Getting It Done

Making it Easy

Making things easy to operate on a boat usually means better boatspeed. My name is Chuck Simmons and I own and operate Proctor Masts & Rigging in Newport Beach, CA. A lot of what we do is to make things on a boat work better. We look at every system and every sailor to make everything work as smoothly as possible for that sailor.

I contend that making it all easy starts before you even purchase a boat. People generally want a boat that is well suited to them. I say get a boat that you can afford to treat well. Boats are like women; they want a lot of your time and money. Get one that makes sense for both budgets. Recently, I bought an A Class Catamaran. My A-Cat is well suited to me. I bought a new boat because I don't have the time for a project boat. It is a better boat than I am a sailor so it will continue to be challenging as I improve. It is easy for me to use as I can load it onto the top of my truck and travel from regatta to regatta and is easy to launch. I also have quite a few friends who own one of these boats and quite a few others who wish they did and are just a little bit jealous which suits me just fine.

Before I made my purchase I talked, I read, and I listened to what others had to say. Which boat was best? There are a half dozen builders of the A-Cat. We were putting together a deal for three boats from Australia with a deal on shipping. Financially, my choice was easy. The Australian dollar was plummeting last year when I bought my boat making the price more and more affordable. Shipping was easy, come to San Diego to meet our Olympic team and maybe they can help unload it.

While my boat was the right boat for me, it wouldn't work for others. Before you buy, research, make sure it is a project you want to tackle. Does the boat weigh the right amount? Is the mast straight, stiff, or bendy? Are the sails flat, full, or car covers? The boards fair, light, stiff, dented, or waterlogged? Talk to a sailmaker or rigger about what your needs are. Speak to people active in the individual classes to find out if they are your kind of people. Also find out what kind of information and help they can provide. I always ask people when they call looking for advice on how to rig their 25 year old 470, Snipe, 505, or Fireball if they have checked out the class website. Invariably people find enough information there to get their boats sailing. Sometimes the website may not have quite enough information. Contact people that support each class; Ali Meller in the 505 class, President and Webmaster, Jerelyn Biehl in the Snipe class, Secretary and another invaluable treasure trove of information are two examples. Most of these people have been involved in their classes for a number of years. They will remember that old Vanguard or Chubasco or know someone who did or who still sails that type of boat. They want the class to improve and grow and are extremely helpful.

Now comes the easy stuff although it is probably the hardest work. Do all the simple, easy stuff first. Wash the boat, assemble it, and go sailing. This sounds easy but sometimes the hardest thing is to get the boat sailing. After your first sail make a list, thinking of things that would have made it easier. Start at the beginning, was it hard to launch? What will make it easier? Did the sail go up smoothly? Maybe the track or groove needs lubricating. "Fastrack" or "McLube " work well. Again, get all of these simple easy items taken care of first.

What to do and look for? Any sailboats biggest enemy is chafe, so look anywhere there is rubbing contact. Halyards entry and exit points, the Boom against the shrouds, spinnaker sheets on the lifelines. Look for any missing parts, most notably clevis pins, cotter pins, or rings. If it is a mast that goes in and out of the boat everyday make it easy and use a fast pin or an Avibank pin. Does the mainsheet need more purchase? Sailing MC Scows in the Midwest a lot of young women will lead the mainsheet for more purchase to the other block. I used to sail against some old guys on a Schock 35 with a yellow deck and when the breeze came up they added another single block with quick pins to increase the purchase by 2:1. Again, both of these are examples of making it easy which allowed both groups to keep adjusting the mainsheet and ultimately go faster.

Just because you bought a new boat doesn't mean it is right for you yet. A lot of new boats need just as much work to get to a highly competitive state versus an older campaigned boat. Recently we started helping a Schock 40 get race ready. Most of the problems on my list were chafe oriented. The mainsheet as it goes thru the deck chafes. Another chafe problem were funky steering cable leads. These boats have fore and aft rudders with the tiller steering from 4' forward of the aft rudder. The cables leading to the forward rudder did not have a fair-lead and were rubbing across a bulkhead edge. Having discussed the problem with others it became apparent the only solution was to lead the cables through the icebox. We found some 3" PVC tubing and cut holes in the icebox as far back and up as we could go. We installed the tubing with bushings on each end, re-led the cables through the tube, and Bob's your Uncle, the steering became as light as a feather. Another example of making it easy, making it faster.

Most things are common problems among many different boats, i.e. outhaul, vang and backstay may need more purchase, or lead off to each side so the crew does not have to go in the boat to ease or pull-on. We have one customer who is active in the Snipe class who sails with a small child to help offset some weight issues. This presents him with some unique problems. His crew is usually not strong enough to pull on the vang or outhaul to his satisfaction. Rather than deal with repeated frustration we led the vang and outhaul aft where the skipper can easily reach them on each side of the boat while keeping the majority of the weight out on the rail.

Any boat will need continued maintenance to keep it easy to use and sail. Anything mechanical is the first to require continued maintenance, i.e. winches. Winches have to be the most ignored item on sailboats. Common thought is if it aint broken don't fix it. Most winches will work for a long time without service just like your car will run a long time without adding oil to it. Eventually both will die, the engine won't start one morning and the winch will freeze up and not spin anymore or worse yet will free wheel when it gets its first real load. It will break your wrist when it happens. Winches should be serviced a couple of times a year dependant on usage. Servicing winches doesn't have to be a horrible "bilge cleaning" operation. Go to an auto parts store and get disc brake cleaner in an aerosol can, lite oil, and winch lube or light grease. Disassemble one winch at a time so you always have a model on the other side of the boat should something "Heaven Forbid" not go right with the one you are working on. Another thought is to go to the manufacturer's website and download and print an exploded view of your winch. As you take parts off the winch, spray them with brake cleaner and let dry. Lube the gears and rollers with grease, the pawls and pawl springs with oil. Reassemble and try it out.

Another overlooked item is the mast. (Fortunately for me) Continued maintenance on a mast is fairly easy. Keep it clean, look for chafe, and make sure it is grounded well. Wash it and wax it, and use bronze wool or stainless steel on the shrouds. You will find broken strands in the wire which indicates the need for replacement or you will shine it up and help the stainless wire last longer. Make sure it is straight and has rake similar to the fastest boats just like it. Throw a tape party, re-taping the spreaders and turnbuckles with fresh tape. If not, too much tape will hold moisture and your spreaders will become aluminum dust. Make sure all of your sheaves turn freely and lube them. Check clevis pins and replace extra-long ones with the correct length. Make sure the mast is grounded to the sacrificial anode or the paint will start bubbling away.

The first thing a new boat usually wants is sails. Whether the boat is brand new with no sails or the boat is new to you and you want new sails to be more competitive. Keep some of the old sails, maybe you will want to classify the 6 sets that came with the boat and relegate the worst to car covers. Check the stitching, thread rots out before the fabric so many sails can be restitched such as older furling covers. Check the battens, are they in one piece or two or three? Does the leech line pull or is it in two pieces? Are there any holes or loose patches? Are the headboard lugs OK? Worry about shape and speed issues last.

It's probably time to go sailing again and figure out more things to make it easy. Keep a list with an eye towards making it easy, making it simple, making it fast.

Editor's Note: Chuck is one of the true good guys of the sport. He's been rigging for what seems like forever (just ask him), and he's a guy with a quick smile, an easy disposition (especially when drinking) and one who's always glad to help out (at $55.00 per hour). Despite Chuck taking forever to write this damn article, we still love him! You may reach Chuck at his website, www.proctormasts.com.