Getting knocked down question.

pbr3232

New Member
I have been sailing a Force 5 for a few months and that is the limit of my sailing experience. I want to get a Capri 14.2 so my wife can go along in some comfort. I had a couple of questions about the boat. If you get knocked over by the wind how easy is it to right the boat and does the boat have good floatation. With my Force 5 I get knocked down alot and I can just flip it over easy and keep on going. With the Capri how much harder would it be to right it.

Thank You

Peter
 
I watch the students sail their 14.2 all the time in Ventura Harbor and every student must tip the boat over, right it and then get back in it without any help. Most of the younger students have so much fun tipping it over that they do it over and over, and some can right it and get back aboard in less than a minute, I have yet to see a student be unable to do so. These students range from teens to at least 55 or so. They tie a orange life vest to the mast head before tipping it over, so it won't turtle, and then stand on the rail until it flips. Without the orange life vest, or a Baby Bob, the boat would either fill with water or turtle fairly fast. I have yet to tip mine over, but my day will come and since I have a Baby Bob on it, I am sure I could both right it and get back aboard, and I am 63 years old. I watched one young student tip it over and as it went over he climbed over the side and stood on the center board and then leaned out and it righted itself without him even getting wet. He did this about three times in a row.
 
gettting knocked down

Peter, I have had my 14.2 mod 1987 for 5 years now, it has been a blast. I am 49 and often, most of the time am out single handing the boat. I have learned many things through this forum, but one of the most important is to not wait till the weather takes you over but have it become a drill that is practiced a few times a season. The mast float is a cheap insurance policy against going turtle. The next consideration is how to get back in the boat. The transom is taller than some of the other boats that lay closer to the waterline. I keep a rope ladder in the cockpit tied to the rear hiking straps, When folded it is well out of the way. I have found that it helps me get back in very easily. This season I went over 1 time in 20 mph Plus gusts and 3 times practicing the recovery and boat re-entry, With the Baby Bob it is quit easy to bring the boat back up, and the rope ladder has made it a breeze to get back it. Best of luck finding a 14.2 Anthony
 
I second the transom ladder - after I acidentially went over my adult daughter wasn't able to climb over the transon, and I had quite a bit of trouble (coincidentially I'm also 49). We were in the process of coming back to the ramp anyway so she just had me tow her in.

I added a 5 qt plastic motor oil jug as a mast float, with it keeping mast horizontal I had no trouble bring the boat back upright, which I had practised last year a few times in shallow water.
 
Does anyone have experience capsizing there boat when using floatation panels? They look something like this...

sequel_headboard.jpg

They fit over the head of the sail (the ones I have are open at the top so the halyard goes through the top and attaches to the sail as usual).

I got a set of these when I bought my C14.2 and have never had the "opportunity" (if you want to call it that) to see how effective they are. I put them on the other day when I was out in a nearly 20 mph blow, the whole time wondering if they actually work. I guess I could do a capsize drill and see, but the water's getting kind of cold here in Iowa, and I really don't want to deal with a turtled boat while fighting-off hypothermia! ;)
 
I turtled once and found it wasn't too difficult to recover. Hardest part was getting back inside the boat. I keep a rope ladder run through the cockpit drain and tied off to the hiking strap, then it is pulled over the transom so it does not drag in the water. I did a lot capsizing of practice in the shallows until I got comfortable getting in/out of the boat, and I have a 10 year old boy so I needed to make sure he knew what to do if we capsize. I haven't capsized the Capri with him, but I did have him on a hobie 16 when I had a pontoon fold/collapse and we cartwheeled. That caught us all off guard, he didn't like that at all.

I have stood the Capri up on a rail many times and had water come over the low seat without capsizing. It is pretty exciting but I don't recommend it. I capsized several times after I bought the boat, but have the boat rigged better and have a lot of experience in the boat now. My capsizing has typically been when I was solo, and got distracted with food or a drink, then got hit by a big gust.

-Robert
1989 Capri 14.2 Mod 2
1984 Catalina 22
 
I have stood the Capri up on a rail many times and had water come over the low seat without capsizing.

Robert, that's some tricky sailing, you must be standing on the windward rail at that attitude and with the rudder out of the water ....no steering except for weather helm, how exciting is that!!
 
I wish someone would have taken a picture the times I've stood it up. The first time was in a loaner Capri, and I had 3 young boy scouts in the boat with me. They were not amused. This was the first time I sailed a Capri and really fell in love with the boat. I bought one shorty after. Plus, the Capri sails a lot like my Catalina 22, only smaller. I have only sailed my Catalina 22 about 3 times this whole year, but have sailed the Capri a few dozen times between Georgia lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Intercoastal Waterway around Destin, Florida. I bought a trolling motor, but only had it on the boat once.

The other times I stood the boat up on the rail, maybe 4-5 other times, I have been out solo and was surprised that I didn't capsize. The boat really stalls out, it loses just about all forward momentum. I end up standing one foot on the barney post, the other foot on/under a hiking strap, body leaning back as far as I can. Jib/Main sheets both in one hand and the tiller extension in the other hand. I know other people frown upon having the main cleated, but I keep the main cleated so I can keep my hands a little loose.

My first summer out, this would certainly have been a capsizing event. Since then, I have all the rigging tuned up and snugged up, and everything performs better... including myself.

My favorite changes that I think help me the most for sailing/racing:
1) I knocked out the bump stop of the mainsheet block, so the mainsheet cleat will rotate 360 degrees. Now the mainsheet cleat will turn and face me anywhere I go on the boat.
2) added an angle block under the mainsheet cleat to change the angle of the cleat. When I am hiking out, I had to use my foot to get the mainsheet cleated. Raising the angle of attack, allows me to get the sheet cleated much easier.
3) purchased a good tiller extension.
4) paid a sailmaker to sew in reefing points in the main, so I can sail solo in heavier air.
5) snuggled up the rigging, many people like the rigging a little loose.
6) fixed the mainsheet traveler block, so the block always stays in the center.
7) removed the centerboard bungee, now I use a line to cleat it down/up, so it only moves when I want it to. Not good for when I run aground though. And, I forgot to cleat it up and it split after I beached the boat once, a wave picked up the boat and pushed it sideways back down onto the centerboard. Marine epoxy fixed it up.

-Robert
1989 Capri mod 2
1984 Catalina 22
 
Robert ! .....Thanks for sharing the Tips, I'm now looking forward to next summer's sailing.

I was seriously considering fabricating a weighted CB but then, ....what would be the point of having a Capri 14.2 :cool:
 
Allatoona ?

Robert: Can you better describe the angle block you installed beneath the Mainsheet Cleat? Or a photo would be nice. RK
 
Here are a couple of pictures, I circled in red a couple of the interesting pieces.

The first two are of the angled block to change the angle of attack on the mainsheet cleat. Also, notice where I have removed the bumpstop so the cleat will turn 360 degrees around.

The "Forespar" is my tiller extension, it was expensive, but it works great. I have friends that swear by a mop handle and a nail.

Outside transom is my "rope ladder" to get myself back into the boat when I capsize.

Inside the transom is my mainsheet traveler, I keep it tied so it doesn't travel very much.

The next is a small block that I use on the jib halyard, so I can get the jib very tight.

The last two are the top of the centerboard, I use the black line to force the centerboard to stay down. I run the line through a carabiner on the barney post, then back through the old centerboard cleat.

The pictures might be better seen with the boat rigged up on the water, but my garage will have to do for now. It's only October and I'm hoping to have another month or two of lake sailing left for the season here in Georgia.

-Robert
 

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Mainsheet Cleat Angle

Alltoona: Thanks for the photos. Looks like the mainsheet cleat angle was made by a 15 degree riser for Harken standard cam cleat as sold by West Marine. I think I'll try it! RK
 
Thanks for the pictures, Robert.

I don't see your jib halyard block picture -- is it different than the block Catalina supplied?

-- Ed
 
The jibsheet block is picture 6. I have the standard block attached to the mast, but below is a block I tied into the halyard(circled in red). I run the halyard down through a cleat on the mast then back up through the block and back down. This creates a pulley system so I can tighten up the leading edge of the jib, allows me to point a little higher into the wind.
 
Aye, so that is very similar to the Catalina diagram (see Free C14 Handbook pfd link above -- page 16). The only difference is Catalina supplies a block with a becket to which you tie what they call a jib halyard pennant, that extends down and through the lower mast cleat, and then back up through the block and finally down through the jib halyard jam cleat.

I run this factory setup, but actually use a cleat knot at the lower mast cleat (setting the jib rather loose), then run as stated above. This allows me to really haul the jib halyard tight (through the clam cleat), but easily release the halyard back to the loose setting when needed. BTW, this is just what several people have suggested here.

My only gripe is that I am still really inept at loosening any line that has been jam cleated. Any suggestions on a technique that works quickly? My problem is that the line keeps re-jamming.

Again, thanks Robert!

-- Ed
 
Jam Cleat removal --- wear gloves and pull down on the line quickly to pop it out. But, my easiest method is to hold the line in one hand and use a foot to stand on the line to pry it out.
 

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