Mainsheet Rips Out Steering Wheel and Base - GrandSoleil 45

[donradcliffe]

Been there, done that on the mainsheet ripping out the steering pedestal. It was an autopilot-induced gybe running downwind with double-reefed main in a gale from Bora Bora to Penhryn. It wasn't the first gybe that did the damage--that one wrapped the mainsheet around the pedestal and when the autopilot corrected itself and gybed back it did the damage. The boat was a Santa Cruz 40, but to Bill Lee's credit the steering wheel and pedestal were an add-on to appease the owner's wife. The autopilot continued steering, but it took 4 hours to clean up the wreckage, put on the original tiller on, and seal off the hole in the cockpit floor.

The two of us had been hand-steering for over 15 hours, and the wind had dropped from 50 to 40 knots, so we tried to get some rest with the autopilot. Knowing what I do now, we should have had the main down long before, and just run on a bit of genoa.

As far as the preventer goes, we did not have one rigged at the time, but we normally use one on our current boat. The preventer tackle is sized to break before the boom, which it has once.

[bob perry]

**** happens. Glad you survived.

[barnakiel]

Not having a preventer on is one thing.

Quality of paper boats is one thing.

Managing a boat in rough going is one thing.

There are many things.

You cannot control too many things in rough going.

b.

[boden36]

"are you kidding? an uncontrolled gibe in strong wind with the mainsheet wrapped around the pedestal? why blame this on the builder?"
Because, considering the relative positions of the pedestal and the mainsheet, this was something that was highly likely to happen. More so because the likelihood of it happening would be in more extreme conditions where the last thing you would need was a disabled steering and a hole in the cockpit floor!!
Regards, Richard.

[gr8trn]

Great reading and I have to say, boom preventer is for light air in rolly water to try to keep the sail filled and keep the roll from swinging the boom around. Anything more than double digits wind speed time to sail like you mean it according to my Admiral!

[Streetcar]

For the record... plenty of good solid ignorance about Grand Soleil's here. They may not be your 4 knot flat out, double ended, brick****houses, but most models are very well designed and built boats. I have sailed a Frers designed GS 52 doublehanded half way around the world and seen plenty of weather. It is a strong and easily sailed boat and quick enough to get out of the way of the really nasty stuff.

Whether you like heavy & slow, or, lighter & fast is really personal preference. I have raced, delivered and cruised both and have good and bad to say about either format.

Back to the Grand Soleil. There are two 45's in the range. A more classic Frers 45 of early 90's vintage with a displacement style hull. And a Judel Vrolik 45 with a more modern performance image (and a stainless steel matrix structure tying together keel, shrouds and mast base). These are both good solid boats in the right hands.

Of course Grand Soleil also have a reputation for producing round the can racers and grand prix racing boats. Maybe that explains the confusion in this thread. Only a madman would consider taking one of the grand prix racers out ocean cruising without serious modification.

Maybe it would be more productive to focus safety attention on matching the ability of the user to the right boat.

[cpa]

Originally Posted by Streetcar

For the record... plenty of good solid ignorance about Grand Soleil's here. They may not be your 4 knot flat out, double ended, brick****houses, but most models are very well designed and built boats. I have sailed a Frers designed GS 52 doublehanded half way around the world and seen plenty of weather. It is a strong and easily sailed boat and quick enough to get out of the way of the really nasty stuff.

Whether you like heavy & slow, or, lighter & fast is really personal preference. I have raced, delivered and cruised both and have good and bad to say about either format.

Back to the Grand Soleil. There are two 45's in the range. A more classic Frers 45 of early 90's vintage with a displacement style hull. And a Judel Vrolik 45 with a more modern performance image (and a stainless steel matrix structure tying together keel, shrouds and mast base). These are both good solid boats in the right hands.

Of course Grand Soleil also have a reputation for producing round the can racers and grand prix racing boats. Maybe that explains the confusion in this thread. Only a madman would consider taking one of the grand prix racers out ocean cruising without serious modification.

Maybe it would be more productive to focus safety attention on matching the ability of the user to the right boat.

I am with you. I love Grand Soleils, well at least the older ones I have been exposed to. My brother had a mid 80s Grand Soleil 39. I sailed the boat quite a bit and thought it was a great boat. I also worked on the boat and thought it was both well engineered and well built. He took the boat across the Atlantic twice solo. He had some problems in the Bahamas with a saildrive explosion/failure, which led to flooding and he lost her. Very sad. We miss the boat and I bet his next boat will be a another Grand Soleil with a shaft drive.

[goboatingnow]

All I know about GRand Soleils is that I once helped deliver a Sweden Yacht, whose owner had originally bought a GS , went through a typical storm in his area , poped doors of hinges and bulkheads moved , returned the boat and bought the Sweden Yacht

Dave

[cpa]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

All I know about GRand Soleils is that I once helped deliver a Sweden Yacht, whose owner had originally bought a GS , went through a typical storm in his area , poped doors of hinges and bulkheads moved , returned the boat and bought the Sweden Yacht

Dave

I am curious about the vintage. Any clue on the vessel's age? I spoke to a guy in Fort Lauderdale, who worked at Cantiere del Pardo for a long time and said quality had recently dropped compared to the older ones. This was in 2004/2005.