[lenfly]

Thanks for your information Alan. I’m not sure what you mean by tensioning the halyard. Do you have the halyard attached to the end of the boom say with the mainsheet tied off. Then tension the halyard via the cleat until you get 25? That is, similar to putting a spring balance between the mast head and the boom. Is 25 on the scale or is it 25kg? You must have wire in your halyard to use the Loos gauge. Thanks again!

[lenfly]

Best to contact your state association measurer if you did not get the building instructions for your boat. There were a number of chnages between 2014 and now. Yes, it is possible that a boat built to the plans and official templates will not meet the current rules. However, the rules in force when your boat was built are the ones that apply. Are there any particular rules where your boat is not in spec?

regards,
John Campbell
Qld Measurer

[lenfly]

Hi Matt,

This change was part of the 2017 review. It also allows control lines and mainsheet to be included in the weight which were not previously. All these changes disadvantage older boats. Queensland voted against the rule changes because there was no acceptable reason provided to change this rule or many of the other rule changes. I am happy to discuss in detail privately if you want to contact me (Qld Measurer).
John Campbell
“Close Enough For Jazz” 1842

[lenfly]

Hi Matt, The Building Instructions say to use 300 x 40 x 50 softwood such as oregon for the stem head block. They also say the block can be laminated for extra strength. I expect that you will not want to replace the whole block so it is OK to replace just the bit that is damaged with good timber. An option could be to drill a larger hole and glue in a timber plug that you can screw into if old timber is not to rotten. If you want to get your timber from a well know hard ware store then plugs of Tasmanian Oak but this would be too heavy for the whole block. Hoop Pine and Coachwood are others often used. I think western red cedar is soft for taking screws. Hope this helps.

[lenfly]

Craig asks why sabre rules should change to accommodate fibreglass boats. Fibreglass boats will be the logical choice for most however some like the challenge of building their own boat and like the visual appeal of the timber. Also there is the price saving if you have the time to devote to building. If Aten is referring to the rules that came into effect on Feb 1 this year, these are not about fibreglass boats but more about allowing timber boats to be competitive and also to limit further shape evolution. I have only been involved in the class for 10 years and I was attracted to it because I had the choice to build my own boat. However, I believe that it is impossible to build a competitive timber boat without altering the hull panels by more than what could be considered amateur builder tolerance and certainly more than what a professional could manage. So one intention of the new rules is to more accurately define the hull shape through the measurement of more sections and not rely on adherence to panel shape. A lot of work was done to develop the new rules and significant work has been done since to ensure that the current fibreglass boats represent the maximum amount of optimisation that can be achieved within the rules. I hope the new rules will allow timber boats to be built with the perceived or real performance benefits of fibreglass. There is no reason to change the Sabre at this time. The only reasons why change should be considered include cost and availability of construction materials. These are my views only!

[lenfly]

Hi csim,

I agree with your interpretation of rule 2.6b. It clearly states that it is measured from the top of the keel. I have asked the National MEasurer to check official templates to confirm the correct interpretation.

Regards,
John Campbell
QLD Measurer

[lenfly]

Aten,

Look at the Sabre Home Page (you will have to scroll down a way. The rule proposals and results are there.

[Author]

Posts