Mainsheet setup and Purchase System

[DigitalMechanic]

The original track is 5/8" width. Duckworks sells a Racelite slide for the block at a reasonable price. http://www.duckworksbbs.com/hardware/ri ... /index.htm

John

Nice find! At $10 you can't beat that, especially for stainless. I recycled the jib cars on my boat, but that would be an awesome retrofit for the legacy O'Day tracks.

[DigitalMechanic]

Actually, I say that but it appears the original tracks are 7/8" (22mm) or at least on my boat they are. Those sliders appear to be a smaller 5/8".

[Salty Dog]

you can see in these pic. where/what/how, on my boat they work fine but in way of crew hiking.

Salty Dog, maybe we can get together down at Canyon Lake. I need to get down there anyhow and since I'm currently unemployed, I have time during the week to get down that way. If you do decide to put the tracks back on, I have a 6' section of the original size track. You can cut off what you need, free.

I'll be back down there around 12/27/15. I'm retired now. so I am free to do anything my wife lets me do.
SD

[DigitalMechanic]

yep. Looks like it is going to be an expensive project. if you can find a track to match the size of the cars John listed, seems like the route to go (might be $100 less, and you would have stainless vs black coated). If you do this are you planning on cleating off on the cars, or bringing that functionality to the center of the boat?

Hope you all get together to sail, sounds like fun.

I really need to learn how to single hand my boat. My sailing partner ditched out on me today for a hangover. That left me hanging out working on the boat all day instead of sailing it... Next weekend... sigh...

[GreenLake]

you can see in these pic. where/what/how, on my boat they work fine but in way of crew hiking.

I think the crew is supposed to sit forward of these. There's just enough space, it looks like. And the crew always sits on the side where the sheet would be slack, so there's nothing to get in the way. (Most people sit too far back in the DS, causing it to drag its tail through the water - you can clearly see that effect in the picture).

Also, are you supposed to keep both jib sheets taut at the same time like this?

And what about the poor crew not being allowed to help ?

[GreenLake]

The original track is 5/8" width. Duckworks sells a Racelite slide for the block at a reasonable price. http://www.duckworksbbs.com/hardware/ri ... /index.htm

John

Nice find! At $10 you can't beat that, especially for stainless. I recycled the jib cars on my boat, but that would be an awesome retrofit for the legacy O'Day tracks.

Can't find the matching track for those slides listed anywhere. The track that I had before upgrading to Harken was stamped from sheet metal (bronze). It gave way quite unceremoniously by simply bending in the middle. This was due to a single fastener that had lost its grip because of in the wood backing (this being a DS1, that backing was the carlin under the side deck). Given that experience I really liked the fact that the Harken track was a lot stiffer, and I would expect it to distribute the load without failing catastrophically.

I did locate my old track bits in the odd-metal parts bin and had another look at them. I would definitely not go back.

[GreenLake]

I really need to learn how to single hand my boat. My sailing partner ditched out on me today for a hangover. That left me hanging out working on the boat all day instead of sailing it... Next weekend... sigh...

If you can raise the mast by yourself and have a tiller-tamer (even the simple "bungee" design) you should be all set. Limit the adventure to about 8knots (gusts to 10) the first few times. You can go higher if you put a reef in the main and/or drop the jib.

I practiced "single-handing" by taking the five-year old (at the time). So I felt like I had crew, but effectively I was single handing. Even that young they are amazingly able to assist with a variety of tasks, and having something to do makes it easier to have fun. Never forget some toy on a string that can be "towed". That can be endlessly fascinating. And on the DS, there's always the cuddy for a nap.

[DigitalMechanic]

Oh, I am definitely setup to single hand now... I just need to do it.

Main and jib sheets all led to centerboard trunk, and now the vang is at the edge of the center of the cuddy top. Easy to grab and can adjust without going all the way forward.

I think that I will probably take a "purely happy to joy ride" crew mate along first. That way if I do find out that I need the extra hands they are there, but that person would be totally happy with nothing to do otherwise.

My biggest fears of being single handed are launching the boat and hoisting sail. I think I have previously mentioned my conditions... current is strong, bridges, wind shifts, etc. Probably just in my head though... Call it a healthy appetite of paranoia...

[TIM WEBB]

DM, if you wait for crew every time you want to sail, you will be doing a lot more waiting than sailing. The DS is eminently single-handable. Just go do it! ;-P

[DigitalMechanic]

DM, if you wait for crew every time you want to sail, you will be doing a lot more waiting than sailing. The DS is eminently single-handable. Just go do it! ;-P

I am starting to realize the unreliability of crew, lol. I figured the same as you suggest, I probably just need to go and make it happen solo.

[GreenLake]

I stole the other post you made and used it to start a whole new topic, where we can discuss crew vs. boat ownership and also how to get other things out of sailing than "merely" being on the water.

[DigitalMechanic]

I noticed... Though just another one of my rants... I am curious to see where it goes.

[Salty Dog]

I think the crew is supposed to sit forward of these. There's just enough space, it looks like. And the crew always sits on the side where the sheet would be slack, so there's nothing to get in the way. (Most people sit too far back in the DS, causing it to drag its tail through the water - you can clearly see that effect in the picture). Also, are you supposed to keep both jib sheets taut at the same time like this?
And what about the poor crew not being allowed to help ?

And what's up with that stupid looking hat?????

No I don't know what is up with the sheet. but this pic was taken when I took my niece out and she had never been on a sail boat before and I was showing her "the ropes" so to speak It just so happened to be the only pic I could find that showed the jib sheet cleats clearly on the water.
I also have to say that this is the first time I had taken it out In several years.......I had fallen out of the boat onto the parking lot while rigging it up and knocked the wind out of myself.......after putting it in the water I discovered I had forgotten to put the wind vane on the mast head and the battens in the main sail. I finally got everything lined out and it turned out to be a nice day.

That maybe the way to go. leave it like it is my crew did sit between the cleat and the cuddy in the Wurstfest race so there is room.
I like that quote button.
SD

[jeadstx]

As I mentioned I have a 6' section of the 5/8 track. Salty Dog, you are welcome to a couple sections for free, we'll cut to length. Racelite that makes the 5/8" track slides also makes 7/8" track slides.

I'll go out and measure mine tracks tomorrow, but I think the 5/8" refers to the width of the opening for the slide, not the overall width of the rails on the track. I'll get some measurements.

John

[GreenLake]

And what's up with that stupid looking hat?????
...
I like that quote button.

You need to have balanced quote and endquote markers. When you hit the quote button on the post you are quoting, it sets up everything perfectly. But if you edit the quote, make sure you don't destroy some of the markers. In the box below, I show the code for the quote that's at the top of this post:

Code: Select all

[quote="Salty Dog"]And what's up with that stupid looking hat????? :D
...
I like that quote button.
[/quote]


However, I can't help you with the hat - mine looks worse