boat has not be stressed by over-tightening and misplacement of the trailer straps. Look for permanent distortion (under no-load) where bottom of the boat rests on the rollers. Sometimes owners strap DOWN the bow which means the hull is stiffening the trailer as it flexes. I place Gladys's straps across the deck just behind the mast foot which is above the strong internal arch and the second strap over the cockpit at the rear of the trailer. The rear strap is firm but not tight and has a twist in the middle to stop it humming in the wind. The winch is left attached so that the winch strap is horizontal and belt-and-braces stops the boa rolling off backwards but allows the trailer to flex under the boat. I also fit a long sailboard tie-down around the hull only and under the centre board to support it and so the weight of the raised centre board on the trailer does not strain the up-haul.
Finally the Bayraider is a fantastic boat and I look forward to another 10 years, at least, of fun with Gladys. She continues to give joy on family picnic expeditions and satisfaction on more serious cruises. A very versatile boat. And I think Bayraiders look good too.
Matthew
BR20 Gladys
