A few minor modifications on my blog

[thinwater]

I just posted a few small PDQ Altair-specific and catamaran-specific bits on my blog. Nothing fancy, but I am happy with them.

Bigger changes will wait until I've more time to get to know her.

http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/

[ireaney]

Thin water
Very informative and interesting Blog, just added it to my favourites, so you had better keep adding to it.
Thanks
Ian

[eepstein]

Very nice. I like the better block and tackle on the dinghy davits. I am saving my pennies so Bonnie can life the dinghy without using the winches.

[thinwater]

Very nice. I like the better block and tackle on the dinghy davits. I am saving my pennies so Bonnie can life the dinghy without using the winches.

I 've seen your boat on the hard at Herrington harbor for YEARS, since I always hauled my Stiletto there. Seeing it was one of the reasons I bought a PDQ. I hope to meet you, someday. Perhaps we Chesapeake PDQs will get together this summer.

[eepstein]

Yes, we need to set up a Chesapeake Bay get together for PDQ owners. I'll check my calendar and also ask Sandy what's good for him.

[maxicrom]

TW,

Last summer I was hauled out at Herrington right next to your Stilletto, not sure if you remember - you went back in the water a few days before we did. I was adding the Torqeedo electric outboard on our PDQ 36 (II the Max). The reason I'm writing is that I saw the spinnaker photo on your blog. I have an older spinnaker that came with a boat we no longer own (very basic probably bought in the 80's). The mast on that boat was about 45' and our PDQ is 47' so I would think it might be useable. I was learning to sale then and never tried the spinnaker - what would be required to set our PDQ up to use it.

Will appreciate any info or ideas,

Mike

[thinwater]

Really, very little is NEEDED to set up a chute. The PDQ I have came with one sheet and a 5' tack line. That was their spinnaker rigging.

You can use genoa turning blocks, if they are far enough aft, or you may need to add new ones, all the way out and as far back as practical. I like to have complete rigging for every sail set-up - nothing shared.

You will need a dedicated winch on each side, not used for the main. Or at least a winch that can be dedicated to the chute when it is up. Also, I like to have a cam cleat available for the sheet instead of using the self-tailer. It is too hard to ease or quickly dump the sheet if the breeze comes up.

There are many way to rig the tack of the sail - poles and travelers - but the simplest for the first few days is a fixed bridle, rather like the one on the front of a Hobie-cat or your mooring bridle (but shorter). Make the legs short enough to get the tack ~ 3-5' above the deck (in front of the forestay), but this varies with the sail. Also, if the sail is a bit too small, no one said you must hoist clear to the mast head; leave it down a few feet, as need to get a nice curve.

A pole will only really help if the sail was cut with that in mind. The sail was cut with a particular "J" dimension in mind.

Hoist when you are dead-down wind, make sure the chute, halyard, bridle, and working sheet are all on the lee side of the tramp and are run outside EVERYTHING. Run the lazy sheet OUTSIDE the bridle so that when you jibe the sail can float out in front of the boat like a flag (called an outside jibe). Then come up to where the wind is on the beam. Trim so that it all most luffs, but not quite.

The rest is practice.

I sold the Stiletto Tuesday, and it has already been driven to Florida!

[maxicrom]

TW,

Thank you much, I'm going to look around to see what hardware we have available to create something - I was thinking about a simplified version of the Screecher setup we saw on a Gemini. Basically using a couple of blocks rather than a curved track, just to allow a way to shift the position from side to side - basically a forward traveler setup.

MB

[thinwater]

That is exactly how I set it up on my Stiletto and it is how it is set up on my PDQ. However, on the PDQ it tends to snag on the bow light when hauled across, so I am going to play with it for the summer and then perhaps try something else. Or I may deside it just needs tweaking, because it does work fine.

The boat is in Deale, MD if you want to look.