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Oliver Shaw
ModeratorYou will also need to support the heel of the mast when towing.
Nearly 20 years ago I made up a combined unit for both purposes, which attached to the rudder hangings (using its own pintle and gudgeon). See attached photo; although this shows the boat without any covers that is only because the top cover had been removed prior to taking the photo – it was in place while we were towing. No bottom cover on that boat though, it was my next boat for which I had the bottom cover.
The vertical board attaches to the rudder hangings, and extends above the transom, where it terminates in a cushioned “U-crutch” which supports the heel of the mast. The cushioning was plastic convoluted hose, which I slit lengthwise, and then tacked onto the wood. The horizontal board is the lighting board. If you wanted to use a proprietary lighting board – and I presume from the photo that you already have one – the system could be readily adapted to incorporate a mount for that board.
There is of course a long run of cable from the transom forward to the car, and that needs controlling in some way. Two obvious choices – and I have used both at different times – are to run it under the boat cover (this will usually have an aperture at the aft end to accommodate the boom, so the cable can be fed through this, or alternatively on top of the boat cover but constrained in any convenient manner so that it doesn’t “go overboard”. On my towing cover I have attachment points for shockcords going over the mast, to keep the centre of the cover up and so prevent rain water pooling in it, and I feed the cable between these shockcords.
Don’t forget to secure the cable to the trailer close to the tow hitch, so you don’t have problems with the cable on tight turns.
Oliver
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ModeratorLooks good.
The photo reminds me that recent trailers are now legally required to mount the lighting board and number plate on the trailer itself, as indeed this one is. That is fine when the trailer is empty – but that is something which one would do anyway with an empty trailer; the only difference is that there is now a suitably engineered mounting system rather than having to tie it on.
However when the boat is on the trailer I remain convinced that the all-important lighting board is vastly more visible when mounted to the transom of the boat; it is then much closer to the height of eye of following drivers. I claim no legal knowledge – beyond knowing the old dictum that “the law is an ass” – but I cannot imagine that any reasonable police officer would apprehend a driver for having the lighting board mounted where it is most visible!
Certainly that is what I do with my trailer-sailer yacht, even though the trailer is indeed equipped to mount the board on the trailer itself.
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorPlease email me at cruising@old.gp14.org, and I will then be happy to put you in touch.
But in fairness to Barrie I don’t want to put his email address on the forum.
Regards,
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorAs these days very much a cruising man this concerned me when I commidssioned my then new build, in 2005-6, with through deck sheeting.
I found two solutions.
I initially “borrowed” the best suit of sails from my other boat, and with a standard genoa the sheeting angle does indeed become unduly low as the sail is reefed. My solution to that was to rig a “reverse barber-hauler” to correct the sheeting angle when reefed. See photos in the Reefing Systems file, available in the Members’ Area of this site (page 23-24).
When I then ordered new sails, twelve months later, I had the clew of the genoa cut just a little higher than normal, thus shortening the luff slightly. That gave an acceptable compromise solution without needing the additional control line. Agreed there is a very slight loss of genoa area when sailing with full sail – but despite my age and despite the cruising sails I was still known to win races in the boat at club level. And agreed the sheeting angle was not necessarily ideal at all stages of reefing., But it undoubtedly was at least acceptable at all stages from full sail right down to “spitfire jib”.
I ordered my new sails from Edge Sails, who were (and I think still are) the preferred maker for cruising sails for the class. I discussed with them how much to raise the genoa clew, and it is possible that they may still have my specifications on file, but I regret that I no longer have the details available.
Hope this helps,
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorReefing, and genoa car position
First, I would refer you to my paper on Reefing Systems, which should be available in the Members’ Area of this site.
Genoa fairleads need to be near the sides of the boat, rather than inboard; but for seating comfort, through-deck seating is clearly the way to go. See photo attached.
However through-deck sheeting does often have a penalty attached, in the form of slightly higher friction. In my experience this is not a problem with the working sheet, as one might reasonably have expected, where the increase in friction is probably undetectable; rather it is a problem with the “lazy” sheet imparting slight but very significant friction where it is vitally important that the friction should be as near zero as possible. The problem is that any friction at all on this “lazy” sheet is increased exponentially (and as a retired physicist I use that word correctly, in its technical sense), and this happens first at the lee shroud, and then a second time at the mast. This initially very slight friction “tails” the sheet in exactly the same manner as a sheet winch on a yacht works, where the sheet has a part-turn past the lee shroud, exacerbated by the very sharp turn (because of the small diameter of the shroud), so the tension on the sheet between the mast and the shroud is suddenly quite significant.
That quite significant tension then in turn “tails” the sheet where it rounds the mast, introducing a further exponential increase in load.
So the end result is that the barely detectable friction in the weather sheet, the “lazy” sheet, as it passes through the fairleads results in enough tension – in entirely the wrong direction – at the clew of the sail to effectively prevent you hauling it fully home when close-hauled.
There are at least two possible solutions to the problem, and probably three. One is to limit the diameter of the genoa sheets; but small diameter sheets can be very uncomfortable to pull in when winds are strong. A second solution is to make an unfailing habit of positively clearing – “overhauling” in nautical parlance – the old sheet as you tack. What may be a third solution is an arrangement which I have seen, and admired, but not actually tried out; a sophisticated three-block system of caged turning blocks in place of fairleads; it seems that three blocks are needed in order to cope with the changes in alignment between the sheet attached to the sail and the sheet as it is led to your hands.
The second approach is the one that I myself used, and once this becomes second nature it is no problem, at least in cruising. However by the time I had a boat with through-deck sheeting my racing days were largely behind me, so I cannot properly judge whether I would have been happy with that for top level racing. The three-block system that I admired was on a boat owned by Ian Sinclair, then President of the Association, who I gather was a good Silver Fleet sailor.
Oliver
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ModeratorMy modification to the under-cover:
I don’t recollect offering to produce a picture of it, and having just now trawled my collection of photos I regret that I don’t have one. Having passed on the boat to my godson a few years ago I also cannot just go out and photograph it; it is the far side of the country. However I can at least describe it.
I had this purpose-made by Tim Harper, who also built the boat for me, and I had both top and bottom covers from him at the same time.
The bottom cover is standard except that there is a rectangular aperture in it, where the rear chock is located on the trailer. On the port side there is then a slit extending from this rectangular aperture up to the edge of the cover, which is closed by standard tapes and plastic buckles. The shockcord round the edge is also cut at this point, and the ends joined by Englefield clips.
To attach the cover, with the boat on the trailer, I first fit the stern part to the transom, and attach the aftmost top cross-ties across the deck (abaft the main trailer chock), and then work up the starboard side (the opposite side from the slit), with all of the cover to starboard of the boat. Forward of the main chock I then pass the port side of the cover underneath the boat (between boat and trailer, in the space between the forward and aft chocks, and then go round to the port side and pick it up. Then I connect the two sides of the slit together, using the tapes and buckles, and connect the two parts of the tensioning shockcord by means of the Englefield clips.
Then I pull the forward part of the cover tolerably central underneath the boat, and pull it forward. It then takes little strength to lift the bow with one hand sufficiently for me to pull the cover forward over the forward chock, i.e. between the forward chock and the boat, with the other hand. From that point it is easy to then complete the process.
Finally there are four pairs of straps and buckles to tie the forward and aft parts of the cover together beneath the main trailer chock.
Of course there is a small area of the hull in way of the main chock and very slightly overlapping it which is not protected by the bottom cover; but it is a great deal better than having no protection at all, and the result is a cover which I am able to fit and remove single-handed.
This modification does of course need to be purpose made, to match your particular trailer. It is probably most satisfactory to take the boat and trailer to your chosen cover maker, so that he can properly tailor the cover to fit.
When Tim Harper made my one he insisted that the modification to the standard cover was entirely at my own risk if it didn’t work; but I was happy to proceed on that basis, and it did indeed work outstandingly well.
Hope this helps,
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorThank you,
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorHaving seen your response, and seen the sail number of your boat, it is perhaps no surprise that for reefing I suggest that you go for modern slab/jiffy reefing for the mainsail.
Although I accept that the boat is old and venerable, and it is a personal decision, I do not myself feel that she is so old that historical authenticity must take absolute predominance; and modern slab/jiffy reefing is undoubtedly so very much easier and quicker and safer to operate at sea, and produces such a very much better set to the sail.
On the question of balancing historical authenticity against considerations of safety and usability there is a fairly good parallel with vintage and post-vintage (pre-WW2) cars; owners generally keep them historically authentic in most respects, but routinely fit them with modern turn indicators for reasons of safety. The same principle can be applied to modern reefing systems on a boat of the age of yours.
However I am the first to accept that the decision is a very marginal one. That would be my personal decision, but the boat must date from about 1957, so if you personally feel that historical authenticity predominates it is not for me to argue otherwise.
Having said that, I realise that you are using very old sails. You probably already have square gooseneck roller reefing installed, and you seem to feel that the structural strength of the sails is questionable. A sensible half-way house might therefore be not to incur the expense of adding reef points to your existing mainsail, but initially use the existing roller reefing facility when needed, and also nurse the boat accordingly. But when you eventually upgrade to new (or newer) sails I suggest that you make a point of buying decent cruising sails (and Edge Sails are probably the preferred sailmaker in the cruising fleet, perhaps followed by Jeckells); and at that point have your reef points fitted, and install a modern reefing system.
Incidentally when you do eventually replace your sails, good cruising sails are not clapped out racing sails; they are a very different animal. Don’t just go for second-hand racing sails which have been pensioned off.
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
Moderator> how are jib sheets brought inboard for solo sailing : … … ; what options were used for reefing.
Jib sheets:
Three options for single-handing:
- Use a continuous sheet, with the two ends each secured to the clew of the sail. If you are using a genoa there isn’t room between sail and fairlead when close-hauled to use a bowline for attachment, but you can pass each sheet through the cringle and then use a stopper knot.
- Use conventional sheeting (with the middle of the sheet attached to the clew of the sail, but tie the two ends together inside the boat.
- Use conventional sheeting, do not tie the ends together, but just prepare your tacks in advance so that you always throw the lazy sheet across the boat before you tack; it is then ready to hand for you to pick up as you tack. This last is my personal preferred method, and the advance preparation soon becomes second nature.
Also tack just slightly more slowly than you might do if you were fully crewed and with an expert crew.
Most important; for reasons of safety never under any circumstances use a shackle (or any other metal object) to attach the sheet to the sail. This was commonly done, for convenience, at one time; but if a flogging sail hits someone in the face when you are on the beach or in the dinghy park, a metal shackle there can cost the victim an eye. Use rope only; by all means use a “soft shackle” (made of rope) if you wish, but avoid metal.
All these, and much more, are discussed in the paper “Suitability for Cruising & Single-handing”, which should be available in the Members’ Area of this site.
Reefing:
The original system was square gooseneck roller reefing for the main, which was standard – indeed almost ubiquitous – practice for the day, and a standard jib which was small enough to not normally require reefing. If there are pressing requirements of historical authenticity – e.g. a vintage boat with a sail number less than 100, possibly even one less than 1000 – that is an entirely workable system, and if that pressing constraint applies it is the system which I would go for; it was the best technology of its day. But today it is no longer the best system.
A well set up modern slab/jiffy reefing system for the main, with roller reefing for the genoa, is vastly quicker and easier and safer to use when you need to suddenly pull down a reef at sea in deteriorating conditions, and as an important bonus the sail sets very much better and is therefore much more efficient. Efficiency of the sail is of particular importance when you are battling to windward in strenuous conditions; every bit of heeling moment is distinctly unhelpful, and may even become hazardous, while every last bit of forward drive is vitally important; this is not about racing, but about handling the boat in difficult conditions, and in the last extremity it could even be about survival.
Both systems are discussed in the paper on Reefing Systems, also available in the Members’ Area of this site.
Hope this helps,
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorMainsheet arrangements.
All early boats originally had transom sheeting, not least because that was the convention of the time. In my view it is still an excellent system, particularly for cruising, although I accept that either centre-sheeting or the currently popular (and nearly ubiquitous) hybrid system has some advantages for racing.
Three popular types, plus a fourth which personally I dislike (but it does have its adherents, including a good friend of mine who is a highly experienced GP14 sailor).
The simple arrangement, with one end of the sheet fixed to the transom on one side, up through a block on the boom, back to a block on the other side of the transom, and thence to the helmsman; with or without a ratchet block, or (heaven forbid, in traditional usage, but I confess that I myself use them) a jammer. See photos attached; note that the black-and-white one is on a different boat (possibly Enterprise?), but the colour one is certainly a GP14 – it was in fact my first one, in about 1965.
The “original” rectangular profile sheet horse, made out or brass or bronze rod. See photos.
The later full-width sheet horse, introduced in the sixties (I think). This was specifically designed to address sail twist when off the wind, or when spilling wind in a strong blow, by enabling the sheet to pull more vertically when the boom was over the quarter. It was an excellent system for its day, and it is only the advent of the modern powerful kicker which has made this system redundant on modern boats. See photos.
The simple rope horse. To me, that is a very poor solution, and amongst its faults it is liable to cause the mainsheet block to bash your stern deck varnish when sailing off the wind. See photos.
Hope this helps,
Oliver
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This reply was modified 4 years, 5 months ago by
Oliver Shaw. Reason: Photos added; limit on numbers in original post, but I can add more in the edit!
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This reply was modified 4 years, 5 months ago by
Oliver Shaw.
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ModeratorThat is quite a big topic, and you raise a number of questions. Please forgive me if my contributions come in dribs and drabs, in between my current examining commitments.
First, though, a bit of background, because it colours much of what you want to know, and to that extent it is important. Series 1 boats cover a long period of time, and a surprisingly long period of evolution; the most recent of them are still modern, while the earliest are most definitely vintage, and there is a wealth of difference between the extremes.
The modern GP14, with a modern race-derived rig, even in a cruising version, is quite a highly stressed boat; and well engineered to cope with those stresses. When set up for sailing in stronger winds, the static load on the foot of the mast is conservatively well over half a ton-force (approximately) before we even start adding wind loading. The original design, dating from 1949, was simply never designed for that sort of load. If you have an early boat, and assuming that you prefer not to risk pushing the mast out through the bottom of the boat, you will rig her differently from the modern boats.
A similar consideration applies to kicker loads. Late series 1 boats, and their spars, will happily sail with modern cascade-tackle kickers, (or other similarly powerful ones), with a mechanical advantage of 16:1 or 18:1; but using such powerful beasts on early spars risks breaking either mast or boom. Therefore if you have an early boat, with early spars, whether wooden or metal (such as IYE or early Proctor, or Holt Allen ), you may wish to deal with sail twist in a different way, more in keeping with the period.
If you have an early boat, she is still potentially a great boat, and eminently capable; just don’t expect to rig her in such a highly tuned and stressed way as the modern boats.
Will try to get back with some more specifics shortly.
Oliver
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ModeratorFor what it is worth, before I retired from dinghies in favour of the yacht I regularly sailed my successive GP14s single-handed, but I was prepared to reef as needed, although I concede that this was primarily cruising rather than racing.
My home club have an annual single-handed trophy race, specifically for two-handed boats sailed single-handed.
I am not aware that the Class Association have ever considered a specific conversion to create a single-handed class. I may be wrong, but I see no reason why the standard class boat cannot be sailed – and indeed raced – single-handed, provided that any racing is on an equitable basis. The latter might be a matter of establishing an appropriate Portsmouth Yardstick for the boat when sailed single-handed; and the key to doing that is the provision of race results … …
However it is an interesting proposal; let’s see what others think
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorI cannot be 100% certain about the very earliest boats, but I do know that by the late fifties most dinghies – of all classes – had kickers. I moved up from rowing to sailing in 1958, and kickers were certainly in general use by that time.
Typically just a 2:1 or 3:1 purchase (see attached photos), and they were intended only to prevent the boom rising when off the wind, and especially during a gybe, not to actively bend the mast in order to depower the sail. By the late fifties or early sixties the full width mainsheet horse had become popular as a means of controlling sail twist in stronger winds when off the wind; and if your spars are commensurate with the age of your boat I would strongly suggest that you follow that lead – i.e. content yourself with quite modest kicker purchase and use a full width sheet horse to control sail twist. Spars of that age may well not be strong enough to safely handle the loads imposed by modern high-power kickers.
Hope this helps,
Oliver
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You must be logged in to view attached files.Oliver Shaw
ModeratorIf the boat is left with the mast stepped I personally would always leave the mast gate closed.
I suspect that if you feel the boat is not sailing as previously I think the cause is more likely to be something else, unless of course the difference is only imagined.
Oliver
Oliver Shaw
ModeratorI am not sure that I quite understand the question.
With the modern rig, and your boat is young enough to come into this category, you will normally find that when no sails are set but the shrouds are correctly adjusted it will require a modest amount of force to physically push the mast forwards so that the gate can be closed. Thus there will always be some load on the gate when no sails are set.
With sails set and drawing that situation may change, depending on all the conditions; wind strength, rig tension, kicker tension, etc. In some circumstances the load on the gate may then vanish, and some keen racers use wedges to better control the position of the mast in its slot.
Does that answer your question?
Oliver
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