Sailing

There ya go. I always liked the look of the JY-15. Figure at some point I'll get a little racer like that. Funny thing though, remember what Buddy Melges used to say;

"Never sail on a boat smaller than your age." Probably a comfort and agility issue.

 

Should be never buy a boat bigger than your age !

My CL is a blast to sail, I have a CL11 too but it can be a little tricky when the wind picks up and it’s an 70’s model so no flotation. Very hairy in a capsize.

Everyone has a blast in the 16 though!

 

Running back stays are fairly easy. I have never seen a Kirby 25 but it looks like it also has typical back stay as well. Runners especially on small boats it’s more for performance in sail trim and straightening the rig out to reduce pumping going uphill than preventing imminent failure. Light to medium air you might not even want to use them. You will be fine with being slow to tension them back on after a tack.

If you want to get into racing, the biggest problem is having a boat competitive in your fleet. If there are 8 K25s racing every night you will be able to learn and grow with the fleet. If you have a one-off in your fleet your rating won’t be accurate in all conditions (or sometimes any.) nothing is more frustrating than getting smoked and having no idea if it’s your rating, sail trim or tactics. My friends going through that now. On a J105 same crew we can consistently get top of the fleet finishes. On his boat always DFL can’t figure out of there is something sensitive with the tuning, out of whack with the new rudder or if it just sucks in our area. Since he has the only one racing it’s impossible to tell.

Edit: but more popular boats like J/22 J/24 do typically have consistent and fair ratings as there are thousands of them and owners have been correcting them over time.

 

THAT! Might be most accurate advice I have ever heard when it comes to boating. Hopefully some day I can blow that rule out of the water though. Rules are lame.

 

My understanding is that’s all they do on all boats with them. Rig tuning for sail trim. Guess you could hang your wet shorts on them.

 

Sig worthy quote right there...

 

Quick is relative with sailboats, right? She's quick for a Capri 25. We've won some races for sure. Nobody can touch us in light air and flat water. Heavy air is a different story. We have to work really hard to keep her flat.

I've worked hard to get her into the shape she is in now. I did the bottom 2 years ago. A year ago I completely re-did the deck. She has some new sails, lines and hardware. 30 year old boats need TLC no matter how you look at it.

As for your other posts, J/22's are great boats as are most J Boats. Be careful about soft spots in the deck. The balsa core around shroud bases and other places where water got into the core can rot.

I raced other people's boats for 35 years. I love having my own!

 

Would love to see you back this summer!

 

Some rot to repair makes a Jboat a bit more affordable. I did both my chain plates, jib tracks and overdrilled and filled every bolt through the deck. One of the previous owners did a roll on (Kiwigrip style deck) and though that was sealant. So it worked out for me as the hull is fine.

 

Nice work! Yeah, if you have any DYI abilities at all, some core repair isn't a big deal.

 

Washed and waxed. Some more rigging projects tomorrow and off to the lake Sat.

 

Looking good !! We've had a few nice days here now. Hopfully start warming up soon !

 

It stopped raining Thursday long enough for me to rig and splash, Country Rhodes. On the test sail , I cleared the power lines by about 12 inches. The lake is three feet over summer pool with all the rain.

 

Great first weekend at Bear Lake!

 

Did you get a sail in? If you look to the end of the left dock, that’s my mast sticking up on the end. My dock was the only one that you could access without getting your feet wet

 

Ever take a Dremel to the gelcoat lol? Reeeeally hopeful I can get my new gelcoat paste matched close enough. This Corner by far had the most offending cracks

 

Funny you should post that. Just removed the motor from my whaler and flipped it in the backyard. Tackling the bottom with barrier coat and then the crazing on the inside. Going to paint the whole thing so it doesn’t look like a 68 anymore.

Let me know how the matching goes.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4tZDBOYqdfA

 

I have a "boat load" of gelcoat crazing on mine too. Thought about priming and top coating to cover it up. If I used a dremel, I'm not sure there'd be much boat left!

 

Will do! I'm aiming for sunday, its going to be sunny and mid 60s...supposed to be 70 or so for the gelcoat to properly set but im going to gamble and hope it still woks

ha my bottom was (is) really bad when i stripped and painted it. It would take me weeks to dremel out and fill them, so i said screw it and slapped on extra bottom paint. not worth it on a cheap boat.

the topside has a ton of crazing too...im thinking about giving this a try. I've read mixed reviews...but i think its worth a shot if I can get at least half the cracks covered. Its all cosmetic so I just want it to look a little nicer.

 

Got the boat in and sails are on! Ready for another season!