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Thanks for another great video! Really enjoying your series. I went through some similar deliberations for the head sail setup on a Lysander (17ft trailer sailer). The original jib hanked onto the forestay and, particularly when sailing single-handed, it was a bit of a hassle to go forward and manage. I also tried a setup with some Barton gear, furling around the sail's wire, set inside the forestay. It rarely furled easily, couldn't be reefed and had to be taken down every time I was away from the boat. Eventually I came across a firm called Aero Luff Spars in the UK who specialise in semi-flexible head sail furling systems for trailer sailers. The gear they supplied has made a big difference. The sail reefs smoothly when needed and in about two years of use in lots of different conditions, it has furled up neatly and easily almost every time. I keep the boat on a mooring for several months of the year and the sail furls so securely that I feel comfortable leaving it hoisted all the time, which makes sneaking out for a quick sail much easier. (No relationship with Aero Luff...they were just the only ones I found who seemed to really 'get' the particular needs of these little mini cruising boats. Everything else seemed to be either dinghy-orientated or intended for much bigger boats).
Wow. Great upgrades. Nice work. I have a Precision 18, similar to the Com-Pac 16, except it has a centerboard tucked in the stub keel. I'm really partial to my CDI furler. I do a lot of light air sailing and have a 135% and a 150% genoa. A few turns on the furler and it is sailing, or reefed, or doused completely. The shape is not bad when reefed. Not having to hank on a sail kneeling on my old knees in swell cancels out all the cons for me. As you well bring out, it is all a trade off each must weigh with their circumstances and preferences. Well covered.
Hey Mat, really enjoying these shakedown sails, Ben’s a handy bloke to have on board. You’ve made a bloody good job of the internal refit. Jimmy does a great job of his sails. All in all a great vid, cheers.
I can’t thank you two enough for your posts. I am literally about to purchase a 1987 CP 16 tomorrow and will be doing everything you just suggested: foiled rudder, new sails, new standing and running rigging. As one of the other commenters mentioned, it would be wonderful if you could post the technical details, particularly of your new main. Kudos on your cabin refit. You’re giving me so many ideas it’s like drinking out of a fire hose. Best regards, Tim
Thanks for the videos guys. I should bribe you to come up to beautiful Lake Macquarie and help me set up my Explorer 16 like you have done with your Compact.
Nicely done! Helm corrected. I have found that the center of mass is pretty close to the companionway opening. So, when crew sits there, the boat feels even better balanced. Sitting aft or when one goes forward, I can feel the difference. Not as much as a dinghy, of course. Anyway, she may feel even happier when crew is a bit forward in the cockpit. She is already sailing better after these upgrades. Well done!
I can't tell you how much I enjoy these videos! Been sailing a CP16 for years and these videos are solid advise any CP 16 sailor really needs to hear. Keep up the good work!
Just wondering if that removed foam was for buoyancy and not sound deadening. A couple of old pfds may not suffice if you’re taking on water. Great to see the new rudder and other improvements increasing the sea kindliness as well as performance.
I hope you see this comment and reply. I noticed your digital watch that gave your boat speed. What brand is it? I sail a Catalina 22 and hate trying to use my iPhone to get speed and position. I would like to get that information from a watch. Thanks in advance if you would be so kind as to share that information. Loved the video. I use a CDI furler.
Nice video as always. I currently sail a SCAMP and I really prefer the lug rig to the sloop on a small boat. I had a Montgomery 15 for years. Nice boat. But the problem is the exact one you are discussing here. The Montgomery will not point without a jib. But you can’t go out on the foredeck to replace the headsail, especially in a blow when you need to. And with no backstay the jib would bag when tacking and releasing the pressure on the main sheet letting the mast drift a bit forward. I sail in changeable winds, and found it just too much of a pain to deal with that. Now, my SCAMP is much simpler. The lug is so easy to tune, and can be reefed easily underway. In the same waters I find the SCAMP much easier to control, and am willing to go out in higher winds than I was willing to handle in the Montgomery. No doubt the Montgomery can handle it with the storm jib and reefed main. But getting the boat rigged that way under sail was just impossible.
Thank you for making these videos they are very helpful to me! I'm 53 and bought a com-pac 16 and will be taking her out this week for my first sail ever. I know nothing about sailing or boats other than it is something I have always wanted to do and watching your videos helps me a lot.
It looks like you've gone a way forward since your last presentation. The new sail looks quite hot, as in stolen from a local board sailor. Just joking! But it does look quite powerful. Is it a little "on or off" and not too forgiving? The helm certainly looked a lot more manageable in this video. Has moving the centre of effort aft helped in balancing the boat? Anyway, thanks for the content. It looks like you're having a ball.
Great film. Please put a wind screen on your mike;) what watch model do you have that registers speed? What make and model of battery do you have? I have a CDI Indo not have the extended now. Thank you from down under. My wife was in New Orleans with a Legion Band and met a person from Australia. We are sending him my book of my adventure in a homebuilt sailboat and going down the Mississippi River. That was fun to do
It will be very helpful if you would put the technical details about the rig and rudder on a website. I’m sure there are many ComPac sailors who would like to use your setup. These are some of the best videos on sailing the small ComPac I’ve seen on RU-vid. Thank you for the sailing expertise and bring us along.
Great video. If you had been solo sailing, and not in a place where you could tuck in to change headsails, would you have wanted to go forward and switch headsails? Also what king]d of smart watch was that? Thanks for the video. Wish I was closer so I could use your sailmaker.
Another good informative vid boys. (The grin on your face Mat when you were fully powered up on your way in says it all) Nice interior refit job. Beautiful new sails, good job Jimmy. I need my wire luffed roller furler, not a useable foredeck on GYDA and I have the separate forestay, and the free flying blade jib for windy days. May need to look at rudder a bit more.... And news for Feb - waiting with baited breath...:-)
Nice work on the interior mods, so much better and space is def always needed! I was tempted to head out also a few times but decided against it cos we know what the channel is like!
It wasn't really the ideal day to discuss technical stuff! I think any of the systems would work well on Sea Cat. But you just have to understand the risks of each system. Wire roller furler (non structural) Pro's :easy to drop, easy to furl, cheap, and you can change sails. Cons: Sometimes it doesn't furl in strong winds. Getting good luff tension can be a problem. Occasionally it will tangle with the fixed forestay. Foil type roller reefer. Pro's: You can reef the sail. Decent forestay tension. Furls well in any weather. Cons: hard to drop or change the sail at sea. Expensive. Heavy and high windage. Not many suitable small boat sustems. Vulnerable to damage when mast is down Structural wire furler with halyard. Pro's: good forestay tension. Easy to drop the sail. Can be used like a hank on sail. Con's: Expensive, still can't reef sail. Needs special soft hanks. Much more complex than hanks. Swivels are a loaded structural part of rhe rig. Hanks Pro's: Super simple, nothing much to go wrong, easy to remove sail. cheap. Best performance. No extra clutter on deck. Can be raised and lowered from aft with a downhaul. Cons: need to go to the foredeck to properly stow, remove or change the sail. There are many different ways to do it. For sea cat the hanked sails are a good option. They can easily be converted to a furling system if Matt decides to change it.
Another great episode Mat a lot of good information and food for thought in this one. Like your modifications to the interior and the sails look real good. I'll keep Jimmy's sails and canvas in mind when the time comes to dress my Pathfinder. looking forward to meeting you guys sometime soon, hope the car's all fixed and running good.
We tried to cover as much as possible in this video, but here are our thoughts in point form: (let us know your thoughts)... Furler Pros: 1. Simplicity and ease of setting sail 2. Sail stowage away from deck 3. No need to go forward Cons: 1. Furl to reef ends in very baggy sail - destroys proper sail shape 2. Difficult to douse and set smaller sail 3. Makes inspection of forward stay difficult 4. Difficult to furl in strong conditions 5. Many possible failures 6. Increased windage when furled 7. Extra weight at top of mast Hanks Pros: 1. Simplicity and reliability 2. Better sail shape 3. Sail options 4. Easy to inspect stays / rigging 5. Less windage Cons: 1. Time to hank and set 2. Time up forward 3. Dousing and stowage can get messy and requires going forward
