Posted: Sep 21, 2023 - 09:36 AM
I am a long time SC 19 owner and I still own one though it has not been sailed in a while, I have no one to sail with...
A word of caution though; the original sailplan was 'less than ideal'. The boat had a short mast shared with the SC 17, and a sail with a huge roach, when the wind came up that sail would become very deep very suddenly and control was difficult. the best solution was a VERY stiff bottom batten. A better quality sail was also suggested as the original was likely to stretch out of shape. The boat was modified a couple times specifically I believe because it did not meet the goal of solidly outperforming the Nacra 5.8. At some point Tom made the beams longer to give the boat the 8 1/2 foot full allowable trailering width. The mast was also changed and there were 2 versions; the 19 X initially meant a taller 31 ft ? mast along with a main sail with a lot LESS roach to better match the Nacra, I sail that version and love it-the sail is far more controlable. Then there was the 19 xl, it got the 33 ft mast from the SC20 and more sail area, there is no question it would be fast but I suspect you would not need it in an area with more wind. My boat was such a model originally and it was sold to a person in Florida however the sail was old so I used my 31 foot mast in the Long Island great South Bay where 15-20 kt wind is common. At some later time the 19X name was given to a different version, the tall mast but no centerboards. i never saw one of those.
Note, those revised sails have a shorter length as I recall at the bottom and never needed the boom batten to help flatten them.
One last comment on the original mast, the earliest boats did not have spreaders, as the SC 17 never needed them. Apparrently some early masts bent under load, so spreaders were added to the short mast. Many were also retro fitted also, Hopefully your mast has the spreaders already!
Newcomers to the SC boats often make a couple mistakes when sailing.
Do not be afraid to keep your weight forward! this is not like a Hobie ,ready to pitch pole! You may even let the lee hull run underwater and remain stable. haha, you will be very wet though with spray. Watch the stern, the boat should run with the bottom of the stern at the water level. if there is too much weight to the rear the stern will drag slowing the boat. I always did well in my shallow bay with the boards less than fully down. have fun, im envious!
Edited by bogie52 on Sep 21, 2023 - 11:54 AM.