GIS Build in New Jersey, USA

[davlafont]

It doesn't make a whit of difference hydrodynamic ally

If it makes no difference, I'm not touching it. For whatever reason, this has been the one task that has given me the most angst. Maybe I was beaten with a malformed centerboard as a child (I was beaten with some interesting things...) I'm going with "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

... but I think the instructions must be cloudy ... as the back edge is intended to be a curve.

I see that now. Maybe a side note would clarify. The instructions do leave some things implied like the total length of the blank before cutting, or the parallel nature of the top and bottom edges. If you decide to make an update, I vote for separating and/or removing the plywood centerboard instructions and inclusion of the above items. Or incorporate these tweaks in the 12er's plan

[Boatmik]

Repeat ... repeat ... evidence strongly suggests that curves are no more efficient than parallel sided section breaking into a taper.

the spitfire wing is a lovely myth ... as it is the pressure distribution that has to be elliptic - not the actual foil shape. And then it is worth a coupla percentage points for that factor only.



Like everything else, the Spitfire worked because of a whole range of factors that were close to perfection than other aircraft of its type.

I'm hardly fussed enough about it to alter the plan. More a point of interest.

MIK

[davlafont]

So I did a little rigging dry run for lunch today. I'll follow this post with a series sent from my phone. The first is just to share with the group how I approached the throat-to-yard connection. The second will show my tack set-up. The others are more exploratory and is where I invite opinion. I'm working out how I want to lash the reef tacks (I have two) given the set-up I have in place. Based on discussion in another thread, I'm thinking of a link on the boom that can grab the first and the second reefs which will have a small spectra loop through each eyelet. Pics = 1K words so...

[davlafont]

I dont' have brutal downhaul applied, but I'm pulling enough to get the luff vertical and the yard pointed up. I went with this hardware combo because I thought it would accomodate the angle of the sail's throat. The grey line is spectra, the white is some cheap-o clothes line and goes only to the middle lashings.

Oh yeah, don't laugh too hard at my drunken monkey stitching!

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[davlafont]

I had originally planned to use the same twisted shackle here as well, but I felt it put too much distance between the boom and the sail so I went with a more common shackle/padeye combo. (For sale: one twisted shackle & deck plate, never used!)

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[davlafont]

Here's reef link 1: a snap link. I like the ease of use, but the link is rated for 170 lbs. Will that be enough?

I also considered a larger snap link that would go through the padeye and lay flat on the boom encircling the eye bolt. When called into action it would swing upward over the eye bolt and int a vertical position. Elegant, but it required un bolting the eye bolt to get it into poistion and I didn't want to mess with that today. Plus, it might cause interference with the original tack, and it's only rated at 200 lbs so I'm not sure it would work anyway.

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[davlafont]

Reef link option 2: Quick disconnect link. It has a 1200 lbs load limit. But will I hate the threads? If I envision planning ahead and reefing in advance, no problems as long as I keep the threads clean and lubed. If I'm out there in a blow and I'm trying to reef while bobbing in 3 ft. seas and 25 kt winds, this might not be my favorite. That's not how I sail, but as they say, "when you fail to plan, you plan to fail." (They say a lot of things.)

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[davlafont]

Here's reef #1 using temporary line for the dry run. My thought is to make the loop much smaller to bring the tack closer to the boom. But it will need enough slack for grabbing at slipping into the link.

Side note: My first reef is 1/3 of the luff.

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[davlafont]

Here is reef #2, with reef #1 still connected. Again, I was too liberal with the loop. But this gives an idea of where I'm headed.

Side note 2: my second reef is 2/3 of the luff.

Comments, opinions, and stitch mockery are all welcome.



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[Boatmik]

I find these quite interesting to replace hardware.

Making a Soft Shackle - YouTube

MIK

[Boatmik]

Hmmm ... that method is a bit of a pain.

But basically it has a simple function ... a loop that doesn't slip .. then a knot or bulge in the other end that you can pass through the loop.

You know how youtube makes suggestions on the right side while you watch a video ... well ... ahem ... I saw this knot that is used for bondage. I wonder if it would act as the loop end of a tieable softshackle then using the tails to tie together to make the knot end.

How to Tie the Zip Snare - Rope Bondage Knot Tutorial - YouTube

I'm a long way away from boats ... but would be interesting to take some 4mm or lighter rope and see how it works.

Michael

[callsign222]

Dave, if that's a stainless carabiner there, it should be fine, looks to be the same size I use on my tack.

[woodeneye]

The soft shackles are easy to make in about 5 mins, and cheap too. YouTube has become an amazing resource. However, fids are quite expensive.

Here's an idea to make your own fids cheaply, like I did. Just find an old car aerial (carparks are full of them!) Car aerials are usually chromed brass so are easy to work, and one aerial will produce fids in a range of sizes.

[Boatmik]

HI Bruce.

The fid is expensive and also that you can't make one without it. So I started looking for alternatives.

Imagine your friends have lost a shackle for their boat. You grab a length of line and make them a new one simply by tying the rope.

I'm wondering if the Zip Snare with a bulky knot tied in the tail might work in the same way. It is probably not quite as secure. But you never know!

MIK

[woodeneye]

HI Bruce.

The fid is expensive and also that you can't make one without it. So I started looking for alternatives.

Imagine your friends have lost a shackle for their boat. You grab a length of line and make them a new one simply by tying the rope.

I'm wondering if the Zip Snare with a bulky knot tied in the tail might work in the same way. It is probably not quite as secure. But you never know!

MIK

It would work. The problem can be that not all zip ties are created equal. There are the cheap and nasty plastic ones and then there are the quality nylon ones. It also depends on what it has to hold, a forestay, vang, clew outhaul or halyard. Maybe I'd trust the zip tie on the outhaul, just