101 first sail

Patrick Daniel · January 22, 2012, 09:37:17 PM

We took the boat out for the first time today. Had some issues that I hope someone can help with. Overall we had a blast. Very light for about an hour, then the breeze filled around 3. We saw 11 knots at one point.
we had no issues with the kite launch, jibing, and douse due to all of the good advice and experiences on this forum, as well as the holmokol and millionaires tape.
We picked up a trot line with 2 live catfish, a bottle of water, a railroad spike and about 100 hooks when we were beating back to the ramp. Didn't know it until we pulled the trailer out of the water, and no one could figure out why the boat was acting so strange. We thought we were aground several times. I wonder if anyone else has caught fish while saling a viper. One was several pounds.
Anyway, our issues are:
1 we don't see how or where to attach the end of the tack line under the front deck.
2. The main has a block spliced for a Cunningham, but we don't know where the cleat is or should be.
Thanks in advance.
Patrick

Patrick Daniel · January 22, 2012, 09:47:43 PM

One more thing I forgot to mention. The harken gnav car lost two on the ball bearing while I was rigging on Saturday. I popped them back in and everything was good. Then today while derigging, I lost a bunch more. We picked them up and put in a cut off soda can. Of course I dumped the can on the way home.

Shouldn't those ball bearings be captive? I remember I had a windward sheeting car years ago that came with a little plastic track that you were supposed to use if you took the car off of the track so the ball bearings didn't go bouncing away. Is something wrong with my gnav car or do I need the plastic track when I remove the car from the track?

Glenn Griley · January 22, 2012, 10:31:09 PM

Regarding the cunningham. Drew in SFO was gave us about an hour of training when we picked up our new boat a few months ago. I took this picture of our cunningham tack, attached. We put the spectra through the main gromet and then wrapped it around the ball at the end of the yellow line where it is tacked at the front of the mast. it has worked well for us this way. I hope this helps.

Matt Sole · January 23, 2012, 12:04:56 AM

The car on the gnav should be HC8418, when the car is loaded and on the track, you should be able to pull it off the track without the old plastic pieces of track (officially ball loaders). The car should have brass looking clips on the inside stopping the balls falling out. Without those clips you balls will go everywhere.

the harken page: http://tradeonly.harken.com/pdf/ball-bearing-carriage-systems-lr.pdf

as for the cunningham; you are creating a 4:1 cascade. in the pic above the grey string should pass through the cunningham cringle of the sail and be fixed to the block on the yellow string in the pic. When its windy and you have a lot of prebend in the mast, you may want to pull the cunningham below the boom so make sure the grey string stays the same side as the yellow and does not pass over the boom.

Jay Harrell · January 23, 2012, 02:34:05 PM

I've found that, despite the captive design, my Harken car nevertheless has a tendency to loose a few balls going on and off if I'm not very careful with it. It's way better than the old non-captive systems, but it still sure would be nice to have a little plastic loaded track to keep it all together when traveling.

Matt Sole · January 23, 2012, 09:59:46 PM

Why are you taking the car off for travelling?? Mine hasn't been taken off since I put it on.

Jay Harrell · January 23, 2012, 10:06:08 PM

Quote from: Matt Sole on January 23, 2012, 09:59:46 PM
Why are you taking the car off for travelling?? Mine hasn't been taken off since I put it on.

Mine won't fold flat against the boom, so it sticks out at a small angle that just looks like it's asking to get bent at some inconvenient time. So I prefer to take it off - but then the balls fall out.

Ben Steinberg · January 23, 2012, 10:08:51 PM

Why not unbolt the strut and leave the car on.

Patrick Daniel · January 24, 2012, 08:41:26 AM

Thanks. I'm going to try leaving the car on the track from now on.

Jay Harrell · January 24, 2012, 09:19:17 AM

Quote from: Ben Steinberg on January 23, 2012, 10:08:51 PM
Why not unbolt the strut and leave the car on.

I need to start doing that. Which requires tools and I'm lazy.

Lee Shuckerow · January 24, 2012, 12:03:52 PM

All the of the vipers tie the tack line to the front of the mast butt bracket. Using a pin or a bolt through the holes and tie to that. Once you get the length right you never untie it. We experimented with it and now keep the sail tack tight to the pole in all conditions.

Lee Shuckerow · January 24, 2012, 12:06:08 PM

Also I bought a trailer quick pin 5/16" I think and use that for the gnav strut to the harken car. I never take the car off.