Finally getting back to getting my Taipan back on the water after a bad storm that demasted it while on the beach. The wind microburst had to be in excess of 90 mph since there was a lot of damage to surrounding houses. My only casualty was my Taipan's mast. I looked to see the mast gyrating wolding in the wind (the boat is anchored with earth screws in the beach) and wham, over the mast goes. Snapped the front bridle (my special light weight one that I had made). Fortunately, all the spinnaker gear, rigging, accessories etc. were stored and the cat was covered with a full fitted cover and there was no other damage.

Uncovered the cat and started the re-commissioning task yesterday. In preparing to step the mast, discovered that the tang was busted and I've been trying to find a satisfactory solution without disassembling the mast. Any suggestions?

Has anyone attempted replacment of the mast foot? Looks like the diamonds and two screw are all that need to be removed. Then can the pivot be unattached inside, a new tang installed and back together again?

I may simply screw a bracket into the mast foot. The receiver on the crossbeam is mangled, but I think I can repair it.

Trying to get my Taipan up for the Sarasota Regatta in two weeks.

Suggestions?

Jon Hamlet
Casey Key Island, FL
Taipan 217

Contact Geert Ruesink at g.ruesink@hccnet.nl He broke and replaced his mastbase this year at Texel. He will be able to answer your queations.

Wouter

Hello Jon,

I had my mastfoot also broken at Texel this year, and got it repaired. Btw, didn't do it myself. It was not too hard to do it, took a couple of hours. It was made out of a bare aluminium plate of the same thickness. First the original plate was removed from the mast in the way you decribe it, no really special things as I can recall. The same shape was given to the new plate. Drilling the holes and it did fit right away. I don't have the tang connected anymore.
This way the mast foot won't break anymore when the mast comes down when it shouldn't but the disadvantage is that stepping the mast is not that easy anymore, don't think you can do it anymore with just one person.

Maybe one day I'll put on the tang again, and just remove the pin after stepping the mast.

Geert

Taipan #186

I took the tiller "U" bracket from out of my rather extensive Hobie parts box, threaded a SS bolt through and into the mast foot. Stepped the mast by myself, and now I'm back fiddling with the front bridle/forestay dimensions. I have experimented with various geometries in the front with a roller furling jib and spinnaker, straight setup without the jib but varying degrees of mast rake, and varying heights of spinnaker pole. I still have my notes from earlier experimnetations, but now I no longer have the standard Taipan bridle/forestay dimensions. Does anyone have these dimensions avaiable?

I did find that without the jib, more mast rake was better to weather and still kept a pretty nuetral helm, and the downwind legs with the spinnaker were great. The jib just seemed to get in the way but was rather handy for tacking in good wind and big seas.

Thanks for the input guys.

Jon Hamlet
Taipan 4.9 # 217

Jon,

How much mast rake have you been using in sloop and cat configurations? And how do YOU measure it? (I am getting a little weather helm sailing uni.)

Also, how about prebend? I'm at the "factory" setting of 2.25" as measured from the trailing edge of the mast to a straight edge layed across the diamonds at the spreaders.

I enjoy sailing cat rigged, but I need more power in light wind, so I'm wondering if I need to decrease mast rake and decrease prebend. My understanding is that I can get more power by decreasing the prebend. Then when the downhaul is barely on the leech will stand up more and the sail will be more full up high, yet I can still depower with downhaul/luff tension as needed.

Comments or advice, anyone?

Hi guys,

The standard way that we measure the mast rake over here in Aussie-Land is using one of the trapese wires taken off the bungy:
Tie a small string to the end of the dogbone and measure to the top of the hull above where the bridle attachments are. You can use your hand as well for some less acurate measurements. Hold your fingers on the string at the appropriate length where it hits the hull. Still holding at this point go to the back of the boat and measure along the top of the hull to where it touches the hull.

For sloop rigs somewhere between just in front of the back beam and the hatch cover is about right. Mine is just behind the rear beam and seems to like it there but it depends a lot on what waves you are sailing in, how deep your mains'l is cut (especially up top) and how stiff your battens are and how tight they are in (again especially up top).

Oh, BTW. Most of us over here take the mast pin out after we've stepped it to avoid exactly the problem you describe.

cheers,
ABC.

Eric,

I once saw a comment by a Taipa sailor that the uni-rig doesn't want to go as well with the traveller centred. Kirt said much the same thing when I singlehnaded the Taipan at springfever 2002.

Put it off centre about 3 to 4 inches.

Also the Taipa main seem to prefer to be hooked in the uni-rig configuration; alot of sheet tension. Kirt told me the same thing at springfever and sure enough when I did these things the boat pointed a few degrees higher.

All thse things feel unnatural but they do work.


Maybe you should try these too.
Wouter

If you get your boat put back together in time for the Sarasota Regatta on Labor Day weekend, how are you going to set it up? Are you sailing with or without crew and are you using the spinnaker or not? I am planning on attend as well and it is always nice when more than one Taipan shows up for a regatta to sail in the same configuration if possible. Let me know your plans and I will try to sail in the same configuration. I would like to try and sail as Taipan sloop (if I can find crew) in order to get some practice for the Taipan Nationals in November. If I can't find crew, sailing Taipan uni is good since we can race the NACRA 5.5 Uni's boat for boat. It is hard to live up to the Taipan's rating with spinnaker in very light winds which are the conditions I am expecting in Sarasota unless there is a tropical storm nearby over labor day weekend.

Jennifer
Taipan 4.9 #262

Eric, I measure mast rake essentially the same way Andrew outlined. After changing the rigging, I measured it by the chain plate hole used for the forestay, I also kept the factory setting for the diamond wires.

Basically, I found that when sailing sloop rigged the Taipan pretty much liked the standard rake, i.e., trap wire about 3-4" behind the rear crossbeam. I discussed uni mast rake extensively with Greg Goodall when he stayed with me two years ago and I had him make me a main cut for more mast rake. I gave up a bit of sail area in exchange for a higher foot so I didn't kill myself with the boom. (I'm 6-4"). I raked the mast from upright to the trap wire being about 6" past the rear of the hull. I settled with the rake about 3" in from the rear of the hull which kept the helm fairly balanced. Let me preface this observation with the fact that I sail directly off the beach here on Casey Key Island in seas that normally run 2-3 feet and steady winds of 15-20 (at least when I sail)! In these conditions, I pretty much stay in the trap all the time.

I'm attaching a picture of the mast rake I liked together with a Pix of my custom sail Greg made for me.

I also found that the Taipan Uni sails very much like the Hobie 14 in that it likes about 3-5" of traveller. I also think it goes better with a lot of main sheet tension as others have remarked. Finding the right height for the spinnaker pole has been a challenge. The biggest problem I've found flying the spinnaker in heavy seas (3' and up) is that the spinnaker foot will sometimes catch a bit into the back of the next wave, spin the cat and over you go!

In order to cure the righting problem in seas like this, I installed Rick White's "righting pole" which works great. Getting a wet spinnaker back in the chute, and dealing with all the lines while the seas are running large and the wind blowing can be quickly tiring. I haven't sailed much this past year because of travel and a multitude of projects. I've lost the mast in high winds twice now because I used too lightweight of bridle and forestay wire (Hobie 14T). Jim Boyer warned me about that when he was here. I'm now using recut Hobie 18 bridles and forestay with a standard Hobie 18 furler.

As for the Sarasota race, Jennifer, I will more than likely be sailing Uni with the spinnaker since my son has basketball games both days, my daughter has a volley ball game that Saturday, and it's my wife's birthday weekend. I'm playing hooky from my coaching duties just to get to sail, and may not be able to get in all the races. Both of my kids are so into their sports that I can't count on them for crew any more. My wife gave up crewing after kids.

I always liked racing the Nacra's, but I prefer playing with the spinnaker. We can always see what the WX is going to be like. We've had T-storms rolling through pretty regularly in the afternoon here.

What happened to the other Taipan that was up there in the Tampa Bay area?

Hope to make the SSS race.

Jon Hamlet
Taipan #217

Eric,

Here's another picture of the mast rake I liked. Note that I was running the spinnaker pole in the low position. This was taken on my beach in front of my house on a 10-12 knot day with fair seas.

As you may have guessed, I have more fun experimenting these days than racing. I gave up my Hobie 18 and 17 for the Taipan and don't miss all that weight!


Jon Hamlet
Taipan #217

You would think with Gulfport being so close to Sarasota, that we would be able to get more of the Tampa Bay Area Taipan/F16HP fleet to attend. As far as I know, I am the only Taipan from the area planning on going.

Jennifer
Taipan 4.9/F16HP #262

Jon, thanks for the mast rake info. I'm assuming when you say behind the crossbeam you're measuring from the back fo the crossbeam. Based on your info, I certainly don't have too much rake, but I may have the traveller too centered and sheet too loose. BTW, your sails look great. I thought I was on the big side for this boat, but at ONLY 6'1" I guess not.

So it sounds like your running more rake sailing cat rigged. I understand (from my time windsurfing) that this would make you point better, but doesn't it give you too much weather helm?

I need to get some more water time in, but my kids' sports also take a lot of time. (At one point a few months ago I was going to 7 kid baseball games a week!) Great thing about this boat is how versatile the rig is.

Jennifer,

Gulfport is about 700 miles from Casey Key Island.

That's too far for me. Even when we were racing a lot from Orlando, we kept the range from Jacksonville to Miami and then mainly from Daytona Beach to Miami.

With my family committments now, anything over 3 or 4 hours drive is too far for me. I have the ocean about 300 feet from my back door, so no need to go too far.

Hope to se the Taipans at the SSS Labor Day bash.


Jon Hamlet
Taipan #217

Where is Casey Key Island in Florida?

Jennifer

Jennifer,

Casey Key is about 30 miles south of Sarasota.
According to Mapquest, Gulfport, MS is about 700 miles from here.

Tried to work on the Taipan again today, but the T-Storms rolled in about 11:00AM and spent the day.

Jon Hamlet
Taipan #217

You may want to check for the location of Gulfport, FL. on Mapquest. This is the Gulfport where the Taipan fleet is located. It looks like we are only 60 or so miles north of you. You should try to come up and visit some time. Gulfport Yacht Club has catamaran racing on the first and third Saturdays of the month (March through November) and guests are welcome. Also, in November, we will be hosting the Taipan 4.9 Nationals which you should definitely come up for.

I hope you finish repairing the boat in time for the Sarasota Labor Day Regatta. See you soon.

Jennifer Lindsay
Taipan 4.9 #262

PS. I may be sailing TF16 sloop instead of uni at Sarasota. I need to start getting crew trained for the nationals.

Wow!

As a kid I lived in MS for awhile and the only Gulfport I knew was in MS. You're just up the street figuratively speaking. I was just up there and ordered new swaged bridles from Bluewater. I make my own nicopress but don't like them for standing rigging. I'm in Tampa at least 3-4 times a month and will be there a lot now that AAU basketball season is getting underway. I will be there every other Sunday for the next six weeks for games.

I'll try and make one of the races there. Saturdays and Sundays ware a bit crazy here with basketball games (son 12) and volleyball games (daughter 13).

Jon Hamlet
Taipan #217

For anyone's information, the mast pivot screws right out of the mast foot. Since there is no set or plane to which you can fix a wrench or driver, I used a pair of vise grips.

I had a local machine shop fabricate a new tang and it was a 15 minute job to replace the tang and screw the pivot back into the foot.

Now to figure out how to replace the downhaul line. Anyone tried this? Mine is quite frayed in one place.

Jon Hamlet
Taipan #217

Hi Jon,

I replaced my downhaul line using some very thin whipping twine. Bought 9m of new rope (for the downhaul) and then used a needle and sewed the new rope to the end of the old one butting the ends up against one another.

I sewed back and forth between the two ropes about 10 times both straight across and at angles until I was sure that the two weren't going to come apart and that the ends wouldn't come out and snag on the internal blocks and then just pulled it through the mast from the other side and cut the end off.

Worked a treat!