2/8/07 --- Modifications to the boats going forward

The good news is that we really got it 95+% right the first time. So while there are some things we want to change, they are mostly aimed at improving the sailhandling systems based on our experience.

1. Utility Winches. We have already added a pair of utility winches on the main beam. We had anticipated this and there was extra carbon in the tube and Marstrom had provided pads to mount them on. Running everything back to the spinnaker sheet winch was just too much trouble. One of the biggest benefits is that we can easilly adjust the cunningham from either side of the boat now.

2. Roller Furling Jib. In the interest of simplicity we had wanted to use hanks, but one thing that we realize is that there are situation when you want to be able to reduce sail area quickly and easily (and often for just a maneuver then add it back). The simplest way to do this is to roll the jib (~25% of upwind sail area). So we will be installing a roller furler shortly. It actually takes non-trivial reengineering of the pole to do this, but it is in the works and will be on the boat soon.

3. Hydraulic Mainsheet. Another feature that we rejected early and have now come to embrace. Winches are out for two reasons: safety and aesthetics. If you have winches, the only safe way to use them is to have a person on the sheet 100% of the time, and never put it in a self tailer. We got around this with a cascading course / fine system giving 8:1 and 32:1. It works (it is easy to adjust and to blow), but has too much friction (hence can be a beast to trim) and requires that you start with the course set just so. Hydraulics will allow anyone to trim the main, and will have relief valves easily within reach of the trimmer and helmsman. Aesthetics also matter, and while winches are not themselves an eyesore, they do require routing the sheets right across the middle of the boat -- giving it that multihull macrame look. The parts for this are on order, and Tony Delimma at Forte has made us a new boom to take the high compressive loads -- this should be on the boat by early March.

4. Straight Main Traveler. We went with the curved traveler for the first boat, but have decided to use straight travelers going forward. The benefits are i. we can actually get a longer travel without interfering with the tillers, and ii. we will be able to move the tiller cross bar back about 6 inches.

5. Adding a 4th Sail. And another thing we were sure about and have now changed out minds. We really wanted to keep to a 3-sail inventory, but for heavy conditions and reaching we have added a shorter hoist, flatter and smaller code-0 type sail. This sail was a weapon on the early legs of the Key West race, and would be your VMG sail in conditions where you need to reef the main (the masthead hoist needs the mainsail to support it).

So overall, not bad considering the relatively uncharted territory we are in with this boat.