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About Paul124ac

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  • Birthday 10/25/1966
  1. Paul124ac

    A class mast

    Been looking, couple of carbon masts but no allys. I don't want to overcapitalise on this boat, I'm looking around for a Taipan and will sell it eventually, maybe, perhaps. The Maastrom I have is pretty good, should repair ok. I'm in NE Vic.
  2. Paul124ac

    A class mast

    Anyone got an A class ally mast for sale? I have a 2 piece carbon one :-( that will be fixed when and if I get the time but I need a stick to get back on the water. Prefer a 9m one, but happy if it's 9.6. I had one given to me recently that's 8m, I've cut it twice but it's still too short.
  3. Paul124ac

    What type of mainsheet?

    +1 for the Liros 6mm, runs beautifully thru my 9:1 system and more importantly thru the trav.
  4. Paul124ac

    Got any storm stories?

    We get some ripper shows here, but plenty of warning. I did get caught out about 2 years ago about 12nm from the club, I was in the trailer bucket. Heard the warnings on the ABC and got a call on the VHF from a few concerned individuals, we were battened down with no sail, storm boards in and watching the bom radar. As the front approached it was eery, as described calm as but you could see the water a mile ahead was white for about 20 feet up from the surface and you could hear the noise. When it hit the biggest concern was an 8m lightning conductor stuck above us, turned all the electrics off and crossed fingers and prayed to my various gods. The strikes around us were incredible and the thunder was like a very close cannon, I witnessed that once when I sailed the wrong side of the Endeavour replica when it saluted the Port of Hobart. Right in the middle of the maelstrom the bloody OB quit, something it's never done before or since. We were struggling to get a storm jib up when another TS from the club appeared under motor, they'd got caught out and broached with only a jib up, broke their rudder and were running with it to shelter in a nearby bay where another boat was riding it out. We towed in, by the time we sorted the shit out the storm had passed and it was back to a sunny day, weird. I've been caught a few times in a "Big End First" seabreeze on the Derwent. Once in a Pacer and twice in an NS14. The second time in the northy the fleet was pummelled, one lass smashed her leg when she got it caught between the upturned boat and one of the piles of the Tasman Bridge. We were screaming on a reach, the fastest I've ever been in an NS, smiling from ear to ear when the rudder blade snapped. Didn't even know what was happening, one second fun the next fu*k. Ended up on the shore, secured the boat and started the long lonely walk of shame. When we got back to the club it was chaos with the Police launch as well as a couple of private cruisers involved in various rescues. The only time I've been really shit scared was West Coast of Tas in a 43ft cray boat, 30ft seas and 75knt gusts. We had a 40ft yacht shadowing us running for shelter, I was losing the top of his mast in the troughs. Skipper was very concerned about broaching the boat and having the yacht fall on us, although at the time I was terrified and completely unaware of that threat, I was completely convinced I was going to die. How the blokes in the 98 S2H got thru that I'm stuffed if I know.
  5. My first response to a gust is the trav, watch a cat of any type get hammered, dumping the main sheet tends to move the power UP the sail just where you don't want it. I've buried Mari and H14 leeward hulls under purposefully and tried both methods, dumping the trav works better and is quicker to get powered back up, it keeps the sail flat.Works the same on monos, I've played the trav in 35 plus to great effect. Totally agree about when flying a hull and you get a gust, feather the boat up and you can keep it balanced but it ain't fast. If you think about it cats don't have vangs, or at least not real effective ones, so the main sheet is there to keep the sail flat and the traveller to keep the angle of attack correct, Skiffs can vang sheet and can also foot off and raise the board a touch and remain flat and fast. If I did as the article suggested on the A I'd be swimming a lot (more than i do now).Downwind is different, If you dump the main on a Viper with the kite up you'll risk the mast, no backstay. As KOJ suggests soak in the gusts and head up for speed in the lulls. A word of caution, when gybing pull the trav back to centre as the sail swings thru the breeze, then quickly back out as you come up.
  6. Paul124ac

    Windrush 14 sail wanted

    Good, been missing that spew green boat on the water.
  7. Paul124ac

    Windrush 14 sail wanted

    What's wrong with the 2 sails you've got Jim Bob?
  8. Paul124ac

    NSW police measuring boat width

    Been pulled over twice with the trailer bucket for overdimension, first time was 0730 at Harietville on my way to Payensville, copper didn't want to let me go until he'd checked that my info was correct. I now carry this document: http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/9EB0518E-760C-4BC3-B067-844F9CC410D1/0/TR2004222.pdf Haven't been pulled over again, but I do tow a lot in NSW and I wonder if it'd be legal there?
  9. Paul124ac

    New VYC ratings

    We as a yacht club were contacted for results of 2 boats, RS100 and Musto skiff, but the VC refused to give YV the info, stating that both boats were sailed by exceptional sailors and the local conditions were such that accurate results against other classes was impossible, I think it's known as a "Flyer" in data aquisition? How many other clubs gave YV skewed data? Both these boats are regularly beating A's and Taipans on handicap, mainly because we sail in light airs and short courses. Interestingly though the new YS was applied retrospectively to these boats and they still won. Mixed fleet is crap but what do you do? Everybody has their own taste and budget when it comes to boats. Mitch, do you reckon there are more cats being sailed in the last 5 years, this is driving the lower yardsticks? We've had an incredible surge in cat sailors locally, and there is still a lot of interest from new boatless members.
  10. Paul124ac

    New VYC ratings

    Hmm. So I'd be better off sailing with an ally mast and a squaretop to get 71, rather than carbon and cop 69.5? Pretty flat conditions here, carbon might not be worth it. There are some burgular boats that have been fixed I see, RS100 was a glaring example. Bloody fast jiggers, and were around 115 from memory.
  11. Paul124ac

    How should i fix this???

    I was going to add that riveting pliers are not the best for any rivet 3/16" or over, either use the concertina type or air riveters, seems I don't have to. If its any consolation I stuck a pozidrive bit thru my finger the other day when screwing trim back onto an old caravan, then later the same day I was putting the inside trim on and air nailed the end of my thumb, same hand. Beer fixed it. Mate down the road managed to put 2 75mm framing nails into his leg recently, don't use your thigh as a workbench for a framing gun.
  12. Paul124ac

    How should i fix this???

    Fibreglass rivets would be better, also known as Peel rivets, they don't stress the 'glass rather they peel back like a banana as the name suggests. I've used ally large head rivets on the Hydra as I couldnt get peels locally unless I bought 1000, after now fixing 4 tramp tracks I wish I hada bought the damn box.
  13. The hydra would have to be one of the easier racing cats to sail. I've never sailed anything cat or otherwise that you can just let go of the tiller and they still track dead straight, even with a hull in the air. I just sold one of mine to a complete newbie, he loves the thing. Yeah they'll bite like any cat but I reckon they're a great learning boat, have a crack.
  14. Paul124ac

    No dolphin-striker on my Hydra??

    I wouldn't think a Hydra really needs one, they have a pretty big front beam. I sailed my ex-boat on Sunday in 18 to 20 with myself at 100kg and crew at 130kg, it's an old boat with plenty of miles on it and never had a striker. I've got another Hydra, that doesn't have a striker either.