Just purchased 1979 CP16 - Gulf Coast of Central West Florida

[WhiteShad-O]

I'm new in every sense of the word where sailing is concerned.  .  I just picked up my first sailboat this evening. I'm a recovering powerboater, but there is no love lost there...what a hassle it is dealing with batteries and motors when they're required to go anywhere.

As I've read a couple dozen posts, I see a lot of experience and have also read things that I hadn't even considered, like capsizing.  I know so little about sailing other than a few hours on the internet and talking to my nearly as novice buddy.
I'm no kid, so I've got that on my side to keep me from taking risks.  On the other hand, I'm not sure how I will handle a sudden wind gust.  The gentleman I got this bargain from said there are no reef points and know there is no way to furl the jib.  Any pointers to keep me safe while I learn in the shallow parts of the Gulf of Mexico are appreciated.  I am in Pasco County, (Hudson) Florida if anybody knows where that is.

I look forward to learning and intend on using this site as a knowledge resource. 

Eric Klee
Hudson, Florida

[Greene]

Congratulations.  You picked a great boat to learn on.  They are solid, safe and forgiving.  If your mainsail doesn't have reef points, look to see if the boom is equipped with a spring loaded gooseneck.  If you can pull the boom aft and spin it, that is how it reefs.  Check it out and let us know. 

Sail in low winds to get a feel for her and work your way up in comfort level.  It takes really unusual conditions to tip one of these over.  The best lesson my wife learned early on is that when she got uncomfortable with the strength of a gust, all she had to do was let go of the tiller and the boat will take care of itself.

Mike

[Billy]

Eric,
I'm right down the road in Palm Harbor.
If you ever want someone to go sail with you, let me know.

I would recommend starting off sailing on a lake 1st. Less to deal with, no tides, currents, and hardly any traffic.

And there is absolutely NO WAY you could capsize on Lake Tarpon.

And Greene is probably right about the boom reefing. Just pull the boom back and wrap the bottom of the main.
You have to loosen your main halyard 1st and then after you roll up you sail how ever much you want, tighten the halyard back.

Billy

[WhiteShad-O]

I'm glad to hear this boat is very hard to capsize. It would be one of my few fears if the weather kicked up by surprise.  I'll check the boom to see if it rotates to enable rolling the sail down.
Tomorrow, I'm going to rig it up and hoist the sails in my yard just to make sure I am familiar with that before looking like the novice I am on the ramp.  Today, I got the little yamaha running with the help of a little carburetor cleaner. It runs nice and smooth. 

With a draft of only 18", how much depth do I actually need at a boat ramp to launch it, given the angle of a boat ramp? I am planning on trying Aropeka, just north of Hudson during the weekday because there would be no boat traffic at all. I'd feel as comfortable with that as I would lake Tarpon.  I'll stay in shallow water and actually wear my life jacket.  One has to go out quite a ways to get into 6' of water up that way. 

I'm sure I'll have struggles, but I am hoping my understanding of "wings" from flying will help me as apply it to sailing.

I'm really looking to get out on the water again after a long time off from power boating.  I'll let you guys know what I find out about whether the boom will rotate. 

Eric

[skip1930]

One might care to read about the Com Pac 16's in Bob Burgess's book, Handbook of Trailer Sailing. Bob sails his CP-16 in and around Florida. I enclose a pic of Mr. Burgess sailing his CP-16 for your enjoyment.

Understand that as the mast leans over more, the sail spills more air and basically stops the lean. Basically the same thing happens when the main sheet is let out by the skipper.

It is possible, though I would not recommend it, that with the drop board in place, and the hatch closed and dogged down, and the ports closed and all other means of water ingress taken care of that the top'o mast could be only maybe 10 foot above the water and the CP-16 will right itself back up. The skipper may not be in the boat anymore but the boat will round up into the wind.

skip.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/com-pac/

[WhiteShad-O]

Skip,

Thanks for posting that pic of Mr. Burgess.  I will check out his book. 
I did some yard sailing today...I rigged my 16 and hoisted the main and jib, so now I know I can do that much without emberassing myself; well, I did let the mast drop back errantly before I had the fore stay fastened down. No harm done, only my friend saw it and at least I "helped it down" without a full impact onto the stern. Lesson one; don't let go without having the bow wire taught or attached. Pardon, if my terminology isn't well learned yet.

The only line is haven't been able to figure out from diagrams or accompanying documentation, is the line (rope) hanging from the masthead aft attach point that isn't long enough to attach to the stern. I thought it might clip to the end of the boom, but then the main is slack at the height that puts the outer boom.  Can anyone tell me what this line attaches to?  It's gotta be some kind of support or safety line, right?  I've looked everywhere and it just isn't evident.

Thanks in advance,

Eric

[WhiteShad-O]

Billy,

That would be a real treat to sail with you!  No doubt, it would be both fun and the easiest way to learn the basics.  I expect I will go out during the week just to get my "feet wet" and see if I can keep from using the motor too much to propel the boat. 

You are correct, my boom when pulled away from the mast just a little, will rotate.  That was a good tip.  I like that I don't have to get out of the cockpit to down haul the main and can reef it by just rolling the boom. I don't know it any of the masts rotate on  cp 16's, but mine doesn't. 

I'll put some pics up as soon as the first ones make into my email from my cell phone.  I can't wait to take it out.  I'm both anxious and excited at the same time.

I am learning a lot just by reading hours of posts throughout the forum. A lot of questions are answered that I won't have to ask.  I hope I won't have to find out what it feels like to have the mast anywhere close to 10' of the water. I'll let the main sheet out long before it heels to anywhere near where Mr. Burgess' is in the picture, until I get some experience and comfort under my belt. I assume that's the best way to release the wind out of main sail.  I also don't believe I will raise the jib right away and just have it hanked on with the haliard in the cockpit in case I need the horsepower to get under way on a calm day.  Does that make sense?

I don't have a downhaul on either the main or the jib, which makes me wonder if that's something that's valuable atleast for the jib.  I've spent some time on the water with powerboats and one thing I won't be doing is going up front to mess with the headsail.  My seal legs would have me overboard or pancaked out in fear.

[Bob23]

Eric:
   That mysterious line sounds like a topping lift which is meant to support the boom when the mainsail is not up. If yours is too short, it would not allow the main to achieve proper shape. Is it wire or line?
   A jib downhaul would be an asset. You don't really need one for the main, though.
   Looking forward to reading about your maiden voyage! Any names for the new ship?
Bob23   

[Salty19]

I agree with Bob, that line is probably just to hold the boom up while motoring, docking, anchoring, etc.  It should be released during sailing, or long enough that it's a little loose with the mainsail up --the sail should be holding the boom up during sailing.  I used to remove it and tie to the mast base on the 16 so the roller reefing would work.

You could leave it on while hoisting the mainsail, then once all the way up, release. That way the boom and hardware isn't banging around the cockpit so much.  that also helps to keep the mainsheet from tangling up.

[WhiteShad-O]

Thanks guys for the reply.

You are both correct.  I stopped by Hutchins Company this afternoon and asked one of the founding brothers, Rich Hutchins, what is was for.  He verified its just to hold the boom up when the main is down.  I also learned that they don't actually do the fiberglass layup work at the Clearwater main address.  They do assembly work their.  I was surprised at what a relatively small building it is; maybe 6,000 square feet.  Their were more unrelated power boats in the yard than Compace sailboats, I think.

As for a name,  I decided to name her Shad' O.  The boat is kind of shaped like a shad, in a way.  Anyway, that's why I call myself White Shad'O.   I know its not a very ladylike name, but its short (easy to letter) andj unique, I expect.
No Champagne bottle being broken over the bow though.


Rich (Hutchins) sent me an email with the parts list for the cp16, and this email. 

Attached is the parts list for the CP-16 that you requested.



If you have any questions please feel free to call or e-mail me at any time.



Rich Hutchins



Hutchins Co., Inc./ Com-Pac Yachts

1195 Kapp Dr.

Clearwater, Fl. 33765



727-443-4408 phone

727-443-1088 fax



www.com-pacyachts.com

rich@com-pacyachts.com

I thought that was pretty cool.  If anybody needs the parts manual, I'll be glad to post it or send it in an email.

Eric

[carry-on]

Eric,
The parts list I have is dated 4/7/2011. If your list is newer, please post it or send to the email in my profile.
On the parts list, page 1, Lists CP 16 Owners Manual and Handbook of Trailer Sailing    . The Robert Burgess book is a nice item for the library of any CP 16/19/23 sailor. Was $14 from Hutchins, a good buy. Recently saw new copies on Amazon for $54+, but used are $4 to$10.
The Shad is a very interesting/smart fish. My info is from The Founding Fish. They don't reproduce until they are five years old and to reproduce they return to the exact location of their birth. That's good memory. By contrast, I have difficulty finding the glasses I used twenty minutes ago. The book relates how the spawning shad on the Delaware were a source of food for Washington's army at Valley Forge.
Anyway good name for a smart sailboat.
You may be interested in a site, www.ipass.net/sailboat. The site is The sailboat Company in Redlands NC. Good info about sailing and caring for your 16.
Welcome and fair winds to you.

[brackish]

I also learned that they don't actually do the fiberglass layup work at the Clearwater main address.

Lay up is done in the neighborhood so to speak at Island Packet Yachts.  Not bad folks to have for subcontractors.

[WhiteShad-O]

1979 Compac 16 with 4 h.p. yamaha 2 stroke.  Isn't she purdy?  This is my first sailboat.  The Wellcraft 196cc in the picture is for sale.  I'm done with power boats in favor of my new soon to be favorite avocation; sailing.  My plans are to sail my 16 for a few months, learn as much as I can and consider if I want a larger boat for cruising. 

[HideAway]

A few years ago someone donated a Compac 16 to our sailing club in Gulfport Fl.   It was in terrible shape but the hull and sails were ok.  One day a group of our racers decided to see what the little boat could do.  The wind that day was well into the 20s and gusting much higher.   NOBODY was on the bay which was covered with three foot breaking swells - a rare event.  The boat had no motor so they had to sail out of our narrow marina, down the Gulfport channel avoiding the shallows before getting into the bay.  They flew a deep reefed main and from what I could see had the rail well buried the whole time.  They were heeling a good 30 degrees with some heart stopping rolls.   

The conditions were so rough our club power boat would not have been able to rescue them.  There was no need.  After an hour or so the stout little ship returned with her full crew all grinning ear to ear.   I was amazed at how will the 16 handled the bashing - The crew were all very experienced sailors by the way.   Our experience on our 23 is that the boat will handle much more than we can - so when it gets too rough we heave to and wait awhile.     Gulfport is at the southern end of Pinellas county- Our sailing club is Boca Ciega Yacht Club.  We usually sail in the Bradenton-Tampa Bay area and as far north as Anclote Key near Tarpon Springs.  Our longest cruise was to Boca Grande near Ft Meyers.   

The Compac 16 is went to a better place when the club purchased 5 Catalina 16 keel boats aka Water Rockets.  Matt

   

[WhiteShad-O]

Matt,

That's an interesting, if not encouraging story of the little boat that could.  I can't imagine how those guys sailed up a narrow channel with the amount of weather helm this Compac 16 sustains. But I'm sure good sailors can figure that out.  I've found my Compac 16 slips sidewise in the water noticably. Perhaps theirs a better name for it than "slipping".  To say it doesn't point well, may cover my explanation.  Maybe the greater the wind and therefore the greater the heel, the less relative side slip is realized.  I'm curious to know if that is the case.  Do even full keel boats or ones with deep centerboards "slip" noticably so that one has to aim well off of the intended course to compensate?

I look forward to getting out in some two foot waves with 20 mph wind and seeing how she will handle. I'm guessing, like a duck in a bathtub.

Eric Klee
Hudson, Florida