Bought my first sail boat!

[Bob Barker]

It's a very old Aquadyne Sailbird 18 trimaran. I'm not sure the year it was made, not sure how long it's been since it's been sailed, and I have no clue how to set up all the rigging. But it's mine now. Anybody know how to operate a sailboat on here? Got some tips on a certain book or website that will help me?

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/jonbradley_photos/IMAG0906.jpg
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/jonbradley_photos/IMAG0907.jpg
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/jonbradley_photos/IMAG0908.jpg
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/jonbradley_photos/IMAG0909.jpg

[Bob Barker]

On a semi-related note, I am selling my Kimber Stainless II .45 ACP. PM if interested!

[JoFotoz]

I've done a bit of sailing Bob....

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/Web_PatientFalconRedGenakerStTropezFullScreen_edit ed.jpg (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=6647)

...I used to Captain this puppy....and was raised in dinghys.

I'm more than happy to talk you through it on the phone...

...or, if you have a local yacht/sailing club, go down early one Saturday
and chat to the people setting up their boats.
Some yacht clubs even offer basic sailing lessons...which I would suggest :p

PM me if you want to chat about it.

ATB

Jo

[Bob Barker]

That thing is HUGE! Makes me blush a little just looking at it...

As soon as I get some needed maintenance worked out I'll be practicing set ups. I Have looked online for some definitions of the basic terminology, learned plenty there about direction descriptions on the boat but not a lot to tell me how to set things up, and what certain things do and how they do it! I have to replace the canvas tramps with some actual trampoline material first. Then the gel coat is chipped and faded in many areas so I will be figuring out how to either repair or replace it. Hopefully I can actually sail the boat within a month as warmer weather is already here in central FL.

[JoFotoz]

Sounds good...watch for leakage into the two outrigger hulls.

Feel free to hit me up if you want to go through any of it.

Jo

[Bob Barker]

I laid the mast and boom on the ground today and was able to get the sail fed into that groove on the mast. Looked neat lying on the ground, but not so useful that way! What would be an easy way to get the mast mounted and erect by myself? It doesn't weigh very much as it's aluminum but dang that thing has some leverage on the far end!

Also, there is a pair of pulleys, or blocks I guess? on the back where I assume the boom will attach and pivot, but seems like there is an extra set? What all goes on at the rear of this thing?

[JoFotoz]

A quick Google found an owners forum.....


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sailbirds/

I'd suggest you look around that site for info first.
If you join, you'll have access to a data base etc.

Google also has images of rigged boats that should help you.

Stepping the mast on your own is very hard unless you have
a tabernacle on deck that allows you to attach mast base with
a through bolt or clevis pin, and pivots.

jo

[tjh]

Once upon a time in Vero Beach there where sailing classes. I suppose there may still be some.

[Bob Barker]

Thanks for that Jo.

I found a sailing course in Sanford, on Lake Monroe. It's on someone else's boat but a cheap enough class and it's only $35 for each additional parson to me, so I could get a couple people in with. I think it will teach me enough to get started, then it's time for hands on learning.

[JoFotoz]

I think thats a good move Bob.

The basics are all the same,...
...you'll learn standing rigging/running rigging/sheets/blocks etc.

That knowledge will all transfer to your Tri in terms of set up.

Have Fun

Jo

[Bulldoggie]

Sailing is relatively easy. It's the shape of the sail that allows you to sail against the wind.
Sailing with the wind is just grabbing as much as you can.
Rigging your boat so it is ready might take someone with experience to guide you.
I do recommend a sailing course, because sailing has a subset of rules of the road for tacking in a crowd, and not knowing them will earn you more than an earful.
Enjoy your sailboat. It looks like it will be a lot of fun. The fuel is cheap too!

[Bulldoggie]

And Jo, that boat is gorgeous!

[CoastieCosta567]

Lucky, thats a sick boat Mae, congrats on a beauty. BTW, I'll be around the corner from where u live. Staying in Casselberry for 4 months, on Red Bug Lake Road.

[JoFotoz]

Thanks Dude...


And Jo, that boat is gorgeous!

...she's a beauty.

I'd agree with everything you say except relative to going "against the wind"

Sail shape does play an important role......
...but its more a funtion of Laminar Flow and Hydrodynamic lift from the keel.

Hence multi hulls are renowed for crappy upwind performance...
You can shape their sail any which way you choose, but because
they have no keel...they slide sideways and dont have the lift/flow
of the keel to "act' like a wing and turn side force into fwd motion.



Jo

[CoastieCosta567]

Thanks Dude...



...she's a beauty.

I'd agree with everything you say except relative to going "against the wind"

Sail shape does play an important role......
...but its more a funtion of Laminar Flow and Hydodynamic lift from the keel.

Hence multi hulls are renowed for crappy upwind performance...
You can shape their sail any which way you choose, but because
they have no keel...they slide sideways and dont have the lift/flow
of the keel to "act' like a wing and turn side force into fwd motion.



Jo

I have never thought of that, that makes total sense.

[Bulldoggie]

All true!
I was over simplifying.
I also do not have any multi-hull experience.
More of a powerboat-er myself, I think I have a photo of one of the many tugs I've worked on, in my gallery.
Most of my sailing was on my friends CT 36' (hull #3) Twin (wood) masts! even the blocks were wood. Teak decks and cabin.
Against the wind we would leave the crowds in our wake.
He sailed it threw Panama and up the east coast. (With an extended stay in the Caribbean)
I know he still misses it but his wife is glad to be off of it.
In fact, it's family reasons why I no long work on tow vessels.

Just want to empathize, the importance of the Rules of the Road differ for sailboats on tack. It is not always port to port..... Around here, there are lots of weekenders that love to challenge

[JoFotoz]

Now yer talking my kind of sailing....!!


Most of my sailing was on my friends CT 36' (hull #3) Twin (wood) masts! even the blocks were wood. Teak decks and cabin.
Against the wind we would leave the crowds in our wake.
He sailed it threw Panama and up the east coast. (With an extended stay in the Caribbean)


The one below is a 1926 Scottish Built Mylne ketch that I skippered.
Its 105 ft.. and built of 3.5 inch Burmese teak on galvanized iron frames.
All teak deck and all teak cabin housings....LOTS OF VARNISH & BRASS.

I was lucky enough to sail her from Fremantle in Australia to San Diego..
..through the South Pacific/Caribbean via the South Of France and Europe
and through the Panama etc over a period of five years.
.
.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/VADURA.jpg (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=22339)
.................................................B AY OF ISLANDS....NEW ZEALAND................................
.
.
Sad to say, she is now a neglected wreck in Sausalito....:thumbdn:
....purchased in 1992 by a fool that did have a clue what it took, both financially
and organizationally to run a yacht like this.

I was super lucky..I had a great owner with the $$'s and trust in us to do it...
..I hope to see her saved some day...like when I win the lotto!

Jo

[Bob Barker]

So, I set everything up in the driveway just now. The mast sits on a ball but the ball seems too big, and I don't understand what I'm doing wrong.
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/jonbradley_photos/IMAG0913.jpg

Obviously something isn't right here...

and with the jib sail, does it run up the front main stay cable? I think that's what it's called... I'm ready to get in the water with this thing! But not ready to get out and go nowhere really fast...

[Vendetta]

I'm ready to get in the water with this thing! But not ready to get out and go nowhere really fast...

I love this kind of optimism! Being impulsive is one of my stronger character traits/qualities/flaws/things.

Buying a first sailboat, coming onto the VX forums for a primer, and then getting it in the water without so much as a command of the lingo or equipment. LOL That's awesome! We've lost way too much of this inexperienced enthusiasm. I'm really enjoying this thread!

So Bob, good luck to you man. And may you go absolutely nowhere really really fast before you get blown really really far away without the skills to get back.

Although that'd make an awesome story too!

:_beer:
-V

[Bob Barker]

Ha! I'll probably get tired of waiting and just get it in the water tomorrow. Impulse is my middle name! and don't worry, whatever I do the first time out will be captured on a GoPro.

[JoFotoz]

:thumbup:The ball looks fine...think of it like a ball and socket joint.
It should sit in the cup and be free to move.
The movement is for two main reason..
1) Allow mast flex, rather than breakage.
2) Allow mast to move in all directions so it can be centered by adjusting the stays.

STAYS....are the 3 (maybe 4) wires that are attached to the mast (part way up..or top..it depends)...
....and secure to the bow and to both sides ( maybe stern too) of the boat....
...the side ones probably go to the outer hulls given its a tri.

To begin with, mast should be set straight up and down and equal side to side....adjust the stays to do this.
To measure side to side...use the main halyard ( the rope that pulls up the mainsail.
Secure the main halyard.....then use it to measure from where it goes into the top of the mast
to an identical point on the bottom adjusters (bottle screws) on either side stay....like a piece of sting!
Adjust side stays to plumb it in the middle.


Jib

Yes...it may have clips (hanks) that secure to the Fore Stay ( not main stay cable).
If not...it is free flying , and needs to be hoisted pretty tight.
You should then have a jib halyard (rope!) that comes out of the front of the mast (probably 1/2 - 3/4 of the way up).
This is secured to the top (head) of the jib and pulled to hoist the jib up.

PLEASE....


I'm ready to get in the water with this thing! But not ready to get out and go nowhere really fast...


......take it easy to start...I'm sure you will.

Wear a life jacket..take a cell phone in a waterproof bag...
...and a SHARP KNIFE and WIRE CUTTER just in case you need to cut stuff down.

Tell a friend/spouse where you are going and when you'll be back...
....and stick to it.

Over the years I have lost friends that are world class sailors.....
..... be VERY aware that wind and water are deadly.

Enjoy....you'll be drinking rum :thumbup:
.. and answering everyone with a resounding ARRRG 'afore yee know it!

Jo

[JoFotoz]

Well....
I love this kind of optimism! Being impulsive is one of my stronger character traits/qualities/flaws/things.

Buying a first sailboat, coming onto the VX forums for a primer, and then getting it in the water without so much as a command of the lingo or equipment. LOL That's awesome! We've lost way too much of this inexperienced enthusiasm. I'm really enjoying this thread!

...IMO , yes & no.

I am all for 'going boldly".......just dont put others in harms way when they have to rescue you.

I've seen WAY too much of that over the last few years.
("Stunt" sailors trying to cross the oceans in 7 ft dinghys..
..14 year old kids trying to sail around the world...all needing rescue!)

The advent of cheap GPS systems means everyone is a navigator now....
The reliance on electronics, that are inherently suspect around water..
... is at an all time high.

I am aware that Bob's situation isnt THIS extreme..
....but wind and water have have a way of winning.

Be bold...but be smart...plan ahead...
....but be SELF reliant, and have an emergency plan.

Jo

[JoFotoz]

One last thought....!

Take a paddle :thumbup:...it may come in handy.

AND....

DONT go down wind (with the wind) first...

Go upwind ( into the wind) first...
...or at most side to side at right angles to the wind.

It's WAY easier and safer to get blown back home if things go awry....
...than fight back uphill , into the breeze

If I havent scared you away completely....
...I'm looking fwd to GoPro viral video of your adventure!!

:thumbup:

Jo

[Chopper]

Awesome Bob.....and 12 months a year to use it here. A lesson or two and you'll be tacking up the Wekiva like a champ. I've been considering the outrigger and sail kit they make for my ocean Kayak. Flat as the surf is here in the summer months, I think it'd be fun. They give sailing lessons at Daytona yacht club too....should you want to try the salt water
Enjoy your new toy

[Bob Barker]

:thumbup:The ball looks fine...think of it like a ball and socket joint.
It should sit in the cup and be free to move.
The movement is for two main reason..
1) Allow mast flex, rather than breakage.
2) Allow mast to move in all directions so it can be centered by adjusting the stays.

Got it, but how do I secure the mast to that ball? I've got a pin, the one in the picture, but there's no way the mast could be straight upright and that pin be put in place. The ball is too big for the mast so sit any further down on top of it.





STAYS....are the 3 (maybe 4) wires that are attached to the mast (part way up..or top..it depends)...
....and secure to the bow and to both sides ( maybe stern too) of the boat....
...the side ones probably go to the outer hulls given its a tri.

To begin with, mast should be set straight up and down and equal side to side....adjust the stays to do this.
To measure side to side...use the main halyard ( the rope that pulls up the mainsail.
Secure the main halyard.....then use it to measure from where it goes into the top of the mast
to an identical point on the bottom adjusters (bottle screws) on either side stay....like a piece of sting!
Adjust side stays to plumb it in the middle.

Check to all this. I've gotten it "erect" and secured with the stays, there are three and they are about two feet from top of the mast.

Jib

Yes...it may have clips (hanks) that secure to the Fore Stay ( not main stay cable).
If not...it is free flying , and needs to be hoisted pretty tight.
You should then have a jib halyard (rope!) that comes out of the front of the mast (probably 1/2 - 3/4 of the way up).
This is secured to the top (head) of the jib and pulled to hoist the jib up.

There is a single line that runs through a block bunched up at the attach point of all the mast stays. Right in the middle of them actually. I believe this is the jib halyard, I do not have a fore stay line. I can pull the jib up the side of the mast but what do I do to secure the bottom corners? There are attach points (metal rings sewn into the jib sail?) at both bottom corners of the jib. I don't think I've got the lines to deal with those, and if I do I don't know what they are and where they go, or how to (if I have/need to) handle and turn the jib. I've seen videos of it being manipulated as needed. But can't figure out how to do it. Mostly because I can't find the lines needed!


PLEASE....




......take it easy to start...I'm sure you will.

Wear a life jacket..take a cell phone in a waterproof bag...
...and a SHARP KNIFE and WIRE CUTTER just in case you need to cut stuff down.

Tell a friend/spouse where you are going and when you'll be back...
....and stick to it.

Over the years I have lost friends that are world class sailors.....
..... be VERY aware that wind and water are deadly.

Enjoy....you'll be drinking rum :thumbup:
.. and answering everyone with a resounding ARRRG 'afore yee know it!

Jo

and another check for safety gear. Just picked up some new life jackets today, an emergency strobe and whistle and I'm looking for a flare gun (craps expensive) I have a nice dive knife and I'll include the wire cutters. Thanks for that.

I have one friend who is in this with me for the long haul. He and I will be the ones to know how to operate (and probably the only ones to use) the boat. I really want to get great at this, there is a race called the Everglades challenge and it looks to be right up our alley! 8 days sailing from Tampa Bay area through the Everglades and finish near Key Largo. That's next March I think. AND I'm itching for the skills to sail this little dude to the Bahamas! It's about 60 miles off shore leaving from Jupiter. AND the Dry Torgtuga Islands are about 70 miles west of Key West! Flippin awesome!

I'm already talkin like a pirate!!!

[Bob Barker]

Awesome Bob.....and 12 months a year to use it here. A lesson or two and you'll be tacking up the Wekiva like a champ. I've been considering the outrigger and sail kit they make for my ocean Kayak. Flat as the surf is here in the summer months, I think it'd be fun. They give sailing lessons at Daytona yacht club too....should you want to try the salt water
Enjoy your new toy

I'll absolutely be in the salt water before summer is over! That's the ultimate goal of this boat for me. Long adventure in the open ocean! But I'll stick to the closed fresh waters for now! Sanford has a large enough lake with plenty enough air to get my skill set on.

[Chopper]

shout if you come this way
I don't spend nearly enough time on the water these days.
The Redfish takes a sail in minutes....and it should be pretty fast
once I figure it out.....only ever sailed in a bathtub myself
I joined the Navy, and never left Florida
hahahahahahahaha
some sailor

[Bob Barker]

Well I still haven't figured out the jib sail yet. I did find information and videos on jib sails but they were all rolling furling jibs, and I don't have that. Until then, I have to figure out if that ball is going to sit any further in to the socket bottom of the mast, just doesn't look too safe to me.

I've started some sanding on the center hull, or aka, and I'm currently trying to choose a paint scheme. I'm thinking a high gloss black underside and a light blue/medium blue top side.

[JoFotoz]

Hi Bob...


Well I still haven't figured out the jib sail yet. I did find information and videos on jib sails but they were all rolling furling jibs, and I don't have that. Until then, I have to figure out if that ball is going to sit any further in to the socket bottom of the mast, just doesn't look too safe to me.

I've started some sanding on the center hull, or aka, and I'm currently trying to choose a paint scheme. I'm thinking a high gloss black underside and a light blue/medium blue top side.

If you send me photos of the issues you are talking about...

..I'll look through them and help you figure it out.

Especially the mast ball...and the position of the stays up/on the mast...
...and where they hook to the boat.
Also pics of the head (top) and foot (bottom) of the jib including a few feet
of the leading edge (Luff) of the jib.


As for black...I'd 'steer' clear of that IIWY.
Florida heat/black paint...not a good mix...
...and high gloss will last about a day!

Matt finish for underside is better...as it can be wet & dry sanded
for "smoothness" (= speed!) ...and for cleaning.

Jo

[Bob Barker]

Took waayyyy too long to finally put in the water, but I did today. With a couple friends and some help from a Brittish sounding gentleman we were able to sail down wind on a lake into a cove, turn around when we ran out of water and promptly get stuck there floating slightly backwards! The guy was on the bank watching us paddle back up wind, we brought 3 paddles for back up!, and eventually told me to steer over to the shore, kicked the other two out and took me out for an impromptu lesson on tacking! Was a really nice thing for him to do! We had a blast, even though the fight to get home was a long drawn out battle into the wind! It was seriously directly in our face as we were trying to get back to the dock to get the trailer!

Jib sail is still torn, I really lost interest in it for a few months... I'm happy I took it out today though, maybe someday soon I'll repair the jib sail and look into some rigging for it, as I was informed today that my random collection of small ropes tied together and a handfull of "D" clips I took from my rock climbing gear were poor choices for sail boat rigging!

[Mile High VX]

Sounds like a good time was had by all!

Keep learning...it's great fun and relaxation after you get some skillz...:bwgy::smilewink:bgwo::bgwb:

[VxSport]

Learn the ropes, knots and riggings. I did some sailing growing up down in Texas in the gulf. I loved it, watch the boom, learned that the hard way. A few times I think.

[Bob Barker]

Yeah, I got smacked by the boom a few times as well, nothing too hard of a hit though.