Well nuts: CB bungee line, etc....

Aaron Wasilewski

Aaron Wasilewski

New Member
Well. In an effort to resolve a different issue (rear bridle replacement on my Mini) I tried using 8mm well nuts with SS hardware on the foredeck to mount the guides for my centerboard line forward to the bow handle Worked Great! Now...bear in mind they dont take the tenstion that other locations might, but for the bungee cord as guides, they look and worked great. I will provide a photo later. I was a little concerned about the hole sizes but once the "fendered" well nuts were in, the concern was diminished. This might actually work elsewhere onthe boat. Has anyone else tried these?
 
I have never sailed a boat that small, but I did spend time on a Sunfish, which is almost as small. One thing I learned on the Sunfish that I carried over to all my Stars and Stripes was to not drill any unneeded holes in a boat. They are nothing but trouble. Some might leak, some can weaken a spar and so forth. So I don't recommend drilling holes in a boat to do things like you have done. You'd have been better off routing the bungee to the intersection of the two spars. That way you keep your bungee from getting hooked on anything when the board is up, and it helps keep the sail out while running in light air.

Before you drill or saw anymore holes in your boat, I recommend you try to find alternative ways of solving your problems. That's how we do it on big boats like Stars and Stripes, and it would work on your little boat too.

Your friend,

Dennis
 
Exactlly. They fit very snug on insertion and drew up to the hull interior very very flat. The ones I was able to find had a thinner flange atthe top which made them even more desirable. Almost like a strong thin flat washer. Again, the intent wasnt strength because this application was only to set the fairleads/straps in a position to guide and tether the shock cord for the DB.
eye well nut.jpg
 
I take it you have these guides on both port and starboard side of the mast and you tread the shock cord though from the board to the bow handle? I have sister clips on my shock cord so could never feed it though. I never have had my shock cord interfere going from the board, around both sides of the mast to the front of the booms like Dennis commented and in light air it will hold the sail out. I don't think your setup would allow that but you might not sail in light air. As a racer I do agree with not putting extra holes in the boat that might let water in.
 
This is the second time someone said "and in light air it will hold the sail out". How would routing the shock cord through the boom joint keep the sail "out"?
 
Maybe I have missed it already, but I've wondered why the shock cord is run all the way up to the bow handle. Why not just around the mast? I have yet to install the shock cord on my daggerboard so am interested in this thread.
 
:) Dennis has had a long-term interest in our toys.....

In fact, he once said "all I ever learned about sailing, I learned in a Sunfish"
 
Thanks for the great idea, sailing folks. Today I added a rope handle on top of my wooden dagger board (an oldie) as well as a piece of shock cord that goes from the new dagger board handle around the mast and around the apex of the gaff and boom and back to the dagger board handle - a loop. After adding a bit of tension to the shock cord it was very apparent that it would tend to hold the sail out (by pulling the apex toward the dagger board) when on downwind runs. Cool.

Since it is a good idea to keep the dagger board tethered to the boat, and the shock cord keeps the dagger board from dropping back down, the additional function of a pseudo whisker pole make this a great triple purpose solution.
 
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