beach entry and exit with mostly onshore wind

Its been a while since Ive sailed on a cat but getting my feet wet tomorrow I am hoping to have suggestions on entry and exit. My local spot is mostly on shore into ankle to waist slappers. I have a set of beach wheels no rope attached seen a video of a tornado launching they pulled the wheels out from under with a rope that looked like it was looped around the nose. They also went in rudders first and turned the boat around in deep. Since Im going into a headwind Im going to try nose first and jumping over the rudder cross bar. Also single handing on a public beach I'm a little concerned about leaving the wheels in the entry area. Any advise is apprecated.

you can usually add rope to the ends of the wheels by removing the cover and putting a stopper know on the end of some rope and threading it through the cover whole. The rope makes it much easier to put on and off the boat. if you dont have cradles on the beach wheels it is almost manditory.

I STRONGLY SUGGEST you go to a marine store (or walmart) first and get an anchor and line. wade out to anchor your boat while you return your wheels to your trailor.

you may consider locking your wheels to your trailer with a bike lock to... they are expensive and can ruin your week if they "walk off".

Be sure your main and traveler are sheeted in (no need to whale them tight) but as long as they are in your boat will point into the wind while on anchor.

Hi Andrew,
I never considered anchoring in waves they break close to shore and are usually small. I know those wheels are expensive to replace a lock and cable would be wise. Thanks for the advise I have 4 boat stores on the way . Where on the boat would I tie and store an anchor ?Under the mast would be my choice the front stays don't split for a jib they run full length like the back stays and trap lines all come from the same spot.

you may want to create a little bridal between the 2 bows to attach the anchor line.

I am not suer where you should store the anchor onboard. I carry a little bag on my trampoline and keep mine in there.

Charlie,

Some questions:

1) Are you launching a "A-Cat" through the surf?
2) What is the "shingle",ie: the angle/slope of the beach?
3) How big is the surf?

What limited advise I can give on limited knowledge of the conditions.

Make a "friend" on the beach ... ask them if they could deal w/ your beach wheels after you remove them from under the boat in the water (if possible). Give them clear instructions of where you need the wheels placed.(I set-up some beach chairs and a umbrella, usually that is enough to show ownership presence in the area)

Determine the favored direction to launch ....

Study the "Wave Break" ... the wavebreak some times has a hole in it where the waves are not as high or break as violently. And the waves come in at a certain frequency. Try and launch anticipating a lull.

Remember the sail can generate much more power then you so .... hold the boat in shallow water and "power-up" the boat and when you can just barely hold it push off and jump onboard ... get some windward daggerboard down (1/2 a board maybe) and hand hold the windward rudder down if possible ...

Accelerate the boat by footing ... then before the wave head-up into the wave .... just before stalling the boat turn down ... you're trying to show minimal frontage to the wave BUT do not stall the boat, keep it moving. If you stall the boat you will get over the first wave ... but the next wave will eat you for lunch !!!! Keep the boat moving ... speed/velocity/power is life. If you stay in the surf to long standing still you will have nothing left but debris/flotsum.

To return .... determine the direction of the wavebreak ... try and come in 45 degrees (at first) to the wavebreak ... build up speed and turn down riding the back of a wave. Do not come straight downwind ... you are then a sitting duck for a wave coming from behind ... picking up your sterns -- driving your bows down into the bottom ... over you go. I once saw my friend pitchpole his Nacra in a little 12-16" surfbreak ....

Both ways ... SPEED/POWER/VELOCITY is LIFE

Good Luck
Sail Flat, Sail Fast, Sail SAFE
HarryMurphey
H18Mag/#9458, Fleet54/Div11
P19MX/#86, CRAC-Open Class

If the anchor had a bouy with a short tether from the buoy to the boat, you could just disconnect the boat when ready to head out, and leave the anchor at the beach. I think that attaching to the main crossbeam below the mast will work for you, if it wanders too much, consider a bridle that attaches to the main crossbeam outboard near the hulls, with the apex near the bows. The bridle could be pulled back on board or bungied to one of the forestay tangs. I'd shy away from attaching the birdle to the forestay tangs on an A cat.

Dave

Boyer A
F18HT

Some of the catsailors here in brisbane tie an anchor to their beach wheels and simply throw the anchor off the tramp and let the wheels float once the cat is in the water.. Simple and easy to use

Talk to Dan Delave at the yacht club He's a f-18 and a cat sailor. he can help you.
I've sailed off that beach down by the end its a nice ride off but you may be able to launch at the yacht club easier.

Hi everyone! Great to know someone is here tonight. I am meeting another Cat sailor at Claremont and will be taking notes. I used to launch my first cat from the bay side long ago but think that area is overtaken with yackers now.
I bought my boat from a member of ABYC and had to move it out of there the list to get back in is more than a year wait. Heres a pic from the spot on a typical day. The A cat is the sister ship to mine both were brought from down under by the Glasers origionaly.
The waves in the spot we use are small being behind the breakwater but I have seen them get larger with wind. Nice to know everywhere cats have these issues and over come to get beyond the stingrays.
Thanks everyone I'll post over the weekend with results.

Charlie,

I've got a mark IV as well and I've sailed off that beach (not on my Boyer). It's a terrific spot to sail and shouldn't be too difficult. Another thing you might consider, especially since it is a pretty steep beach leading to the water, is to find some carpet scraps and put them under the hulls just leading into the water. You can put your boat on the carpet, pull out your wheels, secure your wheels, and then slide the boat on the carpet into the water. Anytime you leave your a-cat unattended (for just a second like this), I would leave the mainsail unpinned from the boom so it can float free and not catch the wind. Once your at the boat, pin the main on the boom and slid it into the water. If you've accumulated sand on the carpet at the water, lift the bows and slide the sterns down the carpet until the bows are in enough water to float. Then lift the sterns and push into the water.

Based on an idea that a friend of mine had (and I'm sure it's been done elsewhere), I put a t-bar on my beach wheels with a 45 degree riser and a handle that comes up even with the top of the hulls - in the middle of the hulls - at the forestays. That t-bar has a leg that sticks below it at the ground under the dolphin striker. In an offshore breeze, I can back the boat to the water, put the beach wheels right at the edge of the water, step on the leg to embed it in the sand, and slide the boat off into the water leaving the beach wheels right there at the water's edge. Works great (in an offshore breeze).

Jake, could you post a pic or diagram of the handle? Thanks!

dave

Today was a great day for a first sail on a different boat. Light wind, little sun, light rain, didn't break or lose anything.
Thanks for everyones input I know without your advise yesterday when I showed up all by myself today I might have otherwise chicked out.

Once I got away from the beach I found a puff here and there, I also saw the Schock 32 I was not crewing on to make the cat launch. I sent them pics I took of them. You guys should have seen me once I got the wheels out from under her still in the sand with every little wave wanting to take her out even with the sail centered "I ran back to the chair with the wheels over one sholder didn't lock them thru the rope ovver it and ran back. Of course once I got going both daggers found kelp that went out past the rudders so after moving them up and down then clearing the rudders I managed to stay clear of it the rest of the day. Landing in such light air was un-nerving somewhat I raised the daggers outside the waves and just as I got close I raised the second rudder and let her come into the wind before I slid off the windward hull to find the bottom at less than 3 feet, thankfully I was relieved to have some control again and backer her back onto the beach with the wave as it surged on shore. The tide had dropped a few inches while I was away but it managed to move my chair and wheels a lot farther away from the boat. Have a few things to make better for next time out now.

Jake is the Gelcoat on the MK IV really that thin to even think about carpeting the sand? Guess I should do an inspection in the morning did a little sand plowing. My wheels sucked in that sand too may be springing for some wider tires.

Does anyone else have kiteboarders all over their launch spots, had any problem launching or landing because of them? I drove by today to see who was out since the storm had passed thru no cats only about 20 kites zig zagging across the launch. I remember when I tryed learning that a few years ago I had my kite over head standing on dry sand and out of nowhere about 7 cats had landed directly down wind of me. I managed to walk upwind away from them and within 10 minutes they were all gone again. I know those kite strings are under a lot of tension (braided kevlar) and would hate to trip into one with my mast sailing to or from the shore.
Someone suggested I carry a line cutter incase I had to get out of the trap lines in a hurry. I can think of another reason to have it now.

Sure! The image set is in this group with several photos of the construction. The yellow bits started life as a windsurfer mast.

TeamSeacats Fiberglass work

And yes, the gelcoat is exceptionally thin on these boats compared to other typical cats (but why not?).

That's a nice addition to your Beach wheels Jake.
I have an old windsurfers mast too but think I can get some slightly bent lazer masts free that will weld to my center tube better.
I'm still itchy from look thru that nose rework.
Inside my boat the lable states gel coat contains 3% gray can I order gelcoat like that and from who?

on occasion we have a few of them zipping up and down our launch area. they are generally nice guys and stay clear.. but don't ever count on it... their line will cut your head off.. be carefully around them..

Last year a kid was blown into power lines at out causeway (as i was try to get to shore). He was electrocuted, fell 30 feet or so and his kite melted off his harness and flew into my boat. It became entangled in my forestay (my jib was furled up) and almost took my boat down.. i had to pop the kite, then cut the lines off my boat... all while dealing with the same 30-40knot winds that caused him to fly into powerlines...

You've got a good gelcoat supplier nearby - SherFab Supply (http://www.sherfab.com/About.asp). They supply the gelcoat for Performance Catamarans and can mix to color codes. You might want to call them about getting a white base with 3% gray...but it's going to be hit or miss as no two "whites" are the same. I would just go with a standard white for repair and feather it in - it would hardly be noticeable.

Oooh, that's nice! Looks like the vertical bar has a short bungee that loops around the mast base that keeps the boat properly centered on the cradles. That correct? Thanks Jake!

Dave

I can't take the credit for that design. Rick Harper (a local a-cat sailor) chopped up an MC scow dolly to make the predecessor to mine. I'm sure someone else somewhere else has had a similar setup.

The upright on the dolly has a cup that cups the dolphin striker and mast post. In the top/center of the cup are two holes that a "U" shaped pin fits in. Once you get the boat on the dolly, you insert the pin in the cup which captures the dolphin striker and the mast post centered and keeps the boat from tilting back away from the dolly. We've also worked out the angles and spacing (in my case, the lower leg straight down from the dolphin striker support) so that once the boat is on the dolly, you can let go of everything and no part of the boat touches the ground. You can't tell in that picture because of the hull covers but the bows are about 4 inches off the grass.

The t-fitting on the center of the aluminum axle is fitted precisely to the windsurfer mast and they come apart with the removal of a pin for trailering.

Be cautious to work out all your weights and balance points with the boat completely rigged, the mast will change things dramatically.

they also sell a handle if you dont have the parts or time

http://www.murrays.com/archive/57.pdf

Most of our Wave sailors have Cat Trax, with cradles, and with the handle. All that stuff can be bought in our Online Store, right here at catsailor.com.

Jake said:



So how do you carefully get your Aaaaaa off the trailer onto that beach dolly?

Without scarring the hulls? Instead of yanking it off the trailer onto the dolly?

Not asking this facetiously. This question is from the "it's-better-to-use-a-lever-than-brute-strength" frame of thought.

Considering the Aaaaaaaaaaaa is a $20K boat, treating it with respect is always due, eh?

I am having an ongoing debate with myself about how to tip a boat off a trailer onto a dolly (or onto the ground and then onto the dolly)

I have already hijacked your pic of the high tech t-bar dolly!

MILLIONS, I AM GOING TO MARKET IT AND MAKE MILLIONS! Muahhahaha. By selling it at the catsailor store! (Thanks for the reminder, Mona Lise.)

It's really easy. My dolly sits under the boat on the trailer and I pull it out from the back and assemble the t-bar. The dolly sits on the ground and the handle hooks nicely onto my "flipped-down" mast support at the back of the trailer (after the mast is removed). I strap my hull chocks on the back of the boat. Standing at the bows, I push the boat back off the trailer and about the time it becomes unbalanced on the rear beams, the sterns are nicely over the cat trax. Then I go to the back of the boat, lift the sterns, and finish pulling it off the trailer.

I just spill out a big bucket of ball bearings and yank my boat of the trailer and drop it on the ball bearings and go wherever I want.It leaves speed dents in the hull but Jake said they're fast.
Jake as usual you've outdone yourself again. I'm impressed.
When you gonna start making N-20 masts?
Todd

I haven't figured how strapping the blocks to the back helps it move yet I have been putting the wheels under the back and lifting the dolphin striker to clear the bunks then repositioning the wheels closer to center once Im off the trailer. I know there is a better way the blocks have a bungie over the hull and would give a little just concerned about sticking or digging in the back without wheels. Today I had 10 to 15 knots of wind my boat started doing a happy dance after I removed the wheels. What a difference from the first time

I don't really need the chocks on the sterns at that point - only when I move the hulls to where I need them do I need the chocks (when I slide the hulls back off the dolly to the ground for stability). The hulls go straight from the trailer cradle to the dolly cradles.

The absolute beauty of this system is that you back the boat to the water, with the cradles right at the edge of the water, lift the bows, push back, and launch. You leave the wheels right there pegged in the sand. When you return, you don't have to beach the boat. Jump off in the shallows, lift the bows onto the cradles, slide the boat forward, pin the dolphin striker, and wheel away.

However, I mostly sail on lakes so I don't have to deal with a tide.

I've got about 50 feet to the water from the closest point the trailer can go. I tryed stepping the mast right off the trailer and today next to the water. With my skinny tires they really plow thru the sand with the extra weight of the mast over them. It worked out better stepping the mast closer to the entry. I get a little nervous taking the mast down once I detach the aft stays and its only hanging from the fore stays. Today I had a couple of ladies push the nose down for me while I walked the mast down to a waiting chair. I've seen the mast raising rig for sale but don't think I want to step the mast still on the trailer or use my main sheet blocks. Has anyone come up with a system or devise to make that easier?

With the split forestays and a 16 to 20 lb mast on an a-cat, you don't need anything special to raise or lower the mast yourself.

First - point the boat into the wind. and bring the beach wheels forward (under the forestay tangs).

Second - position the mast forward and pin the base to the front beam. Support the tip of the mast out of the sand somewhere (like on the trailer or a folding chair).

Third - install rigging (I completely remove mine when trailering). Connect the two forestays but leave them secured to the hull with more slack than normal - about four to five inches extra slack. I stretch and bunji the trap lines in place just to keep them sraight.

Fourth, step the mast and let the two forestays hold it in position. With the boat facing the wind, with the forestays slack, and with the bows slightly high, the mast will be leaning back a good bit. The split forestays will provide plenty of side to side support for the mast and you can easily leave it sitting there (as long as you are pointing into the wind).

Fifth, pin your sidestays.

Sixth - tighten up the forestays bringing the mast forward and tensioning the rig properly.



While I agree that it is a little unnerving leaving the mast raised and supported only by the forestays, it is pretty stable there. Also note that the mast base will allow the mast to pivot way lower than it needs to - there's no reason you need to tilt the bows down to step or lower the mast.

Thanks for all the help guys I'm enjoying the level of expertice here. So what does tensioned properly look like? Today with all the wind I had the forestays about as tight as I could get them and everything looked tight on the beach. Underway however one of the stays downwind showed some slack. Running downwind even the forestays went limp. Are you using a tension guage or guitar string test?

Jake said:



If you get a chance, can you post a pic of your hull chock choice? (Say that fast 10 times.)

Do you already have one in among your pics?

There seem to be a varying and interesting choice of versions out there. Example:

Here's a nice pair for a small fee!?

PS:

The last line of a post on Seacats website:



Really good info on resurfacing hulls. Did the sequel get writ?

To be a box office hit, for sure.

no - unfortunately, the sequel is still in my brain and has not made it to my keyboard yet.

Nothing fancy on the chocks. They're a piece of rubbery foam that are square on the bottom, about 4 inches tall, and have a semi-circle cut-out top to match the shape of the hull. A bunjie pierces the rubber on each side, exits at the bottom on each side, and is tied in a figure eight. Nothing really fancy. They strap on the sterns over the rudder arms to keep the sterns from touching the ground.

My last set were made of 6x foot long pieces of pool noodle joined together (internal lacing) into a triangle. They were a temporary solution that worked so well that sculpted chocks kepted being bumped to the bottom of the to do list. The advantage of the triangle was you didn't have to fuss around getting them the right way up.

Jake good advise on cats you were right about not needing anything special to step the mast. After doing it a few times the hardest part was getting the stays and trap lines straightened out. Last night I made a foam ring about the size of a life ring with a groove around it to wind those on, with a few pieces of Velcro thru it they are way easier to get ready. Small craft advisory today 25 to 40 playing with gel coat and epoxy.

I have a padded bag made for my anchors (each boat gets its own specially designed along with the paddle handle and blade) and it clips down to the tramp (cat rig) or goes into a tramp bag. Does not matter if I fall onto it and the bag keeps it tidy. Bridle is a very simple thing and goes with chain and warp in own bag for weight distribution.
I sail to beaches a lot and dealing with the tide is unacceptable as it results in damage to the dragged hulls.

I inherited a handle system the same as this years ago and they work well.
But these days I just put my righting rope behind the axle of the wheels as I push them in. This leaves a return which I tie off to mast base. The wheels are pushed far enough back to leave weight on them when I maneuver using the bow and when I put the boat back in the water I simply undo the righting rope from the mast base and pull it while placing one foot on the main beam for leverage to regain the wheels without getting wet.
I find beaches have small surges.
I pull the boat back into shore in an on shore breeze by lifting hulls from rear to stop sanding affect. I wait for a bit of a surge to help me in and on my return a similar surge to help me out.
I don't like to use the "find a friend" method as they are never there when it really counts..Murphy's Law and I like to be self-sufficient.

Jake said:



Thanks for the detail.

Sounds like a no big deal thing to put together... but for me finding a square block of "rubbery foam" about 4" to 8" tall has not been easy.

Happened to see a pic (fuzzy pic) of a Viper on a beach with a set of tall, square yellow chocks that looked like soft foam of some sort, shaped to fit the hulls with cloth or canvas flaps on the side, top edges with eyelets for the rope tying them to the rear crossbeam.

It was a nice design.

Surprised that catsailor or Hobie or Murrays or whomever doesn't market chocks made of polyform -- like the fenders that you see hung over the side of docked boats.

The purpose of which is to avoid the "bottom job".

My motivation for chocks is simply to have a way to rig and yank the boat off the trailer and get into the water in 15 minutes flat or less without aggravation. Kinda like a NASCAR tire change.

There are a lot of different approches to chocks out there. I haven't been using mine much just dropping my stearns on the sand at the beach without any problems long enough to get the wheels under the back lifting the back up a few inches, tie it off behind the back cross beam and lift the boat off the bunks roll back a few feet and let the hull down to the sand then re-position the wheels just ahead of the daggerboard wells and tie them off at the striker so I can roll forward to the water. My boat came with blocks fiberglass like the cradles with a thin felt on them. I've already replaced that felt on the dolly with a thicker carpet I had left over from re-covering the bunks. Liquid nails worked way better than contact cement. Repadding the chocks with the same next.

This weekend I'm entering my first race with the ABYC turkey day regatta w/dinner included looking forward to eati.. I mean competing. I saw a couple guys with A2's yesterday I was doing 8 to 10 knots but couldn't keep up with them. I guess carring another person really slows a boat like this down. One of the race requirements is having a painter at least one boat length. I presume thats a towline. If so has anyone got a suggested attach point or type of rope?
I was thinking of using a ski rope because it floats and making a bridle with a yoke that can go to the righting line attach points on the front beam with a couple of shackles. My tramp has a pouch just behind the mast I can keep stuff like that in nothing bigger than a fist can get thru the zipper.

I broke my hiking pole as I was getting off in the surf last week. Its 8 feet long the closest replacement I can find is 6 feet and it telescpopes down to 4 feet. Tryed it yesterday and it was nice not having all that extra pole to deal with but it may be too short for hiking. I've got some carbon bidirectional cloth I'm going to wrap it with. Resin alone didn't hold long. Since it only flexs a little at that spot the repair should be enough.

I've been making a new yard cover for the boat the origional is falling apart. Sewing that blue tarp material is going pretty well. I have replaced the ropes and eyelets with velcro and am wrapping the hulls completely.

Cattail:

We had waves about like yours at the Texas City Dike. Trick I always used was put the boat at water edge and pull the wheels out. With the rudders locked up I would push the boat out from the front crossbars and jump on one of the bows. With the sails loose the boat will back itself out AS long as you stay on the bow and keep the sterns out of the water. WHEN you are far enough out, just go back and put the rudders down and fall of the wind and head out. Works great.

Doug

Charlie,
You can add a step to your mast stepping routine thats add a little more safety and peace of mind.

Tie a short piece of line inside each side of the front beam (it lives there forever) and when you raise or lower your mast, you can tie off the trap lines with this line. This way the mast only will go in one direction, you dont have to worry about wind catching it or having it go sideways at all.

I use this method for the HT mast and the Acat mast. The HT mast is much heavier than the Acat mast and longer, it helps with both.

Jake,
I like the stand on the wheels, thats a great idea.

Thanks Doug, IS that with the wind blowing off shore backing the boat out? With onshore wind I don't think the boat has much of a reverse upwind, I've been able to launch nose into the waves and hop on the windward side when I'm knee deep and start sheeting in dropping my closest rudder and daggerboard part way until I can get it down all the way. They have these bouyies they want us to go between leaving the beach I'm not always able to in lite air 1 to 2 knots but I try. With the kiteboarders pounding the shoreline I tend to head for open water first tack. Landing I come by the area first instead of bee lining it for the shore from out of nowhere.

Bvining, great suggestion using the trap lines as preventers. That transition over the top and into my hands goes pretty well as long as I keep her nose into the wind but its still like trying to brush a high ceiling with the end of the broom handle. I have a lot of 1/8th braided line I can cut a couple of pieces and give that a try next time. Last time when I was going up one of the forestays desided to go around the nose preventing me from getting over the top so I had to bring it back down until it freed itself.
I have been sailing a deserted beach this month almost no other cats sailing so my learning curve has been bigger than expected. A lot of the regulars stop by for a chat but don't stay long. Only one H16 came out last Friday but he had never heard of an A cat and he couldn't beat away from the beach in the lite conditions.

First race today I launched with the Hobies the rest of the A's like to launch from the beach next to the YC and sail out the channel to Alamitos Bay, I've been in that channel its a nightmare for cats. We were posponed almost an hour as we rafted waiting for wind. The A's went first and by the time we had made one lap the fog rolled in leaving a lot of sailors (mostly me I'm sure) wondering were the marks went! I didn't mark them on my GPS first time around I didn't think it would be a problem since I was bringing up the rear in 9th. They called it after everyone finished we only completed one race today.
Jay Glaser took first today. http://www.abyc.org/upload/2008_Turkey_Day_Regatta.html
I was shocked at how many Lasers were entered in the race. The line for dinner took over an hour to get fed there were close to 500 people that showed up to eat Turkey!