Re: Black Skimmer experience
> The most important modification I made, which gave me much moreconfidence
> in heavy weather, was a pair of davits (?) and multipart tackles toraise
> the leeboards...I think "crane" is the word, rather than "davit", but would be
interested in the opinions of others on the matter.
The lifting of leeboards is one of the areas where PCB often either
skimps on the mechanical advantage or leaves the detail off the
drawing, or both. The Cynthia J. plans don't show any method at all,
as I recall.
PHV
The words of a truly sane person.
> Guess I'm a fairweather sailor;
I own a Black Skimmer built in the 70's in Maine, I found her as a derelict
in Annapolis and refurbed her, then sailed her in the Chesapeake (perfect
"skinny water" boat; our point-to-point distances were always shorter than
the other sailboats, 'cause we could skirt the headlands much closer: sail
till the leeboard bumps, then hard-over). Still own her out here in Puget
Sound, tho I gotta admit my other boat -- big center-cockpit Irwin 43 -- has
taken my attention due to growing family -- WON'T get rid of the Black
Skimmer, tho: too much fun, and too easy to sail!
Guess I'm a fairweather sailor; never had her in really wild waves.
Nonetheless, on those Chesapeake-choppy trips, the rig is so forgiving that
I never felt in trouble. Remember, you can flatten the main and mizzen with
the snotters so flat that they have little drive and little heeling (my main
snotter is a four-part tackle led aft, so I could really tighten her, and I
am constantly adjusting this setting according the wind). I did reef her
occasionally. My mainmast and sail is the one originally built for "Red
Zinger" -- see the chapter in "30-odd boats", about the story of getting the
"cut" right -- she does drape REALLY well from the mast, and keeps proper
shape as the rather flexible mast bends with increasing wind. (I bought the
set from Zinger's owner when he decided to go aluminum-tube rigid mast so he
could fly a spinnaker without overbending the mast). My reefing is (I
think) easier than with Bolger's originally-designed laced-on main, which
may fight the snotter connection-point on the mast as the main is
lowered.... I don't have that concern, as Red Zinger's mast has sailtrack
and slides.
I built a galvanized tabernacle for this one-piece square-section mast,
which attaches on galvanized angles, with pivot point about 6 inches above
the forward edge of the cabin -- the heel of the mast DOES (just) clear the
stem! But she's a handful to raise, quite heavy and I sure don't want her
to go sideways on the way up or down -- I use a LONG strap on the
trailer-winch, the hook of the strap snaps into to the snotter's
connection-point (on the front of the mast about 6' above deck) and is
guided over a roller on the end of an 8-foot length of steel c-channel that
slips inside the typical angled-forward trailer-winch support tube... this
gives a decent "lift-angle" to help pull the mast up while the boat still
sits on her trailer. I always feel more secure when I have 2 friends, each
handling a line to the side off the mast-tip, to keep her in-line -- maybe
I'm just paranoid. I built some nice crutches -- one is on the end of a 6"
dia cedar post about 5'long that replaces the mizzenmast for travel, the
other fits across the aft-end of the companionway hatch slider. Crutches
have slots for mainmast, mizzenmast, and main sprit. Photos available if
this design intrigues you.
The most important modification I made, which gave me much more confidence
in heavy weather, was a pair of davits (?) and multipart tackles to raise
the leeboards... without these, It's a bitch to lean WAY out over the
leeward side to get proper straight-line pull up on the leeboard pennant --
and a hard pull it is! -- so now with the davits (which are 1 x 3 boards
attached to the inside of the cockpit sides, about 18" high, angle-braced
forward) allowing the pennant to be led higher than the boards when up, thru
a 90-degree block, then forward to a 180-degree block at the big
leeboard-attachment timber on top of the cabin, then back to cam-cleats at
the aft end of the cabintop...whew!... I can pull up and lower either board
without going down to the in-water rail! (does this make any sense?)
Regards,
Wayne Gilham
Associate Broker
Gig Harbor Yacht Sales
253 / 851-2674
cell: 253 / 318-9873
personal e-mail:wgilham@...
in Annapolis and refurbed her, then sailed her in the Chesapeake (perfect
"skinny water" boat; our point-to-point distances were always shorter than
the other sailboats, 'cause we could skirt the headlands much closer: sail
till the leeboard bumps, then hard-over). Still own her out here in Puget
Sound, tho I gotta admit my other boat -- big center-cockpit Irwin 43 -- has
taken my attention due to growing family -- WON'T get rid of the Black
Skimmer, tho: too much fun, and too easy to sail!
Guess I'm a fairweather sailor; never had her in really wild waves.
Nonetheless, on those Chesapeake-choppy trips, the rig is so forgiving that
I never felt in trouble. Remember, you can flatten the main and mizzen with
the snotters so flat that they have little drive and little heeling (my main
snotter is a four-part tackle led aft, so I could really tighten her, and I
am constantly adjusting this setting according the wind). I did reef her
occasionally. My mainmast and sail is the one originally built for "Red
Zinger" -- see the chapter in "30-odd boats", about the story of getting the
"cut" right -- she does drape REALLY well from the mast, and keeps proper
shape as the rather flexible mast bends with increasing wind. (I bought the
set from Zinger's owner when he decided to go aluminum-tube rigid mast so he
could fly a spinnaker without overbending the mast). My reefing is (I
think) easier than with Bolger's originally-designed laced-on main, which
may fight the snotter connection-point on the mast as the main is
lowered.... I don't have that concern, as Red Zinger's mast has sailtrack
and slides.
I built a galvanized tabernacle for this one-piece square-section mast,
which attaches on galvanized angles, with pivot point about 6 inches above
the forward edge of the cabin -- the heel of the mast DOES (just) clear the
stem! But she's a handful to raise, quite heavy and I sure don't want her
to go sideways on the way up or down -- I use a LONG strap on the
trailer-winch, the hook of the strap snaps into to the snotter's
connection-point (on the front of the mast about 6' above deck) and is
guided over a roller on the end of an 8-foot length of steel c-channel that
slips inside the typical angled-forward trailer-winch support tube... this
gives a decent "lift-angle" to help pull the mast up while the boat still
sits on her trailer. I always feel more secure when I have 2 friends, each
handling a line to the side off the mast-tip, to keep her in-line -- maybe
I'm just paranoid. I built some nice crutches -- one is on the end of a 6"
dia cedar post about 5'long that replaces the mizzenmast for travel, the
other fits across the aft-end of the companionway hatch slider. Crutches
have slots for mainmast, mizzenmast, and main sprit. Photos available if
this design intrigues you.
The most important modification I made, which gave me much more confidence
in heavy weather, was a pair of davits (?) and multipart tackles to raise
the leeboards... without these, It's a bitch to lean WAY out over the
leeward side to get proper straight-line pull up on the leeboard pennant --
and a hard pull it is! -- so now with the davits (which are 1 x 3 boards
attached to the inside of the cockpit sides, about 18" high, angle-braced
forward) allowing the pennant to be led higher than the boards when up, thru
a 90-degree block, then forward to a 180-degree block at the big
leeboard-attachment timber on top of the cabin, then back to cam-cleats at
the aft end of the cabintop...whew!... I can pull up and lower either board
without going down to the in-water rail! (does this make any sense?)
Regards,
Wayne Gilham
Associate Broker
Gig Harbor Yacht Sales
253 / 851-2674
cell: 253 / 318-9873
personal e-mail:wgilham@...