Untitled Document
Great Tips for All Boaters
TraileringYour Boat
Almost anyone that owns a boat of any kind has to trailer their boat at one time or another. Many of us trailer our boats all the time. Here are some tips that might help you out:
1) Preparing the Boat.
*Be sure the boat is loaded so
there is adequate tongue weight. If the tongue weight is too light the trailer
may tend to fishtail. Too much tongue weight will be unduly hard on the towing
vehicle.
*Tie the boat down securely..,
you don't want to drop your precious boat on the highway. We recommend the
ratchet-type tie downs that
can be purchased at most stores.
*Be sure there is nothing that can drag.
Sailboats have halyards, sheets and stays that
can somehow untie themselves and drag on the highway. After such an event,
they will have to be replaced at great expense.
*Tops, covers and sails should
be lowered and tied securely. If not, the wind will destroy them.
*For catamarans, don't let your hulls ride on rubber rollers.., be sure to get adequate
cradles which will keep the hulls from being damaged
*Good boat covers will keep her clean while on the road.
2) Tires and Wheels
*Tire pressure is a biggie in trailing
boats. Most trailer tires are small and require higher pressure than most
tires. Tires should be inflated to the maximum psi recommended on the tire.
The more inflated the tire, the cooler it will run. Tires that are under-inflated
bulge at the sides and this area will be constantly flexing.., thus, heating
up the tire. That will shorten the life of the tire and cause a possible
sidewall blowout.
*Wheel lugs should be check periodically to ascertain they
are tight
*Axles should be lubed regularly. Buddy Bearings are handy as they
give you a visual look at how well greased the axle is.
*Be sure you always
have a fully inflated spare tire.., along with tools and jack.
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How many times have you had something break or tear on your boat? And how many time have you needed to repair it replace it? And how many hours have you spent trying to find a part, or a new gizmo? And with little or no luck after many hours?
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Having Great Starts (Part 2)
What if...
You are getting ready for start. What is there to do?
In the last issue I talked about “homework” you must do for each and every start.
There are four items of that homework. They are:
1) The favored end of the line
(v. favored side of the course)
2) Time the line (knowledge of the length of
the line)
3) Get a transit (know where the line actually is)
4) Check for current
So, let’s go over them one at a time.
The first item is to find the favored end of the line. The favored end is
the end that is more upwind. It could be the port end (or left end looking
straight into the wind), or the starboard end (right end looking straight into
the wind).
By
the way, there is a lot of geometry in sailing. For example, to find that upwind
starting mark, we would need to draw an imaginary line perpendicular to the
wind direction. If both marks were on that imaginary line, the starting line
would be even.
If the port end mark was ahead of the line, that would mean
the port end was favored.
If you were the boat starting at that end, and your
buddy was at the other end, you would already be ahead of your buddy as the
starting gun went off. Take at look at the diagram.
You can see that a perpendicular
line across the wind shows the port end of the line far ahead of the starting
boat end, or starboard end. Also, notice the Gray Boat that is starting at
the port end is far ahead of the White Boat starting at the starboard end.
He already has a head start.
Again geometry expresses itself. If the two boats
were even, their bows would both be even with that perpendicular line.
Stay tuned for the next issue. We will delve a bit deeper into Item 1 of the
four pieces of homework – The Favored End of the Line
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Are you tired of throwing money at your boat, buying "GO-FASTS", and you still
are in mid-fleet or worse at times? Getting sick of the jib
sheet jamming on every third tack? Upset because every time you tack,
you tack onto a header?
WE HAVE SOLVED THIS!
For 20 years the Rick
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Dear Capt Noah,
My crew is a really strong minded girl
who is always yelling at me on the race course. I can’t believe it. Most guys say their crews reprimand them for yelling. In our case it is she that keeps yelling.
I swear I feel like flipping her off the boat sometimes. Or maybe just flipping her off!
Flipper
Dear Flipper,
I was very lucky to have been taught Math in my many years of schooling.
Regarding that I would like to tell you a little story that accentuates why
you need to be good at math.
I was riding to work yesterday when I observed
a female driver cut right in front of a pickup truck, causing him to have
to drive on to the shoulder to avoid hitting her. This evidently angered
the driver enough that he hung his arm out his window and "flipped" the woman off.
"Man, that guy is stupid," I thought to myself.
I ALWAYS smile nicely and wave in a sheepish manner whenever a female does
anything to me in traffic, and here's why:
* I drive 48 miles each way every
day to work.
* That's 96 miles each day.
* Of these, 16 miles each way is bumper-to-bumper.
* Most of the bumper-to-bumper is on an 8 lane highway.
* There are 7 cars every 40 feet for 32 miles.
* That works out to be 982 cars every mile, or 31,424 cars.
* Even though the rest of the 32 miles is not bumper-to-bumper, I figure
I pass at least another 4000 cars.
* That brings the number to something
like 36,000 cars that I pass every day.
* Statistically, females drive half
of these.
* That's 18,000 women drivers!
* In any given group of females, 1 in 28 has PMS.
* That's 642.
* According to Cosmopolitan, 70% describe their love life as dissatisfying
or unrewarding.
* That's 449.
* According to the National Institute of Health, 22% of all females have
seriously considered suicide or homicide.
* That's 98.
* And 34% describe men as their biggest problem.
* That's 33.
* According to the National Rifle Association, 5% of all females carry weapons,
and this number is increasing.
* Ergo! That means that EVERY SINGLE DAY,
I drive past at least one female that has a lousy love life, thinks men are
her biggest problem, has seriously considered suicide or homicide, has PMS,
and is armed.
Flip one off? ....... I think not!
Captain Noah
Thought of the Month:
If “con” is the opposite of “pro,” then wouldn’t Congress be the opposite of
Progress?
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OH, NO! you have a tear in you trampoline!
You look further and you see signs of wear! Your boat is an older design and
the manufacturer is no longer in business? What can you do?
PROBLEM SOLVED!
The Folks at OnLineMarineStore.com can
make tramps for
all beach
catamarans/multihulls and
almost all cruising
catamarans/multihulls. -
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