shs@inmet.UUCP (03/04/84)
#R:eneevax:-7100:inmet:18900003:177600:79 inmet!shs Feb 29 08:56:00 1984 Call Frank Greatorex at Intermetrics (617) 661-1840, I understand he owns one.
jim@hpfloat.UUCP (jim) (01/14/85)
Plan on spending at least $100 for decent binocs. I have some Swift binocs that are ok. My Wife has Bushnell Customs that are very good. B&L, Leitz, etc are great but very expensive. I prefer 7x35 binocs. They are the right compromise between power, weight, width of field, and depth of field, and brightness. They are the most popular size for bird watching. I use mine for that plus sports events. You might consider wide angle, especially for birds and sports if you wear glasses. I understand 7x50 are popular for nautical work. They are brighter but heavier and harder to focus. You can order by mail from places listed in camera mags and Audubon mag. Shop around. Cheap binocs are horrible! Jim (who says you can't Windsurf in Colorado in January?) Tear
rjs@hpfclo.UUCP (rjs) (04/13/85)
>ANOTHER SUBJECT: Does anyone have any experience with >one of the new non-spinnaker down wind sails. They're >called "Spankers," "Gennikers," "Bloopers," etc. I've >heard good and bad. >jaws::couture I don't think you meant to include the term "Blooper" here. A Blooper is a sail used together with a spinnaker (on the side opposite as your spinnaker pole). The greatest advantage of using a blooper is that it tends to cancel the wild oscilations that can lead to major knock downs in heavy following seas. Some people believe that they offer a speed advantage, but, I've never been convinced of this. I am convinced that they will not give enough of a speed advantage to offset the 3second per mile rating change (PHRF). Bob Schneider {ihnp4|hplabs}!hpfcla!hpfclo!rjs
rjs@hpfclo.UUCP (rjs) (04/16/85)
>Subject: Australian technology now available in America >The same revolutionary winged keel and planing hull design that >took the Americas Cup to Australia is now available in a seventeen >foot one-design class racer. I would love to race one against a lightning, especially if I were sailing the lightning. >Harken roller furler, contrasting non-skid deck, self bailing cockpit, Roller furler??? excuse me while I puke! Bob "A racer at heart" Schneider {hplabs|ihnp4}!hpfcla!hpfclo!rjs
dougu@daemon.UUCP (Doug Urner) (04/21/85)
Hmmm, Flying Dutchman seem to do OK with roller furlers.
--
Doug Urner
Small Systems Support Group, Tektronix, Inc
(503)627-5037
..!{decvax,ucbvax}!tektronix!douguec120bgt@sdcc3.UUCP (ANDREW VARE) (04/30/85)
> > > >ANOTHER SUBJECT: Does anyone have any experience with > >one of the new non-spinnaker down wind sails. They're > >called "Spankers," "Gennikers," "Bloopers," etc. I've > >heard good and bad. > > >jaws::couture > > I don't think you meant to include the term "Blooper" here. > A Blooper is a sail used together with a spinnaker (on the > side opposite as your spinnaker pole). The greatest advantage of > using a blooper is that it tends to cancel the wild oscilations > that can lead to major knock downs in heavy following seas. Some > people believe that they offer a speed advantage, but, I've > never been convinced of this. I am convinced that they will not > give enough of a speed advantage to offset the 3second per mile > rating change (PHRF). > > Bob Schneider > {ihnp4|hplabs}!hpfcla!hpfclo!rjs *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR RACING TIPS *** Bob, I hasten to differ with your opinion here. I have raced on many boats [both here in San Diego and up in the SF bay] and have found bloopers to be very fast on certain occasions, notably during heavy weather as you mentioned. Considering that a knockdown may take a minute or two to recover from [from knockdown to refill to course correction to retrim] and in many conditions several knockdowns may lurk in the shadows,[especially in the ocean] a blooper may be a very effective way to gain stability. Fewer knockdowns also means less wear and tear on your kites in the long haul, which keeps them in a more competitive state [read:faster]. On the 1983 Cabo San Lucas race we saw 18 kt. over the deck, and were popping off 16's and 18's on the speedo. Our main sail combination was a running 1.5 oz. and a 1.5 blooper. Without the blooper we would've needed to sail 10-12 degrees higher to maintain stability, and I'm sure would've cost us several places in the standings. My point is that the blooper allowed us to INCREASE VMG, which is the relevant factor on any point of sail, and retain control while sailing lower and faster. Andrew T. Vare
rjs@hpfclo.UUCP (rjs) (07/17/85)
On our Irwin 30, we have a self bailing cockpit. There are 2 holes in
the floor (with stainless steel fittings) that lead to the lake below.
Since the "holes" are above the water level, any water in the cockpit
will drain by itself.
Example: The boat is tied up at dock and the cockpit is dirty. I take a
bucket of water and pour it into the cockpit to wash off the dirt. The
dirty water will drain down the "holes".
Bob Schneider
{ihnp4|hplabs}!hpfcla!hpfclo!rjscball@gabriel.UUCP (03/12/86)
My analysis is that the value of used sailboats has dropped
because of a structrual change in the sailboat market. I doubt
that the current low prices are the result of cyclical changes.
In looking at new sailboats that have been manufactured in the
past two or three years, I am continually amazed at the increase
in usable living space and increased appeal of the interiors. The
new boats tend to have wider beams, and the floorplans make better
use of the space. Instead of narrow floors down the center of
the main cabin, they now follow the hull line to increase the
open space. Instead of a small clasical quarter-berth, quarter-
berths are now frequently built as doubles which utilize previously
wasted space under the cockpit. On some thirty foot boats, there
may even be a door which makes this into a separate cabin. I have
never seen a thirty footer (that had a reasonable PHRF rating) built
in the mid 70's which had this kind of feature. In addition, performance
appears to have improved for a given boat size. There are other
differences, but essentially the sailboat that is built today has
evolved quite a bit from and is comperable to a larger boat that was built
ten years ago. Basically, today's boat is much more appealing to the
boat buying public. Low values for many older boats is a natural
consequence. On the other hand, there are many boats which have
clear market niches and are holding their value. The Sabre line is
one example, Cape Dory appears to be another. The J-24 is only now
begining to slide in value as J-boats has filled in their line between
the 24' and the 30'.
Note that there is no free lunch. My feeling is that many older
boats are frequently designed to make safer offshore cruisers and racers.
Beamier boats are more likely to capsize, and have a decreased righting
moment once they have turned turtle. The interiors, while more attractive,
are designed more for living at a slip than sailing on watches with part
of the crew sleeping at sea. It depends on what you want and are willing
to afford.
I should probably state my bias. I am currently sifting through
the market for a boat because the values of older boats have fallen. If
I had the money I would by an early 80's boat(C&C29, J-30, S-2 9.1, etc).
As it is, I'm looking for an older 30'+ which I can use for a season and
update to current standards for next winter's "project".
Charles Ball
..{ima,ihnp4}!inmet!cball