So, after buying a well-used P16 last fall and blundering into a complete trailer rebuild, I finally put it in the water this July 4th weekend. Good news first - it did not sink! Bad news next - the tiller assembly fell apart and we had to limp to shore using the end of the main halyard line in place of a bolt that fell out and separated the left - pardon, port - rudder from the tiller crossbar. So,

FIRST LESSON LEARNED - make sure your tiller assembly bolts are properly tightened ensuring that the lock nuts are firmly engaged. ASIDE COMMENTARY - why are bolts used in an assembly that constantly rotates and is quite likely to unscrew the nuts, nylon locks or not? Wouldn't clevis pins be better?

SECOND LESSON LEARNED: if one of your rudders - say, the port one - does not properly lock, DO NOT GO SAILING without fixing this problem! I cannot emphasize this enough - you might think gravity would keep it down but apparently those locking mechanisms are there for a reason and not because Prindle likes fancy mechanisms. Evidently the water WILL pull the ruder back as the boat picks up speed, and that will make the tiller effort required so high that you will have to forgo the hiking stick and control the tiller by grabbing the cross bar.

THIRD LESSON LEARNED: before raising the mast, make sure your main and jib halyard lines are not tangled - it is difficult to impossible to untangle them once the mast is up.

FOURTH LESSON LEARNED: if your main and jib halyard are tangled up once the mast is up and you can't raise the main sail, it might be tempting to decide that since you're just learning you can go ahead and sail without the jib. DON'T! Drop the mast, untangle the halyards, raise the mast again and go out with two sails. This boat DOES NOT want to tack without the jib! Especially if your rudders are not 100% - see SECOND LESSON LEARNED above.

But aside from having very hard time steering, having to rig a rope replacement for a bolt, missing a jib and not properly downhauling (or, at first, properly hoisting) the main sail, and blundering into the high traffic narrow channel out of which I had to be towed - it was a BLAST! I can't wait to do it again with working tiller and a full and properly hoisted complement of sails - this boat is a ton of fun if you get it to actually catch wind!

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Mike
Prindle 16
Rochester, NY
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mgoltsman, well done, no one got hurt and you made it back safely. Learning to sail is exactly that, learning from your mistakes, especially when there is no other cat sailor to give you tips, get your rudders dialed in and sailing will be especially enjoyable..

http://www.thebeachcats.c…pictures?g2_itemId=89541

On my P16, I used the Hobie tiller connection kit, I like the fact that one side is contoured to fit the round tiller/tiller connector bars and the other side is flat for the contact surface. The springs keep constant tension so the nylon lock-nuts do not come loose, I did however have to go with a longer SS bolt on that kit as the Prindle tillers are slightly larger in diameter.

Thanks for the suggestion - just picked them up on Amazon. Certainly seems better to let nylon bits to turn against each other and against the metal tubes than letting metal tubes rotate against the bolt and nut.

Also thanks for the reference to the rudder mechanism - I see restringing that in my immediate future



Edited by mgoltsman on Jul 07, 2014 - 09:43 AM.

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Mike
Prindle 16
Rochester, NY
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Another suggestion,

Once your mast is stepped, and there's something tangled ( halyards,
traplines etc etc ), just pull the boat on its side and untangle the lot.
Unless you are in a very harsh environment ( tarmac, concrete ..) its
easier to flip the cat and sort out things instead of restepping the mast.
An P16 should be easy to flip solo on land.

Regards, André

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Tornado (80's Reg White)
Prindle 18-2 (sold)
Dart 16 (hired and hooked)
13 mtr steel cutter (sold)
Etap 22, unsinkable sailing pocket cruiser.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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