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Feeling Rusty...
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JimC View Drop Down
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    Posted: 08 Jul 10 at 4:34pm
Having been asked to do a bit of coaching on spinnaker handling for a club member the other night I jumped in the boat and found myself feeling unaccountably rusty on some of the finer options of running a boat with a pole kite and bags...
"This is ridiculous" I thought, and apologised as advice mutated a bit as I worked things out. "How long", I wondered "Can it be since I sailed forward hand in a boat with this setup?"
I worked it out later - I reckon its thirty five years since I last raced with that setup... The other combinations of bags and pole I've all used pretty recently!
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Jon711 View Drop Down
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Posts: 465 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Jon711 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Jul 10 at 5:02pm
Which class of boat Jim? Having done a fair bit of Squib
(bag) and Merlin (chute) sailing, I find it fairly easy to
switch between them, although I will admit bags are easier
on a stable keelboat, than an unstable dinghy...

Why do not all classes allow chutes, it just makes the
whole system so much easier and stress free???

Jon
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winging it View Drop Down
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Posts: 3958 		Post Options Post Options   Quote winging it Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Jul 10 at 5:14pm
This will be me tomorrow when I do soem 420 coaching....

Personally I've never had a problem with bags, and I have found chute boats to present difficulties of their own.  The ultimate test will be the simoun, where the kite is stowed in a little plastic box (open ended) under the fore deck.  Now that will be interesting.
the same, but different...

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JimC View Drop Down
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Posts: 6662 		Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Jul 10 at 5:27pm
It was a Wayfarer as it happens but it doesn't really matter what class it was, it was just strange that I hadn't happened to sail a boat with that config for such a very long time. Comes of mainly sailing high performance boats I guess.

Originally posted by Jon711

Why do not all classes allow chutes, it just makes the whole system so much easier and stress free?

Well there are lots of possible reasons that classes might think justify a restriction,
  • the cost and hassle of building boats with chutes through a fordeck and bowtank - must be worth quite a lump on the cost of a new boat

  • Spinnaker life

  • Kite just too big to go through a chute

  • faster handling

  • one design - all boats the same

And anyway its just boring if every class has the same kit!
Having once made a through deck and bulkhead kite chute I vowed *never* to do it again. It was a ******* job!


Edited by JimC
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Skiffybob View Drop Down
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Posts: 842 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Skiffybob Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Jul 10 at 8:56pm
and of course, don't forget the weight in the bow of a chute with a wet kite in it.
12ft Skiff - Gordon Keeble and the Furry Fly-by
AC - GBR271 - Whoosh
B49 - Island Alchemy
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Skiffybob View Drop Down
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Posts: 842 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Skiffybob Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Jul 10 at 8:58pm
Oh yes, and somethimes the kite is too big to fit into a chute
12ft Skiff - Gordon Keeble and the Furry Fly-by
AC - GBR271 - Whoosh
B49 - Island Alchemy
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winging it View Drop Down
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Posts: 3958 		Post Options Post Options   Quote winging it Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Jul 10 at 9:59pm
Originally posted by Skiffybob

and of course, don't forget the weight in the bow of a chute with a wet kite in it.


Very true, I have the chute from the Marauder in my shed.  It weighs a lot on its own, never mind full of wet kite.  and Jim is right about the job of putting it in.  I may actually just go for bags.
the same, but different...

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Steve411 View Drop Down
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Posts: 705 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Steve411 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Jul 10 at 6:12pm

Originally posted by winging it

Originally posted by Skiffybob

and of course, don't forget the weight in the bow of a chute with a wet kite in it.


Very true, I have the chute from the Marauder in my shed.  It weighs a lot on its own, never mind full of wet kite.  and Jim is right about the job of putting it in.  I may actually just go for bags.

Quite so. I had bags rather than a chute in my last Lark (a few years ago now), decision taken following a particularly wet nationals when the waves wouldn't stop coming through the chute upwind. Bags are actually easier I find with a bit of practice. Certainly it makes for a more stable drop in a breeze as the helm can concentrate on positioning the boat for the leeward rounding instead of trying to drop the kite while steering with the tiller between his knees.
Steve B
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JimC View Drop Down
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Posts: 6662 		Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Jul 10 at 6:32pm
Originally posted by winging it

...and Jim is right about the job of putting it in. 

Putting it in wasn't that bad: it was making the d*** thing in the first place that was the real nightmare!
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winging it View Drop Down
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Posts: 3958 		Post Options Post Options   Quote winging it Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Jul 10 at 8:22pm
My day went reasonably well, it slowly came back to me,..

but it does seem like the 420 has some rules designed to make life especially difficult for the the crew.
the same, but different...

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