Dry Sailing a Typhoon

[dmarsh]

Hello

I am looking into buying a typhoon (Chicago area) and have discovered that I would save a considerable amount of money on storage if I were able to dry sail the boat (Chicago harbors have 2 drysail compounds with 2 and 3 ton cranes), as opposed to a mooring can in the summer and a boatyard in the winter. I have read that it is not a good idea to use the lifting eye due to typhoons having internal ballast. does anyone have any experience dry-sailing a typhoon using slings and a drysail hoist? Any tips / ideas?

Thanks
-David

[Neil Gordon]

I have read that it is not a good idea to use the lifting eye ...

Right. That's because it's not a lifting eye.

[Joe Montana]

Search:

"Trailerability" of Cape Dory Typhoon

I think you will find that discussion of interest, even though it's not exactly the same issue.

[David van den Burgh]

David,

I don't have much experience with the Typhoon, but I'm becoming fairly well acquainted with its sister (cousin?), the Pearson Ensign. I know that several owners have successfully retrofitted the Pearson Ensign to hoist it with a lifting eye that ties in to the molded-in ballast. I wouldn't be too surprised if a determined individual could do something similar with the Typhoon. Try contacting Pearson Ensign owners via the EnsignSailors group on Yahoo.

Good luck.

[Scott Launey]

David, I have a Weekender that I sling off and on it's trailer for my sailing and I've got it down to about a 20 minute event. I bought two slings (rated at 3K # each) a couple of good sized shackles and a lifting ring and use a crane at our club. I leave the slings rigged while the boat is on the trailer so it's ready to go. All I have to do is derig the backstay from the deck fitting so it doesn't interfere with the crane. One sling is lined up with the winches and the other with the portlight and they join together at the lifting ring for a single point lift. Be careful not to get a sling under the rudder when you pull her out. I also have a couple of flat fenders between the slings and the hull to keep the inward pressure off of the toe rails.
Scott