Pearson 26 - thank you to all that responded

[Edward]

Skippers,

I am out of town on travels but wanted to say thank you to all that
responded.

I will take all this in and will report back to the group.

Dan, I can't stop thinking about inner tracks now ! :)

Ed

[PQU...@aol.com]

Ed,

 

I think most of us believe that, without spending much money, there is great latitude available to you in the areas of

 

    - Rig tuning, 

    - Sail settings

 

What you will need to get started:

 

    - A Loos gauge;

    - A pair of 4:1 blocks and some Dacron line

    - A backstay adjuster

    - A notebook in which to record what you are doing.

 

 

Invest in a 50 foot tape. This will allow you to center the masthead Then measure from transom top to masthead and thus repeat your mast rake, and be able to know what changes you are making.

 

Loos, the folks that make the economical, common, and effective tension gauges. They recommend a basic wire (stays and shrouds) of 10% to 15% of the wires breaking strength. Maintain the proper tension on all your rigging. Most sailing gear catalogs of list the breaking strength of various wire sizes. Over-tensioning your rigging can drive the base of your mast down into the cabintop.

 

One 4:1 outhaul can be installed inside or outside of your boom without spending much money. This can be set up to allow adjustment of the main's foot tension as wind strength changes.

 

You can rig a similar setup with the other blocks under the sliding gooseneck. A Cunningham hole on the main's luff may be an even cheaper way to adjust luff tension.

 

Use your jib's halyard winch to adjust tension and thus move the jib's draft.

 

Finally, putting a backstay tension adjuster on the inverted "Y" at the lower end of your backstay allows easy adjustment of the tension on your forestay.

 

Entering your club's races will allow you to determine what works and what doesn't.

 

Once you have learned how to use these tools and techniques, then you can start to replace your sails and invest in new sail tracks, jib/genoa cars that can be adjusted under tension and maybe even one of Harken's Windward Sheeting Traveler Car.

 

Enjoy!

 

PeterO

[Richard Usen]

I have a windward car and love it and wouldn’t be w/o it, but all it does is adjust the traveler easier and faster. Once its adjusted it doesn’t do anything.  Its just a tool, not a magic bullet.

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[PQU...@aol.com]

I totally agree with Dick U. - Once again

 

PeterO

[Dave Goldsmith]

What is a “windward car”?

If it pertains to a traveller, could U please send

a picture/diagram of it?

My traveller is a 1:1, and I would like to increase

it’s leverage.

 

Dave Goldsmith

Pearson 30

[PQU...@aol.com]

The Windward Sheeting Traveler Car is a Harken product.

 

http://www.harken.com/traveler/WindwardSheeting.php

 

Click on the above link for pictures and more information. Like Dick Usen sez - I wouldn't be caught without one if I were racing. Most cruisers probably won't want to make the investment.

 

Peter

[Richard Usen]

I’m a cruiser but do like the feel of the boat sailing its best. I have a racer friend who doesn’t like his. It won’t release until the main starts to draw. He says he loses ½ second per tack. You do have to push the staple to pull it up if you’re in a hurry. Each to his own!

[Richard Usen]

It’s a simple little gadget that rides on the track and is held by two jam cleats. When the sheet starts to draw, it releases one jam cleat and you can pull the car uphill w/ a mechanical advantage, I believe 3:1 or maybe 4:1. I have a 6:1 double ended main sheet attached to mine. By the time you have all the stuff you need, you’ll probably have about $800 invested. Mine came w/ the boat. Glad it did.

[Guy Johnson]

I agree with your friends critique of the windward sheeting car, I'm changed my tacking technique to accommodate the car. I tack and then pull the car up, previously I would center the car before tacking. I don't know which is faster.
The other critique I have of the windward sheeting car is the difficulty in easing the car down wind as you do when you get hit by a gust.
 
Guy
 

---

From: use...@rcn.com

To: pearso...@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: [pearson ] Pearson 26 - thank you to all that responded

Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2011 08:30:41 -0400

[Dan Pfeiffer]

Ed,  you don't need an inboard track.  If your headsail is less than full length luff put a pennant on the tack to raise the foot and move the sheeting point aft.   That will tighten the sheeting angle.  Next time you put the sail on see how high it will go on the headstay before it's at the top.  I bet it's a few feet at least.  I had a pennant I made from webbing with several loops so I could adjust the length from 6" to about 30".  If you get a new head sail get it made to sheet to a point a bit aft of the side deck drain. 

 

I don't think you need a loos gauge either.  You can tune the P26 rig just fine without one.  The tape measure is handy but you can check the set of the mast with a halyard.    4:1 is a minimum for the outhaul.  That's what I had and I wished I had made it 6:1 or 8:1.  It needed a little more power when trying to adjust it in windy conditions.  The sail clew moves less than a foot overall so it's not a ton of line to deal with.  The backstay adjuster is fine at 4:1.   For the downhaul on the sliding goosneck 4:1 is not enough to get good purchase.   I had 6:1 which was just OK.  Better yet would be to fasten the goosneck to the mast so it doesn't slide and add a winch for the main halyard.  That really yields benefits on the P26 when you are reefing.    I had a setup on my outhaul with a snap shackle.  When reefing I could switch it from the full clew to the refing clew and then adjust for proper foot tension on the reefed sail.  I thought it worked really well.  You can see it in the second photo on this page:

http://dan.pfeiffer.net/p26/reef.htm

You can see the 6:1 downhaul too.  There is a loop of line in the reefing clew so the outhaul snap shacke can reach it.    It did take some mods to the boom to fit the turning block for the wire.  And I made this 16 years ago or so.    Today I think I would use some of that fancy high tech line rather than wire.  And I would do cascading block system inside the boom rather than those double or tripple blocks. 

 

The OEM traveler is pretty weak on the P26 but I made do with mine just fine for 8 seasons.  A new Harken unit with a windward car will set you back half the money for a new headsail?  I think you will get a lot more performance boost from a new sail. 

 

 

Dan Pfeiffer

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: PQU...@aol.com

To: pearso...@googlegroups.com

Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2011 6:46 AM

Subject: Re: [pearson ] Pearson 26 - thank you to all that responded

--

[Richard Usen]

Yup.

[Richard Usen]

If you’re in that much of a hurry, you can push on the staple to release the jam cleat early. In a puff, just lift the line up out of the jam cleat.

[PQU...@aol.com]

I grant that Dan Pfeiffer has forgotten more about the P-26 than I will ever know. His participation in this message board has benefited all of us. He is the master oracle. That said, I have a couple of comments on Dan's detailed response to Ed's question:

 

Mast Rake:  This is most easily measured with a tape measure from the masthead to the top of the transom. Novice riggers will find it easier and more accurate to use a tape measure than a halyard, although with care a halyard will work.

 

A pendant (not pennant, although we usually say "pennant" when we mean pendant) will allow you raise the tack of your jib. Ideally a pendant will be of 7X7 or 7X19 wire, usually around 1/4" diameter. You can experiment with a pendant of 1/2" Dacron rope. Just tie a small bowline in each end of the line. You can  adjust the length of the pendant until you get it right. Then you can make up one with free labor (your own), using the rigging bench at you nearest West Marine or any other marine supplier who provides a free work bench and the free use of a bench-mounted swaging tool. The West catalog calls the swages "Copper Oval Sleeves." Simply swage an eye in each end of a suitable length of wire rope. Then pay West for the wire rope and the two copper sleeves. Use a shackle to attach your new pendant to the tack of your foresail(s).

 

BTW Ed, if you don't already have one, try to get your hands on a West Catalog. It may be the best free (at least to members; five bucks to others) reference manual for mariners. It's over 1,000 pages and full of great information, regardless of where you decide to buy your supplies.

 

Backstay adjuster. The West catalog illustrates (page 948) the Johnson Marine style adjuster which fits over the two legs of the P-26's lower backstay. By pulling the adjuster down one squeezes the two legs together, tightening the backstay. Buy the size adjuster that is correct for the wire size where it will be used.

 

I agree with those who say you don't need a windward sheeting traveler car. I say you don't need one unless you race. But it sure makes racing life easy for the person working the mainsheet/traveler. Yes, they are expensive. The Harken brothers like to live well. They make good stuff which is sometimes unique.

 

Rig tension:  Most rigs that I see are under-tensioned. Borrow a Loos gauge. The regular gauge (versus the "pro") is more than adequate unless you are a professional rigger.

 

PeterO

Rochester, New York

 

In a message dated 9/8/2011 9:12:21 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, d...@pfeiffer.net writes:

Ed,  you don't need an inboard track.  If your headsail is less than full length luff put a pennant on the tack to raise the foot and move the sheeting point aft.   That will tighten the sheeting angle.  Next time you put the sail on see how high it will go on the headstay before it's at the top.  I bet it's a few feet at least.  I had a pennant I made from webbing with several loops so I could adjust the length from 6" to about 30".  If you get a new head sail get it made to sheet to a point a bit aft of the side deck drain. 

 

I don't think you need a loos gauge either.  You can tune the P26 rig just fine without one.  The tape measure is handy but you can check the set of the mast with a halyard.    4:1 is a minimum for the outhaul.  That's what I had and I wished I had made it 6:1 or 8:1.  It needed a little more power when trying to adjust it in windy conditions.  The sail clew moves less than a foot overall so it's not a ton of line to deal with.  The backstay adjuster is fine at 4:1.   For the downhaul on the sliding goosneck 4:1 is not enough to get good purchase.   I had 6:1 which was just OK.  Better yet would be to fasten the goosneck to the mast so it doesn't slide and add a winch for the main halyard.  That really yields benefits on the P26 when you are reefing.    I had a setup on my outhaul with a snap shackle.  When reefing I could switch it from the full clew to the refing clew and then adjust for proper foot tension on the reefed sail.  I thought it worked really well.  You can see it in the second photo on this page:

http://dan.pfeiffer.net/p26/reef.htm

You can see the 6:1 downhaul too.  There is a loop of line in the reefing clew so the outhaul snap shacke can reach it.    It did take some mods to the boom to fit the turning block for the wire.  And I made this 16 years ago or so.    Today I think I would use some of that fancy high tech line rather than wire.  And I would do cascading block system inside the boom rather than those double or tripple blocks. 

 

The OEM traveler is pretty weak on the P26 but I made do with mine just fine for 8 seasons.  A new Harken unit with a windward car will set you back half the money for a new headsail?  I think you will get a lot more performance boost from a new sail. 

 

 

Dan Pfeiffer

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: PQU...@aol.com

To: pearso...@googlegroups.com

[PQU...@aol.com]

Like many other pieces of sophisticated hardware, the windward sheeting traveler car (WWSTC) does take some practice to learn its idiosyncrasies.

 

When I restored our Wanderer I eliminated the traveler entirely, flying in the face of modern trends. I never felt that the standard, "Crosby Rig" was a detraction from the boat's intended purpose - easy, enjoyable daysailing and weekending. And it was much cheaper than buying a new WWSTC.

 

I certainly wouldn't remove a WWSTC if it came on a used boat that I bought. And I would certainly add one to a boat I planned to race.

 

PeterO

Rochester, NY

 

In a message dated 9/8/2011 8:30:46 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, use...@rcn.com writes:

I’m a cruiser but do like the feel of the boat sailing its best. I have a racer friend who doesn’t like his. It won’t release until the main starts to draw. He says he loses ½ second per tack. You do have to push the staple to pull it up if you’re in a hurry. Each to his own!

 

From: pearso...@googlegroups.com [mailto:pearso...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of PQU...@aol.com

Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2011 7:12 AM
To: pearso...@googlegroups.com

Subject: Re: [pearson ] Pearson 26 - thank you to all that responded

 

The Windward Sheeting Traveler Car is a Harken product.

 

http://www.harken.com/traveler/WindwardSheeting.php

 

Click on the above link for pictures and more information. Like Dick Usen sez - I wouldn't be caught without one if I were racing. Most cruisers probably won't want to make the investment.

 

Peter

 

In a message dated 9/8/2011 7:08:36 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, capn...@optonline.net writes:

What is a “windward car”?

If it pertains to a traveller, could U please send

a picture/diagram of it?

My traveller is a 1:1, and I would like to increase

it’s leverage.

 

Dave Goldsmith

Pearson 30

 

 

 

From: Richard Usen

Sent: Thursday, September 08, 2011 6:57 AM

To: pearso...@googlegroups.com

Subject: RE: [pearson ] Pearson 26 - thank you to all that responded

 

I have a windward car and love it and wouldn’t be w/o it, but all it does is adjust the traveler easier and faster. Once its adjusted it doesn’t do anything.  Its just a tool, not a magic bullet.

 

[Dan Pfeiffer]

Oracle?   Bettter to rely on a source like Brion Toss's "Riggers Aprrentice"  if you want good advice on this stuff. 

Yes, pendant.  I get those words confused.  And you don't need a fancy wire one.   You can make it out of 1" webbing.   I sewed loops into mine at various lengths and had a snap shackle on the top.  Adjustable and simple and cheap.  Sew it by hand.  The loads on a P26 headsail luff are not extreem enough to need wire.  And if I were going to have a permanent pendant on the sail I would probably go with some amsteel line with splices at each end rather than old fassioned wire. 

On tuning the rig, you don't need to spend the money on a loos gauge.  And without it you may just become a better judge of when the rig is properly tuned.  As Bill R pointed out the P26 rig is about as simple as they get.   And you don't need a tape measure.  Get the mast straight and centered and tight and go sailing in 10-14 knots.  When close hauled the mast should still be in column and the leward shrouds should be just getting slack but not so slack the clevis pins can rattle.  Pretty simple.  No gauge needed.  You will understand the rig better without relying on a gauge to tell you when it's right.   SDpend the money on a gauge if you feel like you need it but I would rather put that towards a backstay adjuster or put it in the kitty for a new headsail. 

To center the mast the halyard can serve to measure just fine.  Is it closer to one side or the other?  Measure to the chainplates on each side with the halyard.  Doesn't mater how different they are just if they are and which way.  Correct by adjusting upper shrouds.    I don't see how you can set mast rake by measuring to the transom?  I do it by hanging the halyard straight down on a weight of some sort behind the mast.  You can then measure how far from vertical the mast is by the distance between the back side of the mast and the vertical hanging halyard.  How do you do that by measuring to the transom? 

Also, I completely agree about the value of tuning the rig properly and of learning how to properly trim for best performance before spending all sorts of money on new sails.  It's the low hanging fruit.  But it does assume that the sails are in servicable condition.  If your sails are worn out and baggy you will never get them to trim well and you will never be able to take advantage of the nuances or proper tuning and trim. 

Dan Pfeiffer

On Sep 8, 2011, PQU...@aol.com wrote:

I grant that Dan Pfeiffer has forgotten more about the P-26 than I will ever know. His participation in this message board has benefited all of us. He is the master oracle. That said, I have a couple of comments on Dan's detailed response to Ed's question:

 

Mast Rake:  This is most easily measured with a tape measure from the masthead to the top of the transom. Novice riggers will find it easier and more accurate to use a tape measure than a halyard, although with care a halyard will work.

 

A pendant (not pennant, although we usually say "pennant" when we mean pendant) will allow you raise the tack of your jib. Ideally a pendant will be of 7X7 or 7X19 wire, usually around 1/4" diameter. You can experiment with a pendant of 1/2" Dacron rope. Just tie a small bowline in each end of the line. You can  adjust the length of the pendant until you get it right. Then you can make up one with free labor (your own), using the rigging bench at you nearest West Marine or any other marine supplier who provides a free work bench and the free use of a bench-mounted swaging tool. The West catalog calls the swages "Copper Oval Sleeves." Simply swage an eye in each end of a suitable length of wire rope. Then pay West for the wire rope and the two copper sleeves. Use a shackle to attach your new pendant to the tack of your foresail(s).

 

BTW Ed, if you don't already have one, try to get your hands on a West Catalog. It may be the best free (at least to members; five bucks to others) reference manual for mariners. It's over 1,000 pages and full of great information, regardless of where you decide to buy your supplies.

 

Backstay adjuster. The West catalog illustrates (page 948) the Johnson Marine style adjuster which fits over the two legs of the P-26's lower backstay. By pulling the adjuster down one squeezes the two legs together, tightening the backstay. Buy the size adjuster that is correct for the wire size where it will be used.

 

I agree with those who say you don't need a windward sheeting traveler car. I say you don't need one unless you race. But it sure makes racing life easy for the person working the mainsheet/traveler. Yes, they are expensive. The Harken brothers like to live well. They make good stuff which is sometimes unique.

 

Rig tension:  Most rigs that I see are under-tensioned. Borrow a Loos gauge. The regular gauge (versus the "pro") is more than adequate unless you are a professional rigger.

 

PeterO

Rochester, New York

 tp://groups.google.com/group/pearson-boats?hl=en.

[Richard Usen]

When I bought my boat it had a traveler w/ two leads going to jam cleats on each side of the cockpit. In addition, it had two more automated cam cleats on the car. You explained to me that it was a WWSTC. When I removed the jam cleats and replaced them w/ a pair of turning blocks from Harken that attached to the ends of the track and connected the car w/ an endless loop, I discovered just what a fine addition it made. The PO raced the boat too!

 

What’s a Crosby rig? I learned to sail on a Crosby catboat out of the Crosby yard and don’t remember such. Maybe it was invented later.

[PQU...@aol.com]

I think most of the following is accurate: The Crosby rig debuted on the Snipe, which was designed by Crosby for Rudder magazine, where he was editor. Basically it works just like the mainsheet on my Bullseye, which is a N. Herreshoff design from 1913. The mainsheet can have as many parts as dictated by the size of the sail. The sheet goes from the boom to a block on each corner of each quarter. When beating to weather on each tack the boom will more-or-less center over the leeward block. Many new boats are delivered with such a system if the manufacturer is trying to keep the selling price down by eliminating the traveler.

 

Peter

[Richard Usen]

Thx. I’ve seen those and never knew what they were called. I assume it was a different Crosby.

 

From: pearso...@googlegroups.com [mailto:pearso...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of PQU...@aol.com
Sent: Friday, September 09, 2011 12:35 PM
To: pearso...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [pearson ] Pearson 26 - thank you to all that responded

 

I think most of the following is accurate: The Crosby rig debuted on the Snipe, which was designed by Crosby for Rudder magazine, where he was editor. Basically it works just like the mainsheet on my Bullseye, which is a N. Herreshoff design from 1913. The mainsheet can have as many parts as dictated by the size of the sail. The sheet goes from the boom to a block on each corner of each quarter. When beating to weather on each tack the boom will more-or-less center over the leeward block. Many new boats are delivered with such a system if the manufacturer is trying to keep the selling price down by eliminating the traveler.

--

[PQU...@aol.com]

When we bought our Wanderer I decided to use the considerable sail inventory for a season before buying any new sails. I was stunned by how long people keep sails and claim that they are still really good. One day I was easily passed by a friend with his 24' Seafarer (swing keel version). The following spring we had a new suit of sails on board. I never regretted that purchase.

 

Peter

[Richard Usen]

Oh yes. Being able to be a good drop cloth doesn’t mean it’s a good sail. My boat came w/ an excellent main and jib, also at least two spare mains and a Mylar 150. The first year I made a new jib and the boat stood up better and picked up half a knot. To my  eye the old jib looked good too. This year I made a new main only because I have no idea how many more years I’ll be able to and the two old sails really are good spares.

 

From: pearso...@googlegroups.com [mailto:pearso...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of PQU...@aol.com
Sent: Friday, September 09, 2011 12:52 PM
To: pearso...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [pearson ] Pearson 26 - thank you to all that responded

 

When we bought our Wanderer I decided to use the considerable sail inventory for a season before buying any new sails. I was stunned by how long people keep sails and claim that they are still really good. One day I was easily passed by a friend with his 24' Seafarer (swing keel version). The following spring we had a new suit of sails on board. I never regretted that purchase.

--

[Jeff Griglack]

My boat came with a main, a 140 Genoa, a storm sail, and a spinnaker.  The boat had been sitting on the hard for 2 years and the main had been on the boom, uncovered the whole time, so I knew it was in pretty rough shape.

I sailed the main for a season, but when then the stitching was shot and some of the material started to fall apart in my hands.  I bought a main sail kit from SailRite and made a new main.  The Genoa was very stretched, so I made a new one with Dick (thanks for all the design help, Dick).  In the mean time, I filled out some of the inventory with some used sails.

I would like to make a new 125 this winter, but I'm not sure I have the time or space.  I am going to make some other stuff with the old sails (my daughter needs a book bag).

The 2 new sails I have cost about the price of a new main + some time in the winter.

-----------------------------------------
|Jeff Griglack       P-30    #182
|"Don't take life so serious, son,
| it ain't nohow permanent."
|                       --Walt Kelly

[PQU...@aol.com]

Most serious one-design racing sailors replace sails. Sailmakers who race will frequently try to sell the sails they raced to folks against whom they were racing against just hours before.

 

Serious Snipe sailors will replace their jibs at least twice a season and replace the main annually. So I take with a grain of salt every comment about how many sails came with a boat.

 

PeterO ~~~~~~_/) ~~~~~~~
Rochester, New York

[Richard Usen]

That’s why I’m not a serious sailor and have a full attic.

 

From: pearso...@googlegroups.com [mailto:pearso...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of PQU...@aol.com
Sent: Friday, September 09, 2011 5:00 PM
To: pearso...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [pearson ] Pearson 26 - thank you to all that responded

 

Most serious one-design racing sailors replace sails. Sailmakers who race will frequently try to sell the sails they raced to folks against whom they were racing against just hours before.

--

[Bill Robart]

Good analogy with your "low hanging fruit" statement.  I guess most here know I'm a proponent of "simple" (and cheap).  I'm also a believer of just going out and playing with the boat to see what happpens when you do a bunch of different things.  "Tiller time" and experimentation are the best teachers.

My feeling is that Ed will benefit most from a rig tuning and a bunch more tiller time. He's discovering that sailing a fin keel boat in gusty high wind conditions is difficult. It takes lots of practice to learn the rythym of the boat and how to anticipate when more helm pressure is needed. It's a lot easier to head off a round up than to correct it after it starts. Less helm is needed d and less speed will be lost by the aggressive handling of the rudder. He needs to "reef early and often".

I had piece of clothes line rope on the tack of my #2 jib for years. Was probably still there when I threw the sail in the dumpster.  Worked fine. I agree with you on the "Amsteel" - it's light and soft.  Nico press fittings for loops in halyard wire cut hands and sails and are expensive to make.  Ugh! 

Regards,

Bill

--

[Edward]

Bill et all,

Thanks again for all the thoughts but the more I read and consider the
points I come back to the same ideas:

First, I certainly can benefit from some tiller time, and some
experimentation. But I'm nit quite sure I this is about simply
sailing in windy conditions and avoiding rounding up.. I have sailed
with many more experienced sailers on other types of boats and have
been complimented on my tiller finess many times in high winds in the
bay.

My original message was about my assessment that my center of effort
and thus balance is inconsistent. The inconsistency IMHO is not
always related to a puff.. The feel is that when coming to close
hauled I don't feel the boat can find a balanced, constant line, even
when conditions remain constant. It was then that I (while getting
tiller time) noticed that my main could not sheet amidships under any
circumstances without the jib luffing or collapsing, so I would trim
the main to the highest point of sail the jib could tolerate and I
wouldn't call it closed hauled but more of a close reach. Balance was
still a problem, and IMHO the boat was under perfuming. I also
believe (but will recheck) my shrouds, both upper and lower, are tuned
properly. I defintilety am not certain that my stays are tuned, and
I'm going to address that. Next, what I'll get a few opinions on is
the serviceability of my sails, this is an area I can't assess on my
own. Finally I will do the cheap, basics... Improve my outhaul, add
jib tracks...

Dan, question: I had a pendant on the jib earlier, but was told that
this moves the center of effort higher... Causing increased heel. So
I brought the jib down to the deck. Would you recommend I put the
pendant back on? Will this not contribute to excessive and perhaps
unnecessary heeling?

So my original question, or topic was meant to be specific to sail
shape, rig tune, and sail serviceability. I hope I am not out of line
in saying I feel confident in high winds, and that's not at least in
my current opinion the root cause of te lack of performance I'm
exoeriencing... The wind conditions should not have required a reef, I
was trimming deli deliberately, and continually, maintaining my point
of sail (as possible)... It, to me, felt and looked like a sail
balance issue... So it's sail shape, trim , stay tuning, sail
combination, or serviceability...

My best anaysis anyways ...

Ed

> > <d...@pfeiffer.net>

> > Rig tension: * Most rigs that I see are under-tensioned.* Borrow a Loos

> > gauge. The regular gauge (versus the "pro") is more than adequate unless you
> > are a professional rigger.
>

> > *PeterO*
> > *Rochester, New York***
>
> >   tp://groups.google.com/group/pearson-boats?hl=en.<http://groups.google.com/group/pearson-boats?hl=en.>

[Richard Usen]

Hmmm... You have an older boat and it seems to me that needed stuff was
installed years ago.

I have questions:
1. I don't understand your comment that trimming the main amidships causes
the jib to luff.
2. What does the shape of the main look like? Does it look reasonably flat
or is it baggy like an old pillow?
3. What's the shape of the jib look like?
4. Do you have a jib furler? If so, do you have a foil on the headstay or
does your furler sit behind the headstay.
5 How big is your jib (how much overlap do you have?)?
6.When you're close hauled, the jib sheet should bisect the angle between
the foot and leech except that it should diverge above from the imaginary
bisector line so that the strain is a bit tighter on the leech than the
foot. This setting is important which is why boats typically have jib tracks
so the lead is adjustable and minimizes leech flap up high. What does your
jib set look like?

I would expect you have all the hardware you need to make all the above
adjustments reasonably correct. You may know someone who has a P-26. Compare
his boat and rig to yours. Being a fine helmsman may be a reflection of
sailing a straight wake. In addition you need to have a good balance between
pinching and footing and finding the groove. This isn't rocket science, just
developing a feel for the boat.

-----Original Message-----
From: pearso...@googlegroups.com [mailto:pearso...@googlegroups.com]

[Dan Pfeiffer]

Sure puttting the headsail on a pendant raises the CE. So now you can run
that sail up to 17 knots instead of 18. You will be reefing the main a wee
bit sooner. The advantage from better sheeting angles will outweigh the
higher CE.

And if you can raise it enough to get proper sheeting angles you woun't need
an inboard track. And I wouldn't spend the mony on inboard tracks for a
sail that is not serviceable. And if you need a new sail why not get the
clew height set to sheet aft of the side deck drains on the existing track?
No additional cost for that, marginally higher CE (so margianlly lower wind
rating for a given sail), better sheeting angle and better visibility under
the sail, no change in sail area.

And I don't think you can properly evaluate balance issues unless the sails
are servicable.

Dan Pfeiffer

[Bill Robart]

Dan,

Good suggestions.

Ed,

Steering in higher winds usually means sailing in larger waves.  The larger the waves the more active you have to be on the helm to keep the boat heading straight.

As the boat pitches the center of effort moves fore and aft both of which require rudder input.  As the waves may be caused by both the long term and short term wind directions you may have more than one wave train to contend with.

As the boat rolls with the waves the center of effort will move athwart. Heel to leeward increases weather helm and vice versa.  Add all of this to the fact that a 26 foot boat will get rolled and pitched more than a 50 foot boat and you have a prescription for lots of activity on the tiller. 

Some steering tips - move the tiller as little as possible and if possible in anticipation of what will happen from the boats motion or from gusts. When steering to windward in high winds try to keep the tiller above the center line of the cockpit.  The tendency of the boat to round up is a lot stronger than the tendency to round down. Without adding weather tiller the boat may stay rounded up. If you do not add lee tiller the boat will come back up all by itself in most cases. If the forces require full rudder deflection it's time to reef and perhaps seek sheltered water. 

Bill

On Mon, Sep 12, 2011 at 3:59 PM, Dan Pfeiffer <d...@pfeiffer.net> wrote:

Sure puttting the headsail on a pendant raises the CE.   So now you can run that sail up to 17 knots instead of 18.  You will be reefing the main a wee bit sooner.  The advantage from better sheeting angles will outweigh the higher CE.

And if you can raise it enough to get proper sheeting angles you woun't need an inboard track.  And I wouldn't spend the mony on inboard  tracks for a sail that is not serviceable.  And if you need a new sail why not get the clew height set to sheet aft of the side deck drains on the existing track? No additional cost for that, marginally higher CE (so margianlly lower wind rating for a given sail), better sheeting angle and better visibility under the sail, no change in sail area.

And I don't think you can properly evaluate balance issues unless the sails are servicable.

Dan Pfeiffer


----- Original Message ----- From: "Edward" <edward...@gmail.com>

To: "pearson-boats" <pearson-boats@googlegroups.com>

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