Steve K was the mast any easier to raise on the D over the X or about the same?
Also, what do you do when you get weather helm? Ease the sheets? I had it bad on my X and that was the only thing that helped me but slowed the boat down way too much.
Big Bear?
I've always thought about sailing up there, even when I had my X boat. I've just never gotten around to it.
The mast is easier to raise, however, I did have the CDI furler on the X boat. On the D boat I have hank on head sails and I actually prefer the simplicity. I do have mast raising gear. I stand right behind the companionway with the rope in hand, give the mast a push with my left arm and pull the mast raising rope with my right, to get it started. It's not much really. I have raised it by hand before, but like the control of the mast raising gear.
Last time out, we had to motor for a couple hours, back to the marine, due to no wind. So while the wife drove the boat, I de-rigged everything I could. I had nothing there but the mast, by the time we got to the marina. I forgot that I needed the jib halyard for the mast lowering, so I drop it by hand. No real biggy.
Weather helm:
What's that?
Kidding, but the way my D boat is set up, I don't really have any (or lee helm either). I have no mast rake and an improved rudder. I rebuilt the old one using the plan that the "Rudder Craft" rudder was based on. It's like having power steering as far as effort goes, but I still get good feedback through the tiller.
In higher winds, particularly gusty ones, I usually leave the head sail alone and de-power the main in gusts, by letting out the mainsheet, if I have to. Usually heading up a little helps too.
My X boat was a 1997. She had the Popsicle stick rudders and very bad weather helm. I took out all the mast rake I could and it helped some, but there were times where she would just sit and spin until the gust subsided
The D boat is very responsive to control changes and will tell you what she wants. She can take a lot more than me and my wife actually likes it better than the X. She said, on our last trip, that she liked being closer to the water, in the cockpit and it felt safer to her than she did in the X. When the X heeled, she got very nervous, but in the D, she'll sit on the low side and when I get over around 20 degrees, she'll say "don't get my hair wet" with a smile on her face.
Last time out, (D boat) we started with light breezes and a wind report of the same for the day. Well, we started out motoring on glass then finally got some breeze. We set the main and Genoa and were having a great sail. For a short while, the wind really got up there and I was a little over powered. I flattened out the main with the outhaul an let the genny do most of the work, while wishing I had only put up the jib a couple of times. We hit 7 knots a couple of times and averaged mid 6s for over an hour. Later, the wind settled and finally died again. We were tired out and having sat waiting for a breeze a couple days earlier, while the sun baked us, we decided to motor into the marina and call it a day.
I think I can dip the rub rail and still have control of the boat. I got close a couple times. But these boats will actually be faster when not over powered. I was glad it was only scary for 20 or 30 minutes, this day. I have been in the same situation and alone at that, when it just kept getting worse and worse. It's not easy to leave the helm to drop a head sail or reef the main in these conditions and Mead has this way of giving you NO warning, sometimes.
This, btw, was the same day I spoke of earlier, when Newell started out later than us and therefore over a mile behind us and ended up overtaking us.
When you find your D boat (I hope you do..... you'll love it), you'll have to haul it up to Mead with us sometime. We go a couple time a year. I'm in Hesperia, btw.
Best Breezes,
Steve K.
Mac 26D "Three Sheets"
