Best sailing day yet, with some (daggerboard?) chatter

stollie

stollie

Active Member
Low intermediate sailor. Yesterday was my first time out in small whitecap chop, big grin on my face, even on the circus acts that are my jibes.

It seemed like the daggerboard would chatter when I picked up some speed; please let me know if it's anything to worry about, or if popping it out a few inches would cause the chatter/noise to stop; I should have tried that, but didn't.

I recently started using the bungee keeper (seen in pics) around the mast; previously, I was using a slack piece of cord. There's no slack now with the bungee, so I don't know if the bit of pull on the board is changing the board's position, causing the chatter.
 

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It’s not going to cause any trouble. Appears you use the board long edge fwd. maybe the board has a warp too it. Those foam boards can warp if kept where it’s too not but still work fine to get you where you are going.
 
Previous owner(s) used the board with the long edge forward, going by the notches left on the deck by the little blue stoppers. Going by the assumption that this is the correct way, I've been using it the same way. Should I switch? Also, going by what appears to be grain showing through where the paint wore off, I thought that the board is wooden. It sure looks like wood.
 
stollie said:
Previous owner(s) used the board with the long edge forward ... Going by the assumption that this is the correct way, I've been using it the same way.
Click to expand...
That IS the only correct way. That's what the cross-section is shaped for.

going by what appears to be grain showing through where the paint wore off, I thought that the board is wooden. It sure looks like wood.
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Not wood. Closed-cell polyurethane foam. Built by Crompton in England, exactly like the "classic" Laser foils... and displaying the same symptoms of wear and aging, like the rust spots which originate from the internal reinforcement grid.

_
 
I’ve read that you can glue a small strip of thin carpet or such in the forward edge of the daggerboard trunk to prevent that humming or chatter. I’ve never needed to try it, maybe someone else here can confirm?
 
I liked signal-charlie's answer:

Daggerboard humming....kinda fixed

So...busting along today on KY Lake...and the centerboards starts to sing. For some reason it was a little annoying....so I only pulled it up about 5 inches... and it stopped humming. So...I've got the original '69 board, which admittedly was in sad shape when I got the boat. So I sanded and...
sailingforums.com sailingforums.com
 
stollie said:
Low intermediate sailor. Yesterday was my first time out in small whitecap chop, big grin on my face, even on the circus acts that are my jibes.
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Don't low-rate yourself... you're out there learning, and that's what counts. And I'll let you in on a little secret: even the best skippers---and I don't care if they deny it---but even the best skippers occasionally perform gybes that resemble circus acts, LOL. :eek:

Usually when the breeze picks up and the surface chop gets nasty... some factor will kick in and ruin the best-laid plans for a smooth gybe, and the skipper will curse his (or her) boat in fine seafaring tradition, LOL. :rolleyes:

Don't let any of those 'expert sailors' fool ya, even the best pros have their moments when sheets hang up, lines slip through fingers, a sudden wicked gust hits at the worst possible time, etc., etc. Don't ask me how I know this... just carry on with your maneuvers and make the best of each one. ;)

Fremont said:
Mine chatters at high speed. Figured it was the nature of the beast. My Hobie rudders hum at high speed...they don't know the words...:D
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Haha, Fremont, give 'em a lyric sheet and they'll be singin' like Sinatra, LOL. :cool:
 
stollie said:
It seemed like the daggerboard would chatter when I picked up some speed; please let me know if it's anything to worry about, or if popping it out a few inches would cause the chatter/noise to stop; I should have tried that, but didn't.
Click to expand...
Here's a way you can narrow down whether chatter, hum or whatever sounds you are hearing are imperfections in your board itself or just that your board isn't being held firmly enough in your daggerboard case.

Daggerboard humming....kinda fixed

So...busting along today on KY Lake...and the centerboards starts to sing. For some reason it was a little annoying....so I only pulled it up about 5 inches... and it stopped humming. So...I've got the original '69 board, which admittedly was in sad shape when I got the boat. So I sanded and...
sailingforums.com sailingforums.com

- Andy
 
Yes, you can eliminate dagger board humm by glueing some thin carpeting strips in the dagger board trunk. . I have done this to all of my race boats over the years and it takes less less than a half hour. Find some thin indoor/outdoor caperting and cut a strip about 6" long and and 1" wide. By thin, mean less than 1/4" thick. Then glue then strip inside the daggerboard hole fore and aft about an inch down from the deck. I use Contact Cement. Apply to both surfaces, let dry and then join the strip to the inside of the trunk. Let sit for a few hours then insert the board. If too tight, sand the carpet strip with 100 grit sandpaper until you get the desired fit. This should eliminate the humm. If not, your board may be warped.

And yes, you want the long end forward, no question about that.

Alaen Glos
Cazenovia, NY
 
Point taken, L&VW. When all factory made boards were made out of wood, the rounding of the edges was pretty much the same on all edges so even though the boards were not symetrical, it did not make a whole lot of difference how you inserted the board in the trunk. The newer, plastic boards
are a true hydrofoil shape and the blunt edge really needs to the leading edge or you will be dead slow. Case in point. I once loaned my race boat with a new plastic board to my son for a one-day regatta. He was a pretty good racer but ended at the tail end of the fleet only to find out that he had the board backwards.

Alan Glos
 
Haha, L&VW, you funneh... I'm thinking that 'Head Cleaner' title was reserved for groupies, LOL. ;)

Somehow that reminds me of seeing Van Halen in concert when they first hit the big-time... their promoters or managers or whoever fell short of the mark, booking only two shows with one end of the Sports Arena curtained off, 5000 fans per show. Tickets sold out so darned fast that they immediately added shows and seats... but I was there for that first show, along with one brother and two of our friends. Boy, I'll tell ya, ol' Diamond Dave was quite the showman, and he drew those gold-diggers like flies... you wouldn't believe how many good-looking gals were lined up to go backstage, LOL. Good show, even though the Sports Arena was notorious for its bad acoustics. I think that might have been the very first concert Van Halen played once they hit the big-time, an idea borne out by the fact that the promoters only offered 5000 seats... they didn't realize how popular the band had already become after their debut album. :rolleyes:

To this day, I have fond memories of tearing along Highway S-2 in Anza-Borrego at 100 m.p.h. in the Olds, all rigged to go camping in the desert for a few days, the classic Van Halen tune "D.O.A." cranked on the stereo... that one came out on the second album, and it has always been a favorite of mine, LOL. :cool:
 
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