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PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 7:26 am 
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Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2018 7:22 am
Posts: 2
Hey Folks,

I have just one simple question... When tacking a Hobie 18SX should the Jib be fairly slack or in tight ? Sometimes we attempt a tack and it the boat swings around and it stalls into the wind. Yes I do leave the jib cleated to help the boat go around but it still stalls sometimes. Thanks !

One more thing any tips / ideas on Camera mounting please post pictures !! :D


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 9:27 am 
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Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm
Posts: 15026
Location: Oceanside, California
Read my FAQ on tacking technique:

Quote:
With a Jib - Keep up the boat speed into the tack. Steer lightly when starting the tack and then hard over as the boat slows (Steer 3/4 of full over. Too hard and the rudders act as brakes). Look for a swell or chop to "bank" off of. You can bump a swell as the boat just goes past head to wind if possible. That can help push the bows around. Sheet harder as you come closer to head to wind. Keep the jib sheeted... when the jib back-winds... release the mainsheet and force the sheet out by several feet, otherwise the boat can weather vane into the wind. Keep your weight well aft and hiking right through the tack until the main sail nearly backwinds before trying to cross over. Keep the steering consistent. Try to keep the helm over even when switching sides. If you stall, reverse the rudders as the boat begins to back up and be sure the sheets are well out. Allow the boat to come well onto the new tack before beginning to sheet again... Once the main starts to fill on the new tack, release the jib and sheet it on the new tack side. Sheet in the main slowly at first to get some boat speed and steerage, then sheet harder and head up onto the new tack.

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Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
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Hobie Cat USA
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 12, 2018 7:37 am 
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Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 3:15 pm
Posts: 610
Location: Buffalo, NY
+1 on Matt's description.

The key points are:
*Keep up speed into turn
*don't jam the rudders hard over
*as soon as the jib begins to luff, uncleat and begin bringing it across
*keep the mainsail tight until your bows cross the wind, then immediately release & let out several feet of mainsheet
*bring the jib in as soon as it starts to fill, but not too tight until you regain speed
*sheet in main as you begin to regain forward speed

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Mike
Image
'79 H18 standard 'Rocketman II' sail #14921 RIP
'78 H18 (unnamed) sail #14921
'08 H16 sail #114312
'97 H21SC sail #238


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 12, 2018 10:29 am 
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Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 10:25 am
Posts: 4176
Location: Jersey Shore
The biggest no-no you can make when tacking a catamaran is to ease the sails before the tack. You can "get away with" doing this on a monohull, but on a cat, it is an almost guarantee that you will end up in irons.

So to answer your question - the jib (and main) should be sheeted in tight before you go into the tack. Once the bow reaches head-to-wind, release 2-3 feet of mainsheet but keep the jib sheeted on the "old" side. Once the bow is across, both crew are on the "new" side, and the mainsail has filled on the new side, release the jib and pull in the new side.

sm


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 12, 2018 10:41 am 
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Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 2:15 pm
Posts: 78
Matt's post is as always great info.

Single-hand especially, my H18 wound up in irons when it would blow until I really got back to the basics. Sheeting and steering go hand in hand, but have separate effects... as you prepare to tack, sheet-in and steer close to the wind (creates a smaller angle to turn through to get into and then across the wind onto the other tack) without pinching (sailing too close to the wind inhibits speed/momentum). Sheeting in can increases boat-speed which translates to better boat-momentum and thus longer time moving forward with steerage -- with good momentum and smooth steering, you could coast through the tack even if the mast fell off! With sails, though, you have a large windvane that wants to point the sails head-to-wind, and if you are sheeted too tightly, the boat will follow and you'll wind up in irons. To avoid this, let loose some mainsheet as you move across the tramp as the boat turns across the wind, still steering/carving your corner. It helped me to think of steering the boat/hulls with the tiller separate of the sail... you want to get the boat/hulls through/across the wind first, and THEN sheet in after the wind fills the mainsail to accelerate forward on the new tack.
- Stay sheeted in and you'll have difficulty turning past the wind
- Sheet too quick after your hulls cross the wind, and you'll weathervane back into the wind.
- Steering too much or too fast stalls the rudder blade, which burns off momentum.
- Steering too slow or too little will create such a large curved path that you'll be out of momentum before you make it head-to-wind.
Balance steering the boat and sheeting the sails, all while maintaining boat-speed.

Backwinding the jib can help force the bow around, but if you get steering/sheeting down, you won't need it.

Oh, and when you do blow a tack and wind up head-to-wind, when wind pushes you backwards, you can counter-steer to back the sterns around and/or push/hold the boom to weathervane you towards your desired tack.

Randii


Last edited by randii on Tue May 01, 2018 10:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Thu Apr 12, 2018 3:39 pm 
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Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2013 1:11 pm
Posts: 151
If your girl(s) are wearing nice swimsuits, have them lay down on the tramp ahead of you... This really doesn't do much, but add to the confusion.


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 11:42 am 
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Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 3:15 pm
Posts: 610
Location: Buffalo, NY
Somehow I missed the question about the camera mounts... My preferred GoPro location is on the aft end of the boom. You may need to get a little extension to get it far enough back, but that way you can see what the skipper & crew is up to, as well as where the boat is going. Next best thing imo is a head strap, so you get a sailing POV.

Aside from those locations, I've seen people mount them to the forward crossbar, the bows (angled back towards the trampoline), the mast (angled down towards the trampoline), or the deck angled directly across towards the crew. I've also seen some creative use of a selfie stick, but that requires a crew member with a free hand or a way to secure it to them! Any view from a chase boat or drone is always a plus, too! :wink:

Here's one of my videos to see where I've secured it in the past: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSfAU72wfvQ

_________________
Mike
Image
'79 H18 standard 'Rocketman II' sail #14921 RIP
'78 H18 (unnamed) sail #14921
'08 H16 sail #114312
'97 H21SC sail #238


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 13, 2018 3:05 pm 
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Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2018 7:22 am
Posts: 2
Thanks guys ! Will try this weekend ;)


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:49 pm 
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Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2015 8:27 pm
Posts: 133
Location: FL
I was a total beginner a few years ago and can summarize everything into 2 things you need to do. Only if they don't fix the problem should you start trying to figure out what angle to turn the rudders and when exactly to release the jib. A lot of tips create a faster tack but arent going to blow the tack entirely unless you really suck.

1. learn to recognize when the boat is going backwards. It's obvious without even looking at the water because your rudders will get stiff as a stale biscuit. The water is going the wrong way on them and forcing the rudder to want to fall over to one side or the other. The second this happens your rudders are now pointed the wrong way and are steering the boat back onto the previous tack. Simply turn them hard over the other way(feels wrong if you are looking ahead) and release a ton of main sheet. Which leads me to point 2.

2. You have to blow the main a few feet mid tack or if you are moving backwards to be able to complete the turn. Once I learned this I stopped blowing tacks regardless of timing a wave, speed into the tack, jib timing etc. If you are moving backwards and steering the correct way to help you finish the tack the boat will veer off the wind, the main will power up and before you have any speed, weather vane you head to wind again. Once again you need to blow even more main, and if you have already moved your body to the opposite side of the boat, push the boom away from you a bit while pushing the tiller. Think push and push. This will help steer the boat with the main as well as the rudders.

Only in super flat water do you not technically need to blow the main, just because the boat speed stays high and you complete the tack so fast anyway. In gulf chop I dont even try to complete the tack without pushing the boom out and the rudders the opposite way because the waves hit you so hard its a guarantee you are going to be moving backwards mid tack.


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