A New Adventure

[Flyinace1]

Howdy, I'm Flyinace1, new owner of a 1978 Yorktown 35. The boat is in pretty good condition with a few minor problems and some that aren't so minor (for me). I have some experience sailing boats up to 25' but I haven't been on a sailboat in 5 or 6 years. I am trying to learn what I don't know and find out what I don't know I need to learn and hope that some of you may be able to help me along on my new adventure.

My Fiance owns the boat with me and we plan on moving aboard next year when we get married. We love a good adventure, traveling, camping and motorcycles and enjoy living outside the box. We want to do quite a bit of sailing but we both still have a quite a bit to learn.

To start off, here is my boat

[Orrjames]

Howdy from S. Alabama! Nice looking rig.We have lived on our boat for 3 years, mostly marina bound, but we do intend to sail far and wide. Lot's to do, always. Enjoy!

[Flyinace1]

Originally Posted by Orrjames

Howdy from S. Alabama! Nice looking rig.We have lived on our boat for 3 years, mostly marina bound, but we do intend to sail far and wide. Lot's to do, always. Enjoy!

Thanks, I'll probably be tethered to a marina as well, rather then living out on the ocean but I do hope to take some decently long trips.

Yesterday I finally got around to pulling out the two foresails that came with the boat. A storm jib and a large Genoa (not sure what size but I'm guessing it's bigger than a 120...but I may be wrong). I had to unseize almost all of the hanks, and I oiled them so now they work great. I raised both foresails and they are in pretty decent condition.

Now, due to my limited experience and time away, I don't currently know a lot about rigging. So with the help of someone at the marina I learned that my boat is missing the blocks for the foresail sheets and that the track for said blocks is to far forward and inward for the genoa. So that has now been added to my list as a higher priority item. So I went online to find a couple blocks to install and the only thing I found is that I have absolutely no idea what I'm looking for.

What type of blocks do I need? What is the Safe Working Load? What are the preferences for brands? What should the setup look like? I have seen many different blocks but most have a loop at there top and no way of attaching it to the deck. So once I have them, how do I install them?

I like to do my own work because it saves money, I learn more and I like working with my hands.

Thank you for any help you can offer , and I'm sure to have many, many more questions as I learn more and more.

[sandy stone]

Garhauer makes good gear for cheap. For jib sheet leads on a 35 foot boat, their Series 60 blocks should be fine. I think the loop you refer to on the block is what's called called a shackle. The type of block you end up with will depend on the ultimate method of attachment.
Since the genny came with the boat, it would seem there must have been some way to sheet it. Look around for padeyes (metal U's bolted through the deck or gunwales) or some similar strong point that you could shackle a block to.
Get somebody's advice before you make any permanent installations, because the location of the jibsheet lead block is critical to the boat's sailing capability.

[Flyinace1]

I'm sure there was a way to sheet the genny but I didn't see any padeyes when I looked yesterday so I'm guessing the previous owner just used the slides. I'll double check next time I'm down there.

When I found out about the missing blocks there was a very experienced sailor walking me through rigging the foresail and he pointed it out to me. He also showed me about where I'd want the block to be and how to tell, but I'd certainly want somebody knowledgeable with me when I do the install

[socalsailor]

Hi neighbor, I am at the marina next to you Pacific Yacht Landing. I have a small boat a Coronado 25 that I am refurbishing and I need some blocks too and a few other things. I will be going to Garhauer for buisness reasons and if all goes ok I will be able to sell to you. I do maintenance and other stuff too... LOL feel free to contact me if you want. socal.c50@gmail.com Good luck and great sailing too.

[lifeofreilly57]

The tip to go with Garhauer was a good one, they are quite good to work with also. When you call they are quite good at offering assistance, it's a family run business, the owners daughter runs one segment of the business while his son inlaw usually handles technical assistance when ordering. The old man (and owner) is usually manning their sales tent at the boat shows they frequent. The gear is rugged, well made and much more affordable than most of the major brands on the market. As for warranty support? Excellent.
It might help if you could post some pictures of the deck and the genoa track currently on the boat, even better if the pictures showed the track position relative to the mast. Too far inboard? Depends on what the boat was designed for, most of the racer cruisers I owned in the past had the genoa tracks well inboard to allow really high pointing ability which required a snap on block mounted on the toe rail to get good sheeting angles for broad reaching. It's not a bad thing, gives you more flexibility.
Not long enough? In relation to what? If your head sail is a deck sweeper you don't need tracks as long to get proper sheeting angles although I like long tracks just because it gives you ultimate adjustability when running different sized head sails. If you have a high cut foot on your genoa then a short track can be a problem.
If your buying new blocks and mounts for them the track is not much more and isn't rocket science to mount, if your going that route get genoa cars that are adjustable on the fly, not fixed cars that need manual adjustment. Line adjustable genoa cars are one of the best investments I've made on any boat I've owned. I currently have purchased a dedicated cruising boat but am in the process of fitting easily adjusted genoa cars since using the manual spring pin style cars on it is so damn frustrating. Easier sail trim adjustment will go a long way in making your sailing more enjoyable and rewarding.
A little investment in good running rigging will make your experience much easier and more rewarding. The easier it is to sail, the more you'll want to sail it. The boat I've recently purchased wasn't rigged too efficiently and I cant figure out why, a few well thought out changes and under $1000.00 in gear will transform the ease with which it can be handled, as it is it's too much of a pain in the neck as it is.
Make it easy, make it safe and make it enjoyable.

[Flyinace1]

Thanks for that very informative post. I'll upload some pics of the rigging and slides, and maybe even the genny, this weekend and see what you guys think. I know the boat was used by a previous owner as a racer which may explain the slides being more inboard.

I'm not sure yet how exactly I want the rigging set up. I didn't even realize that any specific boat had more than 1 ideal setup so I now I'm thinking something more middle of the road would work. I know that I'd like to do some coastal cruising and one day down the road, blue water. But I have also found myself interested in possibly trying offshore racing once I'm experienced.

From my most basic and somewhat confused research, I was thinking about just getting a block that doesn't use a slide at/near the spot recommended by the sailor I had talked to. Would having blocks on the slides and then a fixed block further back and outboard to switch between be reasonable for a more multi-purpose boat or should I just use 1 set of blocks placed to be a compromise between the two or set it up for one or the other?

[Flyinace1]

Originally Posted by socalsailor

Hi neighbor, I am at the marina next to you Pacific Yacht Landing. I have a small boat a Coronado 25 that I am refurbishing and I need some blocks too and a few other things. I will be going to Garhauer for buisness reasons and if all goes ok I will be able to sell to you. I do maintenance and other stuff too... LOL feel free to contact me if you want. socal.c50@gmail.com Good luck and great sailing too.

Thanks for the offer, I'm still not positive what I need but I'll shoot you an email

[lifeofreilly57]

Your best to mount on the track you have.
No one fixed block point will work for all angles of sail, if you have an existing track use it.
If your doing bay sailing/coastal cruising you will most likely be sailing upwind as well as off the beam and downwind at one time or another, you will definitely need to need to adjust your car position, further back for upwind, more forward for off the wind, etc, etc. You'll need options for sail trim to adjust for the different demands, it will also teach you a lot about refining your sail trimming ability. When you begin to notice the difference in your boats response to your input you'll get a deep sense of satisfaction, it'll put a big grin on your face.
Usually if the track was mounted by the manufacturer it's in a position that is the best compromise for all points of sail. If your looking for more fine tuned sail trim options you can define those later when your experience with the boat will steer your decisions.
For now? Get an adjustable car / block combination for your existing track, it's the best option at this point.
Cruising is a little different than what you will be doing in the near future, since most people looking to sail long passages try to take the route that keeps them in mostly beam reach / downwind sailing situations, even then though there are times that will require sailing upwind when there are no other options. So what is an acceptable solution for extended cruising usually wouldn't be practical for what your plans in the near future are.
Talk to your hardware supplier whether it's Garhauer or any of the other manufacturers to see what options are available, some can supply a car and block that will work with your existing track, others will require you to use their specific track with their hardware. If you are going with one who can use your existing track you will need to measure the track before ordering, the supplier can help you with that.
Good Luck, let us know which way you decided to go and how it worked out.
The sneakiest way I've ever converted people to sailing and why I enjoyed it so, was to put them behind the wheel with the boat trimmed badly and then trim it up until the boat was balanced and practically sailing itself, at that point most people are sporting a big wide grin. Try it, you'll like it.

[gjordan]

Flyinace, Congrats on your new boat. 2 bits worth of advice . The blue canvas the appears to run all the way around your lifelines can cause you major problems when you later go to sea. They not only will hurt your forward visibility, and cause a lot of windage (ie. loss of performance) but if you take a large wave they will probably flatten your stantions. If you decide you need them for keeping sails and kids, dogs, etc, from going overboard then I suggest you switch to netting, so that heavy water goes through rather than bending expensive parts. Weather cloths around the cockpit are very nice for giving a bit of privacy and for keeping light spray out of the cockpit, but they should be held in place with shock cord for the same reason. SAIL THE HECK OUT OF YOUR NEW BOAT, And have fun. ______Grant.

[Flyinace1]

Thanx for all the advice so far. I went to the boat yesterday and got some pictures. I also measured the track so I would know what size cars I am looking for. The track is 1.25" wide

I also found a pair of blocks that look like they need replacing or, if possible, just the sheaves replaced.

I also realized there doesn't seem to be a way to tie down the bottom of the genoa (the bottom corner next to the stantion), but I'm pretty sure that there is supposed to be since there is a loop at there.

[Flyinace1]

Originally Posted by gjordan

Flyinace, Congrats on your new boat. 2 bits worth of advice . The blue canvas the appears to run all the way around your lifelines can cause you major problems when you later go to sea. They not only will hurt your forward visibility, and cause a lot of windage (ie. loss of performance) but if you take a large wave they will probably flatten your stantions. If you decide you need them for keeping sails and kids, dogs, etc, from going overboard then I suggest you switch to netting, so that heavy water goes through rather than bending expensive parts. Weather cloths around the cockpit are very nice for giving a bit of privacy and for keeping light spray out of the cockpit, but they should be held in place with shock cord for the same reason. SAIL THE HECK OUT OF YOUR NEW BOAT, And have fun. ______Grant.

What is a shock cord? And weather cloths?
Another sailor gave me the same advice about the blue canvas and then got contradicted by the sailor who taught him (both were more advanced in years and have been sailing for much of their lives). I think I'll keep them for now and see how I like them. That would be a lot of money to be throwing away, even if I'm not the one that spent it.

As for visibility, that canvas is the least of my worries, I stand 6'1" so the stuff around the cockpit is right in the middle of my view. I have to either slightly bend or stretch to see clearly

[gjordan]

Shock cord , or bungee cord, elastic stretchable cord. Many names. but something to allow the canvas to give, rather than having it attached tightly to the lifelines. If you take a wave, something is going to absorb all of that pressure, if canvas doesnt allow it through, or shock cord doesnt allow the canvas to give way for the water, your stanchions (or bow pulpit) are in real danger of bending. When I was young and getting ready for a cruise, an old salt walked up the dock and said "KID, if you dont want to damage your stanchions, you should take that nice tight lacing of off your lifelines and weather clothes and put shockcord for the attachment. A year or so later, I took a knock down in Mexico that washed eveyrthing out of the cockpit, including my wife. A safety harness saved her, and the give of the shockcord saved the stanchions. With about 30,000 miles under my keel, I am very comfortable giving this advice. The visibility question, I will leave to you. Here is to many miles of good sailing. _____Grant.

[gjordan]

I jusr re-read your last post. Weather clothes are what you appear to have all the way around your boat. I have only seen the compleat enclosure on a few boats, and they never left the marina. Normally weather clothes are canvas attached to the life lines around the cockpit to deflect light spray and wind, to make the cockpit more comfortable. They also give you some privacy in the cockpit. They are never expected to keep heavy water out. A big green wave is a huge amount of force, and it is better to let things give, than to have things that bend, and have repair bills. _____Grant.