Mahe 36: Original FP Mahe 36 Thread

[sailvi767]

Tried to post a pic but it has to be hosted at a URL or I am doing something wrong. If you email me at sailvi767 at aol dot com I will be glad to send you pics of my setup.

[Cotemar]

The cheapest and easiest would be an asymmetric chute in sock using a bridal for the tack point. I use this setup on a 44 foot cat and it works great. Used chutes can be found on Ebay or from several used sailmakers for very low cost. You can fix up a bridal on the bow quite cheaply. Then you only need a snatch block for the sheet. You can even use only one sheet and simply jibe the chute by snuffing it and move the snatch block and sheet around to the other side.

These shots should give you a good idea of how I do it. It’s a very simply method. You lose a bit by not having the chute further out in front of the boat with a sprite but I feel the issues with a bow sprite are not worth dealing with. With the bridal you can center the tack and sheet it down low to sail close hauled or you can move it over to one side of the boat or the other and let the tack rise up for sailing more downwind.
Your one issue might be how to run your sheets to get them on winches.
e-mail George at sailvi767@aol.com if you have any questions

From these pictures you will see a few different methods.

Cheapest method. Tacked with a dock line!!!

Reaching-bridal

Bridal again, running

Tacked with a adjustable bridal

George
This is Georges post I just uploaded his pictures for him, Mark

[jean1146]

You guys are so helpfull. Now how big of a chute can I handle safely? do you need an extra winch or can it be raise by hand,I am sure it is pretty light. I have only been sailing for 3 years,that is why I am asking those stupid questions,though I am having a blast,one thing I have learned the hard way is to go with the wind,don't fight it,it much better on the boat and crew and much faster.
Thanks to you all.
JC.

[sailvi767]

The chute I am using in the picture is a 1200 sq ft 1.5 ounce chute. The boats basic main and jib rig is 1160 sq ft so you can estimate the size of the chute for your boat from those numbers. I was advised by everyone to get a 3/4 ounce chute which would be easier to handle but of course less durable. I am guessing the Mahe chute would be around 850 sq ft. In a 3/4 ounce weight that should be very manageable and easy to store. Even in a 1.5 ounce it should be fine. I hoist the chute in the sock without using a winch with no problems. You will need as mentioned a snatch block and some place on each side to clip in the snatch block to manage the sheets. Spinnaker winches are nice but not needed if you can route the sheet to your jib winches or any available winch. The boat should have been built with attach points for the snatch block. Loads on the sheets can be quite high and a winch is a must. For dead down wind sailing on a cat with this rig its best to drop the main and only use the chute. Even being a assymetric it will naturally want to fly up and in front of the boat. You can let the down wind side of the bridal almost loose and the chute will rotate out front and up. If you are reaching you pully both sides of the bridal in tight and fly the chute as a big jib with the tack centered between the hulls and as low as you can get it for a tight leach. I can point to 50 to 55 degrees apparent without a sprite using this method and the mainsail up. My rule of thumb is to drop the main anytime the wind is within 30 degrees of the stern. You don't gain anything with the main and it will cause the chute to collapse and you can hour glass it easily. I have had that happen twice with the main up but never with the main down.
I was advised to go the 3/4 ounce chute because it would fly better in light winds however the 1.5 ounce flies just fine in 5 knots of wind.

George

[Cotemar]

Mahe's,

Re- Mounted the hot water heater in a better location.
Now I can see and service everything from a better position.
I started this project because of a small leak that corroded my heating element wires. No new hose is needed nor do any hose’s have to be cut, just reposition all existing parts.

Here is the process for anyone wanting better access:
Un-install (2hours)
1) Drain water tank from cold water inlet release lever (takes 1 hour)
2) Remove water pump from right side of tank
3) Remove four bolts form tank an lay tank down on the side of the engine
4) Remove four hoses bottom of tank remove three wires (takes 1 hour)
5) Remove plywood backer panel
6) Glue onto each back corner of plywood base a 1”X1”X1” riser block
· This is to allow plywood backer panel to be mounted over the silver foam insulation

Re-install (4hours)
1) Hold up plywood backer panel to use as a template
· Cut out the 1X1 foam insulation that is under the riser blocks
2) Screw plywood backer panel into new location
3) Re-mount hot water tank with four bolts
4) Screw water pump to back wall
5) Install 3 electrical wires (use dielectric grease on wire connections)
6) Install 2 water lines and 2 heat exchanger hoses from engine

Mark

[jean1146]

George this isgreat informations,it seems that there not much to it. I just need to have my stuff together and do it. Some one recommended a place in St Pete that has used sails so I need to check that.
Mark the last time I had problems with the water heater it was under warranty....so I did not have to deal with it. I can see why you have done this because under the current position you cannot do anything wit6hout having to remove the water heater.Something to think about....one more to do!
Thanks to both of you.
JC.

[Cotemar]

George was nice enough to send us a close up of his asymmetric chute in sock using a bridal for the tack point.
He uses two pulleys at 4 to 1. On a smaller chute you could get by with less. Here is a closeup picture of the blocks. Since the photo was taken I added a strop to the tack and clip the blocks to the strop. This solved an issue with getting a twist in the sail sometimes when it was hoisted because the two blocks did not allow the tack to rotate if that makes sense. I don't have pics of the strop but any decent line can be spliced into about a 6 inch diameter hook to thread into the tack and clip the blocks on. The bridal line itself I have rigged as one continuous line. Works great and helps keep lines from falling into the water and or fouling a prop. Takes George about 5 minutes to take it on or off. The lower blocks that I don't have a picture of, have Cam cleats however in winds over 15 knots he ties them off the lines to the crossbar cleats. The cams have not slipped but I suspect they would. You want to keep the blocks that attach to the tack as light as you can stand it to help the sail fly in drifting conditions. In fact in very very light conditions I will simply run a single line and tack it with that. With the bridal setup however and the 1.5 ounce sail it still flies well in 5 knots of wind.

George

[Cotemar]

Mahe’s

I know their was much discussion in the past about the Hot Water Heater and making adjustments to the temperature, so I figured I would point out some important things about these hot water heaters.

1) Quick, an Italian manufacturer of marine equipment and accessories, has taken over the production and commercial distribution of Sigmar Marine, effective February 28, 2007. Website www.quickusa.com or www.quickitaly.com

2) All the important electrical and plumbing connections are on the bottom of the tank

3) The only way to drain this tank is the little black release valve on the cold water inlet
It will take about 1 hour to drain out of the ¼ inch drain hole, but will drain completely

4) The hot water outlet actually comes from the top of the tank, so removing this hot water hose to drain the tank will not work

5) The Thermostat has and adjustment that can be made with a regular screw driver

6) The Thermostat is held onto the heating element with two electrical connectors, so with a good pull you can remove it, but it has a long temperature sensor so it can not be removed because it will hit the bilge

7) To bypass the hot water tank for winter storage remove both cold water inlet and hot water outlet and then connect the hot water outlet back to the pump, so as not to fill your hot water tank with antifreeze

Ok here are some pictures to clarify all this

Mark

[Jef & Marin, Netherlands]

Hi all,
I need a quick answer and am hoping that somebody is on his/her boat.
I want to purchase a new Harken winch for the spinnaker. One option is to purchase a bigger winch (Harken 44.2ST) and use this for the jib winch (the port one), and use the present jib winch for the spinnaker.
Problem could be that this winch is 2 cm higher, and the winch handle would hit it when in the starboard winch.
I would be very happy if someone could measure the height between winch handle and adjacent winch.
Thanks!
Jef

[Jef & Marin, Netherlands]

Hi all, the question about the winch is obsolete. I purchased the standard winch yesterday in Harken's special clearance sale (Netherlands -35%). Harken is introducing a new model, that's why.

I have a question:
The saloon-roof Harken winches have Stainless steel discs below deck, above the kitchen.
On our ship, there is also a winch on the rear port cabin for the spifurl. This one does not have the steel disc below deck, although the hull material is sandwich, and not single like above the kitchen. I would expect a disk to be useful, to spread the load and prevent compression of the sandwich.
Below this winch a disc could not be mounted, since the holes are too much to the back. There's not enough room.
For those that have an extra winch mounted by Fountaine Pajot: do you have this disc on your ship?
Thanks!
Kind regards,
Jef

[MKB53]

Hi Jef

On my Mahe the discs under the Sheet winches are glass fibre and not stainless but I guess do the job as well. My gennaker winch (port side aft does not have a disc underneath. I would hope that they put plugs in the sandwich to stop compression but I did not check when I serviced the winch. Now that you mention it I will put a disc on it and plug the holes if they are not done. The winch is a 36 and there is not as much load as the Jib sheet winch but it does get quite high.

Cheers
Martin

[Jef & Marin, Netherlands]

Martin,
When I serviced the port winch I noticed no plugs. I was not aware of the use of plugs for this purpose. What kind of plugs would you use, and what length? Equal to hull thickness or half a mm shorter?
On our boat the 5 bolts only have small rings for M6 nuts under them, straight on the gelcoat. I think this is not a good construction, and I want to find discs for both sides.
Rgds, Jef

[DtM]

I will check ours on Thursday when we are next on board.

The jib and main sheet winches have a stainless plate on ours and it seems to me like maybe the sandwich is removed since it is recessed into the ceiling on a smooth area.

The gennaker winch will still have a reasonable load so small washers are not enough.

d

[MKB53]

Jef
What I would do is hollow out the sandwich around each hole and then fill it with Epoxy resin so there is a hard core that spans the gap between the two glass layers. Some people drill it oversize before filling. After the "Plug" is hard you redrill the holes to the correct size for the bolt.

Cheers

[Cotemar]

Mahe’s

If you were wondering what the inside of a $60 Volvo Penta Air Filter looks like after 300 hours.

Check it out.

Problem 1 - How do you know when to change this $60 filter if you can only see through the clean side hole in the back.

Problem 2 - This should be a cheap replaceable filter

Mark