Hello all,

It’s that time again. The NAF18 Southern Area Championship is less than two weeks away. We currently have 10 teams preregistered and I know we can do better than that. It’s always a good time on and off the water.

Now down to business. We are weighing boats for this event and I need you to bring your boat to the scales dry inside and out. Do not splash your boat before you come to the scales. We are also weighing the boats stick down. I’ll be weighing boats and crew Thursday morning and my wife/crew is taking the afternoon shift. Be nice to her, she’s not an Ahole she just married one. I’ll also have the scales set up Friday and Saturday morning. If you need your boat weighed Friday or Saturday morning please be ready to go first thing so we can get it out of the way.

Also for this event class membership is required. We ask that you take care of this online before you get to the event it just makes it easier for everyone. Also there are cool gift certificates that you receive with your membership so check it out.


Online membership renewal -> http://naf18.com/wordpress/?page_id=41

Who’s coming to Spring Fever -> http://www.twinhulls.com/springfever2009/09attendees/

Spring Fever Homepage -> http://www.twinhulls.com/springfever2009/index.html

Regards,
David Ingram

NAF18 Southern Area Rep and Class Chairman

Anybody need F18 crew for this event?

I know a very good sailor, that just purchased our Infusion, that wants to crew with someone first, before he and his girlfriend jump into the mix with their new boat.

He's young, a VERY good sailor (mostly skiff experience in NZ), and just wants to learn the ropes from someone if possible before he helms his own F18.

If you want his contact info - PM me or drop me a note

mike at zhik dot com

Is weighing it mast up or down make a difference? I winch my mast on the trailer and it is a real pain to pull it off the trailer/mast down... weight it... put it back on/ strap it down again and then winch to step it.... Trust me. My Hobie Tiger is about 15 pounds over class weight... It has weighted that way each of the past 3 years at SF... I'm sure it has not lost weight this past year.

The official stance is stick down.

Mark, the wind hitting the top of the mast can affect the way the scales read the weight at the four corners of the boat.

I'll be glad to step that mast for you old-school like.

Oh Jake, you He Man you!

Just a point of order Tad, only the corner weights will vary, but the total weight will still be true. Why do you need corner weights?

I assume you are using 4 scales that are linked to one control that gives you an instant total.

However, if the class rules say it must be mast down...then so be it.

I'm just passing along what I've been told.

and its mast down per class rules... apparently.

So be it.

I'm NOT an expert, but I've helped with this a "few" times...

The main issue with the wind is, it makes it very difficult to get a stable reading. The wind is never constant, especially 30 feet in the air over a parking lot, swirling around cars, RVs, etc.

An expert might give a better reason as to how it might affect weight, but that's what I've observed over the years.

The main take-away is this: The person doing the weighing is a volunteer, and the job can really bite, especially for a big event, at a hot location, etc. The last thing they need is people whining about the mast down rule.

To the OA: Make big signs, pass out cards listing the instructions at the entry to the parking lot, etc., just make sure everyone knows in advance and that should keep the whining to a minimum.

Mike

Mike

It's not a class rule and yes we have this discussion every year. Is it groundhog day?

I weighed all the boats at Nationals, funny how many times tools, water bottles, Gatorade, etc. were left inside the hulls. We requested that the inspection ports be removed and hulls emptied. We even had one team completely hose down the sails and boat, claimed he had rinsed it from the drive down from up north. He was pissed when we made him dry the sails. In all fairness, wet sails, tramp and especially main sheet, spin sheet will add several pounds to the weigh in.

I figured this would get a rise out of everyone and yes I may have been the one that brought it up last year. I guess if my boat wasn't over weight (which it has weighted in each of the past 3 years) I would not whine about going to the extra effort to weight it.

Please make sure you bring your crew and boat corrector weights with you to the scale.

If the wind blows on the mast the weight could vary so much that no true reading can be taken from it. It wastes a lot of time, and yes, the weight will be different from the leverage of the mast/wind