Sheets.....in or out?

[Billy]

Question? Do you run the jib sheets in between the shrouds or on the outside? I ran them on the outside so I can let the sail out on a run but saw in the owners manual they run them inbetween. This doesn't seem right. So now what I do is if I'll mostly be going on a beam reach or further down wind, I run them on the outside; if I'm going into the wing I'll run the sheets between. Any thoughts???

[Potcake boy]

Billy,

Welcome to the group - I live just south of you in Punta Gorda and there are a couple more Compac owners in this area as well.
I have a 19, and you are correct that the proper routing is between the shrouds.  However if you feel the impulse to do so there is certainly no harm in re-routing for sailing off the wind.  Some who use a big headsail have separate sheets set up through a genoa track outboard of the cockpit coaming.  Considering that this is not a race boat my solution has been to keep simplicity in mind, therefore I have a furling working jib, and when that's not enough I use a North G3 spinnaker.  It is a nice sail for our 19s as you still get plenty of go when the water is pretty flat.  To keep the management of the spinnaker simple I use a Chute Scoop and Turtleroo from Shaw.  The G3 is cut somewhat flat which allows close reaching as well as poling out for dead downwind sailing.  Being flatter than the typical spinnaker it is also a bit more forgiving to trim and easier to handle when the wind pipes up as it does here in the mid afternoon.  If you haven't had experience sailing a spinnaker then you would be more than welcome to sail, with me and experience it first hand.  A spinnaker is a lot like sex - your beforehand nervous trepidation quickly succumbs to enthusiasm that keeps you itching for more - actually I guess that could be said of sailing all together.  Well any how I have also been a strong proponent of full batten loose footed mains.  I had my new sail made that way and get some surprising performance from my humble 19.  My only grievance is the ugly amount of ground lost to leeway when on a beat.  The stubby keel gives up a lot in terms of windward performance.  When I bought mine I was hoping to find a centerboard version but without success.  I've not seen any comparisons of the standard vs. centerboard but imagine it must be better than the standard keel.  How do you suppose a 19 would look with leeboards?

Enjoy the warm weather now that it's finally here.

Ron

[Craig Weis]

Forget what the factory manual says, sheets outside and do not put those sheets through the pad eyes on top of the cockpit combing.
Sheets outside everything. Includes the standing rigging. You can pull the 155% head sail in to the spreaders if you need to. The sheet line from the headsail car when positioned correctly on my boat ought to be pointing toward the center of the headsail.
For me I sail relaxed. Sail her loose. Let out till the sail flops, pull in till the flop stops.

Note, from the car to the winch the sheet usually lays on the fiberglass combing and starts to 'saw' it's way through the fiberglass. I put down some stainless steel rub bars used on Chris Craft power boats for these sheets to ride over, saving my fiberglass combing.

Potcake boy...

"A spinnaker is a lot like sex - your beforehand nervous trepidation quickly succumbs to enthusiasm that keeps you itching for more -"

...really?  Good one. I like that, you rascal you. I always thought itchy sex was a warning...

skip.

[Potcake boy]

Skip - come to think of it I guess itch was a poor choice of words.  But I'm not so sure that "hankering" would sound anymore nautical, how about "reaching"?

Ron

[Billy]

Pancake, Thanks!!!, we definitely should meet up, I would love to make it down there and sail sometime as you are now welcome to come up anytime. I've never sailed a spinnaker but you are right, I am a bit nervous about it. My boat isn't set up for one.....yet.

Skip, I do keep them out (90% of the time), which I like much better, unless I am heading into the wind closed hauled. You would be surprised how much closer you cvan go towards the wind. I can point up at least 5 degrees more with the sheets b/w the shrouds. And If the sheets are b/w the stays the line can go through the pad eye straight to the winch (w/out using the cars) and there shouldn't be any rub. But Stainless steel rub bars does sound fancy. For the sake of upgrades to my boat, I wish I lived up north by you, seems you've done a lot. But it is nice to be able to go sailing year round down here.

I have a 100 jib and a 150 jenny, jib sheets go through the pad eye and jenny goes through the cars, but I'm open for suggestions.

In any case....I sure do love these boats!!!

[Bob23]

Ron:
   I think leebooards are grossly underated. I have not owned a boat with them but have seen quite a few. I like 'em. I wonder if I could retrofit my 23 with leeboards? Man, that would be a sight!
Bob23

[curtisv]

With a big genny outside the sheets.  With a jib that has a smaller overlap you'll want to be inside the sheets if you are sailing to windward for any length of time.  Back and forth in a lake, just keep the sheets outside.

I solved this on my CP23 so I could keep my sheets outside without sacrificing windward performance but it meant new sailtracks just aft of the aft lower chainplates and a new headsail cut for that sheeting position.

Curtis

[Potcake boy]

Bob,

Aside from possibly looking a bit odd, leeboards should greatly improve the windward performance of our stubby keel boats.  Of course they would be up at any other point of sail to avoid the extra drag.  Maybe if someone with a 16 has an edge toward experimenting, it would be a perfect test subject.  It would be easier to do on a smaller boat.  Aside from sailing close hauled, the 19 sails quite satisfactorily, in fact she is actually pretty fast for her design and size.  However I just dread it when the wind is up and I have to beat and watch the scenery slide away to windward.  Often as not I call upon that #6 sail under those conditions.

But once again, my conviction is that if your not happy with the way your boat performs you should look at another design as opposed to substantial modification.  Heck, there is a boat out there of every conceivable design.  There just isn't a design yet that is perfect for every sailor - if there was I'm sure I couldn't afford it.

Ron

[Craig Weis]

The CP-19 is just as fast as my friend's Cape Dory Typhoon. I follwed him on every point of sail never more then a whisper away.
That was a blast! skip.

[curtisv]

The CP-19 is just as fast as my friend's Cape Dory Typhoon. I follwed him on every point of sail never more then a whisper away.
That was a blast! skip.

I once outsailed a Hobie 18 in a gusty 15 knots.  I found out that the boat was a rental which explains why her crew didn't know what they were doing.  They completely dumped the main on every gust and took a while to get sheeted right before the next gust came by and threw them off.  Ordinarily a CP23 would get blown away by a Hobie 18 in 15 knots.  The Hobbie would get planing and its goodbye.  Also consistently outsailed an older Catalina 25 on my home water but I figured out that her sails were old and bagged out.  Ordinarily a CP23 should not outsail a Catalina 25.

Its nice to outsail or even keep up with a boat you shouldn't be able to keep up with according to specs.

OTOH - once a 18 foot catboat, either an Arey's Pond Cat or Marshal Cat, kept catching up to me in fairly light air going to windward.  These cats aren't supposed to go to windward that well.  CPs are not great in light air but neither are these cat boats.  As he approached I heard the inboard motor running.  That explained it.  Not many, but a few small cat, at least from Arey's Pond if not also Marshall, had small inboards.  I think Areys Pond still offers a small inboard deisel, but not sure.

Curtis