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And remember too that the distance is also impacted by where you attach the tiller extension on the tiller – too close to the end and you’re basically adding extra length
Matt
The South Australians seems to predominantly go for glass decks, whereas most of the latter day Victorain boats built by Boterill have ply.
There is a strong school of thought that to get a fibreglass hulled boat down to minimum weight, a glass deck is needed to be built fairly lightweight. The concern then is stiffness. If the boat is sailed on Port Phillip, then the waves are going to give it a hard time. Longer time, this may lead to visible cracking. A ply boat on the other hand can be strengthened with selective use of stringers without major weight penalty.
Of course, there are many who think that the timber decks and side tanks make for a better looking boat….
I’m no boat builder, but these observations seem to be made by quite a few people.
Look forward to seeing the new boat whichever way you end up going
Mike
So much better to be finishing on a Friday than a Wednesday.
Also good to have a series over an 8 day period rather than 7.
It seems a shame though to be going back to just 7 races – 10 were scheduled for Hobart, and even if you don’t get that many completed it still makes for a better series in my opinion. Noting wrong with 2 back-to-back races in an afternnon occasionally (short courses with 3 beats).
Accommodation is proving very hard – even worse in terms of the ideal scenario of having everyone together ! The Cleveland terrace appartments won’t be taking holiday bookings.
Agree – a very good series. If only all our titles were blessed with such nice consistent breezes ! Glad you like the shirts too – I wanted something that people would wear as it’s good advertrising for the class, and maybe makes people feel good about being a Sabre sailor.
Lindisfarne on the Derwent river in Hobart. Nice wide stretch of river, and they tell us they want an emphasis on afternoon races when the seas breeze is at its most reliable.
Aah yes, that rigging list. Very out of date.
I think it fair to say that most people go for a fair bit of personal preference re how they fit-out their boat. I based mine by copying partly my previous boat, and partly the 3 previous national champion winners. It made for a mix of brands (mainly Ronstan, but some Holt and Goldspar too).
It would really benefit you if you could have a look at some of the top boats in Adelaide or Melb before you start – both for brand of fittings as well as placement
I found when I did it that there was a fairly natural spot where you end it as the chine turns into the crease maybe 10cm forward of ‘directly below’ the side stay. Anything beyond that won’t be in the water if your boat is even moderately flat and hence there is not point in sharpening them.
By the way – I hope it was worth the effort when I did . Time consuming exercise !
By the way – Rontan cleats come in multiple sizes. Some people use a medium size one for the vang, and smaller for the outhaul and downhaul. Personal preference really. Also – the Ronstan basic cleat has special moudings on the botton to allow you to ‘clip-on’ up to 3 optional extras – an angled spacer that changes the angle of the cleat (useful); the metal front guide (essential) and a plastic guide that sits over the top (useful). It’s a real pain in the backside to find out about these after you’ve fitted the basic cleat. (Fitting these cleats is one of the worst jobs around as you try to locate the nut ‘blind’ with your hand thru the front inspection ports !
There are 3 main approaches adopted – cleats on the foredeck, side-tanks and thwart.
Foredeck is the most common amongst the current top boats – 3 on either side, angled at about 45 degrees, and positioned just in front of the cockpit. (Secure with stainless bolts right thru the framing timber). Make sure you incorporate rope guides on the ‘mast-side’ – an extra fitting that clips into the standard Ronstan fitting. Then run a length of shock-cord from side of thwart to the shroud (on each side of the boat) and tie the end of each of the control lines to this shock-cord so you can easily grab them when needed
The alternatives are to take the ropes down to a triple block somewhere at the bottom of the centre-board case and have the them come up to cleats on the side tanks or thwart.
