Dart 15 Forums

Yesterday we had our first sail in #2008 (visible on Strava at https://www.strava.com/activities/701491447).

Very nice indeed. I guess reached mid of force 3 but down to zero too.

Pretty much everything worked flawlessly

I have a couple of beginner questions.

a) Our port rudder blade didn't want to stay in the up position very well. Any tips on what to adjust/oil/tighten/loosen/... so that when the white plastic tube slips on top of the blade it stays there.

b) I guess I had some combination of batten, downhall and mainsheet tightness wrong as about 1/3 of the aft end mainsail was hooked to windward. Any tips on where to start in stopping this.

We do have some water in the bottom section of the mast, I have found the advice on the tips page of the site so will be implementing that.
Also I'm thinking of filing the corners of the praddle handles a little to make them a bit easier to get in and out of the lockers.

Thanks

Dave

dave42w wrote: a) Our port rudder blade didn't want to stay in the up position very well. Any tips on what to adjust/oil/tighten/loosen/... so that when the white plastic tube slips on top of the blade it stays there.

Firstly check that the spring and roller mechanism in the rudder stock has a smooth action and isn't sticking. The roller should drop nicely into the cutaway in the rudder blade. With a few tools you can dismantle this mechanism, clean and lubricate it.

If the roller is working correctly but the blade tends to drop then the next step (and I had to do this on 1923) is to file a small dip into the rudder blade where the roller sits using a rounded file. Shouldn't need much of a dip - do a little at a time and experiment to see when you have achieved reliable locking.

dave42w wrote: b) I guess I had some combination of batten, downhall and mainsheet tightness wrong as about 1/3 of the aft end mainsail was hooked to windward. Any tips on where to start in stopping this.

Hooking is most often caused by mainsheet pulled in too hard for the wind strength. Upwind you want to pull the sheet just enough to close the leach but without hooking it. If the wind strength builds you pull in more sheet to prevent the leach falling away too much, and if the wind drops then let some sheet out to avoid hooking.
Traveller also helps. In light airs I drop the traveller 6 - 8 inches. As the wind builds torward F3-4 I gradually pull traveller up to abound 2-4 inches from centrleline. As wind and/or chop builds further I begin to drop the traveller again (keeping the main hard in). The balance of mainsheet and traveller is a whole subject in itself. You'll probably hear lots of variations on the theme. I think some of the guides here on the website cover it quite well.
Batten tension alone is unlikely to be the major cause of hooking - unless you've gone really OTT. Sprint 15 doesn't need much batten tension - just take the slack out of the cord plus a touch more to remove creases (with sail lying on a flat surface).

dave42w wrote: Also I'm thinking of filing the corners of the praddle handles a little to make them a bit easier to get in and out of the lockers.

I've always found that the praddle drops into the cabinet with no fuss or alterations - but it will only do this one way round! I think you need the 'scoop' side of the paddle facing upwards, and slide it in blade end first towards the back (or is it the front?!?) of the boat. You'll know when you've done it right because it will just drop in. I guess its possible the different hatches on the OoA boats give a tighter opening.

Thanks, very helpful!

Dave