Tuning tips for the C15
Category: Tuning
Trimming Summary
|
UPWIND |
|||
|
LIGHT AIR |
MEDIUM AIR |
HEAVY AIR |
|
|
Main |
Aft top batten parallel. Tell 75% flow. |
Aft top parallel. Leech tell flow 25% |
Keep tell flowing. Trim main to keep flat |
|
Jib |
Out 1-2 from normal. |
Trim hard |
Trim hard |
|
Vang |
Release |
Take slack out. Tighten with wind increase |
Until overbend wrinkles |
|
Outhaul |
Out, hint of crease along foot. |
To the band |
To the band |
|
Main Cunn |
Release |
No wrinkles, then ease |
All wrinkles out |
|
Jib Cunn |
Release |
Same |
All wrinkles out |
|
Board |
Down |
Down |
Down |
|
Crew |
Heel leeward |
Dead flat |
Flat, flat flat! Hike during puff. Accelerate, then point |
|
Block |
Remove |
Thick in |
Thin in |
Sheet out in puff to accelerate. Sheet in to point. Get crew out on trap.
North Sails Tuning Guide
Proper boat speed depends mostly on constant and consistent adjustments to your rig and sails. The following measurements are those that we have found to be the fastest settings for your new North sails. We have brushed and tested different tuning settings to be sure that we have the fastest and easiest measurements available. If you have any questions or problems with you speed or sails, please don’t hesitate to call.
MAST BUTT PLACEMENT: The back edge of the stock butt plate should be 111″ from the inside of the transom when measured along the floor of the boat The back edge of the mast, when sitting on the forward pin in the step, should be 114″ from the transom.
MASTRAKE: To measure your mast rake, hoist a metal tape measure on your main halyard, lock it, and hold the tape tight at the top of the transom in the middle of the transom. The measurement is always taken with the jib up, and with all the load on the jib halyard and luff wire. This measurement should be 23′ 5 1/2″ – 23′ 6 1/2″
RIG TENSION AND SHROUD PLACEMENT: we suggest setting your shrouds so that the rig will be tight enough that the leeward shroud will not go slack sailing upwind until the wind is blowing approximately 10 mph.
An excellent method to determine a more precise tension is to use a small Loos tension gauge on the shrouds. The reading with this smaller tension gauge will be 18.
SPREADER LENGTH AND CANT: Your spreaders (with the standard mast) should be 17 1/2″ long, with a 7″ – 9″ cant (see diagram). Spreader cant will be determined by your crew weight. Heavier crews will sail with shorter numbers (spreader tips farther apart).
MAST PREBEND: With the proper rake, rig tension, and spreader set your mast should develop approximately 1/2″ of positive prebend when…sighted up the back of the mast.
MAST BLOCK: At this point, the mast should be blocked at the deck in order to limit mastbend. This will insure that the mast will not overbend and overflatten the mainsail in heavy winds.
NOTE: It is suggested to remove this block downwind to avoid any undue strains on the mast at deck level.
MAIN CUNNINGHAM AND JIB CLOTH: For both the main and jib, never apply more luff tension than is necessary to just barely remove the wrinkles. Most times it is actually better to leave a hint of horizontal wrinkles in the lower 1/4 of the luff of your main and jib to be sure you haven’t pulled too tight.
JIB LEAD TRIMLINE: Your North jib is built with a “trimline” penciled in from the clew grommet out towards the body of the sail. This is the most accurate check in determining proper jib lead position. When the jib lead is position properly, your jib sheet should appear as an exact extension of this trimline. At this point both telltales, top and bottom, should break evenly as the boat is luffed into the wind.
In heavy winds, when the boat is overpowered, move your jib leads aft as much as 2″ at which point your jib sheet will angle slightly aft of the trimline and your jib will become flatter up top with the leech more open.
JIB SHEET TRIM: unfortunately, there is no easy guide for trimming the jib sheet. We are looking for a parallel slot between the exit of the jib and the entry of the main. The guide which has been very successful is that of imagining a middle batten on the jib at mid-leech. This “batten” should be set parallel to the centerline of the boat which will make the upper half of the jib leech twist outboard slightly, and the lower half twist inboard slightly.
It is important to be careful not to overtrim the jib and hook the imaginary batten tighter than parallel with the centerline of the boat. It seems that 90% of the boat speed problems experienced are due to faulty jib sheet trim.
MAINSHEET TRIM: Trim the main through use of the mainsheet and the boomvang so that the last 1/3 of the upper batten is parallel to the boom (sighted from under the boom, looking up the sail). In light winds it will be impossible to keep the upper batten hooking from hooking slightly to windward due to the large roach of the C15 main. In these conditions set the upper batten parallel to the centerline of the boat (instead of parallel to the boom). This will position the boom farther off centerline which is acceptable since in light winds the boat is driven much harder and not pointed near as much as it is in medium and heavy winds.
In heavy winds, maximum mast bend will open the upper leech so that the upper batten will be angled 5 to 10 degrees out from parallel to the boom.
BOOMVANG: Downwind we trim the vang just enough to keep the boom down and the leech “set” on the mainsail (the back 1/3 of the upper batten parallel to the boom).
Upwind it has become popular to use the vang to keep the upper batten parallel and force more bend into the mast. In puffs, when the mainsheet must be eased out quickly to help balance the boat, easing the mainsheet in a puff would actually allow the mast to straighten up, causing the sail to become fuller. In effect, keeping the vang set tight upwind in a breeze will actually set the tension down on the boom, allowing the mainsheet to control the angle of the boom to the centerline.
TRAVELLER: The traveller is used to further depower the main. The skipper should be able to easily reach the traveller controls while hiking. This way, when a puff hits, it easy to drop the traveller to leeward to keep the helm and boat balanced. When the wind lightens, the traveller must come back up. In very light winds, pull the traveller to windward to help keep the boom closer to centerline and still maintain the aft 1/3 of the upper batten parallel to the boom. Be sure to pull it up to windward as quickly after a tack as possible and not leave it to leeward for any length of time.
Boom end sheeting with a bridle traveller is becoming more popular in the C-15 class. The height of the bridle should be determined by the mainsheet almost being able to “two-block” in a medium (12 to 15) mph wind. If your bridle and mainsheet blocks touch before proper mainsheet tension has been applied, the boat will not develop top speed or pointing capabilities.
Many C-15 sailors are now using a “split mainsheet” boom end system which makes trimming the mainsheet much easier. Basically a purchase is reduced at the end of the boom so that the traveller bridle legs can be sewn into the mainsheet where it enters the boom end block. Call us if we can help you set this up.
OUTHAUL: Pull the outhaul to the band except in very light or choppy conditions when extra power is desired. In these conditions it is advantageous to ease the outhaul 1″ to 2″. When the outhaul is pulled out tight you will notice the beginning of a crease just above the boom. This crease is normal as it is the extra fullness built into the sail for power when the outhaul is eased.
North C-15 sails have been designed to be fast and easy to adjust. If you have any questions or problems please don’t hesitate to give us a call.
NORTH SAILS ONE DESIGN WEST
1111 Anchorage Ln.
San Diego, CA 92106
(619) 226-1415
Fax (619) 224-7018
Chris Snow
NORTH SAILS ONE DESIGN CENTRAL 330 W. Spring St.
Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 221-2410
Fax (614) 221-1228
Greg Fisher
Mark Eliott’s Tuning Guide
BEFORE WE BEGIN
Assume for the purpose of this tuning guide that you have a copy of the C-15 class rules. This guide is divided into tuning and sailing sections. If you are not interested on working on your boat at all just turn to the sailing section.
Following is a quote by John Kostecki a Silver medalist in the 1980 Olympics and a world champion in the Soling and J/24 classes.
“The most common mistake I see club sailors make when they set up their rigs and sails is that they try to reinvent the wheel. Sail makers invest an incredible amount of effort campaigning In one a design classes trying to find out what the fastest sail and rig combination is. They don’t do it to collect trophies; they do it so they can help their customers go fast. We write tuning guides for the classes that tell EXACTLY how to set the rig up for the sails and how to change gears. If someone follows the tuning guides EXACTLY WITHOUT CHANGING THINGS ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN PERSONAL THEORIES they’re going to be fast. I don’t think enough people understand that. The knowledge is right there for the using.”
WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT ?
I will make references to “light air” “medium air” and “heavy air.” I am not referring to wind velocity alone. These terms refer to the relationship between crew weight and wind velocity. As conditions change you will need to SHIFT GEARS much as driving a car as you move from one phase to the next.
Light Air – When skipper and crew are both sitting in the boat and there is no possible way for the crew to use the trapeze.
Medium Air – As soon as the crew can use the trapeze until you can no longer keep the boat fiat without changing things.
Heavy Air – As soon as something needs to be done in order to keep the boat flat.
As you can see from here one boat’s “heavy air” can be another boat’s “medium air.” One other important variable is wave height. How this affects the “gear” you want to be in will also be covered in this guide.
WHAT IS GOOD BOAT TUNE ?
Good boat tune comes through balancing the various forces that affect a boat while it is under sail. This manual will only attempt to describe these forces when absolutely necessary.
When working from scratch the tuning process can be long and involved. it is our good luck that in C-15’s as in most one design classes, the factors that affect good boat tune are almost identical from boat to boat within the class. Therefore as stated eloquently by John Kostecki, it is not necessary for you to start the tuning process from scratch. All C-15’s share the same hull shape, sail plan and rigging plan You can and
should take advantage of the experience of others and the 20 years of trial and error that has resulted in the setup described in the following “‘cookbook.” Follow the instructions in the “necessities” section, and your boat will be fast enough to win any regatta… the rest will be up to you
One important force that affects a C-15 is the weight of the crew. Good boat tune must consider the weight of the crew. It Is important to understand that a light team can go JUST AS FAST as a heavy team with the proper setup. Some variation can occur at extreme with velocities but a proper setup will permit you to be very competitive even in the extreme cases will point out differences In setup where crew weight is an issue
The “cookbook” process of tuning your boat is easy. Many sailors work hard on their boats areas that provide marginal improvements. This is fine if you enjoy working on boats. If you don’t, my suggestion is do the things listed here as minimum requirements, and spend the rest of your free time just sailing. I promise that simply sailing more often will result in larger speed improvements than can possibly be achieved by tinkering with your boat.
FULL SAILS OR FLAT SAILS?
This is an important subject to discuss because much of what I describe in this guide affects the sail shape. Generally speaking the obvious is true; you want full sails when you need more power (for example when you are trying to hold your crew out on the trapeze), and flat sails when you need to de-power (while trying to keep the boat flat in high wind).
Light air is very deceptive when it comes to sail shape. Your C-15 sails are cut to work for ideal wind velocity of around 10 knots. In light air the jib luff wire will be too straight because of the lack of wind friction on the jib. This will cause the jib to be too flat. Also in light air the mast will be too straight because of the lack of main sheet tension required to keep the leach open. This will cause the main to be too full!
It is commonly thought that you want your main to be full in light air. This is not true. In light you want the leech to be open and this is usually confused with having full sails because both can be controlled by the tension of the main sheet. In light air the wind flow will detach from surface that is too sharply curved, causing the sail to stall and actually loose power.
In the guide below we strive for a flatter main and a fuller jib in light air. in medium air we try power, full main and jib. In heavy air we depower by flattening the main and the jib.
FOR BEGINNERS
If you are a beginner, people may be telling you that beginners don’t need to set their boats properly, that you should learn to sail first. This is nonsense. Feedback is the PRIMARY source of teaming in sailboat racing Proper decisions NEED to be rewarded in order to aid the learning process and it is also a fact that a poorly set up boat will more difficult to sail. Set your boat up according to this guide and what occurs out on the race course will almost always be an accurate test of your improving skills. I am not telling you to spend hours and hours working on your boat. Do the required things in a minimum of time and then GO SAILING
THE MINIMUM
At the very minimum, you will need to do steps 1,2, and 3, This includes installing a jib halyard lock, setting the rake and installing a mast partner. A new factory main can be acceptable but you will need an UIIman jib. If you don’t want to deal with the rig tension, just get the rake correct and get the rig tight enough so the mast is locked in position. If you don’t want to deal with centerboard gybe at least try to get it vertical and put some tape on the part that sticks out of the well so that the trailing edge doesn’t move side to side.
TUNING OPTIONS LIST
Here is a short list of the tuning options for boat speed. They are in order of importance.
1. JIB HALYARD LOCK – You need a Jib Halyards Lock to control mast rake and sail shape.
2. MAST RAKE – Set mast rake between 23 feet 6 inches and 23 feet 8.
3. MAST PARTNER – Mast Partner – get one from the factory or Jim Holder or make one.
4. SAILS – Get new Sails – Ullmans or a 1 season old set of the same that are in good (!) shape.
5. RIG TENSION – Proper rig tension means that 2 people will be required to put the jib halyard in the lock.
6. CENTERBOARD GYBE- Centerboard rake and gybe – board vertical, 1/4 inch gybe in front, fixed in back.
7. BLADES – Use the white molded factory blades or custom blades. The old wooden factory blades will hurt. If you use the white factory blades be sure to shape them. The Custom blades by Waterat are great but they cost about as much as a set of sails. The advantages are that they are light and the shape is perfect.
8. STERN SHEETING – Stern sheeting with 5 to 1 Mainsheet purchase, a ratchet block and a mainsheet that is difficult to cleat.
9. VANG – Rig 16 to 1 Vang purchase that the skipper can adjust while sailing. This is critical for light teams.
10. MAST BLOCK – Make a proper size mast block and use it in all conditions but light air.
11. CENTERBOARD GASKET – Install a mylar and Sailcloth centerboard Gasket.
12. TRAP HANDLES – Set the trapeze handles 26 inches above the tank.
13. SPREADERS – Install short spreaders (14 inch) or fix your long spreader rake between 8 and 9 inches, 8 inches for the heaviest of crews. 9 for the lightest.
14. MAIN CUNNINGHAM – see diagram
15. JIB CUNNINGHAM – see diagram
16. MAIN OUTHAUL – see diagram
17. WHISKER POLE TROLLEY – see diagram
18. BULKHEADS – These are great for increasing your C-15’s life span. In addition they make the boat easier to tune because it won t flex under load and the deck won’t crack and deform over time. If you want them pay someone who can work well with fiberglass to do the work. Only a very sick person would install bulkheads for fun. (for more info see the section on Bulkhead Installation)
TUNING THE MAST
The Mast Step
Make sure that the mast step is at the standard factory position. If it is not there, move it there. It is NOT necessary to push the step any further forward than the standard position. Your mast step plate should have 2 bolts, one for the lifting hook on the base of the mast and one for the mast to sit on. The bolt for the mast to rest on should be in the most forward hole.
Jib Halyard Lock and Mast Rake
These are items 1 and 2 on the list, but because they are directly related I will cover them in the same section. If your boat does not have a jib halyard lock you will need to put one on. Buy a jib halyard, a halyard lock and a shroud adjuster. The jib halyard should be 3/32 inch (or 1/8 inch. but be sure you have the right size lock) stainless wire with a swag Ed loop and thimble at one end, a lock ball 36 inches from the loop and another staged loop with NO thimble at the other end. The total length of the halyard should be 226 inches.
With the mast up lay the boat on its side. Attach a tape measure to the main halyard and pull the tape to the top of the mast, putting the main halyard ball in the lock. Space the jib halyard sheave box away from the mast with washers, otherwise the lock ball on the jib halyard won’t be able to pass between the mast and the sheave. You can replace the standard jib halyard sheave box with a bale, twist shackle and wire Harken block. (See the Jib Halyard Lock diagram) This will make it much easier to raise and lower your jib but, of course, it is not a factor in boat speed.
To start, pin the shrouds so that there are 2 open holes between the shroud pin and the chain plate. Attach the jib luff wire to one end of the new shroud adjuster. Use clevis pins and ring-a-dings. Attach the jib halyard to the center of the new shroud adjuster. Stuff the halyard through the jib sheave box and run it to the base of the mast. Pull the halyard tight enough so that the shrouds are snug and tie it off at the base of the mast. Make sure that the forestay is hanging loosely and not carrying ANY load.
To measure the mast rake, use the measuring tape attached to the main halyard and determine the distance from the top of the mast to the top of the transom. Fiddle with the shroud adjusters for both the jib halyard and the shrouds until you get 23 feet 8 inches. At this point the shrouds should be just snug enough so that the mast does not move. Mark the position of the jib halyard lock ball on the mast. Install the jib halyard lock there.
Put the boat upright, Move the shrouds down so that you ABSOLUTELY CAN’T put the jib halyard in the lock by yourself. Have an assistant pull hard on the forestay and you should be able to drop the halyard ball in the lock. If you have a rig tension gauge you should get 300-350 Ibs on the shroud. Measure the rake, same as before, with the tape attached to the main halyard and the main halyard in the lock. The distance to the transom should be 23 feet 6-7 inches. You can fiddle with the shrouds and the adjuster on the jib halyard to get it right.
If you have LONG spreaders, site up the mast track with your eye. mast should have about 1 to 2 inches of bend AFT If not, you need to angle your spreaders further back, this will force your mast to bend more. Once everything is perfect mark the shroud positions on the shroud adjusters with a permanent marker.
THE MAST BLOCK
With your rake now perfect, cut an L shaped piece of wood. A 2×4 works fine or you can use nicer hard wood if you want. One end of the L should drop between the mast and the mast partner without falling through, There should be a close fit but NO force should be required to put the block in position. Reverse the block and drop the other end between the mast and the mast partner. There should be about 1/4 inch of space remaining. Don t use the block in light air. Use the thicker end as soon as the crew is on the trapeze. the wind gets heavy, reverse the block if you have a good opportunity. This allows more mast bend and flattens the main. Remember, the only time the block should be removed is in light air.
THE SPREADERS
You have two choices, short factory or long Vanguard, the old long factory ones are a poor third choice.
Short Spreaders
Easiest is using the short (14 inch) factory spreaders that have been available for the last 4 years. If you are going to switch from long to short spreaders, remember that your shrouds must also be shortened. With short spreaders you can use the standard factory bracket and not bother trying to position them.
Short spreaders prevent you from bending your mast with rig tension. The “pre-bend” possible by long, raked spreaders is only useful in very light air.
Long Spreaders
You are entering the diminishing returns zone. If you want long spreaders, you need to buy a Vanguard Spreader bracket and spreaders so that the rake can be properly set. Your long spreaders should be FIXED in position at an angle of between 8 and 9 inches. Install your spreaders with only one bolt (make it tight) so they can be adjusted by taping them into position. To obtain the measurement, place a long batten from spreader tip to spreader tip so that it rests against the shrouds. the distance from the center of the batten (midway between the shrouds) to the sail track. Once your spreader angle is set, drill a second hole through the bracket and spreader on both sides and add a second bolt.
The spreader angle forces your mast to bend under rig tension. Standard length spreaders (17 inch) will accomplish this. Longer spreaders or spreaders with too little rake will hurt your performance by pushing the mast sideways into the slot. If you don t believe me look up your mast some time while going upwind. go further forward than 8 inches. Under rig tension, less spreader angle could cause your mast to invert.
THE MAIN SHEET SYSTEM
The old factory traveler bar and car requires you to pull the traveler car up to the weather tank in almost all conditions. I believe this is unacceptable because it makes proper tacking impossible and is slow in light air. If you insist on keeping this traveler I would suggest putting it in the center and never adjusting it. If your are truly attached to the bar, buy a hoop traveler from Ray Gonzales. The result is the same. Put it in the center and adjust it only in very light air.
Of course, the ideal mainsheet setup is stern sheeting. You can center the boom in light air without fooling with a traveler, Some people with stern sheeting have a Snipe type adjust on their traveler. This falls into the diminishing returns zone. A mainsheet and a vang will work perfectly on a C-15 in 99% of the conditions you will sail in.
Rigging Stern Sheeting
If you have an old traveler bar system you will need to attach an additional mainsheet to the end of your boom. If you have a new boom you will need to add an additional block middle of the boom about 4 inches in front of the existing one. Replace the ratchet attached to the barney post with a BIG harken hexerachet block that has a becket. Attach another another mainsheet block (using a piece of wire or line) to the becket of the new ratchet mounted on your barney post. This block is called the mainsheet floater. It is critical that two blocks be able to swivel independently. Do not use a double block. Mount a eye strap on each rail about 6 inches from the transom of the boat (or drill a hole in each spot). Buy or make a 35 foot mainsheet with two smaller diameter lines (5 feet in length) tapered to one end of the mainsheet. Tie the smaller pieces of the mainsheet to the eye straps (or holes) on the rails of the boat. Thread the mainsheet through the block on the end of the boom through the middle block on the boom, down through the mainsheet floater block, back the forward mainsheet block on the boom, and finally back down through the ratchet block the barney post and through the cleat. Raise the ratchet block on the barney post so it is difficult to cleat the main while sitting on the tank. You can do this by adding shackles between the ratchet and the barney post and then adding tape or a spring to stand the block up. This system gives you 5 to 1 purchase. (It really does, just remember that the purchase is doubled because of the additional leverage). with a ratchet you should be able to sail in most conditions with the mainsheet uncleated and in your hand.
THE BOOM VANG
Other than the mainsheet, the vang is the most important control for depowering a C-15 vang should be 16 to 1 and lead to the side tanks so that the skipper can adjust it El while sailing. A very simple system using 9 Harken bullet blocks, one double harken bloc 2 cleats can be rigged in about an hour. If your vang is attached to a pad eye on the under of the boom it is critical to replace that pad eye with a boom bale. See the attached diagram
THE BLADES
The current factory centerboards and rudders are heavy but their shape is good. They are molded copy of Sid Corp’s classic blades of the 1970s. The old factory wood blades are work benches, don’t expect much if you sail with them.
Custom Blades
A custom set of blades will cost you between $700 and $800. This may seem expensive except when you consider the fact that they are about the same price as a set of sails and you will only need to buy them once. One excellent source exists at the time this revision of the tuning guide was printed. Larry Tuttle of Waterat in Santa Cruz CA has been producing C15 blades since 1986, they are excellent. As I have said, new blades are optional. A properly setup C-15 will lose very little by using standard blades.
Shaping the factory blades
The white molded factory blades can be modified to provide good performance. Sand off the ridges left during the molding process. Try to make the trailing edge be as sharp as possible. The standard leading edge is too blunt. Shape the leading edge (the front 1 inch) so that it has about the same shape as a bullet (parabolic).
INSTALLING THE CENTERBOARD
Buy a Mylar Gasket
Order a C-15 gasket from Ullman sails. It should be sailcloth with Mylar stitched inside. Make sure that you ask for BOTH sides of each piece of gasket material to be stitched. Buy some aluminum or copper tube the same diameter as the female end of the centerboard hanger pin. Buy a strip of Delrin (or Teflon) approx 3 feet long, 1/8 inch thick and 1 inch wide. Buy a roll of cheap duct tape.
Getting the Centerboard to Gvbe
Flip the boat on its side with the mast up. Put the centerboard down and draw a pencil line across the top exposed part at deck level.
Remove the centerboard and hangers from the well. You can t get proper size gybing strips that will fit past the centerboard well lip so jig saw off the lip of the centerboard well from the barney post forward. (If you are going to replace your gasket this is a good time to remove the plastic gasket strips and old rubber gasket. Optionally you can make 2 aluminum gasket strips to replace the plastic ones. Copy the plastic ones exactly and be sure to predrill and counter sink the screw holes.)
Cut a spacer from the aluminum tube and put it on the male end of the centerboard hanger pin. It should be difficult to jam the hangers down in the well with the spacer added. Use some silicone lubricant to help. Find the right spacer size before proceeding.
Build up vertical gybing strips using 1/2 inch strips of duct tape on the head of the centerboard. This will probably use a lot of tape. Put the gybing strips FORWARD from the trailing edge of the board. Use the pencil line you drew as a guide. Get the strips as far forward while still maintaining contact with the top of the well (the pencil line). You can put your gybing strips along the aft edge of the board. This is MUCH better than no strips at all and it is easier to do. Remember, the gybing strips must make contact with the top and bottom edges of the well. Strips will crack your well if they don t contact the top and the bottom edges. Keep testing the fit of the board in the well and add tape until you get a good fit. You may have to add additional pieces at the top of the strip because C-15 wells tend to be wider at the top.
Once a nice fit is achieved, peel the duct tape strips off and grind your Delrin strip down to match the duct tape strips in thickness. Grind a single piece of Delrin and then cut it in half lengthwise to get 2 equal sized strips. Screw the Delrin gybing strips to the centerboard, in the same location as the duct tape strips. Be sure to COUNTERSINK the screws so they don t scrape the sides of the well. Fine tune the tit of the board in the well by using a disk grinder on the strips.
Installing the Centerboard Gasket
Trim the gasket pieces so that they will fit flush to each other when installed. There should be NO OVERLAP when the strips are installed. Screw the forward edges of the gasket and the top strip down. Gasket pieces are usually extra long so poke a hole in the excess at the aft end of the well and STRETCH the gasket by tying a piece of line from the gasket to the bottom gudgeon. Drill and screw the remaining holes and duplicate the procedure on the second gasket piece.
Setting the Centerboard Stop
Using a square make sure that the centerboard is slightly less than vertical. measure board squareness against the bottom of the boat next to the centerboard. C-15 s go very slow with centerboard past vertical (in addition to being illegal) so play it safe with a setting slightly LESS than vertical. This won t affect your boat speed at all. Install a positive stop on the board. If you have accidentally installed your stop so that the board drops past vertical you can always shim it with some battens and duct tape under the stop,
Test your centerboard gybe. You should get slightly less than 3/8 inch in front and 1/8 inch in back or 1/4 inch in front and none in back (if your blocks are on the aft edge). The rules require no more than a 1/4 inch difference between the front and the back. With this kind of system it is hard to get more than that difference.
TRAPEZE HANDLE HEIGHT
The C-15 comes standard from the factory with handles that are too low. Low handles make sailing a C-15 more difficult than it needs to be. With a high handle the crew can grip the handle and go out with a straight arm while still clearing the side of the boat. If you plan to go out on the handles with low handles bring aspirin, your elbows will need it. Even if you are not going to go out on the handle, a high handle makes it possible for the crew to raise up in light air or raise up to clear waves in a breeze. These things are important because the sooner the crew can get out on the trapeze wire the faster the boat will go and the boat will most certainly go faster if the crew isn’t dragging through the waves.
Measure the distance from the handle to the base of the shroud, This distance should be no less than 26 inches. If it less cut and reswage the wire. Be sure to account for the amount of wire used by swaging
INSTALLING BULKHEAD
What is a Bulkhead ?
Good question. A bulkhead is a piece of material (usually plywood) that is glassed into position. to connect the hull and the deck. Have you ever looked at an I beam? Take three flimsy strips of material (try this with paper and tape), attach then together in an I shape, and suddenly you have a rigid object. As soon as you prevent the top and bottom surfaces from moving relative to each other (the top and bottom of the I) the object becomes rigid. Bulkheads will increase the life span of your boat by tying the hull and deck together somewhere other that at the rails and the centerboard trunk. Older boats will flex 1 to 2 inches under the load from the shrouds which does nasty things to your deck gel coat. This is not a tight rig, loose rig issue either. The shroud loading that occurs when you have a good breeze greatly exceeds that produced by tight shrouds.
New boats — old boats
There is a big difference between the new design boats and old boats when it comes to bulkheads. C-15’s (with the modernized deck layout) have bulkheads already instated by the factory. These bulkheads are attached to the deck but not the hull. They do a reasonable job of keeping the deck from flexing but do little to relieve the torsional flexing that can occur. The older design boats have a flimsy bulkhead right under the hatch opening, which is too far forward to do any good and is actually a barrier that must be removed.
Do I want to do this?
No. Installing bulkheads is a very special C-15 sailing activity that only true garage sailing animals should attempt. I would include this activity in a shod list that includes cutting your own sails or building your own blades and suggest that it is more fun to pay someone to do it Typically a bulkhead installation will cost about $300 which is a good deal when you consider what you are getting.
What do I need?
You need 1 ) a roll of heavy, 4 inch wide glass tape, 2) fresh polyester marine resin and catalyst 3) a plastic syringe, 4) a box of surgical gloves, 5) 8 surgical mask, 6) plastic Dixie cups, 7 wooden stir sticks, and 8) cardboard box cut into 2~ by 2ft pieces, 9) someone to hand you stuff while you are inside the bow.
Working with polyester Resin
The correct ratio of catalyst to resin is 4%. Don t screw this up or you will hate life. Get a cup of water. The syringe up half way (make sure it is well marked) and squid it into an empty cup Fill and squid 24 more times and then mark the water level in the cup. Mark all the rest of your cups. Whenever you need to mix a batch of resin, fill the cup to the mark with resin, fill the{ syringe to the 1/2 mark with catalyst and then squirt it in. Duck soup right? Stir with a wooden stir stick for about 30 seconds and it is ready to go.
Work with small pieces of glass tape by cutting off a stack of 6 inch sections. Do this before you start mixing resins Fold about 1 inch of the edges of your piece of cardboard up and tape them into position to make a large, shallow, fiat dish, Arrange your glass tape in the dish with no overlap. Mix your batch of resin and pour it onto the pieces of glass tape. Use your stir stick to spread the resin on the pieces, making sure that they get completely wet. someone else to do this for you. They can then hand you the cardboard dish while you relax comfortably in the bow of your boat, wearing your very stylish surgical mask, surgical gloves and clothes you never plan to wear again.
Keep the box of gloves with you in the bow. Each time you finish laying the box of glass tape, pull the gloves off and hand them out with the empty box. Then leisurely put on a new pair while a new batch of wet tape is being brewed.
I have a new Boat
“All” you need to do is glass the factory bulkhead down. This would be easy except that the new boats have an insert in the hatch to keep your stuff from getting wet and covered with fiberglass dust. You need to remove the insert (affectionately referred to as the “garbage can”) to get to the bulkheads. Lay the 6″ by 4″ pieces of wet (with resin!) glass tape so that the gap between the hull and the bulkhead is filled. Overlap the pieces.
I have an Old Boat
Poor you! First, you will need some additional things. Call me and I will send you a cutout of the correct bulkhead shape. (310-420-2588) You will also need some cavosel (very fine milled glass), several plastic paint dishes (about the size of one of those large margarine tubs) and a 4 ft by 4 ft sheet of 1/4 inch mahogany plywood. Now get into the bow of your boat and hack the old bulkhead out (this is really nasty).
Cut two pieces of stiff cardboard using the cutout shape I sent you. Make them about 1/2 inch too big all the way around. Mark them “left” and “right” or If you prefer a nautical theme “starboard” and “port”. Take the cardboard, a pair of scissors, and a pencil into the bow with you. Hack on the cardboard until you get a decent fit on each side. This does not have to be perfect! Where do they go? In the side tank right at the chain plate. Now, use these cardboard pieces to cut your pieces of plywood and then test the plywood for fit. Cut the indicated holes into your plywood bulkhead. You will need these to position them. Get back into the bow and tape the bulkheads into position. Tape them from the BACK SIDE by reaching through the holes in the bulkhead.
You now need to prepare a batch of fiberglass goop. Make up enough cups of resin so that you fill the plastic paint dish about 1/2 way up. Fill the rest of the dish with cavocel and stir. You will need to add cavocel several times until the goop is stiff enough. The stir stick should stand upright unassisted and the goop should stick to the stick without falling off when you pull it out. Get into the bow of the boat and have the goop handed in to you. You better be wearing surgical gloves! Grab a handful of the goop and smear it around the edges of the bulkhead, filling in any gaps and making a nice 45 degree slope from the hull to the bulkhead. Use the entire batch of goop, then pass out the gloves and the dish. Put on new gloves and have the cardboard dish with wet(resin) tape passed into you. Lay the tape all the way around the bulkhead, right on top of the wet goop. Overlap the tape and smooth out the air bubbles. Now do again on the other side. Lots of fun right? This Is what sailing IS all about.
Give your bulkheads a couple of days to cure before you go sailing.
THE SAILS
New sails produced by a custom sail loft are much faster than anything else available now. At the time this guide was written, only Ullman and North Sails have been actively pursuing sail development in the C-15 Class, Sobstad has been active in the past. A main will generally last 2 years, a jib should last 1. Someone’s old sails are fine to practice with or to race with in very light or very windy conditions. Sadly there is a significant difference in performance between new sails and old sails. When I was sailing C-15s exclusively I bought a new set every year around a month prior to the Nationals. I rationalized that the $400 I was spending per year was just part of a sailboat s upkeep. For me the additional money was worth the additional fun I received by being fast (this is still not a substitute for being smart.)
If the money bothers you (and we’re talking $700 per set now) there are some things you can do. Keep two sets of sails, a new set that you use only for major regattas (3 or 4 times per year) and a used set for everything else. Store the sails INDOORS. Heat and sun will age a set of sails rapidly. Drop your sails while at the dock rinse them with fresh water after racing and ROLL them for storage. Treated properly a new set of sails can last several years. Jibs wear out twice as fast as mains so you can buy a jib every 1 to 2 seasons and a main every 3 to 4 seasons.
If you are going to participate in a North Americans use that as an excuse to buy a new set. A North American regatta will be a memorable experience and your chances of enjoying it improve with your ability to go fast and be competitive.
SETTING THE JIB LEADS
Most jibs come with a trim line drawn in pencil on the clew of the sail. Position the jib lead so that the pencil line and the jib sheet line up. if you don t have a trim line, put the jib car at the back of the track and pull the jib in as hard as you can. This should be done with the mast rake and rig tension set. There should be a HARD crease from the jib tack to the jib clew. Ease the jib are move the lead forward ONE INCH. Repeat the test until you have a SOFT crease when the jib is strapped in. For most sails the lead will end up in the center of the track. Mark the lead positions with permanent marker or tape on the deck.
MAIN SAIL TELLTALE
You will need a telltale attached to the main. This telltale will prove just as important as your jib telltales. Use a four inch strip of cassette tape. Attach it to the leach of the main just below the top batten with duct tape or white sticky back (you can get this from any sail maker).
SAILING THE BOAT
Many C-15 sailors put too much emphasis on pulling strings and not enough on sailing. The most important controls on your C-15 are the main sheet, the tiller, the jib sheet and your bodies. It is important for both the skipper and crew to keep their heads up and their attention on what’s going on around the boat and on the course. Adjustments to other secondary controls only when absolutely necessary — be sure to continue concentrating on sailing at same time.
Turn the boat with your weight and the sails. The large C-15 rudder acts as a brake as it turns the boat. Great boatspeed gains can be made by using as little rudder as possible. Heeling the boat to leeward causes the boat to turn into the wind. Sheeting the main in and easing the jib out will also cause the boat to turn into the wind. Heeling the boat to weather causes boat to bear off. Easing the main out and sheeting the jib in will also cause the boat to bear off. Practice AGGRESSIVELY using your weight and sails instead of the rudder to steer the boat. This is especially important for the crew, whose movements are not restricted by having to the tiller.
SHIFTING GEARS
As conditions change there are things you can do to keep your boat moving at optimums. The following section explains this “gear shifting” process. REMEMBER! t If conditions change rapidly don’t go crazy trying to change settings. Keep sailing and take your time. Nothing; slower than going the wrong way while you are fiddling with a control that will make a two length difference over the course of an entire leg. Critical adjustments will be indicated
following pages with a (*).
LIGHT AIR – All points of sail
Main:* Aft portion of top batten parallel to boom. Make sure main sail leech
telltale is flowing about 75% of the time. Try to center the boom
WITHOUT stalling the leech tale.
Jib* (upwind): Ease out 1 to 2 inches from normal position. Trim in for puffs, then ease out again.
(reach): Crew supports clew by hand.
(pole): Don t set it unless you are POSITIVE the wind won’t shift and that you can carry it.
Boat Balance:* Heel the boat to leeward so that you retain proper sail shape and have some feel on the helm. Flatten the boat in puffs but heel IMMEDIATELY release completely when the wind shuts off.
Vang: * Release completely
Mast Block: Remove
Outhaul: Ease out until only a hint of a crease remains running along the foot of the main sail.
Main Cunningham: Release completely
Jib Cunningham: release completely
Centerboard:
Upwind down
Close reach 3/’4 down
broad reach 1/2 down
Downwind 1/4 down
MEDIUM AIR – All points of sail
Main:* Aft portion of top batten parallel to boom, Leech tail should flow most of the time with occasional stalling (25% of the time). Trim out / in for waves or puffs, YOU NEED TO WATCH THE TAIL CAREFULLY YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO POINT IF THE TAIL IS ALWAYS FLOWING AND YOU WILL BE SLOW IF THE TALE IS ALWAYS STALLED, Other than not keeping the boat fiat this is the next most common error made by C-15 skippers. It is as important to watch the main tail as it is to watch the jib tail!
Jib* (upwind): Trim hard. Trim out / in for waves or puffs.
(reach): Crew should support clew by hand until skipper needs help keeping the
boat flat.
(pole): Many crews don t pull the pole far enough back going dead downwind. On a reach don t set the pole until the boat right behind you does. Pay attention to the masthead fly or shroud telltales and adjust the pole accordingly.
Boat Balance:* DEAD FLAT UPWIND !!! Heel boat to weather down. If marginal trapeze
conditions skipper should sit inboard to get crew out.
Vang:* Take the slack out of the vang so that when you ease the main out, the boom height remains somewhat constant.. As the wind increases pull more and more vang. Don t wimp out when using this control! It is much better to have a FLAT main than to let it luff. CAUTION!!! RELEASE the rang at the weather mark. The vang works opposite on a reach than upwind. Additional vang ADDS power when on a reach.
Mast Block: Thick side in, This will power the boat up keep the jib luff straight and give you good leech control on the main. You can switch to the thin side if the wind kicks up, DON’T stop in the middle of the race to do this. Offwind on a reach or run is a good time, If you are really desperate do it during a tack. REMEMBER Nothing is slower than fooling with equipment instead of sailing hard so have a GOOD reason to change this if you do it while going to weather.
Outhaul: Pull it to the band or until you have a hard crease along the foot which ever is first. Forget about it. You can ease the crease out on the reach if its convenient but be sure that putting it back will also be convenient!
Main Cunningham: Pull it in until the wrinkles are gone then ease it they start to come back,
Don t touch it again. Too tight is much worse than too loose
Jib Cunningham: Same as the main but a tad fewer wrinkles, Too tight is MUCH worse
than too loose,
Centerboard: Same as light air.
HEAVY AIR – All points of sail
Main:* Keep telltale flowing, Trim main to keep boat flat. Think trim out and
accelerate, trim in and point. Try to keep boat flat while luffing the main as little as possible.
Jib* (upwind): Try to adjust jib in phase with main. If this is too hard just do it in big puffs.
Adjustments should always be out / in. Think – trim out and accelerate,
trim in and point.
(reach): Concentrate! Keep BOTH tales flowing. Many crews have a problem
with this,
(downwind): This doesn’t change with more wind. Don t shy away from setting the pole in a lot of wind! The boat will balance better and be EASIER to control with the pole up downwind.
Boat Balance:* This doesn’t change with more wind, Upwind the boat should be FLAT! FLAT! Flat This is the single biggest mistake C-15 sailors make in heavy air. Don t hike so hard that you exhaust yourself. Be selective. Hike hard during puffs and combine this with an aggressive out / In trim to flatten the boat, accelerate and then point. On a planing reach move your weight back and let the boat heel (this is the only time that heeling is good except in light air). Downwind, heel the boat slightly to weather and keep your weight back, especially in chop. BEAR OFF and HIKE OUT in big puffs, forget about where the mark is, Use lulls to get back up. If you feel a death roll coming trim the main hard and head up slightly.
Vang:* Vang until you get over bend wrinkles, An over bend wrinkle starts in the center of the luff and heads diagonally to the center of the boom. Get the vang OFF (!) BEFORE going down wind. You will turn over or break your boom if you bear off with the rang cranked on. On reaches vang enough to keep the crew on the trapeze and the boat planing. Remember that the vang ADDS power on a reach.
Mast Block: Thin side in. The block out will allow too much power mast bend and your
jib tuff will sag, making the jib, adding power and killing your pointing.
Outhaul: To the line and forget it.
Main Cunningham: Pull the wrinkles out.
Jib Cunningham: Pull the wrinkles out.
Centerboard: Upwind – 1 inch up, same as light air on other points of sail. NEVER pull
board up more than 1 inch to depower while going upwind.
Between Races – If you have to heave-to between races it is a good idea to pull the
board up halfway. This is a good way to avoid a surprise knock down.
SAIL TRIM IN PUFFY CONDITIONS OR WAVES
One of the most interesting jobs a C-15 team can perform is to properly handle the sails upwind in puffy conditions. As the puff hits your apparent wind (true wind combined with the wind created by your boat moving through the water) will shift abeam because the true component gets stronger. This apparent wind shift combined with the increased velocity will cause the boat to heel to leeward, The most common technique mistake made here is that the skipper will not get the boat fiat and round up out of control with the tiller pulled to weather acting as a brake.
It is critical to get the boat to accelerate during a puff. This will reduce the load on the rig and move the apparent wind back forward where it belongs. When the puff hits ease the main and the jib out together and hike as hard as you can. Working both sails together like this makes flattening the boat easier. If you sheet out just on the main the slot between the main and the jib closes reducing air flow and causing the boat to heel down and then round up uncontrollably. As the boat accelerates start trimming both sails back in while bringing the boat back up onto the wind. You may have to trim out and back in several times as the boat accelerates. Once the boat is up to full speed you will discover that even with the increased wind velocity it will be possible to keep the boat flat.
Another interesting advanced technique can be used while sailing down wind in chop or waves. As the wave lifts the transom heel the boat sharply to weather and BEAR OFF. Add the legal number of main sheet pumps at this time and you will jet down the back side of the wave. As the ride dies off heel the boat sharply to leeward and head back up to gain speed while looking for the next ride. This is a great way to work your way down to the leeward mark and feels great when you hit it right
THE END
Questions (and answers) about how to sail C-15s fast and safe
Questions (and answers) about how to sail C-15s fast and safe
Coronado 15 Forum: Questions (and answers) about how to sail C-15s fast and safe
By John Payne on Saturday, April 25, 1998 – 07:48 pm:
How do you jibe a C-15 in heavy air without capsizing
By Marisa McCoy on Wednesday, April 29, 1998 – 11:02 am:
Q: Does anyone have any ideas on improving the non-slip surface for the crew? I’m not particularly happy with the standard non-slip surface on our boat, but I also don’t want something that will tear up clothes and/or body parts.
By John Payne on Wednesday, April 29, 1998 – 07:59 pm:
I have tried some rubber edges glued where the crew stands, and that seems to help. Actually, the best thing I’ve personally found is wearing wetsuit slippers. They grip extremely well — good for skipper too. Any other ideas out there?
By Chuck Emer on Saturday, May 9, 1998 – 11:05 pm:
I would appreciate any input I could get on trying to use 3/4 in. exterior plywood for a center board. I wouldn’t have any trouble shapeing it. I just have some reservation about it deforming under a load. I realize that glassing it would stiffen it sufficiently, but I’d like to try it with just a good coat of urithane.
By Richard Dickerson on Monday, June 1, 1998 – 11:05 am:
I use my C15 for day sailing with the family as well as for racing. Is there anyway to depower the boat other than buying the smaller day sails from Catalina. The children (ages 10 and 8) are very leary of trapezing and the west Texas winds typically range from 10 to 20 mph at the lake where we sail. I am afraid that too much excitement may dampen their interest in sailing.
By John Payne on Wednesday, June 3, 1998 – 10:40 pm:
Richard, the usual ways to depower are to have at least a 16 to 1 boom vang and crank it on hard when going upwind and let it off when going downwind. Also pulling the board up a bit helps.
I’ve seen the ads for the small sails but I’ve never actually seen them. Might not be a bad option for you until the kids get used to it. 10 to 20 really is what these boats were designed for. I’ll bet it won’t be long before they love it. Consider capsizing as simply part of the fun.
By Tom Forgue on Saturday, July 11, 1998 – 05:03 pm:
Marrissa,
The rubber material for the edge of the boat John memtioned is available at Mariner Sailmakers in Dallas. It is also available at most catamaran shops as it is the standard for this application. It comes in bulk lengths or cut to fit most Hobie catamarans. It is installed with contact cement and is really comfortable on the feet and doesn’t tear stuff. Most C15ers use non skid tape for this, which is available at Home Depot, etc. This is great also, lighter and cheaper, however, it is not as soft on the feet and is abrasive on the seat of your pants/harness.
By Tom Forgue on Sunday, July 12, 1998 – 09:38 pm:
Chuck Emer-Honest, my advise is “write a check.” The time, effort and expense of building your own boards is far more than “trimming” a stock board or even purchasing a Waterrat or other custom board.
Has anyone out there tried building a timplet from a waterrat or other custom board and modifying a stock board to match? For that matter, has anyone thought about the bending characteristics of centerboards (other than Scott Craven in Houston), and how all boards “fall off to windward” under preasure. Comments welcome.
By Tom Forgue on Sunday, July 12, 1998 – 10:33 pm:
Richard Dickerson, just how far in west Texas are you? Some where out there, there stops being water!!! Are you the only C15 out there or is there an unknown fleet we need to contact? Depowering, let me ask some questions. Does your boat have a mast partner? Does it have tubular spreaders or the swept back foil type? Stern sheeting or travelor?
A mast partner (“for the purpose of limiting forward or athwartships mast movemnent only.” “…shall act no higher than 15″ above the fiberglass mast step base.”), along with the spreaders, help keep the mast in column, and therefore help flatten the mainsail and depower the rig.
The tubular spreaders that originally came with
C15’s, were not swept back much at all. Swept back spearders, under rig load, induces prebend, flattens the sail and depowers the rig. (Very general rule.)
Next, stern sheeting allows the mainsheet to pull from the weather rail as if the travelor was trimmed to weather. This is optimum 90% of the time, however, in high winds, being able to let the mainsheet (travelor) fall off to leeward, is an advantage, as it means you are pulling down on the mainsheet as well as in, and effectively, pulling on the vang hard. Stern sheeting is the coolest thing since sliced bread, but it really puts a premium on the vang. (A 16 to 1 cascading vang is easy to build (see Mark Elliots great tuning manual). RUN IT TO BOTH SIDES!!!!
Most important, of course, is your attitude towards the wind. If you can handle it, the kids will love it. How cool is being out on the trapeeze!!! Pinch, luff the sail, hike hard, go slow, whatever it takes, make it fun and exciting. A win is far less important than the bonding experience. Several years ago, I had a young (8 years) crew whose Mom didn’t really like us to go out in big wind (even though she was a C15 sailor). Bobby and I found ourselves at the lake with the wind blowing 15-25. Looking for guildance, I asked a fellow sailor if he thought we should we go out. Dick Grigsby looked at me and said, “I wouldn’t let a little wind stop me.” I knew I could handle it; I knew my boat could handle it. Bobby’s 70 lbs. was not much of a help on the trapeeze, but I could not tell you now if we finished 1st or 100th. I can say, that was one of the funnest sailing days of my life.
By Terence Gallagher on Friday, July 24, 1998 – 03:36 pm:
1.When I measure the distance from the top of the mast to the transome, is the measurement to the top of the mast or where the sail is locked in when in the halyard lock? If the measurement is made from the “sail clamp”, is the measurement made at where the head of the sail would be?
2.On the stern sheeting, should the “Y” of the tail meet just where the sheet enters the boom block, half way up, two inches from the block, where?
3. I’ve heard that cutting a notch out of the back of the centerboard gasket will “suck” excess water out of the centerboard tank. True or false?
4. I’ve done the refinements to my centerboard but I’m having trouble getting the centerboard to gybe. I’ve put a new gasket on, could the gasket be so tight it won’t let the board move? How much should it move? Any suggestions?
5. Any tips on trimming the jib cunningham?
Any help, or comments on any of these questions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Terence Gallagher (310) 821-5262
By Tom Forgue on Friday, July 31, 1998 – 08:59 pm:
Terence,
Great questions. I hope this will help. Remember, Mark Elliot’s Cook Book is the source for everything you could ever want to know about C-15’s. If you follow his guide, your boat will be fast. There are some rigging things I do differently (external jib halyard, more purchase on outhaul, etc.), but when it comes to measurements, and how to sail the boat, my answers will just mirror what we have all learned from Mark.
1. To measure rake, put the main halyard shackle pin though the hole in the tape measure end and lock the halyard in place as if sailing. Lay the tape across the transom, with a little pull, and measure where the tape meets the transom. Around 23′ 6″ works great. This measurement is not rocket science however, as the distance between the shackle pin and ball varies some from boat to boat. I think 13″ from the pin to the far side of the ball is best. (Many have slipped to 14″.) In addition, the placement of the mast step may vary. Many of us have moved this base farward to its legal limit (15’2 3/4″ +- 1/2″ from the outside of the transom to the back edge of the base). Though I measure my rake at 23′ 6″ as before, my mast is actually raked back more than it was. (Rake is the angle, we measure distance as a convenience.)
2. The Y in the stern sheeting should be as close to the block as possible. This allows the mainsheet to pull from the weather rail as if there was a travelor pulled to weather. In 90% of our sailing conditions, this is optimal. It pulls in, rather than down. If the Y is low, the mainsheet pulls down, like a boomvang, depowering up wind. A split mainsheet where the Y can run through the block a few inches is ideal. Some people have built travelors into their stern sheeting that allow the Y to fall off to leeward and pull down more from the leeward rail for use in extemely high winds. Personaly, with a 16 to 1 vang, I don’t think the travelor is much of an advantage.
3.) Never heard of cutting a notch in the gasket. I guess the concept is somewhat like a Lazer bailer or an Elvstrom Bailer like in 420’s 470’s and many other boats.
4. Are the jibing stripes wide and flat? Maybe they are not pivoting on the flat surface. I doubt if the gasket is holding it that tightly. Is the hole in the board for the hanger too tight or flat?
The rule for jibe is that the movement in the front cannot be more than 1/4″ more than the movement in the back. If your jibing stripes are on the back edge of the board and the back edge then moves basically none, the front should move 1/4″. If you have figured out how to move the stripes forward with out the problem of the stripes hitting the hanger and consequently not allowing the board to be raised completely, then you can measure the amount of movement in the back and let the front move 1/4″ more. This does mean that the jibing angle is increased. (Please everyone, let’s not get into this again. That is how the rule is written, and as Association Measurer, that is how I interpret it.)
5. If you have Mark Elliot’s Tunning Guide, read the section on Sailing the Boat. It talks about setting all of the controls in different wind conditions. Basically, too loose is better than too tight.
By Jim Vogel on Friday, August 28, 1998 – 11:08 am:
I have an older C-15 which I recently hit an underwater obstruction with (hard), damaging the centerboard as well as the metal fitting the board sits in that is visible on the sole of the boat. Does anyone know where I can get repairs done, especially in the Denver area, or where I can order new parts? Thanks.
By Tom Forgue on Sunday, September 6, 1998 – 10:57 pm:
“Sole of the boat?” Do you mean the floor you stand on is damaged, or is the centerboard hanger (metal fiting) just bent? First, just about all c15s are “older,” so let’s define the term. If your boat has an alumimun and rubber rub rail around the perimeter of the boat, it is “old.” If it has a “roled” parimeter with a plastic looking rub rail, it is “medium old.” If it has a “roled” parimeter with no rub rail, it is “new.” Do you have a wooden center board (old) or a composite board (new). The metal fiting, or centerboard hanger, you can get from me, I have several. (email me or call me at 214-398-4276) If the wooden board is damaged, replace it with a composite board, about $150 and worth it. You can get these from your local Catalina dealer, Catalina or Small Craft Advisory at 1-800-354-7245.
So what caused this damage? The centerboard should be held down with a bungie, so if you hit something, it comes up then “springs back down” rather than causing big damage. I’m guessing yours was held down with rope? Hey, let me know if I am right.
By Terence on Wednesday, December 9, 1998 – 11:14 am:
What is the correct measurement from the transom at the back of the boat to the mast correctly set in the mast step? From what I can find, it should be around 114″. Is this true?
By Bj jones on Thursday, December 17, 1998 – 09:04 pm:
I recently got the sailing fever and purchased a C15.
Medium old. It has wooded Centerboard and Rudder. I’ve never sailed before. Been a powreboater for years. And had no idea I was buying such a cool boat. Any good books on the C15 ? Parts supply house or catalogs. so I can set this boat set up for safty and fun and speed.
By John Payne on Thursday, December 17, 1998 – 10:36 pm:
Terence,
Check out the tuning guides on this website. They tell all!
By John Payne on Thursday, December 17, 1998 – 10:51 pm:
Bj Jones. WELCOME — WELCOME — WELCOME!
You have made a great choice in a very cool boat. You may not know it but it’s a very modern design. You’re gonna have a ball in it.
It’s basically “just a sailboat” so whatever books you read about basic sailing absolutely and directly apply to C-15s. Also read very carefully and closely the tuning guides on this website as they contain extremely good and well written advice on how to sail C-15s at all levels. Good to review even if you’ve been sailing them for years.
Another very good thing to do is to find other C-15 sailors in your area. Check the “Local Contacts” on the website. Also — JOIN THE ASSOCIATION. Mainsheet magazine (which you get with membership) is another great source of info.
Parts are pretty easy to get. Your local Catalina dealer probably carries most of what you need — and can easily order whatever else.
Good luck BJ. Feel free to ask any and all questions here. Lots more people read this forum than actually contribute. Your questions and other’s answers will probably help lots of people you don’t even know.
By Frustrated on Friday, February 12, 1999 – 10:27 am:
SOS!!!! I hope I can find some assistance in the following areas: (1) We (myself and the driver) usually have good starts, however, we always end up getting rolled because we are not pointing as high and have (it seems) slower boat speed. What can be done?[Note: the rigging is set up “correctly”] (2) What is the correct placement of the crew on the wire? Should I be close to the mast? Close to the driver? (3) Are there any textbooks on C15 sailing/racing? Thanks.
By JJ Rogers on Sunday, February 14, 1999 – 12:25 am:
I bought an old C-15 (hull #135) last year and have this column and the Tuning Guides to be the best resource for my dumb questions. But I still have a few left. For instance, there is a bracket on the inside of the transom with large hole and two smaller holes on either side, What is it for? Another question, there is a “eye” fitting on the wooden deck in front of the mast, any suguestions?
By Jay Merry on Monday, February 22, 1999 – 10:46 am:
Does anyone know how large of seas a C-15 is capable of handling well? I’ve always sailed mine on freshwater lakes, which of course have small waves if none. I’ve going to visit an aunt who lives in Panama City Beach in May and I’ve decided to take my C-15. She owns a parasail company in which she makes runs from the gulf to the bay. I’ve been with her on numerous occasions and have observed 10-15 ft swells that result from the bay and tide meeting the gulf. While her 33 ft runabout handles the large swells fine, I question the seaworthiness of a small sloop like my C-15. Although I am an excellent skipper on flat water even with high wind, I am concerned with the seas. Any comments are welcome…
By Tom Forgue on Tuesday, March 2, 1999 – 04:44 am:
JJ Rogers,
Hull 135 is indeeed an older boat. I’m guessing 1970-71. No telling what previous owners have tried and abandoned. It is amazing the stuff I find on old boats that I have no idea what they were used for. The bracket on the inside of the transom? Is it through bolted to the bottom guegeon on the outside? Your boat originally had a bracket there that had two slots and a hole. The slots are for the hiking straps and the hole is for the centerboard bungie. But I’m not sure that is what you are discribing. The “eye’ infront of the mast? The trapeeze wires are attached together with a bungie that ties to a trapeeze ring, goes through an eye on the deck very close to the shrouds, then forward through an eye that is usually attached to the wooden splash rails then to the other side. Is that it?
By Tom Forgue on Tuesday, March 2, 1999 – 05:02 am:
Jay Merry,
No guts, no glory. I will say, if your boat is an old boat and does not have bulkheads under the shrouds, I think I would be aprehensive. A mast partner to keep the mast in column and reduce some of the pumping, is a must also. Keep the shrouds fairly tight (to very tight) with a jib halyard lock so as the mast pumps, it doesn’t pump the shrouds as much. Work your way up to the big stuff. Go out on calmer days. Stay close to shore. Then, after the boat explodes and you have been rescued and are safely ashore, let us know exactly where the breaking point is.
By John Payne on Monday, March 8, 1999 – 08:02 pm:
To Frustrated.
Going lower and slower than others could be a boat problem or a sailing problem. For boat problems make sure the boat is set up by the “numbers” you can get from the tuning guides on this website. Good sails and good blades are also important. Also check your centerboard jibe.
As for myself, when I’m not sailing as fast/high as others it’s often my impatience. You need to get the boat going fast fast fast by keeping both inside and outside tailtells flowing smoothely. Then (when the conditions are good) you are getting good smooth water over your blades you can begin pointing up higher, lifing that inside tailtell.
Another extremely important aspect is to keep the boat flat — flat — flat — flat. Did I say that enough? Flat, that is. Flat is when the crew on the wire is awfully close to the water.
Try this, and let us know what’s happening.
By Terence Gallagher on Monday, March 15, 1999 – 04:37 pm:
I need PRECISE details on what angle the centerboard should be as comes out of the centerboard trunk at full extention.
Where should the crew stand when out on the wire? Close to the helmsman? By the shrouds? Somewhere between?
By Tom Forgue on Monday, April 5, 1999 – 06:00 pm:
Terence ole buddy, call me you got my number.
Remember, it ain’t rocket science. PRECISE in sailboat terms is very relative. Take the boat off the trailer with the mast up. (Just pull it off the back of the trailor) Turn it on its side leaning on the mast. Put the centerboard down all the way. Take a large carpenter’s square and lay it on the boat where the you can check the leading edge of the board with the square facing the back of the boat. The board should be as close to straight up and down as possible. Now turn the square around in front of the board and check the leading edge again. Of course the boat is not flat, so just work on it untill it is as close to straight up and down as you can get without there being any doubt that it is not forward of staright. With that wooden board you have, most likely, the positive stop will be in about the right spot. If not, move it to keep the board from going forward of straight up and down. I think we talked about using an aluminum dowel instead of the stop you have and about putting two aluminum strips on the boat where the stop will hit.
By the way, Corinthian Sailing Club is having it’s annual “Splash Day” thing on Saturday, April 10. This is our C15 Fleet fund raiser. We cook burgers and dogs and have all the fixin’s for Club members and guests. I think it’s like $5.00. We start serving food as the second race ends (4:00-5:00), unless the weather doesn’t cooperate, then we start early. Anyway, you sure are welcome to come and eat and sail, or help out if you want. Hey, ya’ all come, ya hear.
By Tom Forgue on Monday, April 5, 1999 – 06:10 pm:
Terence,
To start, put the captain’s weight just forward of where your travelor bar is/was and the crew, on the trap close to the captain. This will need to be fine tuned acording to point of sail, wind and wave conditions, but that is a good place to start.
The first adjustment is in big air, plaining on a reach conditions. MOVE BACK before your boat turns into a submarine. I think I am right to say, keep the captain and crew weight close together all the time when trapezing.
By John Campbell on Friday, April 23, 1999 – 03:49 pm:
I am considering a Coronado purchase for use as a family day sailer in the SF Bay Area in lakes and such. Would be used with a spouse who sails and smaller children ages 8 and 5. Is this a relatively stable boat if the smaller sails are used? I don’t want to frighten the kids off with something that seems very tippy.
By Rogere Churley on Thursday, May 20, 1999 – 09:33 pm:
Just bought a used c-15 (built in 1984 – dont have the hull # handy right now as I type). We are beginning sailors, taking sailing classes in a few weeks from a community college, and an ‘aquatic center’ at Mission Bay, san Diego. We seem to have a ‘travelor’ – never saw one before on a sailboat. what is it for, what are advantages/disadvantages? We dont intend to race, will daysail in Mission Bay/San Diego bay, pretty smooth water. Is this a good beginner’s boat (we were told it was) – paid $750 on a really good trailor, sails, PFDs. Also, has a wood centerboard with a ding – can I fix this with ‘bondo’? Cool-looking boat – red interior matches my wife’s convertable, seems in great shape…
By John Payne on Saturday, May 22, 1999 – 08:20 pm:
Rogere, sounds like you got a great deal and are in for lots of fun on that C-15 in San Diego. I pretty much learned to sail in a C-15 also. Learning on a boat as small and responsive as that C-15 will likely develop you into being an excellent sailor as you will quickly learn to sense the differences subtle changes in sail trim and balance really make.
The traveller is fine, just put it into the center and leave it alone. If the wind is really honkin you can release it down to leeward to help you depower a bit. Actually, most of us have removed the darned things. It makes the boat much more roomy and easy to move around in. I think there are instructions for how to remove it in Mark Eliot’s tuning guide in this website. If you have any questions — just ask. Good Luck.
By Jay Merry on Monday, May 31, 1999 – 12:05 pm:
Can someone give me some pointers on how to correct weather helm without sacrificing performance? I have a small problem with it and have tried the standard remedys with little success. Probably the best thing I’ve tried was moving the centerboard aft slightly, but I fear that performance may suffer as a result. When I slack the main to reduce push on the aft end of the boat, it becomes backwinded by the jib and I feel that I’m not getting maximum performance from it. Can anyone send me some pointers, or is slight weather helm normal?? Thanks for the advice…
By Geoff Smith-Moritz on Thursday, June 24, 1999 – 12:21 pm:
My local yacht club has Wednesday night beer can races. We would like to participate. Does anyone know if the C15 has a PHRF rating?
By John_Payne on Monday, July 5, 1999 – 07:51 am:
To Jay Merry
I’m no marine architect, but it seems to me that relocating the centerboard back would tend to create even more weather helm. My reasoning goes like this: when the center of effort (the single point force representing the sum of all the wind/sail forces pulling the boat forward) is ahead of the boat’s center of rotation, then the boat tends to rotate into the wind. This rotational force produces weather helm. When the center of wind effort is behind the center of rotation, the wind forces make the boat want to rotate off the wind, producing lee helm. When the center of effort is lined up with the center of rotation you have no rotational force, thus neutral helm. A little weather helm is considered good — but I really have no idea how much is “a little”.
There are several factors affecting the location of the center of rotation but it seems to me it must be greatly affected (perhaps dominated) by the position of the centerboard. If you already have weather helm, moving the centerboard back would probably make it worse as the distance difference between the two centers acts like a lever amplifying the weather (or lee) helm forces.
On a C-15 there are many ways to affect both the center of rotation and the center of force while you are sailing. For instance simply hiking harder and sailing the boat flatter changes lots of things positively in terms of performance. Moving crew weight, such as moving the skipper forward changes the boat’s net center of gravity — which moves the center of rotation forward. For older C-15s, many of us have moved the barney post (where the mainsheet cleats) forward to allow the skipper to sit right next to the crew.
Jay, I’m not sure exactly how to help you with your weather helm problem. The reason I waited so long to answer this post is that I was hoping someone with more knowledge that I would respond. I’m still hoping.
By Thedukes411 on Sunday, July 22, 2001 – 12:57 am:
Hello All,
I am looking at the possibility of purchasing a C-15 from a neighbor… he paid $400 for it, and that’s what he’s asking “OBO”… Only has ONE sail (main) it needs a Jib… I’ve been sailing on a Santana-23 (or something like that) for about 3 years… got a FJ13 this year for $300 w/o trailer, fixed it up, built a trailer… LOVE sailing, just starting to get “the hang” of it!! :~) I am curious what a Jib sail (used) would sell for?? Does anyone have one available?? ALSO, the fiberglass on the wooden centerboard AND rudder is falling off (I’ve done glass on my FJ, not a problem there!!)
ANY advice would be GREATLY appreciated… ALSO I will PROBABLY end up needing photos of the riggin’… is this avail. in the Tuning guides in “Lehman” terms?? :~) Ya’ll enjoy your sailin!!
By Steve Cornwell on Monday, August 6, 2001 – 07:35 pm:
Hi Michael,
Check through the postings in all areas of the Forum for ideas and pointers on the C-15. The For Sale Forum will give you some ideas on sail prices. You should post a “wanted” there for a jib.
$400 is cheap, so if the boat is in good shape, get it! Sounds like a fixer upper. The C-15 is a lively boat and great for a beginner/intermediate sailor in moderate winds. It’s a boat you’ll never tire of sailing.
Look through the tuning guides on this site, and post more questions if you need help.
Steve Cornwell
Commodore
Coronado 15 Association
By Pete Brigaitis on Tuesday, August 21, 2001 – 12:43 am:
Hi there,
I too am the proud new owner of a used C15. Like many of the other posters here, I have an old wooden centerboard that is suffering from delamination and wood rot. I’m building a new centerboard from a cedar core with a couple layers of fiberglass and I’m hoping someone out there has templates for the foil shape. Is removing the old centerboard fairly straight-forward or are there any tricks?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
By Trentw on Wednesday, August 29, 2001 – 03:48 pm:
Pete where are you located? The reason I ask is there may be a few C-15 owners near you looking for sailing partners.
Use the old centerboard as a template and check the class rules page for measurements. Outside of having the correct length/width and depth you just sand the leading and trailing edge to create a nice foil shape.
As for removing the centerboard there are four screws two on each side of the centerboard screwed through a metal plate. If you unscrew these four screws the centerboard will slide right up and out of the boat with the metal bracket.
I had a new Mahogany centerboard made using 1 1/2 inch wide strips running full length of the board. Looks like a chopping block and basically built the same way. I used West Marine 5200 marine glue to glue the strips together with large furniture clamps holding the board together. Then I shaped it. Very strong! I decided not to fiberglass the board. I sealed it using a marine quality clear wood sealant then put a few layers of lacquer on it. When I ding the board I simply sand off the chipped lacquer add some filler if needed and slap some lacquer back on it. Simple easy not so messy. I don’t normally beach my boat and when I do I’m very careful about putting the board all the way up.
By Michael Schenck on Wednesday, August 29, 2001 – 09:15 pm:
Hello Steve,
Thank You for the follow-up info!! Just YESTERDAY I purchased the C-15 I spoke of earlier… The harder I look at it, there has been quite a bit of work done to it… The hull looks and sounds solid though!! :~) I WILL be in contact with ya’ll as I progress through my adventures with this boat! Take care, and Thank You again!
By Thedukes411home.com on Monday, September 3, 2001 – 04:32 am:
Hello All Trapeze Artists,
With the upcoming “Mayden Voyage” of our C15, my wife (and I) are a little leary of her hiking out on the trap lines… any advice (other than LEARN the boat, THEN trapeze!!) Sounds like we’ll be fine in light – moderate winds w/o trap’ing… I DO NOT want my wife to feel uncomfortable!! I bought this boat because it seems more comfortable, and flexible compared to our FJ that we STARTED in!!
Thank You for ANY and ALL advice!
By TrentW on Tuesday, September 4, 2001 – 06:15 pm:
By all means make sure everyone is comfy and wearing wetsuit type gear before you hit the trapeze. However once you try it you’ll be fighting over who drives and who traps out. For the most part the trapeze is easy except when the lake winds shift 90 degrees in a split second then things get interesting. The boat is 10 times more fun than the FJ and you dont get the center board box in the shin:-) Twice as fast too.
Have fun!
By Thedukes411home.com on Sunday, September 9, 2001 – 12:37 pm:
Hello Trent,
THANK YOU… We’re working on fixin’ her up for the coming summer… In the mean-time I got a THIRD boat… got a FREE Force 5 from my father… a little fiberglass, and “Lil’ Betsy” is ready to hit the water… this boat will allow me to learn to sail w/o having to sacrifice the sanity of my wife!!
By Thedukes411home.com on Sunday, September 9, 2001 – 12:38 pm:
Hello Trent,
THANK YOU… We’re working on fixin’ her up for the coming summer… In the mean-time I got a THIRD boat… got a FREE Force 5 from my father… a little fiberglass, and “Lil’ Betsy” is ready to hit the water… this boat will allow me to learn to sail w/o having to sacrifice the sanity of my wife!!
By Jeff monnich on Wednesday, September 12, 2001 – 08:57 pm:
just bought a c-15 it seems to take on water when the centerboard is down but when its up no leaking – when we sailed it sat. it almost sank on monday- i bailed it out and it hasnt taken any more water, could this be the centerboard or something else? thank you
By Jeff monnich on Wednesday, September 12, 2001 – 08:57 pm:
just bought a c-15 it seems to take on water when the centerboard is down but when its up no leaking – when we sailed it sat. it almost sank on monday- i bailed it out and it hasnt taken any more water, could this be the centerboard or something else? thank you
By Trentw on Friday, September 14, 2001 – 05:52 pm:
Jeff the centerboard on the C15 is hung on a two-piece metal bracket with four screws (two on each side) screwed into the floor of the boat. Take the four screws out and pull the centerboard up and out of the boat (takes about 5 minutes to do) Look down into the centerboard box. Check the flange around the top part for damage or wear. A common problem with all retractable centerboard boats is either the centerboard wears a hole in the box or the box gets damaged due to grounding. You may need to apply a fiberglass patch or re-glue the deck to box joint using something like West Marine 5200 glue.
Hope this helps
Tren
By Trentw on Friday, September 14, 2001 – 06:05 pm:
Was the boat in the water overnight? For the most part you want to avoid leaving your C15 in the water for extended periods of time. Boats left in the water for days/weeks/years need an additional bottom sealant to prevent gel coat damage. A day or two isn’t a big deal, but it can have an effect on your boat not to mention scum lines. Since the C15 is so small and easy to pull out of the water I recommend beaching your boat on an old piece of carpet
By Michael McAnallen on Wednesday, October 3, 2001 – 03:11 pm:
Wanted C15 Located N California. mmcanallen@aol.com
By Jon Jackson on Sunday, November 18, 2001 – 10:47 am:
Winter use for a C-15???…..
Looks great in the front yard covered with Christmas Lights!!
By Trent on Monday, November 26, 2001 – 01:13 pm:
Re: Winter use for a C15 in California.
Looks good sailing every weekend:-)
By Langsner on Tuesday, December 25, 2001 – 10:14 am:
I recently bought an older C-15 in very nice condition. One thing I would like but didn’t get is a beaching rudder. The former told me that there’s a kit or a simple modification for doing this. But when I called Catalina they told me that I have to buy a complete new (and slightly different) rudder.
Does anyone know how to make this modification. Or is there a used beaching rudder for sale out there?
I’m also looking for a good used trailer. The one i have is really for smaller boats. (I live in western North Carolina)h
Thanks,
Drew Langsner
By Scott on Tuesday, March 5, 2002 – 02:13 am:
Lets talk center board gasket material. I am currently remaking mine using the seal you use under garage doors ($14 at home depot for 20+ ft). It is a little thick, but I think it will have enough flex & rigidity to do the trick. I am still in the process of cutting them to fit & making metal strips to retain them with. Just wondering if anyone has tried anything similar? As soon as I get them in, I’ll swing the board to see if they actually work and post back with the results.
By Steve Cornwell on Wednesday, April 24, 2002 – 10:56 pm:
Hi Scott re: gasket material. I have centerboard gasket material which looks to be pre-made for the purpose. It has a flat plastic band (about 1″ wide?) which seems to be wrapped in dacron cloth. I would assume it’s available from West Marine or Layline or similar. How did your custom job work out?
Steve
By Scott on Thursday, April 25, 2002 – 01:55 pm:
Steve,
Took the boat out for the first time last night, and the stuff worked great. No water in the cockpit, and was able to move the board without difficulties. The pieces just touch, so I might trim them back a little to give me some more room around the board. After I got the boat back on the trailer , I did a quick visual inspection of the gasket and it appeared to still be in good shape (held it’s form). I’ll let you know at the end of the summer if it still survived.
I haven’t had a gasket on the boat since I bought it last summer. I must say, it was sure nice not to get my feet wet.
By Trevor Craog on Saturday, April 27, 2002 – 07:38 pm:
I am learning to sail a C-15. I have two questions.
1. I have difficulty trimming the mainsail in strong
wind. I have to use two hands to pull in the mainsail sheet, or have my mate pull the boom in. I have rigged the mainsail sheet as shown in the manual. Any ideas?
2.I read in the manual that the traveller is to be left in the center position. Is the traveller the block on the bar that goes across the boat in front of the barney post? If so, mine slides completely from port to starboard when I change directions. Is there a way to keep it in the center of the bar?
By Trent W on Monday, April 29, 2002 – 03:52 pm:
( When you pull in on the mainsheet the large block mounted to the floor should run free. When you let the main sheet out the large block should lock and not spin.) If your block spins free in both directions check and see if there is a switch on the side of the block. Flip the switch and check to see if the block only spins in one direction.
If the block/pulley bolted to the floor of your boat spins free in both directions and lacks a locking switch mechanism you should buy a rachet block and replace it. You can find them at Ronstan or Harken.com This will make your life much easier.
You can also check Westmarine.com.
You might check the rest of the blocks located on the boom to see if they have the locking switch as they may have been switched around for some reason. The blocks on the boom should run free in both directions.
If you have the traveler bar running through the middle of the cockpit you should have at least two blocks on the Boom. The traveler should have a place to tie the fixed end of the main sheet. Run the main sheet up through the first block on the boom back down through a block on the traveler then up through the second block on the boom and through your main rachet block. The line coming out of your rachet block is the line you pull on to trim.
Your traveler should have one or two lines on it tied to both sides of the traveler, they should lead to each side of the boat where they cleat down. As long as both lines or single line are cleated down your traveler should stay where you put it.
By KathySenft on Monday, May 27, 2002 – 09:50 pm:
We just saw a used Coronado 15′ for $2500. We have been sailing a butterfly on a small lake and are ready for a step up. We have an 8 and 4 year old and would like to take the family sailing. Is this a good sailboat for a family? And what about price?
By Steve Cornwell on Wednesday, May 29, 2002 – 11:10 pm:
Hi Kathy,
I’d say outstanding, considering we raised our kids on a C-15 and they loved to go sailing. Getting towed using a stern line and capsizing were highlights. Above 15kts of wind, I’d suggest using the smaller set of sails made by Catalina. Price is right for an older boat in excellent condition, or a newer boat.
Loads more fun than a Butterfly!!!!!!
By Anonymous on Friday, June 7, 2002 – 07:08 pm:
Does anyone have experience trailering a C15
behind a compact car? I have a Honda Civic EX
and wonder if this is a REALLY bad idea or not.
Any thoughts?
Thanks
By Trent on Wednesday, June 12, 2002 – 02:02 pm:
Figure 380 lbs for the boat and the weight of your trailer plus gear. If your looking at more weight than 4 large guys and a trunk full of beer then you might want to reconsider. Trailers can very in weight quite drastically. New small boat trailers can weigh as little as 200lbs.
Trailering the boat short distances with just the sails and lunch for the day you would probably be OK. Add camping gear for the weekend and two of your big buddies to the back seat and Honda would probably try to sell you their CRV.
I pull with my Subaru Legacy Sedan 2.5 liter. The boat plus camping gear for three for Memorial Day weekend was reaching the limit. The car is rated for 2000LBS towning capacity.
By Trent on Thursday, June 13, 2002 – 02:54 pm:
Not sure what the wave runner weighs, but it was probably comparable to the C15.
One way to figure:
Throw three of your big friends in the car with a trunk full of beer and drive around town for an hour.
If your car appears to go along with the test without any complaints then start adding up the numbers.
The C15 weighs 380 lbs. Now your trailer could be another story. Old trailers can get really heavy. Newer trailers can be as light or lighter than 200lbs.
One of the biggest misnomers about boat trailers is that they are expensive. If you have a 4000lb boat yes. Trailers for the C15 are cheap I have friends who purchased used trailers that needed a little attention for as little as $100.
Add your trailer weight to your boat weight. Are you close to what your 3 buddies and the beer weighed?
Chances are as long as you have one of the trailers sold with the boat in the past 20 years you’re probably OK towing the boat short distances to the local lake and back. You might keep a closer eye on your transmission fluid and other vital fluids in your car. Change the transmission fluid at least once a year sort of thing.
Don’t drive your three big friends with their beer and camping gear to the lake with the boat in tow. It probably wouldn’t go over well with your mechanic or your local peace officer.
(There are a few driving skills needed when pulling a trailer heavy enough to push the car. Try not to step on the breaks when turning. If a trailer isn’t strait behind the car applying the breaks can cause the trailer to sway and make the car difficult to control. So slow down on the strait part of the road before the turn and let up on the breaks through the turn. This is why truck drivers and people towing their large trailers really dislike people that stomp on their breaks in corners when there isn’t a reason to do so.)
Have fun, sail fast, keep the boat behind car.
By Elsnecg on Tuesday, July 9, 2002 – 01:21 pm:
Two Questions:
1) Are there any issues with just sailing with the jib only in heavy winds? I’m still learning with the kids and this seems to be a safer, dryer, way of sailing.
2) What are the procedures for righting a capsized c15. I had to get a tow last weekend as we could not get it to right on our own. Do I need to disconnect the forestay in the water to release the mast, and then drag everything into the boat once it is righted? Then reassemble?
By Elsnecg on Wednesday, July 10, 2002 – 10:45 am:
Regarding 2 above, someone gave me a pointer yesterday that I could tie a fat line with knots every 6-8 inches to the mast. When I get knocked over, throw the knotted-line over the windward side, grab hold of it and pull myself up on the dagger board. Then use the line to balance on the dagger board and lean out to right the boat.
I may also use this to pull myself back into the boat.
By Trent on Friday, July 12, 2002 – 01:54 pm:
Recovering from a knockdown or capsize.
Avoiding it…
!! 90% of the knockdowns on sailboats occur while sailing down wind or during a jibe!! A jibe is when you turn away from the wind so that it blows the mainsail across the boat to the new side fully powered up. As a general rule you want to avoid jibes until your crew is comfortable and you have a nice flat spot with reasonable wind conditions. Jibes can be avoided by tacking into the wind instead. Turn into the wind and tack over to the new side if your not sure about the condtions and dont want to scare new crew.
Tricks and trips…
(( Couple of suggestions)) { Before you head back out on the lake} Pull the mast foot and head off and seal it/glue them back on with silicone. A mast that fills with water gets really heavy and difficult to lift. This will slow or prevent water getting in the mast during your adventure} {{{Do not disconnect the rigging on the mast after a knock down unless you are out of all options which I will include below. Loosing the mast and rigging really stinks))
(( Make sure you have hiking straps in the front and back of the boat. These are Nylon webbing strips that run across the floor {length wise}of the boat which you can hook your feet under so you can lean over the highside without falling out of the boat. These are great for grabbing when getting back in the boat.))
Recovering from the crash.
This is one of those learn by fire type of things. Believe it or not even the guys sailing the big keel boats go through this process in a very similar way. It is also one of those things you should actually do on purpose in a controled situation now and then so you and your crew know how to recover when it happens out in the middle of the lake under windy conditions.
First off the C15 when compared to other similar boats its size is very forgiving when it comes to getting knocked down. Recovering from the knockdown can go fast and easy or turn into a cold wet adventure depending on your response.
For the most part you can keep the C15 on its feet by playing the mainsheet out. As long as your crew stays on the high side and you can dump the main fast you shouldn’t have many problems.
RECOVERING FROM THE CRASH!!
First off as the boat heals hard you can feel the rudder become ineffective at this point you should have the main all the way out and be leaning out over the high side. The boat will eventually come to a stop on its side and gradually come back. The boat can actually have water coming over the lowside and you still have some control over it with the rudder and sail trim.
If you go all the way over. The mast hits the water your crew might get caught or fall to the lowside. The driver has the best chance of staying on the high side by standing on the mainsheet post with one foot and swinging the other leg over the side of the boat. You can then search for the daggarboard and step fully over the high side to the center board. While you are stepping over the high rail talk to your crew that fell to the lowside. Get them to leave the boat and tread water so their weight doesn’t pull the mast under. Have them swim around to the daggarboard.
This is the ultimate way to recover. If you keep the sails ontop of the water by getting your weight over the high rail quickly then the boat will pop back up fairly fast. Make sure both your jib and main are loose as the boat comes back up. You can release the sheets while outside the boat as it comes back up this makes getting back in a little easier since the boat isn’t going to sail off with you dragging behind.
Now what if the mast and sails are sinking?
Have your crew swim out and hold the end of the mast while you stand on the centerboard. They wont be able to lift it but they can keep it from sinking anymore preventing the “Turtle” When the boat goes upside down “Turtle” it gets hard to roll back over.
Getting back into the boat. If the wind is really shifty it is almost better to grab the tiller from outside the boat and work the boat into a more stable spot in relation to the wind before you climb back in. It also helps to have your crew on the oposite side.
Now there are a few tricks to getting back in the boat. You can grab the jib sheet between the jib and the block and use that to pull your self up as long as the wind doesn’t powerup the jib.
Personally I like to re-enter the boat before the crew from the back corner of the boat. This way I can sort of drive the boat to keep it (pointed into the wind) from going over again, or dragging us. Plus the crew can stabize the boat some from the side as I climb back in. I pull the boat over a little which puts the back corner of the boat close to the water and I grab the Hiking strap and scoot back into the boat. Not a very graceful move, but when motivated you can do it pretty fast. Once in the boat you can control it and help your crew get on board.
As for sailing with Jib or Main only in heavy wind.
For the most part sailing with the main only is better than the jib. For a few reasons. The driver has a better feel for when the boat might go over and can play the main sheet keeping the boat undercontrol.
Also your crew might be inexperienced passengers and by the time you can reach and blow the jib it is too late. Besides your invading your already uncomfortable passengers space at a high rate of speed and stress level which doesn’t bode well with an inexperienced passenger. If your Main sheet is long enough so the boom swings all the way out against the rigging on the mast you can pretty much sail the C15 in 25MPh winds with resonable control. The boat will also sail better with the main than just the Jib.
Last tip. Dont put the center board down all the way. Leave it angled slightly this will reduce the pressure on the boat and make it easier to keep upright. Leaving it down will also keep the boat stable during down wind runs.
Good luck and happy crashing
Trent
By Trent on Friday, July 12, 2002 – 02:15 pm:
Having a capsize rope similar to a Hobie which allows you to hang off the boat using the capsize rope can increase the chances of damaging the mast. If the sails and mast go below the surface of the water the recovery process becomes much slower since you need to gradually shed the water off the sails and mast.
The best recovery is for the driver to simply swing his or her leg over the high side regardless of where the crew has gone. In most cases you dont get wet until the boat rolls back over and even then sometimes you can just step back into the boat with out getting wet.
I’ve had crew do peterpan wire acts around the front of the boat on the trapeze wire and I simply stepped over the high side and had the boat back up before they even knew what happend. The key is to catch it early and make sure the crew isn’t standing on the mast or climbing back into the cockpit from the lowside.
By Greg on Wednesday, July 17, 2002 – 03:08 pm:
Does the C-15 have a Portsmith rating? If so what is it?
By Pete Brigaitis on Wednesday, July 17, 2002 – 05:38 pm:
Greg,
The US Sailing site list the Portsmouth ratings for the C-15 according to Beaufort number as follows;
Beaufort number 0-1 / Portsmouth Rating = 92.7
Beaufort number 2-3 / Portsmouth Rating = 92.5
Beaufort number 4 / Portsmouth Rating = 91.5
Beaufort number 5-9 / Portsmouth Rating = 90.4
By Todd_Bankler on Wednesday, July 24, 2002 – 10:14 am:
Are there any experienced C-15 sailors in the Austin, Texas area? I just bought a 1986 vintage C-15 (my first boat ever) and am learning to use it the hard way. I would love to become friends with some experienced who can mentor me. But even if I don’t find anyone, I’ll be out their capsizing some more and figuring this stuff out!!
By Dean Fulton on Friday, July 26, 2002 – 10:33 am:
Based on some of the above posts, I’m thinking that the C-15 is self-rescuing: if I capsize, I can right the boat, bail, then sail. A couple posts discuss righting the boat, but don’t mention getting the water out. Any thoughts?
By Trentw on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 – 05:12 pm:
The boat isn’t self righting. Self righting only occurs with boats with a weighted keel which will eventually bring the boat back to its feet with or without the crew on board. The c15 will eventually go upside down and say that way until it sinks or is rolled back over by the crew.
By John virga on Thursday, August 1, 2002 – 12:16 am:
just purchased a c=15 in new orleans..
looking for others that could show me a few things about sailing it!!
By Paul Marrack on Monday, August 5, 2002 – 09:32 am:
Todd,
I got a C15 last year. Sail on Lake Sommerville on a regular basis. Met you there some time to exchange experiences
By Paul Marrack on Monday, August 5, 2002 – 09:36 am:
Todd,
I got a C15 last year. Sail on Lake Sommerville on a regular basis. Met you there some time to exchange experiences
By John Virga on Monday, August 5, 2002 – 11:33 am:
any info on putting some type of floatation device on the top of the mast to prevent it from going under (like yesterday) and digging into the bottom of the lake??
help as to how to make the mast water tight…
and also should I tie an empty bleach jug to the top?? would that prevent it from going under or at least help?
By TrentW on Monday, August 5, 2002 – 12:50 pm:
You can also pop the mast ends off and reset them using a good silicone to help prevent water from flooding the mast.
Remember that the main sheet is your friend. Make sure that when you let it out it will run out free. If you can blow the main sheet fast and let the main all the way out the boat should stay on its feet.
Then again all of go swimming at some point.
By Ron S on Tuesday, September 3, 2002 – 02:56 pm:
Our C-15 is 30 years old. It was my wifes when she was a kid. I just started sailing it. I believe the sails are just as old. I notice that I can sail the club’s FJ’s much faster than the C-15. I have done some of the things in the tuning guide. Would a new set of sails drastically help my speed?
By Trent on Wednesday, September 11, 2002 – 01:37 pm:
2nd. The mast rake on your boat might be off and can dramatically impact your pointing ability. If the mast rake is off and the sails are 30 years old you probably point 5-10 degrees lower than a trimmed FJ. This would result in getting spanked by a good FJ.
Also in light air move your weight forward as far as possible get a tiller extension if you dont have one. Dragging your back side in light air will slow you down. Moving your weight forward will make a dramatic difference in your speed. A whisker pole for the down wind run will also allow you to put the FJ behind you.
By Ron S on Friday, September 13, 2002 – 04:36 pm:
Yes you seemed to have described my sails well.
Thanks for the comments. I have measured the rake and it compares with the guide. I just have not installed the jib lock. I will try to do that soon, along with a mast partner.
I understand North Sails and Ullman are both good. Would I be ok with either? They seem to cost the same. A lot 🙂
By Willie on Sunday, September 22, 2002 – 03:54 pm:
Does anyone use a spinnaker on a C-15, and if so what size works best. Should a spinnaker go all the way to the top of the mast? Should a asymmetrical spinnaker be used?
Thank You,
Willie
www.willdatz@aol.com