[quote=nohuhu]The good news for us is the boat stays parked at the beach. The wings stay on, and flip up for storage. The worse part about them (on land) is how they get in the way while loading the boat with beer and safety gear. My long arms come in handy.
We rigged simple footsteps using adjustable kayak tiedowns inside 3/4" foam insulation. Worked perfectly. They go on and off the boat in seconds.
On the water, we don't seem to be paying much of a price in performance. Wings make it so easy to shift our weight around, that our overall trim has probably improved.
It is so effortless to stand up and move around the 18-2 now that we tend to try out a lot more positions.
[u]Some other plusses:[/u]
:-D More comfort and less fatigue. (I don’t have to sit on a traveler or daggerboard all day, bang my knees up or tear my trunks on all the deck hardware).
:-D Higher perspective and ease of navigation.
:-D The waterline clearance is good - we have not dragged the leeward wing in the water yet.
:-D Roll tacking is very effective with the skipper on the windward rear wing position.
:-D The Trap lines worked well for both crew members, when shifting our weight out over the bench. I really felt secure leaning out with both controls in my hands on several fast runs. My crew was actually standing on the hull, ready to move his weight as needed. I skippered standing up a few times, when running downwind.
[u]Negatives[/u]:
:-( Getaway wings are not as light as the Nacra versions. They do add weight toward the aft half of the boat but that's only been an issue with cattrax placement so far. The new balance point is likely 1 ft aft of the dagger centerline. I'll experiment and see.
:-( You may need to raise your cleating angles to adjust for the higher crew position.
:-( Reaching down from the wings to gather up the lines during a tack is an unnatural position for the skipper. (Head lower that butt). The crew could help do this.
:-( Metal wings with black tramps can get hot enough to burn, but this usually only a problem on land.
I mentioned I rarely double trap when I skipper, but it seems to be the norm around here, even on the faster winged boats. Our friends put on a clinic yesterday for us, double-trapped WAY out on their 21SE wings. It is their "go to" mode. :-O[/quote]
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