After several weeks of wet weekends, there was finally a reasonably dry weekend which gave an opportunity to put the winter covers on Daisy III. It's always important not to winterise the boat whilst it is still wet - the prospect of the damp turning to some sort of rot is not enticing!
The first job has been to create a forward mast crutch, making use of the Samson Post.
This solution will enable the storage of the mast much further forward than previously, particularly beneficial in avoiding such a big overhang to the rear. Since the trailer modifications have increased the length between the winch post and the hitch, there is now greater scope for the effectiveness of this modification.
The solution will do for the winter, but in the spring judicious use of leather should avoid chafe from the slight lateral play in this arrangement, both between samson post and crutch, and between crutch and mast.
Daisy III is now under its winter cover. The other advantage of the above modification is that there can be free flow of air under the cover fore and aft which, again, should help avoid a build up of dampness.
Hi Julian,
ReplyDeleteI saw you and Daisy III on the A14 today as I was heading home to Bury St Edmunds. After a short Google search I found your blog. I have enjoyed reading about your last 2 years of maintenance and sailing.
I am returning to sailing after 10 years of other activities. Competent Crew in June and Day Skipper in July from Suffolk Sailing School.
I am thinking of buying a Swallow BC23 and would love to hear how you manage single handed launching and recovery. Would you share your experience?
Kind regards,
Nigel Baker
Hi Nigel
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. Bear in mind that mine is a BC20 so shorter and less heavy than the BC23.
I've nearly always launched and recovered my boats single handed. In general, the BC20 glides on and off the trailer much more easily than my previous Drascombe Coaster. Most of the job is done by the swinging cradle rollers which guide the boat on and off. All I have to do is wind the winch handle, and I also always hang onto a long painter, just in case the the winch webbing (or dyneema, as I've just started using) snaps - it's never happened to me, but has to some others.
I've always worried about the winching eye on the boat, which must take considerable strain in these operations. On the Drascombe, i had to have this replaced, but the BC20 one seems much more robust.
The other thing is that the boat can launch and be recovered without wetting the hubs on the trailer wheels. I just reverse the trailer until the lower edge of the tyre is submerged - always sufficient, even on shallow gradient slips.
Technically, all of this should result in the boat coming back on perfectly, but I'm still trying to perfect the set-up on the rear swinging cradle which currently forces the boat to recover onto its trailer slightly skewed.
The real issue I think is in rigging the boat. The BC20 mast is just about ok but a bit of a handful to raise and lower. I've heard that the BC23 is more difficult. If purchasing a BC23, I would have the optional inner stays which are designed to stay in tension as the mast rises. The problem is usually because the mast is so long, it is difficult to stop it swinging from side to side until the shrouds are in tension.
Going back to the trailer, ensure the rollers are all well-greased so that the boat slides on and off more easily. On the Coaster, the rollers were always incredibly stiff and I had to back-winch the boat until it had moved back half a metre, before I could push her off. But the BC20 rolls off with just me pushing. Some owners have the opposite problem, whereby the boat will roll off just by gravity, unless secured with a rope. I've heard tales of boat winch straps breaking when the trailer is descending/ascending the slipway, and the boat ending up on the tarmac. Always tie the boat to the winch post with something other than the winch strap for added security.
That's about it. If I think of something else, I'll add it.
At some point, I plan to take some videos of the launching process.
Julian,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. All very helpful. I plan a trip to Swallow's boatyard once we can move in and out of Wales. I think the only way to really know about launching is hands-on trying.
I will keep an eye out for you on the A14! Happy sailing.
Nigel