New 2010 legacy "Dutch"

[Roy]

Just purchased a 2010 Legacy a few weeks ago in Denver, Co. After  having sailed a Catalina 18 for six years I purchased a Precision 21 last year. I soon realized going with a bigger boat  was a big mistake. I needed a boat that I could keep in my garage and trailer to different local lakes. The Legacy sure looks like a well built little boat with great traditional looks. After reading this forum a few times I already made a few modifications IE rudder downhaul. I will be taking her out for her maiden voyage this weekend. I am just curious if anybody else has experienced gelcoat damage above the bow eye. It looks like the winch roller ate a hole right through the gelcoat. The roller seems to be a little bit harder then some of the other one I have had. It also seems that the boat "bobs" on the trailer vertically. It looks like a bow strap might fix that. Please let me know if there are any other remedies to prevent the roller damaging the gelcoat. I am looking forward to learning more about this fine little boat and taking her out for many trips including the Havasu trailersailer get together in February next year

[Bob23]

Hi Roy:
   While I cannot address firsthand the gelcoat issues you describe, I just wanted to be the first to welcome you to the site! Plenty of knowledge, untold fathomless wisdom and more than a few opinions await you here! Looking forward to hearing of your adventures of sailing your Eclipse. Any name for your boat yet?
Bob23 in NJ

[frank]

 Re: gelcoat at roller.
I had a similar experience once when the chain was above, not below the roller.Check out  which way works
on your's so the chain is not between the roller and bow.
Then...make sure the boat is tight to the roller to prevent chaff. Check after a few miles as things stretch.

You can get touch-up gelcoat from Gerry @ ComPac

[kahpho]

I've not noticed any gelcoat damage like you describe, at least not yet. I'll be watching for that now.

Welcome to our pond. Bobs quite right, some of the wisdom is kind of hard to fathom at times.    I still like it here. Plenty of good ideas, helpfull suggestions and the occasional guffaw or two.

mel

[Roy]

Thanks guys. Appreciate all the info I can get. Also curious about the range of my 3.5 hp Mercury outboard. It has a .3 gallon build in gas tank. It makes me a little nervous. I am used to having a 5 gallon external tank. Let me know your thought on this.I don't think there is any place to bring any extra gas as far as storage goes without the fumes getting inside the cabin.any ideas on this. Also wondering if there are any other Legacy owners in Colorado.

[Glenn Basore]

Roy,

I have a Mercury 4 horse power, 4 stroke.  I think my internal gas tank size is .75 litter?

At about half speed I ran it for about an hour to get back to the marina after the winds stop.

I've never run it dry but I think I came close that time. I actually stopped before entering the Chanel to put a splash of gas in it, I didn't want to run out entering the Chanel and maneuvering around the docks and rocks.

Glenn

[sea kayaker]

My winch hook goes under the roller. The only "bobbing" I noticed is when I first winch up the boat tight to the roller it will pull away about 1.5 inches  but if I pull the rig forward about2-3 feet the bow will settle down and I can winch up the 1-2 inches. I use a Tilt master trailer that was custom fitted to the boat by Hutchins.

[skip1930]

" It also seems that the boat "bobs" on the trailer vertically "

Might want to adjust the hull bunks to fit the curve of the hull better.
Put more weight on these bunks by taking a little bit off of the keel.
Pull the bow into the vee block, this will probably pull the keel off of the stern roller.
Which is where the hull bunk curve comes into play. Straps are O.K. but don't allow these to hurt the boat.

skip.

[Eagleye]

I am just curious if anybody else has experienced gelcoat damage above the bow eye. It looks like the winch roller ate a hole right through the gelcoat. The roller seems to be a little bit harder then some of the other one I have had. It also seems that the boat "bobs" on the trailer vertically. It looks like a bow strap might fix that.

Roy,
Welcome to the forum and congrats on your Legacy.   When we first started looking for our boat the Legacy was at the top of the list but we ultimately decide to go with her big sister, the Eclipse. 

As far as the bow bobbing on the trailer, I too have noticed that the Eclipse will rock on the trailer.   After looking at recent photos of Legacys for sale it is evident that the Eclipses have a similar plumb bow and trailer to bunk setup.  If you d a search on this site you will find a lot of good suggestions and opinions on strapping a boat to the trailer.  As Skip suggested, check your side bunks to see if they are in good contact to the hull.  I readjusted mine early this season because I noticed that they were not equal by almost 4 inches as they were set by the PO.

We trailer one to two thousand miles during the season so a rocking boat on the trailer would not be good.  In my experience, your idea about the bow strap is right on target for our setup.  It will stop the rocking motion and make the boat more secure to the trailer.  It will help keep the bow against the roller and take some tension of the bow eye.  It will also keep the boat from rocking when you are working on the boat while on the trailer in your yard.

Here is a pic of my bow strap setup. 





Good luck with Dutch and happy sailing,
  Allen

[Pete H]

I have not had any problems as described, but one of the first things I did when I brought the Legacy home was to attach a turnbuckle and chain between the trailer frame and the bow eye on the boat.
Just hook the turnbuckle to the bow eye, tighten a couple of turns and she's secure. Can't rub up and down and in an emergency braking situation the boat is less likely to ride up the bow roller and land on the roof of the tow vehicle.

Cheers,