Chotu's Rigging Thread - Time to Go Fast

[fourlyons]

Chotu, if you can't find a machinist to turn them in time, you could try eBay. I just had 6 custom delrin bushings turned, 5 day turn around, one month ago. I think by a guy with a home shop. They were accurate to my specs and nicely cut. At ebay I searched custom bushings and his bid listing came up.

[Bill O]

Go back to my previous post recommending Don Green to machine your sheaves. If you would have ordered them back when I mentioned his info, you would have most likely had them installed by now. (slight exaggeration, but he has quick turn around and does excellent work)

[OS2Dude]

Try to find sheeves with sealed bearings instead of bushings. I replaced our OEM sheeves last summer and it makes a world of difference in getting the sails up and down.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by SailingHarmonie

June 30! The date is on my calendar!

And it will be hit. No matter what. I have no choice. It’s going to be out of here by then.

I have all the stuff pretty much. So it’s just a matter of putting it all together

[Chotu]

I went with Ed. His are gorgeous. Permanent solution.

UV stabilized Delrin with bronze inserts. Same day turnaround.

Nobody order any please until AFTER mine ship lol

Taking the precise measurements with a micrometer today (arrived at the boat minutes ago from about 600 miles away) and sending them to him to have them this week

[dwightsusan]

No real specifics to offer, only a generalization. As you probably already know, to drive a light catamaran very fast mandates a lot of horsepower. Any spar builder or rigger who builds for monohulls or "roomaram" cats will fail to understand the forces applied to the rig on a performance cat. You need someone with stellar skills and an ability to think outside the box. To dig up such a rigger in such a short period of time will be a herculean task. Our story will only discourage you. Our spars were built by a well know builder in Florida. The spar builder failed to understand the potential loads and built far too light. Even our partner in design and one off construction and I didn't fully get it. We had multiple "small" failures, but fortunately, never saw the rig go overboard. An old, "crotchity" local rigger here in south Texas understood and did multiple revisions with our cat on the water and in regular use. He was unbelievably slow, but everything he did stood up to our use. Ultimately, we gave in, demounted, and hauled our spars to his shop. The job dragged on for a full year while he rebuilt the mast and boom and replaced all the standing rigging. Over the seven years since the rebuilding, we have sailed regularly, crossed the Gulf of Mexico twice, and on a perfect day with perfect conditions far out in the Gulf, sustained over 20 knots for more than 10 minutes. For the past two years our cat has been in almost daily use hosting "six-pack" day charters. Good luck with your project - Dwight and Susan / Paul Earls, rigger extraordinaire:

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by dwightsusan

No real specifics to offer, only a generalization. As you probably already know, to drive a light catamaran very fast mandates a lot of horsepower. Any spar builder or rigger who builds for monohulls or "roomaram" cats will fail to understand the forces applied to the rig on a performance cat. You need someone with stellar skills and an ability to think outside the box. To dig up such a rigger in such a short period of time will be a herculean task. Our story will only discourage you. Our spars were built by a well know builder in Florida. The spar builder failed to understand the potential loads and built far too light. Even our partner in design and one off construction and I didn't fully get it. We had multiple "small" failures, but fortunately, never saw the rig go overboard. An old, "crotchity" local rigger here in south Texas understood and did multiple revisions with our cat on the water and in regular use. He was unbelievably slow, but everything he did stood up to our use. Ultimately, we gave in, demounted, and hauled our spars to his shop. The job dragged on for a full year while he rebuilt the mast and boom and replaced all the standing rigging. Over the seven years since the rebuilding, we have sailed regularly, crossed the Gulf of Mexico twice, and on a perfect day with perfect conditions far out in the Gulf, sustained over 20 knots for more than 10 minutes. For the past two years our cat has been in almost daily use hosting "six-pack" day charters. Good luck with your project - Dwight and Susan / Paul Earls, rigger extraordinaire:

Thank you for the input. And I agree.

I already have my Rigger. I got rid of the ones in Florida because they didn’t know what they were doing with this type of boat just as you were describing. This boat paralyzed all riggers with fear because their main skill is just ordering new shrouds for a Hunter and attaching them. my Rigger is the former Director of rigging for Gunboat. I think he’s good. Lol

I’m making some bad decisions about usability, but I have my reasons. And he make sure to tell me when I’m wrong. Ha ha

The problem is my guy just doesn’t have a lot of free time. He does a lot of different things. A lot. He’s a big member (leader?) of the sailing community in this area. So to help alleviate that problem I am here to act as a Rigger‘s apprentice and just do install all the stupid stuff and do the drill and fill and get things moving.

[Chotu]

Rigger says everything but uhmwpe expands and can cause binding. They ran into issues with that. Suggests uhmwpe since it cannot absorb water and expand.

Thoughts?

I was looking at getting the delrin/acetal ones with the bronze inserts.

[Cynara]

Long post so missed all the details in why you are in such a hurry. Remember speed kills

[Chotu]

Sheaves ordered from Ed.

Delrin with bronze inserts. Should be here by the end of the week.

Ordering new cooling systems (there was a recall type thing) for both outboards tonight.

Getting started on bending and drill and fill and bolting self tacking jib track on.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Cynara

Long post so missed all the details in why you are in such a hurry. Remember speed kills

speed is the only way to actually build a boat. Going slow kills. You die of old age before the boat is done if you do not go as fast as possible. Lol

mañana? No. Hoy

[Be Free]

Chotu,
You are in exactly the right place! You have a rigger who knows how to do it "right" but is willing to listen to why you want to do it "wrong". Even better, the also knows how to implement your "right" safely. Do you have any idea how rare those skills are?

You need to soak up as much from his as you can while you are his "rigger's apprentice".

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Be Free

Chotu,
You are in exactly the right place! You have a rigger who knows how to do it "right" but is willing to listen to why you want to do it "wrong". Even better, the also knows how to implement your "right" safely. Do you have any idea how rare those skills are?

You need to soak up as much from his as you can while you are his "rigger's apprentice".

yes. I thoroughly enjoy working with this guy actually. I like his style. It’s a bit intimidating. We have been doing boats for the same amount of time but he really did them in a different way than I did. I just used boats. He learned them inside and out. He is just like a wealth of boat knowledge. I feel pretty stupid hanging around with him lol to tell you the truth.

But he is pretty humble and nice at the same time. When I am done here, I don’t know if it’s going to be helpful to him, but I’m going to write up my experience. And I would highly suggest anyone with any type of Catamaran issue try this guy out. Even if that means just hiring him to figure your boat out and then having some other laborer do it.

today we were talking about the outhaul. He’s talking about one that goes through the boom with a purchase inside the boom. And I am just barely understanding this. And then he’s talking about a strap that they use these days that goes around the boom. Something a little bit more modern. And it just comes out so fast because he knows it so well and I’m like struggling to try to understand everything. Ha ha ha.

we were also talking about reefing lines. He was saying that you only need a couple. I think only one if I recall it correctly and it would do two reefs? Is that right? I think we will have to revisit that. That kind of went over my head.
But he was saying you only need a couple of wreaths anyway. Pick the ones you use most often. Otherwise you have too many lines going everywhere and a lot of resistance. if I correctly understood him, I would think I would want the first reef and the deepest reef. And just forget that middle reef.


Also today I was getting the size of the lines that go through the sheaves. Because the guy making the sheaves has to know what size to make the groove. And I found out I have 9 mm halyards. Made out of dyneema. Cool! wealth of knowledge that he is, he tells me to do half inch because in an emergency you might need to put through some low technology cordage of similar strength. Although the 9 mm dyneema is 3x as strong as half inch regular.

All of this stuff just quickly comes off the top of his head and I am struggling to keep up

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by OS2Dude

Try to find sheeves with sealed bearings instead of bushings. I replaced our OEM sheeves last summer and it makes a world of difference in getting the sails up and down.

this is probably a very good idea. But I did not do it this time. Next time. although I could also always put some bearings in later at some point. I could knock out the bronze piece and put bearings in its place

[Be Free]

He sounds like a really nice guy. He'd probably feel bad if he thought he was making you feel stupid though. My experience with folks like him is that they love to share their expertise with people but I've seldom found any who would want to intimidate or make someone inferior.

I suspect what he's telling you about the various reefing lines is that you only need two lines even if you have three or more reef points on your sail. You will move those lines to the two reef points you expect to use in the near future.

I don't follow what he's saying about the outhaul either. Mine is pretty basic and all external. That one's over my head.