Brand new and having problems

[Jeff WYllie]

My wife and I had problems raising the sail all the way on our M just as you described. The reason we had raising the main all the way was that we had the main sheet pulled in too far. We did this to keep the boom from swinging around on the way out. The problem was it pulls the boom down too far to let the main raise all the way. Once we let it out the sail came right up.

[KEVIN'S OWN]

I am happy to report that we have had SUCCESS in raising the mainsail! Not sure exactly what went wrong on the first try, we didn't have the lower portion of the sail, placed in the boom, tied off so there was lots of play in it; couldn't see if there was a tangle in the line at the top of the mast, etc. Went back on Saturday and somehow my stepson and I raised the sail on the first try - now whether having the engine on and Kevin steering into the wind made that much of a difference I don't know. All we know is that we took our inaugural sail on Saturday - light wind, just the mainsail and it was wonderful. We got the bimini set up once we returned to our mooring and this weekend we will attempt to set up the roller furling and the genoa!

What a great community this site is - all the help, tips, and friendly advice you could ask for.

[DLT]

Congrats! Glad to hear it!

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

I expect that steering into the wind with the engine running slowly made all the difference for you. I can only think of about 4 ways to get the mainsail up if there is more than 5-6 mph of wind. The most common way is what you did, the other way is to run the engine fast enough to make the apparent wind coming from the bow (be careful doing this one as you could capsize the boat if you go faster than 6-7 mph). The last two methods don't require the engine but are a bit more advanced. One way (my personal favorite) is to raise the main while you are at anchor and then pull the anchor and sail away (make sure your board is all the way down for that one) never running the engine at all. And the last way I know is to heave to and raise the main in the wind shadow of the genoa. Lots of cruisers leave their main up all the time even when they are motoring, but again, caution on a powersailer because you can go much faster than a conventional sailboat and risk a capsize by motoring fast with the sails up.

[baldbaby2000]

Kevin's Own,

Welcome to the Mac family!

[KEVIN'S OWN]

Thanks for the alternatives Dimitri. I like your chosen method but our concern would be drifting too close to the boats around us before getting the sail raised and securred. It will be trial and error (without hitting anything ) for a while, but we'll continue to have fun!

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Having fun is definitely the key and the best way to do that when you are just starting out is to try and avoid any white knuckle or near death experiences Figure out what wind ranges you are comfortable in, for example, when just starting out, that could be in the 5-10 mph range. Once it goes over your personal limit, then drop the sails and motor home. As you gain experience, you will start raising your limits and eventually you'll get to a point where you will sail home in high winds because its fun and you've built confidence. Even if you are a lifelong boater, there is always more to learn.

As for sailing off an anchor, you can practice it when there are offshore winds available and there is nothing to hit in the direction the wind is going. Finding secluded beaches is one of the greatest advantages of owning a boat.

[Andy26M]

Welcome to the family KEVIN'S OWN and Trumpetguy!!

Congratulations on that first sail, too!

Setting up the roller furler the first time may be the most complicated thing you'll have to do on the boat. If you do not have a hard copy of the manual, I definitely recommend getting one (should be able to google it online or find a link in these forums) and studying it carefully before starting the project. If I was doing it myself, I'd probably put the boat on the trailer or at least tie up to a dock in shallow water where you can pick up parts that go over the side... Also, grab one of those fuzzy wash mitts that they sell for washing your car and use it over the bottom of the furler (the metal drum) until you are ready to attach the drum - it will not fall off and it will save a lot of scrapes and scratches on the deck/windows of your new boat as you work on figuring the whole thing out. I also have a pair of wash mitts that I use over the ends of the mast-raising pole to keep from bashing things as I move it in and out of the boat.

My rigging/unrigging tip: I got myself one of those tool belts with 3 or 4 pockets from a hardware store. In it I keep a dedicated set of wrenches, screwdrivers (it's only 4 or 5 tools), small bungees, knife, etc. that are for rigging/unrigging use only. This way, when I am wearing swim trunks with no pockets, I just toss on the toolbelt and voila - pockets and all the tools I need - and nothing gets dropped overboard. It may not look real sexy, but it works. Also, I recommend investing in a ratcheting 7/16" - 1/2" box wrench.

- Andy

[KEVIN'S OWN]

Thank you Andy26M for the tips - especially the tool belt - great idea because you know when you lay the tools on the deck they're just going to roll into the water!

Hope you get your boat into the water soon - it would seem that Rochester has a short summer season.

[Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL]

I recommend investing in a ratcheting 7/16" - 1/2" box wrench.- Andy

I don't recall anyplace that a 1/2" wrench is needed.

7/16", 9/16" (two each), Phillips screwdriver, Visegrips, knife.

I like the ratcheting wrenches. You can tie a tether on one end while using the other end so you don't lose it. (I lost two Phillips screwdrivers overboard one day.)

If they had one with 7/16" on one end and 9/16" on the other, it would be ideal (instead of 3/8" / 7/16", and 1/2" / 9/16"