Thread: GIS - running downhaul aft, need suggestions

That is OK.

The other way is to have a hole by the mast and put a turning block on the step - then run the halyard back along the side of the centrecase with a cleat on the back edge of the centreboard case.

It can potentially trip someone moving around in front of the centrecase, however it is very unusual to have anyone up there in normal sailing conditions.

MIK

Cool, thanks Mik. I'll check that out. I have a bungie running from the centerboard to the mast deck area anyway to keep the centerboard from moving, so that line would run right under the bungie.

Hey warm, flawed humans.

I reckon this is a good idea - especially for little fat skippers who lurk single handed way down aft.
BTW - MIK's recent video is worth a good look - the guy with the camera on the pole lashed to port side and reaching out aft of the transom displaying a fine beach start.
I spied (at least) x3 scupper holes in the transom (obviously) just above deck height but well above water line when under way or just sitting idle. I can't see they would ever go under water when heeling. Good idea, MIK? Best regards from India.

Howdy Paul (Graciousme, unless you stole Paul's boat's name!)

What are you doing in India!

I don't know how the "scuppers in the transom will work. Maybe John, the owner of the boat, can tell us about his experience.

If water ever ends up on the rear tank/seattop, then it can go out one of these holes.

I am not sure that water inside the boat will ever get up to that level even after a capsize.

Paul and Chris are the builders in this series.

Building the Goat Island Skiff at duckflat - Paul and Chris




That's Paul second left and Chris is wearing the red (gasbagging like usual). Everyone is confused and surprised because there wasn't a boat there about 15minutes earlier. Someone walked over, spied the boat in 3D and said "Gracious Me". Thus Paul and Chris's boat got its name.

MIK

Gracious, I'd like to see the video, do you have a link? How did you know that I want to loose a few pounds? ) I think that even the skiniest sailor will have trouble reaching a mast deck mounted downhaul unless they have a tiller extension a mile long. (hmm, that sounds bad, but is not meant to). You can chance it if sailig solo, and let the rudder do it's own thing for a bit.

On a different note - it occurs to me that if/when you roll a Goat, the only line you have that prevents the mast from unseating is the downhaul. A secure downhaul is a great thing then. My camcleat downhaul layout is not as secure as a regular cleat. You could roll, pop the downhaul loose, and have your mast slip out of the step while righting (in maybe not the nicest of conditions). I don't think the deck would appreciate the load in such a scenario.

I'm thinking that to overcome this deficiency, I can utilize my extra cleat on the deck next to the mast hole. If I cleat the halyard to the mast cleat, and then cleat the tag end of the halyard to my deck cleat, then the mast cannot pop out regardless of downhaul tension, or lack thereof.

Originally Posted by warm beer

On a different note - it occurs to me that if/when you roll a Goat, the only line you have that prevents the mast from unseating is the downhaul. A secure downhaul is a great thing then. My camcleat downhaul layout is not as secure as a regular cleat. You could roll, pop the downhaul loose, and have your mast slip out of the step while righting (in maybe not the nicest of conditions). I don't think the deck would appreciate the load in such a scenario.

Good observation, and a good solution, too.

Originally Posted by GraciousMe

Hey warm, flawed humans.

I reckon this is a good idea - especially for little fat skippers who lurk single handed way down aft.
BTW - MIK's recent video is worth a good look - the guy with the camera on the pole lashed to port side and reaching out aft of the transom displaying a fine beach start.
I spied (at least) x3 scupper holes in the transom (obviously) just above deck height but well above water line when under way or just sitting idle. I can't see they would ever go under water when heeling. Good idea, MIK? Best regards from India.

If GraciousMe is refering to the video with the bright green GIS that one is mine. Our transom does have 3 holes in the transom for the following reasons.
1. Tiller slot (center slot)
2. Boomkin (right side just above the rear deck)
3. Mizzen mast step drain (very small hole at bottom/right of transom)

The video does show that the transom drain tubes that others have put in will very likely never be in the water when sailing hard on the wind or surfing. I would suggest looking at our capsize video to see how deep the transom sits when the boat is full of water. Look at around the 2min mark to see and then right after I climb in at 3min.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd1hk_gmTgQ]YouTube - GIS Capsize.wmv[/ame]

After rolling our GIS twice in the same day the drain tubes are an interesting concept, however, I have missed any followup conversation that confirms that they really work as intended.

Those with drain tubes..... How do them work after a roll over?

My daughter and I took turns bailing... it is really a tiring process.

Great video John! Cool camera setup. I watched the clouds in the background to get a feel for the heading change that intiated the roll. Looks like you were motoring at 7 knots or so. I hope you don't mind if I say that I really really liked the reverse bailing when you hopped back in the boat )

Howdy,

Just noticed that John sheeted in before the gybe. Thats where the heeling came from.

Sometimes I sheet in a bit to make sure the sail won't go forward of 90 degrees on completion of the gybe - but don't pull in more than that.

MIK

Originally Posted by john goodman

After rolling our GIS twice in the same day the drain tubes are an interesting concept, however, I have missed any followup conversation that confirms that they really work as intended.

Those with drain tubes..... How do them work after a roll over?

The only two to put drain tubes in are Watermaat and myself. Watermaat has had his boat on the water but didn't do any testing of them by capsizing. I'll report how my (slightly differently placed) drain tubes work once I get my boat on the water - hopefully only a couple of weeks away.

Ian

Ian, you are a dark horse!

Racing to the front of the pack at the last moment!

MIK

Originally Posted by Boatmik

Racing to the front of the pack at the last moment!
MIK

With any luck!

I just got the inwale stringers on, so left to do is the knees and that bit at the front, whatever it's called, the skids on the bottom and then it's sanding and painting. Launch will be just in time for winter, I should be able to get you some pretty pictures with snow covered mountains in the background.

Ian

Originally Posted by Boatmik

Howdy,

Just noticed that John sheeted in before the gybe. Thats where the heeling came from.

Sometimes I sheet in a bit to make sure the sail won't go forward of 90 degrees on completion of the gybe - but don't pull in more than that.

MIK

John's attempt to pull the boom across after sheeting in would indicate that he wasn't sufficiently by the lee at that point, so too much pressure was the cause I think. Also probably too much weight forward. I've found that you need to move crew weight aft when gybing the GIS. Hard to tell though from that angle. Great video by the way, which I somehow missed before.

Sheeting in to reduce the boom angle is a good thing as the boom's arc is reduced, which of course also reduces its momentum. The Laser guys typically sheet in to about 45deg for the gybe, and dive across quickly to counter the heel as the boom starts to swing over.

However, I'm not one to criticise as nearly all my capsizes have been while gybing! If each time it happens you store a little bit more in the memory banks, that's a good thing

Interesting Bruce,

My method is quite different - keep it out wide and oversteer until the boom starts coming of its own accord then bear away sharply to a very broad reach course. All the momentum and any aero forces then are forward and give little heeling. All the time if move to where the boat needs me - watch and respond to heel - rather than overdoing it by guessing where I will be needed.

With the Laser the big problem is that the mainsheet gets caught around the transom corner or back of the rudder if you don't get rid of the excess sheet - so they use the oversheet method.

That doesn't happen too badly with the Goat because the traveller is a fair distance from the transom and there is a bit more boat compared to the effective boom length. I've never caught the Goat mainsheet around the rudder or transom corner

MIK