suggestions for spring!!!

C

c14_drew

New Member
I'm going to throw this out there since it's cold in upstate ny and we are getting a foot foot of snow tonight... I'm thinking spring. I am a new member on the forum and have an old capri mod 1 (1987) hull # 1807. I have not sailed the boat in 10 years and at that it has only been sailed around 15 times. Sails on the boat are factory and crisp. Does anyone think i should replace rigging? (its been kept in the garage). I have also read several people having issues with the hatch, mine closes tightly and stays shut. Any other suggestions about things to take a look at before I sail in the spring.
________
AVANDIA ATTORNEY
 
A lot of people replace all the lines with a smaller (thinner) size. It makes things easier to handle.

For sure, I recommend you very carefully examine the shrouds and forestay and replace them if needed. If it were me, I'd replace them no matter what (no examination would be necessary for me).
 
Things to check

I'd also check the jam cleats for the mainsheet and jib sheets. Make sure they open and close smoothly and spring back closed when the sheet is removed. Replace them if they're bad.

Make sure the drain plug seals tightly. One way to check is to simply dump a gallon of water in the cuddy and make sure water doesn't drip out around the plug. Then open the plug, drain the bilge, and close it again. If the plug is bad, you can get a new one for a few bucks from Catalina.

Lastly, buy a Capri 14.2 handbook. (Order form can be downloaded from this website.) It has a lot of good info on ways to improve your Capri.
 
paul and ed

paul do you have a size on the rigging (diameter)?

ed , 2 things can you lubricate the jam cleats?

I have the capri owners manual/rigging guide as well as the constitution and bylaws of racing, is the handbook different?
________
F1 642
 
I thought for sure Ed had written the info regarding replacing all the lines in our forum. But, I've done a complete search and I can't find it. Perhaps it was lost somehow. I know he published it in an older issue of Mainsheet magazine as well.

Ed, can you repost that valuable information? Perhaps in it's own thread so that it is easy to find in the future? I'll copy it into our website FAQ section as well if you will allow me to do so.

It sounds like you have much of what is in my version of the handbook (which is about five years old). Mine also has a tuning guide and a list of many helpful hints. The newer version may have even more info. I'll let Ed comment on that.
 
Running Rigging

First things first, yes, it's OK to lube the jam cleats. Just use regular 3 in 1 oil. And Paul, here's the Mainsheet article on running rigging by Clayton Watson. By all means, post it in the FAQs. But keep in mind he's a bit of a fanatic.

Upgrading Your Running Rigging - By: Clayton Watson - Last year I upgraded all my running rigging and have been very happy with my selections. Here’s what I recommend:

First of all, forget about using dacron for any of the running rigging excepty for maybe the cunningham, downhaul, and outhaul. There are now several varieties of polypropylene ropes on the market that are designed to be used as sheets on racing dinghies. Polypropylene is superior to dacon in that it is lighter, runs freer, and best of all, it does not absorb water, so it stays light even when it's been submerged. (It even floats!) These ropes are sold under the names "Marstron" (by Marlow) and "Flair", as sold by www.apsltd.com.

A side note: The other day I saw a 3/8" polypropylene braided rope being sold at Home Depot, but I would beware of this product for use on a boat. It is doubtful if the considerations of sail handling, particularly with respect to the need to run freely and QUICKLY through blocks and captive cleats, went into the design or manufacture. Good rope that IS intended for sailing is still cheap enough, and you need so little of it relatively speaking on a dinghy, that it isn't worth it to try to save a few pennies on stuff that isn't exactly what you need and want.

The factory supplies 3/8" dacron for the jibsheet. The only reason to use anything larger than a 1/4" line is for the "hand", i.e., how it feels in your palm when you're trimming it under load. 1/4" can really bite into your hand, although it is plenty strong enough to do the job. My new jibsheet is the 5/16 Marstron polypropylene. Great stuff which I highly recommend.

For my mainsheet I chose the 3/8" "Flair" 16 plait polypropylene. This stuff is fantastic - extremely light and flexible with zero water absorbtion. I don't know of any place to get it other than APS (Annapolis Performance Sailing - www.apsltd.com - 1-800-729-9767) Ask them for their catalog - it's a treasure trove. The Layline (www.layline.com, or see the links on our Sales/Store page) is also an excellent place to buy rope and other critical parts for your boat.

For both my halyards I chose Vectrus 12 1/8". That's right, one eighth inch! This stuff is made of kevlar, and has a breaking strenth in excess of 2000 lbs! And like the polypropylene, it does not absorb water. Therefore you can downsize very aggresively. Some big boats even use it for running backstays because it is so strong and much lighter than stainless steel cable of equal strength. I chose two different colors to help differentiate between the main and the jib halyard. I also replaced the big honkin' block the factory supplied for the jib halyard up the mast with a Harken 16mm Airblock, which is a fraction of the size and weight, reducing both weight aloft and windage - each of which are anathema to overall rig performance.

I threw out my halyard shackles too. Instead I just tie my halyards to the heads of my sails. A good knot is not only more reliable than a shackle, but more importantly, it weighs a lot less, and again, dispenses with superfluous windage. A Fisherman's Bend will do, but I prefer the more obscure Buntline Hitch, which is actually simpler to tie once you learn it, and just as secure as the Fisherman's Bend. A Buntline Hitch is simply a Clove Hitch tied around the standing part of the line. I use 'em on my halyards and they have never failed. (The old salts used to use them to attach sheets to the clews of the giant sails on square-riggers; when I learned that, I knew it had to be a reliable knot.) An instuctional animation for this knot and others can be seen at: http://131.230.57.1/knots.htm

I have been teased by some people by making such a fuss about reducing weight aloft. I don't care. I weighed my old lines and hardware against my new ones. I save a full POUND aloft on my Capri 14.2. That is the same weight as a typical full jar of peanut butter. The ratio of that dead pound of weight aloft on a 340 lb Capri 14 is directly analogous to the weight of a bowman hoisted aloft on an America's Cup
boat. Do you think the AC skippers allow those bowmen to stay aloft for one second longer than is absolutely necessary? No way. They know that it is a speed killer, especially in light air. I achieve very good competitive performance in light air, and I know that my light weight and reduced windage aloft is a real contributing factor. Clayton Watson

(Editor’s Note: Wow! Clayton, you should work for NASA, finding ways to reduce weight on their space probes. Keep in mind, readers, that these recommendations are geared more toward racers, but there’s a lot of good stuff in the above even for cruisers, such as getting jib sheets that are easy on the hands and slip smoothly through the guides when released.)
 
Handbook

Ooops, I forgot to answer your handbook questions. Here's what's in it:

Officers and Fleets
Class rules (bylaws, etc)
Rigging Diagrams
Tuning Guide
Tech Tips
Parts List

The Tech Tips include: Outboard Options, Trailer Tips, Jib Windows, Jibcar Mods, Traveler Fix, Poor-Man's Boarding Ladder, Rabbit Starts, Jiffy Reefing

Paul - Maybe you could add the above to the Handbook ordering page. Thanks
 
Michael Frommer - Columbus, Ohio

I am going to be purchasing a 14.2 capri sailboat as my very first "starter" sailboat. The boat does not have a manual, but I wanted to inventory the parts and pieces prior to purchasing the boat. Would review of your handbook, which is offered on your website give me the necessary information? and if so, how long would take to order one? and finally, what is the location of the order form on your website? Thanks for any help.
 
The handbook should have everything you need. There is a link on the home page of this website (left hand side) that gives you additional information about the handbook as well as ordering procedures.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top