Cadet MK2

**Boatmik** · 3rd October 2006, 12:54 AM

WOW ANDREW!!!!

Who would have thought!

Looks Quick already!

A coupla rigging things. The two saddles on the stern for the traveller. If you haven't already put 3/4" OD stainless washers (nothing smaller) between the saddle and the deck. The contact area is quite small and the base of the saddle will dig into your varnish when the boat is on a reach and the mainsheet pulls the saddles forward a bit.
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(I've come back to edit this bit about the jib sheeting after checking some pics on the net. Your position is fine (as you probably know already)

This is the bit I got wrong - the sheeting has to be that wide by the rules
Also the fairleads for the jib sheeting (if they are that - near the sidestay chainplates) look way too far out - they need to be on a line bang on 10degrees from the centreline measured from the forestay. Check that the class rules let you move them in that close though. Also check what the other boats are using - you may be allowed more adjustable type fittings and that is one place to put them.

A couple of marks on the foredeck at the 10 degree mark at the front of the cockpit can help to get the jib in the right place using a combination of sheet tension in the windward and leeward sheets as is the photo above.

Premarking positions on the sheet with texta is VERY worthwhile. in helping to reproduce those settings.

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The two plastic cleats on the deck either side of the cockpit front ... the plastic ones are useless - they hardly hold in the first place and get much worse after a few sails. The aluminium ones fit in the same holes and are completely reliable for about 3 seasons. If the line that they hold is the vang or something that must be held by the cleat all the time then get the type with the closed tops. CL211 Mk2. Neat and reliable.

Generally with ropes diameters have been going down and down to cut friction as they go through the blocks. Almost eveything is 4mm these days
except for sheets which will usually be 6mm for jibs and 8mm for mainsheets. It also helps cut some of the cost. The photo above - they have made up a tapered sheet for the mainsail - it is 4mm where it isn't handled and bigger elsewhere - still looks like 6 which would be OK with an efficent vang set up.

Materials for ropes - vang, any halyard with sailing load and spinnaker sheets - spectra. Everything else can be pre-stretch or Excel (a low stretch polyester from Ronstan). Mainsheet and Jib to be double braid.

Remember too that accurate rudders and centreboards can provide a big jump in performance - but let your son get used to the boat first.

Well Done!

MIK

**Daddles** · 3rd October 2006, 11:57 AM

Careful Mik, after all that work, he's not going to put it in the water where his son might sink it!

Richard

**meerkat** · 4th October 2006, 09:53 AM

WATER ???? Who said anything about putting it in water !!!

**meerkat** · 7th January 2007, 10:28 AM

Ok then, we've just come back from the nationals in Hobart where it was his first time with such a large fleet.

The results were 74th overall (out of 86), 53rd on handicap and managed to get a 1st on handicap.

From where I sat (on the beach, hot and bothered) he and his crew did a great job for their first time at a nationals.

We needed to replace the old vang that didn't give him enough purchase and after that his boat speed improved.

Well the boat didn't fare so well. Stuck on the roof rack it got some travel rash, the splash gaurd has split, the repaired hole in the side has opened a little after a bump on the start line (and water has got in) and some water to seep into the bow and softened the ply around the nails. I have no idea how this happened though.

I'll be removing any soft wood around the hole once its dried out, and putting in a new piece of ply coz the original repair made by the previous owners had a mix of fibreglass and bog that I thought would last but didn't (I'll learn).

The bow will most probably end up with a fibreglass strip down the side to make sure strength etc is not compromised (once again when its dried out)

Once again, no pressure, just have to have it ready to go by the last weekend of January (thats right 2007) for Skandia week in Geelong.

Oh and just remembered, in some places, it looks like the poly has started to seperate from the poxy. It's like theres an air bubble under the poly. Any ideas what could have started that ?

**Boatmik** · 8th January 2007, 01:21 AM

Originally Posted by meerkat

Ok then, we've just come back from the nationals in Hobart where it was his first time with such a large fleet.

The results were 74th overall (out of 86), 53rd on handicap and managed to get a 1st on handicap.

he must have been happy with the 1st! But as for the fleet he now has a standard to compare himself with. Hope he is starting to accumulate some texta marks on the boat - jibsheets for upwind, close reaching and broad reaching kite brace presets - and then the general tuning ones - vang, cunningham, outhaul etc.

We needed to replace the old vang that didn't give him enough purchase and after that his boat speed improved.

Vangs have to be pretty monstrously powerful.

Well the boat didn't fare so well. Stuck on the roof rack it got some travel rash, the splash gaurd has split, the repaired hole in the side has opened a little after a bump on the start line (and water has got in) and some water to seep into the bow and softened the ply around the nails. I have no idea how this happened though.

Avoiding travel rash is a bit of an art in itself. Pick up some old carpet if you can. Never trust boat rollers for sailing boats - a cradle makes all the difference and you want as many vertical pieces of plywood over the cradle pads as possible - the bulkheads at the front and back of the cockpit are ideal places. Good wide contact area (3 to 4") covered with carpet. Also carpet under mast and boom, Rough stitch a couple of carpet "slip cases" for the rudder and centreboard. Sails inside car - not in trailer - for longer trips if possible.

Alway carry some plastic duct tape (silver 2" wide - plastic) which can seal all sorts of small cracks and abrasions - even quite big holes at times for the length of a regatta - just to keep the water out of the timber

I'll be removing any soft wood around the hole once its dried out, and putting in a new piece of ply coz the original repair made by the previous owners had a mix of fibreglass and bog that I thought would last but didn't (I'll learn).

That's the problem with polyester resin and wooden structures - sometimes it sticks - sometimes it doesn't.

Once again, no pressure, just have to have it ready to go by the last weekend of January (thats right 2007) for Skandia week in Geelong.

Good Old Dad!

Oh and just remembered, in some places, it looks like the poly has started to seperate from the poxy. It's like theres an air bubble under the poly. Any ideas what could have started that ?

Generally epoxy sticks pretty well to polyester - but certainly not vice versa. In all my years of fixing boats I've never had epoxy break away from polyester. Much more likely that if there is load the epoxy will transfer it to the polyester and polyester will detach from the surface. Though if there was some surface contamination or the polyester resin was a waxy "finishing resin" that is sometimes used in surfboard manufacture then that might explain why the pox didn't stick.

MIK

**meerkat** · 8th January 2007, 10:50 AM

Sorry Mik, the "poly" I used was the cockatoo to clean the deck

and polyeurathane on top of the poxy.

He's now keeping records of the races, what was good/bad etc to start getting a history going.

**meerkat** · 18th January 2007, 03:51 PM

Well the repair on the repair on the side has been done, approx 3x6in in size. Cut out the old repair, cleaned and sealed with yep you guessed it, poxy

. Put a few straps in the back (also well sealed) and put the "plug" in. Fit like a glove

Cleaned out the rot in the bow, soaked some poxy with tprda in it and strenghtened with some fibreglass as well.

The deck was sanded back a bit and recoated with polyurethane, looks better than the first time around. The idea to put a couple coats of poxy on first sure makes a difference later on. Thanks Mik.

Got the skipper to sand and finally paint the bow and side. He's actually quite chuffed because it was the first time he used the roller by himself, I gave him the job and off he went. Gotta say not a bad job indeed. His teacher must be pretty good

The idea is to now introduce more of the maintenance to him so that he can do more or even one day all of it and I supervise (with a cold one in hand of course

)

Got to redo the position of the main block, and seeing I took the front cleats off (for the spinnaker pole) I'm replacing them with cam cleats as suggested. Whilst the others still work just fine, the opportunity was there so ...

Now all we have to do is get it to Geelong for Skandia week for 3 days of racing (easy) then keep it in good nick for the state titles in March.

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