Thread: GIS sail tweaking

Originally Posted by davlafont

GoPro seems to be all the rage. I picked up the lower-end model over the summer and used it once in my car. It's not particularly inexpensive, but it sure seems to be bulletproof. The low-end model doesn't accept the video screen back, so aiming is a little bit hit-or-miss.

I just saw a commercial on Cartoon Network (my son watching TV) for Hot Wheels Video. Literally, they've put a little camera in the nose of a Hot Wheels car. So... there's that...

Our Pentax Option W30 is dust, shock and water resistant - and will even shoot underwater. It's capable of shooting short vids. However... I've been really impressed with my friends GoPro. That what took the video of Sisu at Paulina Lake.

David,

Thanks for the explanation and the tips.

I have already discovered that my outhaul rig is inadequate. I just can't get enough tension on it and I can't adjust it on the fly. A better setup is on the winter to-do list.

One of the things I like best about the Goat is that it uses so little hardware. I have friends who spent as much on fancy blocks and camcleats as I spent on my entire boat. And I've reached a point in my life where I no longer care to spend all my sailing time making micro-adjustments to block placement and backstay tension. So I'm hesitant to add new hardware. But the outhaul clearly needs something more than the trucker's hitch I'm currently using.

Paulie,

I"m a beginning, self-taught sailor, so am in no position to be giving authoritative advice on rig setup. So, instead, I'll give my tentative thoughts. I agree about the beauty of the simplicity that Mik has built into this boat. We have our outhauls just cinched and tied, and they seem to work just fine. When Mik looked over our rig, he had no complaints that I can recall. One important bit is to remember to use a low-stretch line (spectra, dyneema) for the outhauls (and, btw, the downhaul).

So, I doubt you need a block for your outhauls, but Mik can comment more fully.

Originally Posted by davlafont

Video Racer | Hot Wheels

Oh come on! This thing is totally cool. I've got to get one just for my kids to play with. I could strap it onto a bike helmet for a GIS video. The editing software is cool too.

Getting back to the original question....

[Yes, I am supposed to be working, not thinking about sailing. But it is late on Friday afternoon and the forecast for the weekend is nice. So I can't stop thinking about tweaking the Goat's rig.]

I went back and read over all the info on MIK's web site, looking for tips. In a discussion with John Goodman, he mentions modifying the traveler to restrict its motion in lighter winds. The recommendation is to have the block dead center in very light winds, allow 10 degrees of play in moderate winds, and complete freedom in heavier winds. He says this will help the boat point higher in the 10 - 15 knot range.

Warm beer, this may be exactly what you were looking for.

It should be quite easy to rig up a couple of lines to limit traveler motion and test this. I think I might do so this weekend (if I actually have the time to go sailing).

Another question: Following up on the discussion of dropping the sail quickly without moving forward in the cockpit -- has anyone tried rigging up some lazyjacks? I would very much like to be able to raise and lower the sail while away from shore. But I don't want the yard going in the water and I'm not sure I feel like dealing with yards of sailcloth in my lap. Any thoughts on whether some lazyjacks would work? Any reason not to try?

Paul,

At the Coots' messabout at Paulina Lake last month one of the guys suggested lazy-jacks and a topping lift for my Goat and offered to share how he rigs his balance lug with these controls. He had his power boat with him and I forgot to pursue the issue. (To be honest, my initial - silent - reaction was that lazy-jacks and a topping lift (to control the yard) would overly complicate the Goat.) However, I can see some appeal to using lazy-jacks.

Since other balance lugs use lazy-jacks, there's no reason not to try. I don't imagine there is much mystery about how to rig them but I'll contact Lou and ask how he does his. I'll share that when I hear back from him.

Thanks, Bob. I look forward to hearing what he has to say.

I understand not wanting to complicate the Goat's rig. I like the fact that I go from "boat on the dolly in the back yard" to "rigged and ready and pushing off from the beach" in about 20 minutes. Any non-trivial extensions to that will reduce the number of quickie sails I sneak in before or after work. Lazyjacks will have bought me nothing if they just slow me down.

Cost is also an issue, as always. I assume I could use any cheap line -- no need for Spectra here -- and would need no more hardware that a couple of small saddles and maybe one cleat. But maybe I haven't thought it through.

My mind's eye is having a hard time envisioning lazy jacks and topping lifts in conjunction with a boom that's not fixed to the mast.

Since my sailing roots derive from Sunfish sailing, I'm fully prepared mentally to wrestle with the boom, yard, and sail as a package to be stowed in the hull when required. Hell, having a "hull" rather than a flat deck will be an upgrade for me, so lazy jacks would be total decadence! But as an intellectual exercise, I am curious how that might be done.

Again, I lean toward simplicity. Never having owned a boat with lazy jacks on the rig, I may just be blissfully ignorant of what I'm missing. But, my experience is that it's quite simple to drop everything into the boat neatly when one decides to row instead. Same goes for reefing. I drop the whole mess, connect all the reefing lines, and re-hoist the yard... all while standing or sitting.

Lou is brilliant & knowledgeable. If one decided to go with the lazy-jacks, I've no doubt that he'll have an elegant way to rig them. He also like to tinker and fuss with things. His Great Pelican rig was a bit over-complicated also. In the end - he got tired of the set-up times and sold her in favor of building a power boat of his own design. Next to no rigging time involved <G>

I picked the Nikon AW100. Now I just have to wait to get it back, as my daughter borrowed it for a school trip to DC!

Originally Posted by warm beer

I picked the Nikon AW100. Now I just have to wait to get it back, as my daughter borrowed it for a school trip to DC!

Kids! Hopefully you'll get to play with the toy you bought since... we need more Goat Vid!!!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8LV3R06jHQ]Lazyjacks rigged on a balance lug sail - YouTube[/ame]
Looks pretty eazy, undeniably more complicated.
Wayne

Duckworks - Lazyjacks for a Balance Lug Sail
Looks pretty simple.
Slick on water handling VS impedenceto impulse sailing.
Wayne