Looking at buying a CD31 cutter. Can anyone tell me how easy or tough it is to tack. Looks like the slot the jib has to pass through is pretty tight.
Thanks !
Tacking with a cutter rig
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Tom in Cambria
- Posts: 120
- Joined: Jan 29th, '06, 22:39
- Location: Cape Dory 31
Tacking a CD 31
If you've got the standard high cut Yankee, there's no problem tacking it the jib will come through pretty easily. If you're using a lapper or a roller furling jib it's not so easy. I have a 140 roller furler and just roll it up when I want to tack and then roll it back out on the other tack. If I'm going to be doing a lot of tacking, I just dowse the jib (actually roll it up) and sail on the staysail. She tacks just fine on the staysail alone and of course it's a self tending sail so you just have to put the helm down. Someone else can maybe help you with advice on a bigger lapping jib that doesn't roll up, I've never used one. My guess is that someone might have to go forward and help it through the slot.
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Mark Yashinsky
- Posts: 258
- Joined: Feb 6th, '05, 15:24
- Location: 1980 CD27, #173
Second Chance
There is also technique
When you are ready to come about, start tightening up on the lazy sheet and releasing the other to start the jib thru the slot. It seems one has a narrow window of opportunity. If you are on the ball, the jib will snap right thru, otherwise roll it up or have the crew go forward to clear it.
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Neil Gordon
- Posts: 4367
- Joined: Feb 5th, '05, 17:25
- Location: s/v LIQUIDITY, CD28. We sail from Marina Bay on Boston Harbor. Try us on channel 9.
- Contact:
Dangerous nautical terms
Sorry for the diversion, but I have this vision of someone's brother-in-law going for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at the instruction to "put the helm down."Tom in Cambria wrote:... you just have to put the helm down.
Fair winds, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167
Boston, MA
CDSOA member #698
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167
Boston, MA
CDSOA member #698
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Dean Abramson
- Posts: 1483
- Joined: Jul 5th, '05, 11:23
- Location: CD 31 "Loda May"
Fine with yankee
Brian,
We bought a 31 and sailed it for the first time last season. Tacking the high-cut yankee is not a problem. Our yankee was about an 85%, and the new one I have on order will be a 105, but the clew will still be eight feet off the deck. The upward-sloping foot, and the fact that the staysail (when in use) helps "set a pick" (in basketball terms) to dissuade the yankee from wanting to go aft of the inner stay, makes it work quite smoothly.
I once tried my 140% low-cut genny, without the staysail in use, and I could not tack that through without someone going forward to help. In my opinion, short-tacking in tight quarters with a big genny is not practical.
I hope that going from an 85 to a 105 yankee does not throw me any curves, but I am not expecting trouble. The high cut helps it feed through the slot with little initial resistance, and once it has some momentum, the wind drags it through.
We love our 31.
Dean
We bought a 31 and sailed it for the first time last season. Tacking the high-cut yankee is not a problem. Our yankee was about an 85%, and the new one I have on order will be a 105, but the clew will still be eight feet off the deck. The upward-sloping foot, and the fact that the staysail (when in use) helps "set a pick" (in basketball terms) to dissuade the yankee from wanting to go aft of the inner stay, makes it work quite smoothly.
I once tried my 140% low-cut genny, without the staysail in use, and I could not tack that through without someone going forward to help. In my opinion, short-tacking in tight quarters with a big genny is not practical.
I hope that going from an 85 to a 105 yankee does not throw me any curves, but I am not expecting trouble. The high cut helps it feed through the slot with little initial resistance, and once it has some momentum, the wind drags it through.
We love our 31.
Dean
Dean Abramson
Cape Dory 31 "Loda May"
Falmouth, Maine
Cape Dory 31 "Loda May"
Falmouth, Maine
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Mike
- Posts: 114
- Joined: Feb 20th, '05, 12:03
- Location: Adagio is an Outbound 44 cruising in the Eastern Caribbean
- Contact:
Brian,
Try back winding the genoa before you release the windward sheet. The Genoa will then blow through the slot between the headstays. If you release the windward sheet before the genoa is back winded the genoa ends up pressed against all the standing rigging on the windward side and there is too much friction for the genoa to blow through the slot. Once it is through you can sheet it in. This worked very well with my old CD-36 Journey's End now Liberty.
You will end up falling off more on the opposite tack while you resheet the genoa but no one will have to go forward to pull the genoa through.
If you really want to make tacking easy with a genoa make the inner forestay removable and sail the boat as a sloop. After all while we call them cutters they are really double headsail sloops.
Hope this helps.
Mike
s/v Adagio
Outbound 44
Try back winding the genoa before you release the windward sheet. The Genoa will then blow through the slot between the headstays. If you release the windward sheet before the genoa is back winded the genoa ends up pressed against all the standing rigging on the windward side and there is too much friction for the genoa to blow through the slot. Once it is through you can sheet it in. This worked very well with my old CD-36 Journey's End now Liberty.
You will end up falling off more on the opposite tack while you resheet the genoa but no one will have to go forward to pull the genoa through.
If you really want to make tacking easy with a genoa make the inner forestay removable and sail the boat as a sloop. After all while we call them cutters they are really double headsail sloops.
Hope this helps.
Mike
s/v Adagio
Outbound 44
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Phil Shedd
- Posts: 222
- Joined: Feb 6th, '05, 09:53
- Location: CD31 Gamblin' #25
Rothesay NB Canada
Membership # 89
tacking a cutter
I have a fairly full gib so must say that tacking in lite winds is a pain. Most times you have to take the sail around. However on windy days I find if you over tack some the sail will come around then sheet in and pick up your course.
I really like the cutter rig great in heavy weather. I have had and plan to have more great sails with heavy wind. With the main and staysail and a heavy wind she holds a course well.
I see it still snowing in upper NY state . Sorry John.
37 days till springs I think
Phil
I really like the cutter rig great in heavy weather. I have had and plan to have more great sails with heavy wind. With the main and staysail and a heavy wind she holds a course well.
I see it still snowing in upper NY state . Sorry John.
37 days till springs I think
Phil
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Bill Goldsmith
- Posts: 625
- Joined: Feb 7th, '05, 08:47
- Location: CD 32
Loonsong has the "cutter" rig plus a 110 genoa. I think tacking a bigger genoa would indeed be impractical, as the 110 is a challenge.
For 75% of my sailing I wish I could detach the inner forestay and make tacking the genny easier. However, Loonsong came to me with dual roller furlers, which I also really like, so I live with the tacking issue. I sail mostly on the Hudson River where a tack longer than 3 nautical miles is a rarity. Most of the time the genny comes through the slot fine if it is timed right. When the wind pipes up, I really like being able to deploy the staysail at a moment's notice, and then short tacking is a "breeze" with the club-footed staysail.
Loonsong also came to me with a nice cruising spinnaker which I have increasingly relied on instead of the genny in light air, which is when tacking the genny is most challenging. I have found it can get me closer than a beam reach at times.
As Mark and others have said, if the wind is up, pull in on the lazy sheet so the clew arrives early in the tack at the inner forestay, and that will help to keep the sail from hanging up aft of the inner forestay. Another trick is to fly the staysail and genny together, and the staysail acts a little like a funnel to guide the genny through the slot.
For 75% of my sailing I wish I could detach the inner forestay and make tacking the genny easier. However, Loonsong came to me with dual roller furlers, which I also really like, so I live with the tacking issue. I sail mostly on the Hudson River where a tack longer than 3 nautical miles is a rarity. Most of the time the genny comes through the slot fine if it is timed right. When the wind pipes up, I really like being able to deploy the staysail at a moment's notice, and then short tacking is a "breeze" with the club-footed staysail.
Loonsong also came to me with a nice cruising spinnaker which I have increasingly relied on instead of the genny in light air, which is when tacking the genny is most challenging. I have found it can get me closer than a beam reach at times.
As Mark and others have said, if the wind is up, pull in on the lazy sheet so the clew arrives early in the tack at the inner forestay, and that will help to keep the sail from hanging up aft of the inner forestay. Another trick is to fly the staysail and genny together, and the staysail acts a little like a funnel to guide the genny through the slot.