If I hadn't lived it I wouldn't believe it.

As many of you know, for the past year and a half, I've been trying to set my 430 up as an F14 (430 with kite). I have to tell you it's been quite a difficult task from the get go. Aside from design worries and sail/boat management problems, there have been significant issues with rig balance. I've had to work on rudder mods, mast rotation mechanics, down haul and diamond tension/mast pre-bend, mast rake etc., etc.
A new front beam and d/striker has made the boat a lot stiffer under the added loads.

Rigging time is now down to about 2hrs after eventually having sorted [almost] the five million potential process mistakes.

Such is a developer's lot and is to be expected but, although there is plenty of satisfaction, it does get somewhat tiresome at times.
Lately though, it seems there have been additional problems every time I take the boat out, even if not directly associated with the fitting of a spi which has been puzzling to say the least.
These last two weekends have been particularly disappointing with new problems with rudders emerging.
Last weekend I contested the two day Koonawarra Bay CC 14ft regatta keen to finally tackle some well sailed, quick 14's on a big track with the kite. I'm still not race efficient setting and retrieving the spi, and the angles still have me somewhat groping but I'm getting better all the time.

I started the first race, a massive triangular course, and soon found that the boat's pointing ability has been compromised [as suspected] by the pole and snuffer set, and boat speed wasn't all I expected either. I was holding the quicker Paper Tigers up the works and while going OK, I wasn't making the boat speed I should have off the wind under spinnaker. Launching and retrieving the kite can cost substantial time if not done efficiently and the angles and settings were again causing me problems.
Approaching the 'A' mark for the second time [in second place] a committee boat sound signal suggested [to me anyway] that the race had been shortened and we had in fact crossed the line. In reality though, they had code flag 'M' flying to advise a change of the 'B' mark position and the signal was to attract our attention to the flag.
On my way back to the rigging area, thinking I had finished I hit a giant Jelly Fish breaking the stbd alum. rudder control rod. Some of these things are the size of a small island.

After returning home [a 3hr drive] and some quick shed work I had it fixed and back on the boat for Sunday's racing. Some rig adjustments gave me marginally better speed but again pointing ability was still off though in a stronger wind my VMG had improved. As we raced the windward leg for the second time in race one, on the last tack for the windward mark on the second triangle the spanner let go. I returned to the beach. Taking the boat out of the water in the strong wind with the rocky shore, and using the narrow launch ramp, the other rudder control got broken.

I built two new fibreglass rods during the following week and replaced the small connector line holding the block at the end of the spanner.

While sailing to the start line at my home club [CRSC] Saturday morning, one of my newly [badly made from poor material] fitted control rods failed. Satdy nite I built another [re-enforced] rod and re-enforced the original.

Sunday I went to Kurnell CC to race. In the middle of Botany Bay, on the second reach of the second triangle in the first race, no kite, my complete rudder system parted company with the boat and was lost overboard. After five seasons of racing in three states since 1999, the complete system, blades, stocks, cross control rod and tiller extension, found a way to push itself past the spring retainers, bending them substantially, [see attachment] and launch itself off the stern!

A 14sq Nacra eventually came to my assistance, offering me his shackle key to detach the mainsail clew from the boom. Thrown from about two meters it missed my tramp and hit the water headed for the bottom. My helper, on reflex, dived over the side to retrieve the tool and his boat sailed away without him. 2 boats out of control, one with and one without a skipper.
After much yelling, whistling, and arm waving, while helplessly sailing away from him, I was finally able to attract the attention of some helpers on a Tornado for my swimming buddy and have a message relayed to the rescue boat which arrived to help after aprox. half an hour. I was almost ashore.

After two failed attempts from a] a fishing runabout, and b] the rescue boat, to tow me, I eventually made it, under my own steam [wind power], back to a beach not far from the club where I de-rigged.

My would-be savior's boat was eventually retrieved from Brighton.

I think I'm done with sailing for a while.

Bern

I'm trying to figure out/visualize how the spring clip got bent without the gudgeons being completely fubar'd

Bern, don't give up buddy. Sounds like an extraordinary string of bad luck, but you've got something particularly original on your hands. It's not like you can drive down to the dealership and pick up advice and parts. Have a drink, watch some TV or something - don't worry about the boat for a couple of days and let the whole thing percolate a bit in the back of your mind. In a few days, I'll bet that some solutions come swimming up out of your subconscious.

On the downwind stuff... definitely the sets and douses need to be as quick as you can manage. It took me quite a while to get the choreography down on the M4.3, and that was with a simple end-pole, single line snuffer. Once I got the steps between driving and working the front end, they came faster and more naturally in short order. I usually drove very deep when rounding the top mark and letting go of the tiller to set the kite. I'd have the main travelled down quite a distance. A good rudder-tune/mast rake combo will keep you tracking straight while you wrestle the bedsheet.

Once the kite is up, you'll need to travel up nearly all the way (depending upon conditions) and sail that kite at a really high angle initially. Get her moving as soon as you can - screw worrying about depth on the course until you've got some speed up and the apparent wind starts moving forward. I spent FAR too much time when learning to sail the 4.3 looking at my angle against non-spin boats (usually H16s in mixed fleets). I found once I ignored everyone around me until I got the boat moving, my VMG would skyrocket. More distance sailed, but I got quickly around any 16s that might have beat me to the turn mark.

BTW - the RC made an error by signalling "M" at the A-mark if it was B-mark that was missing. "M" should be signaled AT THE INTENDED LOCATION of the missing mark, and the RC boat is rounded as though it were the mark. I'd have been confused, too, the way you describe it. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Hope to hear more about your project soon. I've really enjoyed reading about it! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Berny,

very interesting to hear that you felt handicapped upwind with the spi gear. Have you done any testing to see wether it was the spi pole, the snuffer or the complete package that made the difference? If it was the snuffer, perhaps a "snail" system like what Marstrøm use on the M20 might be better?

I dont like sailing triangle courses with the spi..

Bad luck comes in heaps, and you was hit badly this time. I bet Mr. Murphy is having a very good time with you and the participants at the F-18 worlds.


I can only second what John said, hope to hear more about your 430 soon.

Will you convert to a retaining "snail" pin to hold the rudders on the pintles?

Don't worry, it's all experience. I bought an old mosquito and broke something serious almost every month. Until now the only original items left on the boat is the tramp (which was been re-stitched), boom and the port hull! First it was the sails, then rudder blades, then the rudder boxes, then the mast, then the beams and I'm now building new hulls (F16) after breaking the stbd hull in half.

It is very frustrating constantly building/repairing a boat. I'm sticking with it because it is a challenge which I will learn a lot from, and everyone needs a hobby.

Two hours to rig seems a bit much. Have you checked out the other cats in your area?

Maybe see if you can get a crew with someone else for awhile, get the boating bug back and learn from them. A different perspective can often be very useful.

Thanks Guys for your thoughts and constructive support. I might add that this all comes on the back of a hell year during which all manner of crap transpired including my wife experiencing major heat problems, so I'm due for, but not expecting some respite.
In retrospect it wasn't major life changing stuff and it'd take more than that to turn me off sailing and yes I'm already considering building a new rudder set from the many surplus bits I have residual post build.


I can only think that the lower pintle pin was deflected sufficiently by the pressure of the rudder drag. I will install full metal pintles, probably with spring pin retainers.

I have checked other cats in my area and while they all claim to be quicker than 2hrs rigging, in reality they all take lots of time to set up.

To the question of boat handling I'm now of the opinion that it may be better to cleat the spi sheet and work the main rather than the reverse as I do now. I figure it this way;
As I come up after setting the kite, there is an angle at which the windward hull begins to rise. As best I can judge this angle is probable going to give the best VMG if not the best fun sailing as you bear away to ease pressure and gain some depth [on windward / leewards] and bring it up again to build speed. On triangular courses height is generally what is needed.
What I'm finding is, in stronger winds, as pressure increases, it gets more difficult to bear away quickly enough to reduce heeling and spi sheet tension sometimes needs to be eased. This causes the sail to collapse and a combination of steering and sheet adjustment is necessary to re-establish the set and good speed, loosing precious time.
I'm thinking that if the main sheet is eased to reduce pressure and better facilitate bearing away, continuous boat speed could more easily be managed as the spi continues to 'draw'as you come down. And on triangular courses significant height is not lost.
It may be too difficult and I may end up swimming, but I'd like to give it a try.

Thanks again for your thoughts and concern,

Berny.

P.S. I did look at the snail but.........ummmmm.......I really don't much like the concept and they are difficult to come by here in Oz.

Oi! Bern, I wouldn't get in the habit of cleating that spin sheet off... in my experience, limited as it is, that'll put you in the water quicker than anything else. The guys that are going fast in the 4.3 class and in the I-17 class (those I am familiar with) sometimes have a cleat on the deck or boom that they call the "third hand" which might get used briefly or for a moment to shake some circulation back into your fingers, but cleating the sheet and setting it down is generally regarded as a big mistake. The spin is the sail in control of your life downwind - best to tend to it exclusively after trimming and cleating the main (and in some classes the jib as well).

To save my burning arms on the 4.3, I changed the Ronstan 40mm SmartRatchets out for the more reliable and grippy 57mm Harken Carbo Autoratchets. I was never great in a blow in the Formula 14 class, but I could hold my own and saw great improvement during the 4 years I had a boat. As my education has continued, I realize now I travelled down too far and took too long to heat up and get moving downwind. As your speed increases and the apparent wind wraps around in front of you, you'll be going deeper and deeper on the course. Ease the spin a tiny bit as you bear off in big puffs to keep trim longer, and come back up as soon as the puff starts to let off to keep speed. One of my favorite skippers taught me a great mantra for keeping a hull up going downwind, and you might hear me muttering it if we are close to each other during a race;

"Don't be a chicken, don't be a chicken, don't be a chicken..." <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Well I've sorted it in my mind and I'll do a complete set of new foils. I have some new spare stocks and materials to make connectors and there's a spare tiller extn. in the shed which, while a tad short can easily be lengthened.
The old foils [first out of the moulds] were a little rough and a bit heavy and the d/boards always leaked.

FWIW,
I've been thinking about the reason for the mishap and it occurs to me that since cranking the rig back, and powering up the mast, I've loaded the rudders with more pressure, increasing the flexing of the pintle pins sufficiently to cause the retainer clips to bend and release the rudders. It's all I can think of given that the system has not failed till now after 7yrs of racing.

Bern

Well, there is turning over your pintles....
My 34 year old Cal Fuller A-cat (see avatar <=) has them on the other way, and have only come off once, after crashing while doing the Wild Thing, fortunately just on one side: I had failed to put the curl pin on that side, and the spring thing bent somewhat on the other.
I have run a spinnaker on this boat too, as well as the hydrofoils. Imagine the up load with lifting foils on the bottom of my rudders.