CD 27 Refit...Getting Very Close!

[gvanbell]

Hello everyone.

It's been three years of off and on work and just a few dollars invested, but we should have our CD 27 in the water early this summer! We are prioritizing the work that needs to be done just to get her in the water at this point and will focus on some details and rigging work once we are wet.

I've spent the last week finishing up the bottom paint removal (thanks to some earlier threads on this board about the boot stripe and waterline!) and will get her painted next week.

The engine (Beta 14) is just about read to be lifted into place. New everything. Wiring, electrical panels, batteries, AC system, fixtures, plumbing, hot water heater, fuel system, propane system, head and holding tank, electronics, instruments, dripless stuffing box, prop, prop shaft...it's been a lot to manage!

Once we are in the water, some new rigging parts (thank god for Rig Rite) and a new furler. Once the credit card recovers I would love to replace the deck hardware (winches, travelers, etc).

My latest blog post is up in case you want to read about the projects. I'll be posting more and more as we get her ready to truck to the marina for launch!

And when the graphics are in, we will no longer have a nameless boat with a naked stern.

http://www.capedory27.blogspot.com

Cheers.

-g

[M. R. Bober]

I'm certain you will enjoy sailing your "nearly new" 27.

Every best wish,
Mitchell Bober
Sunny Lancaster, (Where it was warmer in February than it is today.) VA

[Warren Kaplan]

The CD27 is a wonderful rugged, yet forgiving boat! Every time I consider going up to a larger sized boat I realize my 27 is perfect for me. Especially since I do 99% of my sailing single handed. I can handle the boat from the cockpit and she's just great for my purposes.

[tjr818]

I too love our 27. Not too big, not too small. I would hate to try an back up a larger Cape Dory. I too single hand often, but I am curious about "controlling everything from the cockpit". I still have to go forward to raise the main or to reef the main. Any pictures of other arrangements would be appreciated.
Happy sailing,

[Warren Kaplan]

I too love our 27. Not too big, not too small. I would hate to try an back up a larger Cape Dory. I too single hand often, but I am curious about "controlling everything from the cockpit". I still have to go forward to raise the main or to reef the main. Any pictures of other arrangements would be appreciated.
Happy sailing,

Here's are photos of my setup. You'll see 3 lines coming back to the cockpit. The main halyard and two reefing lines. The first photo shows the lines coming down from the mast which then go through some blocks attached to a dwyer plate below the step, then through a deck organizer and back to the cockpit. The second photo is at the cabintop in the cockpit. I put a triple rope clutch and a winch on the cabintop beneath the dodger and I can raise and douse the sail from there, and I can reef in 30 seconds. Real nice!

[Sea Hunt Video]

Warren:

Every time I see those photos of your set up I get jealous. What you have is exactly what I would like to do - I think. People keep telling me not to run the halyard, reefing lines, etc. back to the cockpit but I sure would like to try it.

If I do, my "plan" is to copy exactly what you have done. Someone once said "plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery".

[MikeD]

Can you post a pic of the business end of the boom? Thanks!

-g
Nice Blog! I'd vote to raise your waterline some, maybe not as much as the PO did, especially if you're going to be on a mooring. I sail a close cousin, an Ariel, an her waterline is optimistic as well.

[Warren Kaplan]

I've had this setup for close to 10 years now and it works marvelously. Its not 100% perfect but what ever is aboard a boat?

I'm curious though. You said people have told you not to do it. What are the reasons they gave you for not doing it??

[Sea Hunt Video]

I've had this setup for close to 10 years now and it works marvelously. Its not 100% perfect but what ever is aboard a boat?

I'm curious though. You said people have told you not to do it. What are the reasons they gave you for not doing it??

Warren:

The following are reasons given to me why I should not run main halyard, reefing lines, etc. back to cockpit on S/V Bali Ha'i (CD 25D):

1. You will eventually need to go forward to solve some problem. If you do not have practice going forward to do a simple thing like raise/lower the main, you will not be comfortable going forward when you need to do something that may not be simple.

2. When lowering the main from the cockpit, it can get hung up. When that happens you have to go forward to pull the main down manually to release the hang up. What's the benefit of the cockpit led main halyard if you still have to go forward

3. Because of the angles required to route the main halyard to a rope clutch and winch, it is much more effort to raise the main.

4. Running all of these lines aft creates a lot of "spaghetti" in the cockpit which is the last place you want to have lines tangled up with each other.

I do not necessarily subscribe to these reasons. They are the ones given to me (or that I have read by respected sailors) for why I should not do it.

The only one that makes sense to me are #1 and #2. In another line of work many, many years ago it was always stressed - "practice, practice, practice". Muscle memory is what will get you through when everything around you is "collapsing". Given the few times we would be going to the mast to raise/lower the main (1-2 times during a sail) may not be "practicing, practicing practicing" and may not build muscle memory but it is better than never going forward. On the plus side, being able to quickly raise/lower the main (assuming no hang ups) or jiffy reef is certainly a plus.

I will sail some more before making the decision but I am candidly leaning towards copying your set up.

[gvanbell]

Don't listen to any of those complaints. They are all based in curmudgeon-speak.

Having all of your lines run to the cockpit makes everything so much easier that the occasional hangup is nothing more than a nuisance.

Turning blocks at the base of the mast, organizers at the turn, and a nice winch and some rope clutches on the cabin top make sailing incredibly easy.

The ONLY reason not to run lines aft to the cockpit is in lightweight racing boats where you don't want to put weight aft in the cockpit. That's it. Cape Dorys don't suffer from that malady.

Show me a modern sloop being sold with the halyards and reefing lines terminating at the mast. There aren't any.

-g

[Warren Kaplan]

Yeah, every once in a while ya need to go forward to fix something, instead of having to go forward each and every time you want to do something with the halyard ending at the mast!

I have full battens in my main and I keep tight lazyjacks. When I drop the sail it doesn't come completely down because the tight jacks stack it up and there's no sail weight to pull the last bit of sail down. So I do go forward to get the last little bit of the sail down. So what! I'd have to go forward anyway if the halyard ended at the mast. And frankly, if I loosened my lazyjacks more, the sail would come all the way down (but then it sometimes sags on each side of the boom and falls to the deck, so I CHOOSE to keep the jacks tight, and go forward.)

I also installed a Tidesmarine Strong mast track. Man...that's great. The sail slides don't bind going up or coming down. Because they are hinged I don't have to be pointed dead into the wind to do anything with the main (although it is best to do so). I can't tell you the number of times I either reefed or shook out a reef from the cockpit in 30 seconds or under. And sometimes it would have been downright scary to leave the cockpit and go forward to do it.

Spaghetti in the cockpit. That can be handled easily. Either sheet bags or a hook, or do it the lazy way....I just let the reefing lines go from the rope clutch over and down the companionway. They are out of the way when I toss them onto the starboard settee. Problem solved. I even let one self coil into the galley sink. Nice, neat and out of the way of business in the cockpit.

Nope....I never found a disadvantage to bringing the lines back. Sure there can be times when things get bollixed up....but that happened aplenty when everything ended at the mast also!

[Steve Laume]

I speak very good curmudgeon.

I already have a lot of clutter on Raven. I have never had much desire to lead the rest of my lines back to the cockpit. That would mean single line instead of double line reefing which adds a bunch of friction. Maybe just the main halyard would make sense to me. It does seem like I am always flicking a sail slide or two when I raise or lower though. I also wouldn't want to have to come directly into the wind, with the main flogging, to reef.

To bring all the lines aft would mean 1 Main halyard, 2 staysail halyard, 3 staysail downhaul, 4 first reef, 5 second reef, and maybe, 7 topping lift. When dropping sails I would still need to go foreward and bundle them. If reefing I would be tying up the foot of the sail and that is much worst than working at the mast. I don't have much problem with going to the mast as it is a pretty secure spot on our boats. I am currently making pin rail / butt braces that will greatly increase security at the mast without changing the rigging and might add to the traditional look.

One additional point that no one mentioned was the tripping hazard that the lines on deck introduce. Most of us use flat webbing for jack lines just because of this danger. I have main and staysail halyards running down the port side cabin top and never seem to have a problem with them. I am usually reefing while on the starboard tack, so lines on that side might present more of a problem.

The best arrangement I have ever seen for leading lines aft was a Joel White design at the Mystic Wooden Boat Show. Absolutely beautiful, uncluttered teak decks with all lines leading aft, below the deck. All of the tails fell into wells in the cockpit. I don't know exactly how they did it but it was very slick, Steve.

[Warren Kaplan]

Steve,
Your point is well taken about single line reefing. It does add more friction and does make it harder to do.

I decided quite a while ago, and with advice from a CD27 sailor with much more experience than I have, to rig only one reef at a time. In other words the two reefing lines you see in the photo are for one reef only. My friend used to rig for the first reef in mid summer when it was primarily light air (and he rarely had to reef anyway) and then he'd switch over to the second reef (only) in the fall when the wind was much stronger. It kept the spaghetti down to a minimum whether the lines came back to the cockpit or ended at the mast.

I actually took it one step further. For MY SAILING AREA, and for my rugged CD27, I found that if conditions warranted a reef, going directly to the second reef was the smartest way to handle it. The first reef was usually of very limited value and only good in a very narrow set of conditions.

I have a 140% furling genny rigged. I found that when the wind came up and a reef was indicated, going directly to reef #2 and then adjusting how much of the 140 genny I had out worked best. I have to say that sailing with reef #2 in and controlling the size of the headsail area out I MOST OFTEN sail with a better balanced helm and with my boat on her feet, sailing fast, then I sometimes get under "normal" conditions with full main and full genny!

It was trial and error to be sure...but I can't remember the last time I felt that I was missing something because I didn't have reef#1 rigged. For me its either a full main or directly to reef#2 with adjustments to the headsail for balance etc. So its not single line reefing for me but rather two lines rigged to the cockpit for a one reef that is set up.

Now that's for my boat sailing where I sail. Trial and error proved this to be the correct way to go for me. Other sized boats sailing in other sailing conditions with different sails rigged may find a different setup advantageous for them.

[Steve Laume]

Warren, you may be on to something with the single deep reef and then working with the head sail. I believe the reason you are so happy with your set up is in large part, due to your sail track system. Those little plastic slugs just don't seem to want to slide all by themselves.

Your system sounds great but it wasn't simply a matter of running the lines to the cockpit and all is well. I am not so sure keeping the tails in the sink would work on Raven. That is the thing about any set up. It just might not work for all of us all the time.

I must admit it would be very nice to at least be able to drop the main from the cockpit but then I would need jack lines or something to control the sail. One thing leads to another, Steve.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Here's are photos of my setup. You'll see 3 lines coming back to the cockpit. The main halyard and two reefing lines. The first photo shows the lines coming down from the mast which then go through some blocks attached to a dwyer plate below the step, then through a deck organizer and back to the cockpit. The second photo is at the cabintop in the cockpit. I put a triple rope clutch and a winch on the cabintop beneath the dodger and I can raise and douse the sail from there, and I can reef in 30 seconds. Real nice!

Warren:

This Summer while S/V Bali Ha'i is on the hard I have committed to running the main halyard back to the cockpit and to set it up as close as possible to your system.

I know it has been a while since you installed your system. If possible, can you share the make and part numbers of the items you installed including the blocks at the mast, the turning blocks, the "line clutches, etc.

Thanks in advance