Annie
M . Page two. Annie
M . Page two.
Sailing impressions with the new mods at the bottom of the page.
At the launch ramp. Click on image for larger version.
Oh....the car's name is Sherman...a 1977 Ford Ltd Landau. It is actually a quite rare. I have only (in ten years) seen one other. This is my sailing car. (Edit July 04. Sherman is now retired as spare car, we now have a '93 Dodge Grand Caravan with a V6. It tows very well and uses a 10th of the gas.)
I would also like to add that I use a Bobstay. It goes on after the boat is in the water.
Starchuck Beach.....campsite.
View of the modified keel area.
...and another view of the keel.
Dagger board case and ballast box.
The dagger board...sticks past the bottom about 36" and is 12" fore and aft.
The dagger board profile.
Three views of the hatchway stuff.
Because someone is sure to ask....Red Oak, White Oak, Local Larch, and Cherry. Shop scraps.
...and I changed the forward hatch as well. Larch. I found these great hinges for next to nothing in a junk shop.
Lead bread. Eight of these rascals in the box.
New Bowsprit with the new aluminum cranse iron.
Spring 2005.
Not quite finished the transom modifications. As you can see I removed the stock stand off-'backbone' piece. Then re-enforced the transom itself. New rudder stock and rudder. The tiller is the old one just modified to work with this rig. The tiller is red oak, the stock is red oak and white oak (tiller cheeks) and the rudder is a piece of quartersawn local Larchwood that has been air dried. The rudder has a very fine foil shape. The lift and hold down tackle has not been installed, I just hung this on there to send an image to someone that was asking the other day. I will post finished images soon.
You can see my proposed
keel extension below in the form of a 3/4" pine pattern. I will sail the
boat first with the new rudder, then decide if I will be adding the keels bits.
Oddly enough, the keel is already made....and I could just get it on there now....but
I tend to do more than one mod at a time before trying it and end up never knowing
what did what. So this time I will take is slower. The rudder is now about a
full 6"" more forward than the stock rudder. It may effect the balance
of the boat. One of the advantages of this new (but very old design) set up
is that I can pop this whole assembly off in a few seconds and store it in the
shop (out of the weather and sun). Being able to do this makes it so much easier
to work on the boat as well. The old unit hung so far back that I was always
banging into it. The place I park the boat is a little tight, so the extra room
is appreciated.
Rather than add the new keel or deadwood section aft, I may just move the mast
to a more verticle position, moving the CE forward to some degree. This might
be better than adding more stuff under the waterline. The added advantage to
this will be getting the boom just a few inches higher so that I will then get
wacked at the upper cranuim level rather than jaw/ear level. ~:0) More change
of just a glancing blow. (ed. after sailing the boat a lot with
the new rudder, the balance is perfect as is and I won't be adding any more
keel to the boat)
I also made this tiller
with the ability to lift up all the way to vertical. When tacking with a 2nd
person in the cockpit, it is very handy (maybe even necessary) to be able to
lift the tiller up to get under it and over to the other side. The other thing
I like about the lifting is to store it in the vertal position when at anchor.
I have hung a lamp on it and dried my towel on there as well.~:0). It just gets
it out of the cockpit for more room.
But, having said this, I might just go to a traveller of some sort on the lazarrette
deck and modify the tiller to only slide in and out of the rudder stock. I am
still playing with main sheeting options. (am using a rope horse now and like
it)
I recently added a proper
main sheet control as well. With the ballast and less weight aloft, the boat
is so well behaved and much more forgiving in a puff, that cleating down the
main is fine. This makes it a lot less work and more relaxing when single handed.
In a panic it is easily found and released.
(Spring '05) I have added two of these devices for jib sheets as well. That
way you can adjust your sheeting angles from the weather side of the boat and
not have to upset the balance by moving to the lee side to get purchase on the
sheet. This has been a real hassle on those great wind days when sailing hard
on the wind.
Note: I have gone to my first 'real' control line. Double braided 3/8"
sheet for the main. It might be too big(thick), but we will see.
Here are the only images of Annie M. I have since the main changes. Taken summer of 04. Click on any of these images to get a large version.
These three pics were taken by Shelly Dehaan.
Taken from John and Shelly's MacGregor 26 Classic....'Nightcrawler'.
Coming around to give chase.....
Giving up and going home.
Sailing impressions of these new mods.
So many things have been changed. It is hardly the same boat at all.
There is much less weight aloft now. The old mast and gaff were massive. This new mast is laminated straight grain Spruce that grew right in the 'neighborhood'. Air dried and very super stuff. The old mast weighed 26 lbs and the new one weighs 13. Combine this reduced lofted weight with the ballast concentrated as low as I could get it (within the boat...not wanting to add it to the keel), and you transform a bouncy tender little dingy/dory into a righteous acting/feeling sailboat. The added weight of the ballast does not seem to effect the boats performance at all...though I am sure it does. The benefits far out weight any speed reduction I am sure. Hell, it is no different than taking a heavy buddy along with you. She still accelerates smartly with every puff and sails wicked fine in barely measurable wind. I am very pleased with these mods. They make the boat so much more stable and solid. The extra mass also carries the boat through chop nicely as well.
The new sails obviously make a large difference as well. They shape perfectly with lots of controls. I love the loose footed aspect I chose to do. Specially in light wind. Being able to alter the foil shape is wonderful. I highly recommend it. I bought these sails from the Stevenson's (designers of the Weekender) and am very pleased with them. They are obviously not really fancy or fine, but are what I would call a very good value for the money they cost. I was very happy to find out that it had the nice arched foot section, perfect for loose footed use. I had priced out some custom sails but found them far too expensive...so I got these rascals and sewed the two sets of reef points in myself. A huge job...I was to find out.
The forefoot being removed
worked out fabulously and did exactly what I figured it would do. I beached
the boat twice today and could walk right out past the fore hatch and the boat
remained dead stable....the old version was killer. Plus it DOES go onto the
trailer much better. One try and she was on. Used to be such a pain to load
the boat.
But, the really big thing about the forefoot removal
was how the boat handled. All steering adjustments were immediate......but tacking
was vastly improved! Even with almost no way on she came around smartly every
damn time...like a real sailboat...no paddle needed, not once. This is a huge
improvement and very welcome. I am glad I went to all that hassle and effort
to cut down that keel and re-fibre glass. Highly recomended....but you would
have to add a proper 'keel' then.....such as a centerboard or dagger board.
The daggerboard. Well, to many of the other Weekender owners...this seems to not make sense. They all feel that their boats worked just fine the way the are. I didn't. In fact, I rarely sailed to windward because it was just so frustrating. Today, I sailed to wind almost the whole day... because I actually got somewhere. It has always been my favorite point of sail. With the dagger board being adjustable fore and aft I was able at one point (actually, a surprise to me) to trim the boat with the tiller fixed in place (I have a weird friction/rope thing I do.....kind of the same deal as a tiller tamer) I went forward to clear a jib sheet that got caught on a cleat, and the boat went in the same direction the whole time. Usually, it is a mad panic to get back to the tiller. This time I actually stayed on the foredeck and let the boat sail itself for a while. I was great. I am very happy with that whole deal as well. I would add that I was also tacking 90 degrees through the wind. Not bad for a gaffer.
One thing that caught me by surprise was when going hull speed to windward on a port tack, water bubbled out of the aft end of the daggerboard case. I ended up stuffing my shirt in there and it stopped....but I am going to have to make some kind of stopper or cork thing to prevent that. I had water all over the place before I noticed it. When you finally get enough wind to go as fast as you can....the last thing I wanted to do was heave to to stuff the case......so I let it go for a while. For a while there today I even had some spray over the bow.
(after 5 more sailing days) As per some very good advice I got from a navel architect , I secured a rubber cover over the slot on the bottom of the boat. Then cut a slit in the rubber for the dagger board to go through. It kind of seals around the board and closes the unused gap. Works perfectly. I have since had Annie out in gusty ( 20 + knot) winds with 2-3 foot waves...crashing around to windward...and not a drop entered the boat. I am very pleased. Thanks to John.
These are my initial impressions....the same day as sailing her for the first time with the new work. I am sure I will be adding more info as I comes to me.
I do have many more things I need to do or would like to do on the boat, but at least I am once again sailing after almost two years off. I will complete the remaining projects if there is any time left after SAILING!!
Ed: After sailing the boat a lot more ...and having two expert sailor/owners aboard...I can tell you I could not be more happy. My toy boat is now a serious sailboat. It is well balanced, well behaved and solid. It instills confidence and is a great deal of fun to sail. I would encourage any Weekender owners or potential builders to consider any or all of these common sense modifications for their own projects.
(August 04) Some detailed sailing experiences in some weather...see story at the bottom of the page:
Feel free to shoot any questions you might have my way.
Cheers, Tim.
I can be emailed at tim@timtone.com
A Great Sailing Day. (July 04)
The hardest wind I have sailed this boat in...hell, the hardest wind I have sailed any boat in.Even big ones.
I was way too busy to pull out the anemometer, but going by measured wind speed
earlier in the day and previous experience, I would say it was blowing 15-20
steady with gusts way over that. You know....white caps everywhere
and sometimes the tops were being torn off.
(As an aside: I find wind stories an awful lot like fish stories......it is real easy to add a few inches to the spread of the hands.LOL In my case I bought myself a wind speed gauge last year and was surprised at how much 'out' I was in my guesses. And I was always guessing on the high side.....go figure. Just like fishes)
My luck was with me again yesterday as it was dead calm up until the boat was in the water and I was ready to go...looked up and there was a nice working breeze coming down the lake. I Yanked those planks up and off we go right off the ramp. I use a busy public ramp and often just motor out a ways to get out of other (motor boaters) folks way.
Sailed for a couple of hours in a steady 5 knot breeze. Perfect for experimenting with sheeting angles for the new lapper (larger head sail). With the new ability to balance the boat with the dagger board and sail trim, I was scurrying around with my cordless drill putting in new fairleads while the boat sailed herself. Funny thing is ...in the end, the better location was where I had already been sheeting my old jib.
The wind dies. so I motored over
to where I had seen another little lightweight sailboat (I had never seen before)
bobbing with slack sails. I rafted up with this chap and had a beer. We were
discussing whether I was going to tow him back to the ramp or go looking for
some wind when a nice breeze started up the lake, this time from the south.
(I have experienced 180 degree wind shifts 3 times in a days sailing on this
lake).
He sailed back to his dock (he was staying with some friends at their cabin...their
boat too). I sailed up the dock and he jumped on to go sailing with me.....(I
had the beer ~;0)
Turns out this guy Jim had owned a 52 foot schooner in the 70's and sailed and
crewed on a 32 foot race boat on the coast for the last 12 years. As soon as
we started off I knew this lad knew his business....man, what fun to have very
experience crew on board. 62 year old Kiwi and he was scurrying around that
deck like he sailed that boat all his life.
Jim was a big help with the new sheeting
angles and was on the foredeck clearing jammed sheets almost before I asked
him. Good fun. He trimmed the main constantly...and had a great knowledge of
a gaffer. Best crew I ever had for sure.
We sailed is a beautiful steady 10-12 knot breeze for another couple of hours...maybe
longer. We made a few miles down the lake to windward...but then that breeze
died as well.
We were close to the marina where I noticed a sailing buddy of mine taking down the mast and rigging of his 26 Macgregor Classic. Stopped to chat with him and his wife for a minute and motored off north to my launch ramp and Jims dock. We were most of the way there and the sails were stowed when this wicked ass wall of wind peaked around the point from where we were. We both jump to get the sails up and head out into it...to windward now...another 180 shift... a North wind, and generally the most wicked ones.
Within minutes we knew we were going
to have to reef at least one, but I figured to leave it all up until for a while
yet as the initial slam of the wind often dies down shortly after it starts.
Not this time, it picked up....steadily. A proper blood storm it was.
We then reefed down one (nice to have options). With this single reef (minus
20%), the lapper, dagger board (ballast and new spars) the boat was perfectly
balanced with two crew. If I was by myself I would have need to go one more
(40% reduction). It is nice to have options. My old sail had one deep reef at
about 33 inches and I found it useless .....I like the two the way I have them
because they work and are actually useful. But my boat is set up a bit different
than other folks, so what works for me might not work for others.
As for the lapper, I loved it. At
first, in light to medium winds it did not produce any more power than the jib...it
seemed to me. The main thing was balance. The boat prefers this rig over the
smaller head sail. Running the lapper with reefed main was terrific. Even when
it was friggin howling.
Where the lapper is really lovely is downwind...what a powerful sail! I can
tell you that rascal was pulling so hard it was tough to sheet it in or adjust
it without two hands. For heavy weather days like that, I am going to have to
get one of the rotating swivel cleats like I use for the main sheet. To have
to move my body over to the lee side like that just to adjust the sheet was
tricky...with it blowing so hard and weight tranfer was serious.
Man that boat was just surfing down those waves on a reach...a complete riot.
Easily my best sailing day (wind -wise) ever. There was only one other boat
on the lake at that point and it was the owner of the boat that Jim was sailing
when I met him earlier. A Harpoon 4.5. All sail/planing hull. Three guys (Two
men and a kid) aboard and it was all they could do to not dump the thing. Experienced
guys.
When we saw them out there we tried to catch them. They were going to windward
and there was no way we could even hope match their speed, though we were pointing
as high as them. After about 20 minutes of this tack they then spun around and
head right back at us, we changed tack and intercepted them and then followed
them about 150feet back on a broad reach. They never got away from me. We could
not catch them...but we kept up with them on that point of sail.....with a reefed
main, 240# of ballast and a similar water line. I was totally impressed with
my little boat. So was Jim...and so were those other guys when we had a beer
with them later on that evening. It was later on that I remembered that it was
so harry, I forgot to pull up the dagger board when we were whistling down wind
chasing those guys...who knows, if I had thought to pull that board we might
have caught them.
We had tried all points of sail in these conditions....it was great. The new lapper is much more useful for dead down wind sailing as it is easier to keep full.
In windy conditions like this, I
have this strange problem. My side stay turnbuckles like to unwind themselves.
Fortunately, I have grown accustomed to repeatedly checking them and retightening
when they come loose. A couple of years ago I had one come right undone. So
now I am in the habit of always checking them along with all the other things
I am always watching. That's part of why I love sailing, you are always busy.
I am going to try and figure out a way to keep these sucker cinched up....maybe
a few wraps of electrical tape...?
At one point I guess I had not been watching well enough and Jim says, "hey,
check out your quick link on the port side fwd chain plate/ turnbuckle"...the
connecting nut had vibrated loose and the link was spread out and trying to
straighten itself. That is how hard it was blowing. I could not get it back
together so I just kept as much tension in the turnbuckle as I could.
During all this time we were sailing in this storm, My buddy John with the Macgregor was busy as hell trying to tame his boat emough with the big swells to get it on the trailer. The launch ramp is poorly located at the tip of a point and has no protection from either a north or south wind. Once he had the boat out (with a lot of help from a group of bikers that stopped to help him) he watched us sailing out there. He was really impressed, have fun just watching and wished he had his camera....so do I! I don't have one good shot of the boat sailing with me on it.
I did have my camera on the boat...but things were just too furious to get it out...beside, at times we were taking lots of spray, the decks were buried and dumping water into the cockpit and it was raining at times as well. I had the hatch boards in and the hatch closed most of the day. I have a new and expensive digital and was not wanting to test it's levels of water proofedness. Besides...I would have had to slow down to take a picture...or measure the wind....and was having too much fun to do that.
That's my story and I am sticking to it.
Sunday August 22, 2004.
Tim Diebert
Annie M.
Some images from that day.
Something you don't see every day. Jim in the Harpoon 4.5 in
the backround. Early in the day.
Jim and the borrowed Harpoon.
A quick shot after the big wind had died down. See more coming
on the horizon?
Another sailing day story with Zach