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NEWSLETTER FROM HAARSTICK SAILMAKERS
(800)
342-5033
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email:
info@haarsticksailmakers.com
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site: www.haarsticksailmakers.com
In
this issue:
-
J/22
Deck Hardware Set Up – by Eric Christensen
- Updated
Beneteau 40.7, 36.7 and C&C 115 pages on our website.
Cool pictures check them out.
-
area with no rating increase. 155%
-
Winter Discount, Up to 15% off. see
terms of discounts
-
A Few End of the Season Racing Results
A few more 1st place finishes for Haarstick Sailmakers
Eric
Christensen, is a sailmaker, and
Introduction:
Determining your optimum deck layout is not as hard as it might seem. The class website www.j22.org has a photographs section that shows many different takes on the optimum deck layout for the 22, and is a great source for ideas. These deck layouts should serve as a guide to what your deck might to look like, but more importantly you have two years of racing experience under your belt and now know what works and does not. The best deck layout is a mixture of what the pro's use and what best suits your crews sailing style.
Cockpit and Seahood:
The placement of the twing camcleats is very important, because we sail these boats with no downhaul and rely on the forward position of the twing to keep the pole from skying. My boat, along with yours, are mounted on the side of the cabin house. This placement works, but can be a nuisance for your middle man to get on in a hurry during a blow, and requires some tending to, which slows down very quick tactical and crash jibes. I would recommend moving the cams to the deck and leading the line aft to a small bullet block on a spring so that they can be adjusted by the driver.
The traveler and mainsheet are the boats throttle, and it is highly advised that you buy the aluminum plate and ratcheting swivel base for the mainsheet, as it allows better adjustment of the main. You are no longer pulling against the traveler in light winds. Also, installing cams mounted on the cockpit seats for the traveler is a good way to cleat the leeward traveler line (see pic).
The foot braces that I have installed are a must and allow the skipper and middle crew something to brace against when the boat begins to heel and you are moving your weight outboard. These can be made from teak wood, or out of plastic. Dale Tanski makes them for a reasonable price out of Delrin, as long as you like the color black.
Efficient layout of the seahood is a must and I feel that mine functions very well. It may seem like over kill to have swivel blocks aft of all the halyards excluding the main, but it always gives the bow person a fair lead to pull on, and prevents fatigue. However, I do plan to remove the cam cleat that secures the main halyard and replace it with an aluminum horn cleat to prevent accidental releases.
Adjustment
of the backstay is critical on these boats, and I sail with a very slack
backstay in the light to moderate conditions. Since
Not one, but two winch handle pockets and winch handles are necessary on the aft face of cockpit. Sailing this boat can be extremely physical, and the boat rewards efficient maneuvers. Executing a perfect tack can be hard enough, but watching the middle man play musical chairs with the winch handle is just plain frustrating. Mesh pockets and two 8" non-locking, floating handles are a cheap investment to make sure the jib gets in as quickly as possible.
Drill out more holes in the middle to forward section of your t-track, see diagram in the Haarstick Sailmakers J/22 tuning guide. I do not know what you are using for a jib lead block, but if it is one of those old Harken Hexaratchets, throw it out. A 1" spring loaded Ronstan Slider with plastic inserts and a Tie-Lite block from Harken are the lightest and cheapest way to go. It seems a bit redundant to me to have a ratcheting block lead to a geared winch.
Foredeck:
Install a bungee system to keep the Jib from self-hoisting while sailing between races. Mine works pretty well, but feel free to get creative.
Spin. Pole:
Replace lower bridle with taught dumby bridle(to meet class rules) and modify upper bridle to spectra with shockcord retractor. Wholesail Yachting can do this. This is just a personal preference of mine, but I would rather have the single trip and just install rope pigtails on each pole end for the fine open/close adjustments (making the pole to mast once the new guy has been made). Composite ends are nice, but are big bucks for little gain.
Boom:
Upgrade internal 6:1 adjustment blocks to low friction ball bearing blocks and replace rope and wire adjuster lines with twelve strand spectra. 5/32" for the working outhaul end and 3/16" for the cleated end. Why spectra, it lasts, does not stretch and cleats well in the V-jam cleat, but is still slippery enough to move through the blocks well. Also install bullet block just aft of cleat to give yourself something to pull against.
Mast:
Make sure sheaves and bearings spin freely. Check and tape spreader ends and terminations and install spreader bar fix kit to stiffen spreaders. This can be purchased at www.vcperformancerigging.com and David VanCleef is a wiz in the 22's.
Standing and Running Rigging:
Standing rigging on these boats (Sail Newport and USCGA) is probably a bit of an issue, due to their saltwater past. Make sure turnbuckles and other fittings are well lubed and function properly and are not corroded. It is also important to make sure that everything is the appropriate length ie. I have maxed out my forestay length (5'1") and have run out of backstay adjustment. Standing rigging for these boats is not exorbitant and is cheaper than a new spar from Hall Spars.
Running Rigging is a very important on these boats. Make sure all your lines are appropriately sized for the job and fall within the class rules for minimum line diameters. Fat lines are easy on the hands, but runs slower through blocks. As for rope construction, there are quite a bit of choices out there from traditional double braids to high tech aramids and non-water absorbing materials. Those decisions come down to budget and preference. One important consideration is that the higher tech lines tend to have a tighter woven cover than the more traditional polyester lines and are not only lower stretch, but stand up to the chafe that is encountered on the running rigging on the 22.
As a side note: I have noticed that there are a few boats out there with stripped covered rigging (halyards or sheets that have had their jackets removed to save weight) this is not permitted by class rules so always check the before making any improvements that you might believe are questionable.
Sails and Tuning:
Your sailmaker has a tuning guide for a reason. These are his predetermined settings for the given conditions that he feels matches his sails the best. These are a useful starting point and should be given due consideration before going out racing and making judgments about sail shape.
I hope this guide has been useful and please feel free to contact me with any questions that you might have and to go over anything that I may have left out, which I am sure that there are a few things. See you at the awards this Saturday and good luck with your re-fit project.
Regards,
Eric Christensen
If
you have not yet checked out the latest high tech sails we are making at
Haarstick Sailmakers. Take a look at the following webpage’s on our website:
NEW
PHRF MAX
We
have had many
NEW
Effective
This
is the first chance to get the larger genoa and the last chance to SAVE BIG.
DISCOUNTS
ARE STILL HERE, UP TO 15% OFF
WINTER
DISCOUNT PROGRAM: RACING, CRUISING, FREEDOM SAILS: UNTIL
10%
DISCOUNT FOR ONE SAIL, 15% FOR TWO OR MORE SAILS
REDUCE
DISCOUNT 2% WHEN USING A CREDIT CARD FOR PAYMENT
DEPOSIT
OF 50% AND BALANCE DUE WITHIN 30 DAYS OF INVOICE (FREE STORAGE)
ALL
INFORMATION REQUIRED TO BUILD THE SAIL MUST BE AVAILABLE TO US BY
FREIGHT
AND NYS TAX EXTRA WHERE APPLICABLE
WINTER
DISCOUNT PROGRAM: ONE DESIGN SAILS:
10%
DISCOUNT FOR ONE SAIL, 15% FOR TWO OR MORE SAILS
REDUCE
DISCOUNT 2% WHEN USING A CREDIT CARD FOR PAYMENT
DEPOSIT
OF 50% AND BALANCE DUE WITHIN 30 DAYS OF INVOICE (FREE STORAGE)
ALL
INFORMATION REQUIRED TO BUILD THE SAIL MUST BE AVAILABLE TO US BY
FREIGHT
AND NYS TAX EXTRA WHERE APPLICABLE
SAIL
INQUIRY: sales@haarsticksailmakers.com
A few
more great results:
Performance
Cup Peter Sichak
Kelpie Trophy Peter
Sichak
Regatta Champion/Crescent Cup Harry
Voss
Madge Cup
Kirsten "Kiki" Werner
LYRA
Boat of the Year – Kiki Werner. (
Kiki
Werner also took 4th place at the 8m Worlds using all Haarstick Sails
Congrats
on a great year Kiki.
Mike
Sendor- C&C 35-3 - M&J Long Course boat of the year winner
Congrats
to Brian Simkins
out of Centerport Yacht Club on
Brian
has been using our sails for his Ensign for the past 4 years. He has always been
in the top of the fleet at the club level and National level. Thanks for another
great year of sailing Brian. See ya next year at Nationals.
3rd
- Ensign Nationals
1st
- Region I Championship
1st
- Labor Day Regatta
1st
- Double Handed Regatta
1st
- Single Handed Regatta
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