Righting Capized Cat
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Posted: May 21, 2010 - 05:18 PM
I have a Nacra 5.8. I have righting lines and considering a righting pole. I'm sailing recreationally. If I were to capsize, can you stand on the boards like a laser or other monohulls or are they likely to break? Thanks, G -
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Posted: May 21, 2010 - 05:59 PM
I weigh about 180lb and have stood about half way out on my boards with them all the way down. There still there.
I built a righting pole and don't have to stand on the boards now. -
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Posted: May 22, 2010 - 10:24 AM
hey that's a good question, I weigh 135 and have a 15 foot cat. I'm just in the stages or rebuilding but do plan to go out solo every now and then. Should I invest in a righting pole or will the boards and a righting line be alright? -
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Posted: May 22, 2010 - 06:46 PM
15' you might be alright solo
my 165lbs isn't enough to solo right my 17' nacra on a lake with no swell and light but gusty winds -
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Posted: May 23, 2010 - 08:42 PM
Everyone should practice an intentional capsize. I weigh 165 and had trouble with a friend that weighed a little more. There's a lot to getting the boat turned in to the wind correctly. Plenty of info via search engine. I just bought my own 16' Hobie and I'm going to practice with the family very soon. -
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Posted: May 24, 2010 - 11:35 PM
I weigh 155, 6' tall, and I need a small righting bag to get my A cat up(170 lb boat with a 31' mast). My 230 lb F16 Stealth has a righting pole that allows me to just barely get it up in light air. On the F18HT(280 lbs, 33' carbon mast)I use one of Hobiegary's Solo Rights that I extended about 18" to get enough leverage to pop it up solo. Should I ever lose it on Flight Risk(24', 800 lbs) it's time to find a large boat with a lot of horsepower!
Dave -
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Posted: May 25, 2010 - 12:07 AM
Righting really depends a lot on the cat and your rig. At 220 lbs, my Nacra 5.2 pops up like a flash (provided I release the main and jib sheet and let them them out all the way. As near as I can figure most of that is due to the large hull volume and bouyant mast (our old hobie 16 needed almost 300 lbs to right). The 5.8 shouldn't be much different. The only way to know for sure is to try it out.
I would NOT stand on the Nacra boards, the may or may not snap but are expensive to replace and are likely to snap or crack especially if you accidentally bounce on them.
A few things to keep in mind. You want your righting line thrown OVER to the top hull and in line with the mast. You want to concentrate all of your weight on the line in line with the mast and not touch the water. The minute you dip into the water you've lost a portion of your weight on the boat. You also want to stand on the front of the hull letting the cat turn until the mast side of the tramp is facing into the wind, this will give you an extra push to get it over. Careful though, when it goes over you should jump and grab the dolphin striker and front beam to keep the boat from going over the other way. If the wind gets under the tramp it will flip you right back over.
One thing that is sometimes overlooked is having a sealed mast. YOu should go over the mast every season and use marine sealant on all the fittings above the step casting (you need some drainage there in case you get water in the mast). Seal all the rivets and fittings and the top casting. A well sealed mast will give you almost as much floatation as a mast float (at least mine does). And if you still need more floatation, get a tetherball and attach it to the headboard of your sail to make it float more. A $9.99 answer to a several hundred dollar problem. If that don't work or you are just too light (wish I had that problem) then start thinking about getting some of the fancier righting aids.
Anyway that's my 2 cents, often repeated but it never gets old. As you can see I spent a lot of time fretting about this subject until I dumped my boat for the first time and found out it wasn't a big deal.
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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Posted: May 25, 2010 - 10:14 AM
Excellent reply. All great points you made. Like your last paragraph I tend to fret too. Thanks, -
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Posted: May 25, 2010 - 09:58 PM
yeah I just dunked my new hobie twice this weekend. Was nervous by once you do it a few times no biggie just forces you to become a better sailor so your not dunking your boat all the time. -
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Posted: May 25, 2010 - 10:07 PM
what is the best line to use for a righting line? -
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Posted: May 25, 2010 - 10:31 PM
Same as your main sheet usually, the thicker the better since you are likely going to be cold and or tired when trying to right the boat. I like 7/16" Sta set or other poly line. No need to get too fancy as long as it is easy to hold onto. Most boats beach cats need about 16 feet of it attached to the front beam or mast post depending on your boat.
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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Posted: May 27, 2010 - 09:34 AM
I've had my 18ft Dart over and been able to right it solo fairly easily in force 2 winds. I weigh approx 175lbs.
I wouldn't chance the dagger boards personally since even if they do take the weight it may cause other damage to the slots.
I have approx 16ft of thick (mainsheet diameter) righting line attached to the foot of the mast as per Dave's post above which works well.
Trev -
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Posted: May 31, 2010 - 09:46 PM
Had an embarrassing performance today, with an appreciative audience on the beach.
Loose all the sheets, check.
Swim the bow into the wind... no. way.
I thought the sails would act as an anchor and the boat would swing around so the mast pointed into the wind, but the mast stayed firmly pointed down wind. Even when I got close enough to shore to get my toes into the sand, I could barely force it to swing around a little. As soon as I lost traction, the boat bobbed right back perpendicular to the wind. Is there any way to "steer" the boat when it's on its side?
The best I could do with the righting line was to get the mast about a foot out of the water.
I guess the next step is to rig some kind of righting pole for more leverage. -
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Posted: May 31, 2010 - 10:19 PM
Yeah you have a trampoline acting as a sail keeping you that way. Usually you can just stand on the bow, the bow sinks and the rear pops up a little and the whole boat wants to rotate until your tramp is facing the into wind. If you don't get it that way you are fighting both the boat and the wind!
Then when you throw the righting line over your top hull and grab it and lean back the wind blowing on the tramp helps you up. Once you get the mast out a bit some air gets under the sail and pulls you over. At this point you have to jump to the middle and grab the dolphin striker to keep the boat from going over the other way or taking off without (if one of your sheets isn't quite out all the way). Normally if you can get the tip of the mast out of the water you are home free!
What kind of boat? I have found that H16s can be a real pain to right. Likely due to thier low hull volume.
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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Posted: May 31, 2010 - 10:23 PM
H16. Fortunately, the hull volume is now slightly less, due to scraping some more gel coat off on the rocks. -
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Posted: Jun 02, 2010 - 08:46 AM
The first time I flipped my brand new Hobie 16 it seemed to take us forever to right it. I went home reread the instructions
and installed a Hawaiian righting system. I think Dave Bonin hit on all the important points above. Follow his suggestions and it should work well even on an H16. Once I got my technique down, I could have it righted and be sailing again in seconds. Sailing is a lot more fun if you don't have to worry about flipping. I just have to be sure my beer is strapped down.
Dave Wilson -
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Posted: Jun 02, 2010 - 09:42 AM
ok all you engineers.. here it is..
"Note The load at the lower end of the dagger board case is equivalent to having the hull laying down on its side and putting a 944 kg weight at that case exit. Make sure the boat is stronger than the boards!"
This is saying, yes you can stand on the boards (unless you weigh more than 994 kg (2186lbs).
I originally said i would never stand on my centerboards, but after reading all this, i have done it several times. the loads on your boards are far greater than your weight. I wouldn't spring board off them, but your weight should be fine.
http://hem.bredband.net/b…6/Boat/Boardstrength.pdf -
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Posted: Jun 02, 2010 - 10:39 AM
Arg, I don't do integrals anymore!!!
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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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