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 Post subject: Too Much Fun!
PostPosted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:18 pm 
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Joined: Tue Dec 09, 2008 6:13 am
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Location: Seabrook, TX
Saturday 28 Feb'09 wind was blowing steady 20 knots in Galveston Bay with gusts to 30 knots. Local airport reported 40 knots at 1000 feet. As 50 is approaching in early April, it seemed only logical to solo 21SC. :D
Main up full. Jib up full. Console at home.

First few tacks (actually only able to jibe in +3 feet chop) was as close to Pro Bull Riders I will ever get at present Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.
Eventually I trapezed out off wing seats. Ride was as smooth as piloting an ocean carving aircraft carrier. I can only imagine how much fun the SE owners experience!

Got back to beach with a big watermelon grin and picked up a friend who works at NASA & who had never sailed. On anything. In any wind.

Wind and chop laid down, 15-20 knots and 2 feet, respectively. Perfect 21SC conditions. We sailed about an hour with lots of hull flying. Then all of a sudden, POW :shock:

Starboard shroud parted at mast tang and mast came crashing down. Neither of us trapezing so no human sling-shots. Fortunately a powerboat was passing (one of very few out in the weather) and towed us close enough that I was able to 'fin' us back to the beach.

Told my buddy from Thailand that was the first time I had ever experienced a dis-masting. He said it was the first time for him too. Watchara will definitely crew again as he was extremely cool and calm.

Photos tell a better story, so here is a link to the repairs and modifications made to 21SC after a FANTASTIC day of Too Much Fun! :D

http://www.violaphoto.com/hobie21-too-much-fun.htm

franklin j VIOLA

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SC 21 Sail 253
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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 5:38 am 
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Crazy! A de masting is one of my biggest fears while sailing. Not to mention possible injury to passengers, i can't even imagine the potential Damage to my boat. Glad to see you came out of it with sails to the wind again!

I like you're ratation stopper. Would that also be handy to stop the violent back and forth when you are up in irons after a failed tack?


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 Post subject: Rotation Limit
PostPosted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 6:38 pm 
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Location: Seabrook, TX
Yes, Rotation Limit 'Wishbone' is very useful in preventing the violent 'bang-clang-bang' of mast foot hitting rotation limit casting on crossbar in light or heavy air during a failed tack.
After more use, I will probably remove limit rotation casting all together.
franklin j VIOLA

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'Esperanza'
SC 21 Sail 253
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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 12:45 pm 
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Location: San Diego, CA
Just imagine, FJ, if you HADN'T removed the console. Now THAT would have been carnage...

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 6:42 am 
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Location: Seabrook, TX
Yes, console would have made 'situation' a whole lot more complicated ...

Went out Sunday with my Children and completed repairs/modifications. Bright sunshine, winds 15-20 knots and bay chop +2 feet.

By first tack the repaired rotation limit casting failed. :( So much for JB Weld and salt-water. However, rotation limit 'wishbone' performed flawlessly. No more bang, clang, banging! :D Will remove casting altogether.

Mainsail luff 'burped' out of 'aluminum stiffened' comptip channel again ... Even after re-tightening downhaul once out on the water. Not as much luff/bolt-rope pulled out as in past, but still very irritating when dropping sail at end of day ... :(

Four of us 'flew' three hours, taking lots of spray between laughing and giggling. We each wore shortie wet-suits that produced funny tan-lines. Finally brought twins (8 yr olds) back to beach. Son (12) and I went back out for late 'flying' session. I trapped off of wing seat with feet on either side of him and hulls way out of water. :D He is high-functioning autistic and really likes how the sails 'sing' ... versus boats with 'loud' outboard motors. As well his responsibility crewing the jib sheets, furling the jib upon landfall and anchoring the boat/bridle when we hit the beach.

Water, the elixir of Life! :D

franklin j VIOLA

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SC 21 Sail 253
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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 6:59 am 
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Location: San Diego, CA
FJ, under that crusty exterior hides a poet... Nicely written.

Regarding the mainsail luff coming out ot the mast, I've never had that problem, but if it happened I thought of using a nylon slug.

http://www.sailmakerssupply.com/prod_detail_list/29

That would never pull out of the mast, being far less compressible than rope.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 2:36 pm 
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Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2006 9:34 am
Posts: 267
Location: Banana River , Fl
Quote:
Quote:
Regarding the mainsail luff coming out ot the mast, I've never had that problem, but if it happened I thought of using a nylon slug.

http://www.sailmakerssupply.com/prod_detail_list/29

That would never pull out of the mast, being far less compressible than rope.


Been there done that...mine came apart in pieces. I'm guessing the 200+pounds I was applying was too much hoist for the nylon slug vs. mast head.

Franklin...good try with the luff track mods, but I think now it's time for you to GET OFF YOUR WALLET, :lol: and order the aluminum luff track. You already know I replaced all but the one that butts up against the aluminum mast (high voltage isolation), but at the very least I'd replace the top two.

Tough luck w/ the JB weld. Probably would have held if it wastn't being hammered by the mast. You could mod your stainless plate and add stops, if so inclined. When you rivited the stainless plate down, did you use the aluminum rivet caps with your rivets?

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 Post subject: Rachel's Poem
PostPosted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 11:29 am 
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Joined: Tue Dec 09, 2008 6:13 am
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Location: Seabrook, TX
McGyver

Am slow to respond as I am enjoying an 'extended' spring break with the Kids!

Rockets (TC) is correct about too much stretch with a nylon-sling. I replaced the 1st section of 21SC halyard (attaches to mainsail) with extremely low stretch Endura 12 from New England Rope as well as adding the luff channel stiffeners to top section of comptip mast. Latter done as part of my concerted effort to 'use all the stuff up' (turning 50 next week) before 'getting off my wallet' :D

Alas, may have to crack open allowance and replace final section of plastic luff channel with all aluminum. Though, I have one more idea before Rockets can give me a shift kick in the buttocks! :D

Last, here is link to my Tiger's latest prose:

http://www.violaphoto.com/hobie21-rachel-poem.htm

8)

franklin j VIOLA

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SC 21 Sail 253
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www.violaphoto.com


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 5:27 pm 
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Location: Banana River , Fl
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Quote:
Alas, may have to crack open allowance and replace final section of plastic luff channel with all aluminum. Though, I have one more idea before Rockets can give me a shift kick in the buttocks!



Sometimes it's easier, faster and cheaper to just bite the bullet... :lol:

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 10:08 pm 
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Posts: 138
is the wishbone available from Hobie? I think the 21SE had it correct?


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 7:19 am 
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Joined: Tue Dec 09, 2008 6:13 am
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Location: Seabrook, TX
Elmaze
The rotation limit arm ('wishbone') I installed is similar to that on Hobie 18:
# 61210001 rotation arm
I used 1/4 x 20 ss bolt (length?), ss washers and ss nylon-lock nut
Hobie lists the following:
# 8040111 bolt
# 8080571 washers
# 8050111 nut

It is important to also install 'stops' as well so the rotation limit arm will not ride up and hit bottom-side of the boom. I fashioned mine out of 3/16 aluminum block 'jacketed' by a thin ss angle plate to prevent wear. I've seen simple use of ss bolt (head) on other Hobie's.

franklin

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SC 21 Sail 253
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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 9:58 am 
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Location: San Diego, CA
Rockets wrote:
Quote:
Quote:
Regarding the mainsail luff coming out ot the mast, I've never had that problem, but if it happened I thought of using a nylon slug.

http://www.sailmakerssupply.com/prod_detail_list/29

That would never pull out of the mast, being far less compressible than rope.


Been there done that...mine came apart in pieces. I'm guessing the 200+pounds I was applying was too much hoist for the nylon slug vs. mast head.



Rockets, scrolling down the link I posted, there is a stainless steel slug. That one won't break, though it may be too thin.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 5:16 pm 
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Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2006 9:34 am
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Location: Banana River , Fl
I saw that stainless slug, and thought that would probably work. The only bad thing would be that stainless rubbing up in inside of the aluminum luff track scraping off the hard coat as it goes. Personally, I have enough corrosion battles going on without inviting any more.

Then to the extreme possibilites, with stainless being harder than aluminum...after about a million cycles it's probably scrape it'd way all the way through...OK, that's BS..... :)

Just call me anal, I wouldn't use one. I'm rather happy with the aluminum luff track that replaced the plastic, and had I known what the hell I was doing before I changed it out, it would have been a piece of cake. Taking the mast head off and sliding the track off is the way to go. Just make sure you drill out that #$%^&*()_* rivet about 6" down from the top of the mast first. Use some 5 minute epoxy to reseal the mast head against leaks when you rivet it back on.

I think the ideal method, if one didn't want to replace the plastic luff track, would be to have a sail loft replace and sew in the first 6 inches or so of the bolt rope next to the headboard with a plastic dowl rod of the same diameter. Cost wise it'd still be cheaper to just change out the luff track @$30 a whack. IMHO

I think it's great, and yet odd that you've never had the pleasure of the sail pulling out like so many of the rest of us. I'm just curious as to what makes your boat different. Wait, I'm getting confused....do you have the SE??

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:18 pm 
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Location: San Diego, CA
The reason I have not "enjoyed" the sail pulling out is probably that I've only had my SC for a year and a half, I sail in San Diego in mostly light winds, and, coming from monohulls, I'm still impressed by the power and speed of multis, so I don't push mine too hard...

The first time I hit 13 Kn solo under main alone I almost (censored) my pants. Water was flying everywhere! In a mono, that kind of speed requires a coordinated crew skirtirting the edge of disaster....

And, maybe, the top of the track is aluminum.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 6:00 am 
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Location: Banana River , Fl
Quote:
Quote:
And, maybe, the top of the track is aluminum.


It very well may be, and if it is, you're lucky!! :)

Hopefully the weather will hold, and I can shoot some gel coat on my hull bottoms today. I gouged the crap out of both of them in Febuary sliding down my ramp. :cry:

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