AUS32 is on the go

Pete has got his Disco running again and is back working on AUS32 - foredeck is now on as is most of the dancefloor (still beeds to be able to get into the front tank for the fitting of the self tacker. As can be seen AUS32 has a different look to AUS31 with Pete opting for and angular foredeck and straight bulkheads.

In the background can be seen the remains of a seat - not all builds are successful, so we have salvaged what we can off of AUS32's seat and will rebuild shortly.

AUS31 can be seen in the shed too, she is getting rubbed back ready for her top coat.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Well, it would have been  a warm but light Nationals had they gone ahead in Adelaide, but with the change to Toukley in June I got the chance to get some more time on the water:

The good

• Adding more mast rake made the boat handle much better, tacking and gybing were easy in the 7-12 knots which is comforting
• Switching the jib sheet to coming back from the mast stump worked well as does the vang off the boom
• The plank came out dry showing that my work on it during the week was worth it

The bad

• I snapped the tiller (a drop in piece which is now re-enforced with a 100mm resin impregnated wooden plug and is strong as houses)
•  have to play around with my mainsheet blocks as I am having a few issues cleating and uncleating the main

The Ugly:

• I really need the new sails for the boat as the AUS018 sails don't do the boat justice
• I need to clean up the hull and fittings now I know they work
• The mast is 55mm too long - not sure if I'll live with this or trim it
• I need a longer forestay as I may want to have even more mast rake and I am on the last setting

Sailing wise - the boat went upwind beautifully, I had the carriage forward (in fact over the centreboard) tracking upwind and had the bow just pushing into the water (about 3-4cm) as I slid along. Stern had very little disturbance and the boat slipped quietly through the water. The boat really doesn't like healing too far and has a definite 'groove' when sailing flat. Unfortunately with AUS13 not hitting the water (Kyle was taking his son and nieces out on a pacer and some bics) and AUS9 only getting out yesterday (Pete had pressing car issues) I can't give a write up compared to other IC's (hopefully next Saturday). But I can tell you that I am very happy with the way she handles and responds and I am looking forward to racing with the new sails on.

Geoff (not the designer) asked me to give my opinion on the self tacker - I have been a fan of this since having it on AUS018 (which was an IC/AC convertible Nethercott). To be honest, I don't think the self tacker track needs to be any wider than the standard 'slot' for the fairleads in the upwind position (so basically a 20-30cm width). This allows for hands free on the jib upwind sailing and the jib is still able to be trimmed easily downwind. My self tacker track is wider, but i don't believe it makes a difference on these skinnier boats (and a narrower self tacker means no need for sheet position control). A self tacker is a little more annoying in that you need to be creative to ensure the sheet can be led to you on the seat, but in my opinion it is worth it.

Dialling in the Mast Rake

Using a Datum to set the mast rake, turns out that I had no rake at all last Saturday - hope to see some big improvements this Friday on the water.

I've also put her measurements on the ICAA website - IC Measurements

AUS32 is plugging away in the shed, it had a bit of a set back with plank construction but should still be on track to be at the IC(y) Nationals in June. 

Not a great first race

12-15 knots and grey skies with a lumpy sea set the scene for the first race, we (AUS31, AUS13, AUS9) lined up with the lasers/finns/OKs . Well, I lined up after a few swims, I was having major problems tacking but I got to the line sort of on time.

I had good height, and the boat was tracking well but with a championship race I went low to keep out of the others way. I blasted away from the nethercotts UNTIL I tried to tack and then things went bad. I just could not get out of irons and ended up capsizing (interestingly the boat does not turn turtle). I couldn't work out what was going on but got upright and caught AUS13 at the top mark and then took off on the reaches - the boat just blasted off the wind (I even slammed the seat into waves a few times to see if the carriage was ok - thumbs up here) but upwind again my world of hurt was back. I got to the top mark, but was actually concerned that my tacking could see me foul another boat so I pulled out and headed into shore.

On shore I was acid, wondering what I had done wrong in the build..... then I got over it and started analysing:

I had gotten my sidestays shortened as I got my measurements wrong on the stays, so I got them altered BUT I never thought about the forestay. Sure enough my mast was raked forward - a long way.

So the Good news:

• Boat was dry inside despite my swims
• Boat held together
• Boat was really quick downwind

Bad news:

• Plank leaks
• Jib sheeting off the boom didn't work (have now swapped the jib with the vang cleat)
• Boat didn't go to windward or change direction (mast rake should fix this)
• Elastic on tiller didn't work (where the tiller kicks up, will replace with a pin)

So, I'll fix the problems during the week and we'll get out next week for some 2-3 boat tuning.