Single hand Cape Dory 25

[Mike Oldenburg]

Just bought a Cape Dory 25 ... Any Ideas on deck lay out to make her a sweet sigle hander... I need to get those halyards in the cockpit and self tailin' winches.... or at least replace the fore sail cleats with cam cleats.



windowgrafx@attbi.com

[Neil Gordon]

I singlehand my 28 with the halyard at the mast and non-selftailers. It's not a big deal. Going out, I just get the main ready to raise, leaving a sail tie or two in place. Head the boat into the wind, put the motor in neutral, walk forward and raise the main. The boat behaves just fine.

As for trimming sheets, with the tiller between my legs or braced against one leg, I have two hands free. With sufficient turns on the winch, the sheet holds fine if I just take a turn on the cleat... no need to cleat off and it can be released quickly.

Going in, taking the main down is easy... let go of the tiller and the boat heads up. Walk slowly to the mast, wait for the sail to luff and take it down. The boat sits quietly while I secure the main with sail ties. If it's breezy, I pull the clew in with the jiffy reef line to make things easier to manage.

Enjoy your boat.


Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167



neil@nrgordon.com

[Bob B]

I have a 25D and single hand quite a bit. I do as Neil suggested and get everything ready before heading out. If I think that I need a reef in the main, I start out with one. I head up and raise the main. If you have roller furling the headsail is easy. If not, get the sail hanked on before heading out and bundled with some sail ties. I usually tighten up on the jib sheets to keep it to one side. I tie one of the sail ties around the halyard to keep it down.
If you need to reef while out, a similar thread was addressed a few days back about heaving to and doing your reefing then.
As to self tailing winches, I had never used them and done the hold the tiller with your foot method. It works great but after using self tailers for a year, I would get the new winches.

Enjoy your Cape Dory.

Bob B
CD25D Tiva
Charleston, SC



BundyR@aol.com

[JimL]

This weekend I rigged the hank-on jib for setting and dropping from the cockpit. I added a block at the base of the headstay, another block at the forward lower, and a camcleat on the cabin side (near cockpit). I used the hinge bolt (mast step) to mount a block for the jib halyard, with halyard routed through a bullseye (at front edge of seahood) to a cleat on the aft of seahood. I can raise or lower the jib from the cockpit....works well. The small line (50 feet long) for lowering is tied to the jib halyard shackle, and I route it through the uppermost hank, but no others (tried it....hung up and jammed). If you have a large overlap jib, add a light line from the clew routed inside the shrouds to a seahood cleat. You can use this line to pull the sail inside the shrouds as you drop the jib (unless you're using a smaller jib that sheets on the sidedecks, inboard).

The main is not bad, and I've reefed, raised, lowered...from the mast in pretty rough stuff. With my harness clipped onto the jacklines (see website pics of jackline setup), I'm comfortable braced inside the shrouds. I just really hate the foredeck in rough stuff!

I use a bungee cord, with eyes mounted on each side of the cockpit seat lower faces, to hold the tiller. This works very well. In heavy stuff, the bungee is looped lightly around the tiller to give a little windward pull (both bungee hooks on windward eye). With the jib sheeted tight, I can ease the main so the boom is out over the lifelines, then reef at the mast while the boat keeps on track sailing to windward! Get a small selection of bungees so you can "choose" your steering pressure for conditions.

Regards, JimL



leinfam@earthlink.net