Following hard on the heels of the poll on boat use last year, here's a poll on sailing intentions for 2024.

This poll will stay open for a month.  You need to log in to the forum on the second line from the top (not the website top right) in order to cast your vote.

If you look at the swisher marinas, some of the average white boats there hardly go out at all.  They are sometimes used as an immobile platform for sipping G&T’s but that’s about it.

I suspect that owners of smaller boats like ours see more use, especially if they are trailered to raids and new sailing areas.  This poll, which will stay open for a month, may prove that point.

You need to log in to the forum on the second line from the top (not the website top right) in order to cast your vote.

Hi all,

An interloper here, I sail a Shrimper (ouch!) but recently enjoyed a fabulous day sailing with Devon/California Bay Raider 20 sailer Mark Darley out in Marin County.

I admired the outboard well fairing lamellae system and hope to arrange similar system for the gaping hole in my Shrimer outboard well. Mark’s now in transit back to the U.K. so can’t answer my follow up questions for a while. Perhaps someone can help please?

I understand the material is a double lamination of 75mm wide Hawk Slit Strip perhaps bonded with Sikaflex to hold the two layers of the fingers together.

I noted the flaps are framed and secured outside of the boat for full and free deployment of the outboard, I’m hoping to arrange similar frames inside the well (easier to fit and making extraction easier than deployment).

I was wondering if anyone can advise the overlap of the flaps which from memory is about 1/2inch or 20mm? I’m not sure the floating corners are radiused on their outer trailing tip, just cut at a right angle? Therefore prone to tip damage perhaps?

Any thoughts or advice on the system would be most appreciated.

Dimensioned well photo attached.

Many thanks,

Mark

Roger, I was tempted to cut off the top of the track and realign the masthead block too, but this was unnecessary when other sources of friction were removed. For example outhaul, reefing lines, downhauls and Cunningham all need to be well slackened off.

The main halyard is at a 45 degree angle when fully hoisted when the lower hole in the headboard is used. Also make sure the halyard is not crossed over the track and is on the same side as the sheave when hoisting.

It helps to have the boom elevated with the lazyjacks when hoisting the main.

It looks as if the top of your mast has been replaced. Is this indicative of previous stress if friction has not been reduced ?

It should not be necessary to use the winch to hoist the main.

Can you also try topping or tailing the halyard, or reverse it upside down, to lose the frayed section, before incurring unnecessary expense ?

Kind regards, Andrew

Yes, All of the above!
However, it never occurred to me to use the lower headboard hole (if there was one?). I did resort to mechanically "fairing/easing" its sharp angry aluminim edges. No other mods.
Never needed to winch. My only issue was damaging the halyard.
Main always went up/down easily, once track was cleaned n lubed.

Roger, I was tempted to cut off the top of the track and realign the masthead block too, but this was unnecessary when other sources of friction were removed. For example outhaul, reefing lines, downhauls and Cunningham all need to be well slackened off.

The main halyard is at a 45 degree angle when fully hoisted when the lower hole in the headboard is used. Also make sure the halyard is not crossed over the track and is on the same side as the sheave when hoisting.

It helps to have the boom elevated with the lazyjacks when hoisting the main.

It looks as if the top of your mast has been replaced. Is this indicative of previous stress if friction has not been reduced ?

It should not be necessary to use the winch to hoist the main.

Can you also try topping or tailing the halyard, or reverse it upside down, to lose the frayed section, before incurring unnecessary expense ?

Kind regards, Andrew