Pulling Strings Actually Sails!, Initial Impressions and Debacles

[Vectordirector]

Well we finally actually sailed her for a couple of hours.  After another tow to William's Bay on Sunday morning, we launched at a very busy ramp and motored off into the bay.  Debacle #1 ensued as I put the rudder down and it proceded to come off the gudgeon and flop around behind the boat, held on only by the shock cord!  I, in my haste to install it, had missed the hole on the rudder casting and installed the bolt with the rudder below it.  I was able to pull the rudder into the boat and motor over to Gage marine's dock, secure the boat and after fighting the wakes, install the rudder correctly.  This was not fun as getting the bolt lined up while the boat was bouncing up and down with the wake of every stinkpot that went by was nearly impossible.   After about ten tries I finally got it and we cast off again and prepared to raise the main.

The wind was out of the south at about 10 kts with occasional gusts to 15 , and shifting around to the  southwest about 30 degrees or so.  I had a tough time holding  the boat into the wind , she wanted to fall off for some reason.  I got her steady and started to yank the main halyard.  I had lubed the track with sailkote but it still got stuck about a foot short.  The gooseneck really didn't want to move, even with the downhaul and mainsheet uncleated.  I had the admiral go up and spray the gooseneck with sailkote and she was able to push it up further.  Still not up all the way though.  I think this must be a result of the boat sitting for a while.  When I raised the main on the driveway it was difficult too, so I pushed up the gooseneck manually.  I should have tested it after I lubed it but I thought it would be fine.  She was able to push it up more, but it was still a little short.  The boom did manage to clear the mast crutch so I unfurled the jib and off we went.

We started off close hauled and I started to get a feel for the boat.  I initially felt a LOT of weather helm.  I realized I was pinching too high and as I fell off the weather helm decreased.  Much better.  We got hit with a big gust and I chickened out and let the main out.  I didn't trust the keel yet, coming from catamarans and sunfish.    

We sailed around for an hour or so, mostly reaching back and forth across the lake.  On my last tack the jibsheet got caught on the masttender and debacle #2 ensued.  I put us in irons to clear the jib just as a big gust hit as the jibsheets tied into a knot.   I sent the admiral forward to clear the mess and after she was able to untie the knot I pulled the furling line to stow the jib.  It was not to be.  The furling line wouldn't budge.  Debacle #3.  When the jib was flailing around it had somehow turned the furler around 180 degrees  and the line was stuck.  I decided to drop the main at this point and started the engine to keep us headed into the wind while I figured out what to do.  We were still in the middle of the lake and the wind was increasing so I decided to head downwind to get closer to the launch and hopefully calmer winds.  As we headed down wind the jib set and the admiral again went forward and was able to play with the furler.  I pulled the line and to my surprise, it worked.  Sails stowed, we docked and yanked her out.  

Needless to say, not a terribly fun outing.  For now I'll mark it up to being unfamiliar with the boat.  My initial impression is however, favorable. I can see that I have a lot to learn with keel boats.  The Eclipse is much more boat than I am used to and I will have to adjust my style of sailing to fit her.  I think the hardest thing will be learning to trust the keel.  As many of you are aware, a Hobie or sunfish requires one to be on constant watch to adjust the sails for every gust and wind shift.  One  is constantly adjusting ones position on the boat as well to keep from capsizing or on the Hobie, pitchpolling.  It is second nature for me to, at the first sense of heeling, get ready to pop  the mainsheet and begin to hike out.  On the Eclipse I needlessly popped the jib a couple of times.  Gotta work on this and tell myself that she ain't going over.  It is hard to undo 30 years of small dingy sailing!  I need to have a look at the gudgeons as the rudder seems to have a lot of play, it doesn't seem as tight as it should be.  I'm also not crazy about the spinlocks for the mainsheet and jibsheets.  They cleat down ok but are difficult to release unless you are directly in line with them.  I tried to release them from the opposite side of the boat and it doesn't work.  Could be dangerous in heavy air.  Again, maybe something I will have to get used to.  

My biggest problem right now is in the time it is taking me to rig and unrig the boat.  The admiral knows nothing about boats so I do it all while she hangs out in the car.  This week it took me about 45 minutes to rig the boat, and about the same to get it ready to trailer.  Seems excessive but there are a lot of steps involved.  I'm considering joining the Lake Geneva Yacht Club so I can dry store the boat with the mast up and the boat rigged.  The expense might be worth the time saving.  

So there you have it.  Maiden voyage complete and we didn't kill anyone, capsize, need a tow, hit anything, or scare ourselves.  I'd call it a success!  I'm on vacation the week of the 24th and hope to get out a number of times and keep learning about this keel boat thing.  

The journey continues

Vectordirector

[beradthefish]

Very good sir.  My Eclipse is the first keel-boat I have ever owned or sailed, I too am getting used to the keel being the righting moment and not myself!  What helped me is when I was having trouble furling my jib, a gust hit and put the rail in the water.  I trusted the keel after that!  I did end up making that boat sail and so will you.

I'm glad to hear your rudder issue didn't lighten your wallet like mine!

Make sure nothing is binding your down-haul.  Also make sure that the plastic slugs that fit into the sail track don't get caught where the mast stub meets the mast, that happens to me a lot and I have to help them past that area.

45 minutes isn't bad, you'll get faster when you get your routine down of course.

As for the Spin-Locks - I removed all my deck hardware and teak for re-bedding etc.  I soaked the Spin-Lock hardware in an Oxyclean solution and cleaned them all up.  A little lubricant and now they operate much easier.

Fish

[EclipseGuy]

When I rig my boat, I raise the mast then I push up the boom until it is above the hinge area. I then use the long pin (that was previously used for locking the mast to the storage fork when trailering) as a rest for the boom. This way the boom only has to be pulled up a few inches when I raise the main, and when the main is not raised my boom is resting high enough for me to have head clearance when sitting in the cockpit.

Starting with the boom above the hinge position also removes any issues with the slugs potentially getting hung up when raising the main.

[Eagleye]

 I'm also not crazy about the spinlocks for the mainsheet and jibsheets.  They cleat down ok but are difficult to release unless you are directly in line with them.  I tried to release them from the opposite side of the boat and it doesn't work.  Could be dangerous in heavy air.  Again, maybe something I will have to get used to.  

Vec,
Concerning the spinlocks, I had the same experience as Brad.  Once I cleaned them and lubed them with Sailkote there was much improvement with the way they released.  I didn't remove them but just gave them a good shot with the pressure washer. 

I noticed that your 05 Eclipse came with the spinlocks for the jib sheets.  My 06 came with cam cleats, which I replaced with spinlocks halfway through the season. 

EclipseGuy, what is your thoughts on the spinlocks?
I have found the long pin useful also to keep the sail slugs below the hinge point when stepping the mast.  It is a really bad thing for something to raise above the hinge when rising or lowering the mast, as my PO found out.

Keep working at it, Vec.
Allen

[EclipseGuy]

Allen,

I agree that it could be bad news if the sail slugs were above the hinge when raising or lowering the mast. It is funny how over the time since I initially purchased Dragonfly I discovered a use for things like that long pin that I initially thought was not good for anything except when the mast is stored.

The spinlocks initially drove me crazy. I thought about changing them over to cam cleats because cam cleats feel more natural to me. After a while I got used to them. They seem to work fine except that they seem to require a lot of vertical motion to lock or release. I often have to lift very high to release them, then to lock them I have to pull down. With cam cleats I could lock them just by pulling horizontally, which is far more natural. With cam cleats the line falls into the locking jaws quite easily, as opposed to having to actually move a locking mechanism down like with the spinlocks.

My biggest beef with the spinlocks is that they often get bumped and unlocked when someone goes forward on the boat or leans back in the cockpit. Quite often I have been sailing along and suddenly my mainsail drops because one of my guests bumped the spinlock. With cam cleats there is more pressure on the jaws that helps keep the line locked, but spinlocks have almost no pressure keeping them locked so they are often unintentionally unlocked.

My final beef with the spinlocks is more of a setup issue from the factory. There are spinlocks on my arch for use with the traveller but the line is far to small for them. They will not lock and unlock properly, I have to push the little stopper inside the spinlocks to force it to lock on the line. They often pop back open on me. I either have to change the line to a diameter that fits, or swap out for cam cleats. I will most likely swap out for cam cleats next year.

Sorry about the long post. I guess a more appropriate name for my boat would have been "Longwinded" instead of "Dragonfly"!

-John

[Vectordirector]

Thanks guys for the input.  Great discussion and valuable informatioon for an Elcipse newbee.  After seeing Allen's post on tne damaged mast, I always make sure to get the main down past the hinge before lowering the mast.  This is also one of the few items in the manual that is emphasized repeatedly.  I will now remember to push the gooseneck up above the hinge before raising the main as well.  I had been using the long pin in the front of the hinge while raising the mast and leaving the long pin in the front of the hinge while sailing.  I think the jibsheets got hung up on it last week during a tack.  Apparently it isn't needed once the mast is up.  Great idea to let it hold the boom up, I'll definitely try it.  I've seen the posts about covering the hinge and I'll have to find something for that as well. Cleaning and lubing the spinlocks will be a priority too. 

Can someone post a pic of the rudder in the locked down position?  I'm not sure I am doing it right.  Specifically, the metal tabs on the handle and the shock cord positions.  The pic in the manual isn't that good and i wonder if the slop in the rudder is a wear issue in the pintles or if I'm not getting the handle positioned correctly and the rudder all the way down. 

Next time I have the boat out of storage I will take and post some pics of the boom to show the reefing system so you guys can walk me through how to rig it.  Also, I'm not sure the outhaul is rigged correctly so I'll get pics of it too. 

Thanks again, hope to splash her again next week.

Vectordirector