[Rhodes22-list] Rhodes 22 Safety Tether System & Winter Projects

[Tom Van Heule]

Maybe someone handy can still cut stan a % and help meet demand.   I am
asking for a planer table for Xmas and could make table tops pretty easy
whence I have good straight stock.   And we all know Peter is retired and
has a great workshop, lol.

On Tue, Nov 24, 2020, 4:34 PM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com> wrote:

> Tom,
>
> Unfortunately, S/V Dynamic Equilibrium is in winter storage.  I don’t
> think I have any photos of the safety tether system.  It’s a pretty
> standard arrangement for offshore monohull sailboats and I never thought to
> take a picture of it.  I store the boat at the Midland Co. Fairgrounds in
> the unused animal barns and vender buildings.  For Midland Co. residents,
> the price is right, especially considering it’s secure indoor storage.
> But, I don’t have access to the boat until next spring.
>
> This winter’s projects will be to fabricate a new galley table and under
> cabinet sliding doors.  Both of these components are original (1976) and
> delaminating on my boat.  I’ve asked Stan about purchasing a new table and
> doors several times.  But, so far, he hasn’t responded to my queries.  I’d
> like to support his replacement parts business. But, when he doesn’t
> respond, what can you do?
>
> Roger Pihlaja
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Nov 24, 2020, at 5:10 PM, Tom Van Heule <
> tom.vanheule at intrinsicprograms.com> wrote:
> >
> > Pics Roger? Sounds good.
> >
> > We gotta have a lake michigan r22 summit.
> > There are a few of us that are pretty active.  And I know the least!
> >
> >> On Tue, Nov 24, 2020, 4:04 PM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> Jesse,
> >>
> >> We have a 1” wide nylon strap running up the center of the cockpit
> floor.
> >> It’s attached to thru bolted padeyes with big backing plates on the
> cabin
> >> and lazarette compartment bulkheads.
> >> Then, we have 1/2” double braided nylon rope running down the deck port
> >> and starboard from the cockpit to the bow pulpit.  It’s anchored to the
> >> base of the lifeline stanchions on each end.  The safety harness tether
> has
> >> a carabiner on the end of a 6’ nylon strap.  In the cockpit, you clip
> the
> >> carabiner onto the nylon strap on the floor as you come aboard or leave
> the
> >> cabin.  The carabiner will slide along the strap and let you get
> anywhere
> >> in the cockpit, even hike out on the gunnels.  To go forward, you unclip
> >> from the cockpit and clip onto the 1/2” nylon rope on the side deck you
> are
> >> going to use.  The carabiner will slide along the rope and the harness
> >> tether is long enough to enable you to do almost any task at the mast
> or on
> >> the foredeck.  I have good 30” high rails and stout handholds to hang
> onto.
> >>
> >> We have a firm rule that everyone wears a PFD whenever they are on deck
> >> and the boat is not at anchor or at a dock.  Growing up, since everyone
> >> wore their PFD’s, the boys never had an issue with wearing theirs.
> >>
> >> 22 ft LOA is a pretty small boat for the Great Lakes.  You can’t always
> >> count on fair winds!
> >>
> >> Roger Pihlaja
> >> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> >>
> >> Sent from my iPhones
> >>> On Nov 24, 2020, at 4:10 PM, Jesse Shumaker <
> >> jesse.laten.shumaker at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> While I'm used to wearing a PFD, that's the first I've heard of
> wearing
> >>> safety harnesses on a Rhodes 22.  Then again, I've yet to take Zephyr
> to
> >> a
> >>> very large body of water.  Hopefully there are some bigger adventures
> for
> >>> Zephyr in my future!
> >>>
> >>> Jesse Shumaker
> >>> S/V Zephyr
> >>>
> >>>> On Tue, Nov 24, 2020 at 11:02 AM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com
> >
> >>>> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> Jesse,
> >>>>
> >>>> Yes, we’ve had a few “HOLY SHIT!” moments, primarily when my sons were
> >>>> learning to helm and trim.  By the time they were teenagers, they both
> >>>> regarded S/V Dynamic Equilibrium as their own personal amusement park
> >>>> ride.  But, only when their mother wasn’t on board!  I always told
> them
> >> it
> >>>> only gets really interesting when the small craft warnings are posted!
> >>>> When dad put his safety harness on, their eyes would open wide and
> >> they’d
> >>>> scramble below to find their harnesses. They both knew firsthand that
> >> dad
> >>>> was nuts and there was some fun in store.  I like to wear my harness
> >> over
> >>>> my PFD.  When you’re sailing this aggressively, you frequently get
> >> tossed
> >>>> into hard “stuff”.  The PFD provides some cushioning.
> >>>>
> >>>> Roger Pihlaja
> >>>> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> >>>>
> >>>> Sent from my iPhone
> >>>>> On Nov 24, 2020, at 10:19 AM, Jesse Shumaker <
> >>>> jesse.laten.shumaker at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Roger, thanks for the details on the sail trim.  You had mentioned
> >> some
> >>>>> configurations where the boat would tend to heel further rather than
> >>>> round
> >>>>> up if conditions strengthen.  I'm curious, have you had any
> knockdowns
> >> in
> >>>>> cases where the helmsman didn't ease the mainsheet in time or feather
> >> up
> >>>>> into the wind when there's a sudden gust?  I'm always trying to read
> >> the
> >>>>> water for wind, but there are cases when things get busy and I have
> >> been
> >>>>> occasionally surprised by a gust when I was distracted.  I wasn't
> sure
> >> if
> >>>>> you had any memorable HOLY SHIT moments as you alluded to in your
> note.
> >>>> We
> >>>>> always enjoy your advice and tales of adventure!
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Jesse Shumaker
> >>>>> S/V Zephyr
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> On Mon, Nov 23, 2020 at 5:39 PM ROGER PIHLAJA <
> Roger_Pihlaja at msn.com>
> >>>> wrote:
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Hi All,
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Let me state up front that S/V Dynamic Equilibrium’s sail are not
> OEM
> >>>>>> stock and neither is the roller furler.  I have owned the boat since
> >>>> 1987
> >>>>>> and will tell you what I’ve ended up with after a lot of
> >>>> experimentation.
> >>>>>> The main sail is a very roachy, fully battened, club racing HD
> dacron
> >>>>>> sail.  It has 3 rows of jiffy reef points.  The headsail is a 150%
> >> genoa
> >>>>>> made of Bainbridge’s Cruise-Lam sailcloth in a Bi-Radial
> construction.
> >>>>>> Cruise-Lam is composite sailcloth with dacron outer layers, a Kevlar
> >>>> scrim,
> >>>>>> and a core of mylar.  The sail has a foam luff pad to enable it to
> >> take
> >>>>>> full advantage of the upper and lower swivels on the Harken Unit 0
> >>>> roller
> >>>>>> furler it’s flown on.  As the winds build, my 1st move is to lower
> the
> >>>>>> mainsail’s gooseneck to the lower position.  The next step is to
> put a
> >>>> reef
> >>>>>> in the mainsail.  This configuration allows the boat to be sailed
> with
> >>>> the
> >>>>>> leeward rub rail in the water and virtually no weather helm.
> However,
> >>>> you
> >>>>>> must keep your hands on the sheets and steer to the waves because a
> >>>> gust or
> >>>>>> helmsman error will put the leeward cockpit gunnel under water
> faster
> >>>> than
> >>>>>> you can say, “HOLY SHIT!”!  It will NOT round up in this
> configuration
> >>>> and
> >>>>>> the sails will not distort, spill wind, or save you.  Gusts cause so
> >>>> much
> >>>>>> acceleration that it sets you right down in your seat.  It’s really
> >>>> quite
> >>>>>> addictive!  Roller reefing the genoa down to ~130% will allow the
> boat
> >>>> to
> >>>>>> sail more up right, not scare my wife, and allow the autopilot to
> >> drive
> >>>> the
> >>>>>> boat.  The next step is to put a second reef in the mainsail.  As
> the
> >>>> wind
> >>>>>> builds, leaving the genoa at 130% with 2 reefs in the mainsail will
> >>>> enable
> >>>>>> maximum boat speed with minimal weather helm at the expense of
> >> constant
> >>>>>> required manual vigilance on the helm and sheets.  Roller reefing
> the
> >>>> genoa
> >>>>>> down to ~110% in these conditions will make the boat docile enough
> >> that
> >>>> the
> >>>>>> autopilot can still control it on any point of sail with the wind
> >>>> forward
> >>>>>> of a broad reach.  Roller reefing down to 110% is about as small as
> >> the
> >>>>>> Harken Unit 0 roller furler can reef the sail while still
> maintaining
> >>>>>> reasonable sail shape.  When the genoa is roller reefed down to <
> >> 110%,
> >>>> the
> >>>>>> mainsail needs a 3rd reef in order to balance the helm.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> In summary, reduce mainsail area or lower the center of effort
> first,
> >>>>>> either by lowering the boom, or reefing.  As the wind builds, the
> >>>> strategy
> >>>>>> of leaving maximum possible sail area forward of the mast will
> reduce
> >>>>>> weather helm, maximize boat speed, and pointing ability.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Here on the Great Lakes, there is a lot of light air in the summer,
> >>>>>> punctuated by periods of heavy weather.  I cope by flying cruising
> and
> >>>>>> tri-radial spinnakers during the light air.  I found the 175% genoa
> >> was
> >>>> cut
> >>>>>> too heavy to fly well in light air and the sail could only be reefed
> >>>> down
> >>>>>> to ~130% before the shape was hopelessly compromised.  Remember this
> >> was
> >>>>>> with a Harken Unit 0 roller furler with upper and lower swivels and
> a
> >>>> foam
> >>>>>> luff pad.  The OEM roller furler and sails will not be able to do as
> >>>> well.
> >>>>>> But, my sail shape standards might be higher than yours.  I never
> >> found
> >>>> the
> >>>>>> 175% genoa to be particularly difficult to tack.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Roger Pihlaja
> >>>>>> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> >>>>>> Windows 10
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>
> >>
>