yesterday was out in 10-12mph steady winds with occais. gusts to 15. Was having a blast, 2 other boats out, finally some wind I'm thinking. I'm close hauled with main and jib sheets hauled in, main traveler about center, and I start to lift a hull. Great I'm thinking I'm dialed in. I look up and on the main, the opposite side telltales are all streaming back, and on my side (windward) the top one is steaming back but bottom two are jamming straight up or back. I tweaked traveller and main sheets out but could not get telltales to stream back. Am I missing something or should I be content that I was hauling a** and flying a hull? I don't race much yet but thinking about getting into it next year, and will I need that extra little bit of "proper" sail shape to be competitive with the techno-sail hounds?

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eddiecat

Nacra 5.0 (destroyed in storm)
Hobie 16 (restored)
Nacra 5.5- amalgam "Franken Cat"
--

Maybe your batten tension is the culprit? I was having the same problem with my H16. I think I finally solved it with a combination of mast rake forward (less rake), traveled out a bit then tightened up on the main sheet. Last time out all tell tales were perfect.

If you have old sails, the "pocket" may have moved aft and could cause more healing movement, hence energy that would be used to move forward is instead making you fly a hull.

I maybe wrong, but I have been reading up a bit trying to figure out how to fly to the moon; I mean sail a catamaran. They seem equally as difficult.

Maybe more out hall to make the sail flat.

Here's an article with a lot of detail about tell-tails and air flow over sails.

http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article66.html

It helped me a lot reading my main (when I started using the Pentax square-top) to add tell-tails to the trailing edge of the sail. It helps to tell if the sail is "working" or if it's in stall. Read the article to understand stall.

--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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yes leach tails will open your eyes.

my friend steve tells the story he had his sails all dialed in.. tell tales all good. then he put a flag on his leach.. and it flew backwards (towards the mast).

there are soooo many variables it is hard to tell what is the cause or solution. i would read up and try different things.. but since conditions always change... it is hard to really know...

SOooooo i suggest you try to adjust 1 item at a time and see if it helps or hurts.

Yes all tails streaming backwards is optimal but dont forget that the leaward tales are the more important

eddiecat, check your messages.

cougarmark, I agree Clear Lake totally rocks for sailing, this summer has been strange though so I've been staying down here at McBride mostly. It would help if they could expand hobie beach up there, and have less fishing tournaments!!!

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eddiecat

Nacra 5.0 (destroyed in storm)
Hobie 16 (restored)
Nacra 5.5- amalgam "Franken Cat"
--

Yup, I'm storing my cougar in Clear Lake, and we just bought a 24 ft coleman camper to use at the State Park, so I can sail on weekends, Maybe I'll see ya this spring!

Is Hobie beach just past the miniature golf course there?



edited by: cougarmarkIV, Sep 23, 2009 - 01:40 PM

damonAdmin

Here's an article with a lot of detail about tell-tails and air flow over sails.
http://www.thebeachcats.com/Article66.html

It helped me a lot reading my main (when I started using the Pentax square-top) to add tell-tails to the trailing edge of the sail. It helps to tell if the sail is "working" or if it's in stall. Read the article to understand stall.

Linky no worky

bbeach1

Linky no worky

Thanks, fixed it.

--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

How To Create Your Signature

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Thanks Damon that is a great article
I'm resisting the urge to laminate it and take it out on the lake next time...

--
eddiecat

Nacra 5.0 (destroyed in storm)
Hobie 16 (restored)
Nacra 5.5- amalgam "Franken Cat"
--

eddiecat

Thanks Damon that is a great article
I'm resisting the urge to laminate it and take it out on the lake next time...

That actually sounds like a pretty good idea!


--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

How To Create Your Signature

How To Create Your Own Cool Avatar

How To Display Pictures In The Forums.
--

cougarmarkIV

Yup, I'm storing my cougar in Clear Lake, and we just bought a 24 ft coleman camper to use at the State Park, so I can sail on weekends, Maybe I'll see ya this spring!

Is Hobie beach just past the miniature golf course there?edited by: cougarmarkIV, Sep 23, 2009 - 01:40 PM

It's a small beach just past the state park on the SE side of the lake-beach has wood chips but shallows are sandy. It was pretty full all summer but is probably clearing out now

--
eddiecat

Nacra 5.0 (destroyed in storm)
Hobie 16 (restored)
Nacra 5.5- amalgam "Franken Cat"
--

eddiecat

cougarmarkIV

Yup, I'm storing my cougar in Clear Lake, and we just bought a 24 ft coleman camper to use at the State Park, so I can sail on weekends, Maybe I'll see ya this spring!

Is Hobie beach just past the miniature golf course there?edited by: cougarmarkIV, Sep 23, 2009 - 01:40 PM

It's a small beach just past the state park on the SE side of the lake-beach has wood chips but shallows are sandy. It was pretty full all summer but is probably clearing out now

I think that's what used to be called "cougar bay" back in the 70's when cougars owned Clear Lake. That's where I stashed my boat after I broke the mast and my ribs. http://www.thebeachcats.c…ewtopic-topic-11339.html Left her sit there overnight and came back to get her. There were Hobie's sitting on trailers all over the place there! lol



edited by: cougarmarkIV, Sep 28, 2009 - 06:37 PM