I'll start. Here's my RowCruiser (before it became a Sailing RowCruiser) at Holmes Harbor, Whidbey Island.
I'll start. Here's my RowCruiser (before it became a Sailing RowCruiser) at Holmes Harbor, Whidbey Island.
Looks sharp!! Do you have any pics after the sailing conversion? What sailing rig did you end up going with?
@Colin Angus
I do, but it's not the best (ignore the droopy mizzen mast boom - it was my first sail).
I went with the standard sails, but instead of cutting the mizzen mast/sail down as per the instructions, I just used the 3.5m^2 sail instead of the cut down 4.5m^2.
I'm not sure if that is overpowered or not, I haven't taken the sailing rig out as much as I thought i might - I've ended up just enjoying the rowing aspect without the sails. It is difficult to tack, and really does not like beating into wind. Anything higher up than a broad reach is a stuggle. Maybe that's the sail plan, maybe that's because of the hull design, maybe that's because I'm a poor sailor - no idea, but experience from others would be invaluable. I'll create a new discussion post on this - advice for sailing or something ?
Holy Moly - something's not right there. At a "broad reach" you're not even getting the performance of a square-rigged tall ship. Heck, even a log flying a beaver pelt could point better than that. When I've got some time, I'll come back here with a few pointing pointers, along with a few questions to get to the bottom of this.
Zooming in on the picture above, I can definitely see some low hanging fruit with the set of the sails. Also, I can't made out the daggerboard - just to confirm - you did have a daggerboard in place for your sailing?
With regards to the sails, it's important that sufficient tension is applied to the outhaul for both shaping, and to allow the boom vang to do its job. The boom vang pulls down on the boom, but won't be very effective if the outhaul isn't tensioned appropriately. Three very important things for sailing upwind are the shape of the foils (daggerboard and rudder), the shape of the sails, and that everything is balanced properly through adept/sensitive sailing (having the sails set right, easing the boat further into the wind as more apparent wind is created, etc. etc.)
My RowCruiser points between 50 and 45 degrees into the wind, but you do need to pay attention to both your sailing and the set of your rig. Be sure to sufficiently tension your outhaul, downhaul, and boom vang. It's surprising how much tension is required to give the Bic Open sails a decent shape. Additionally, you need to be really careful not to point up prematurely - wait for the boat to pick up speed and slowly gently ease the boat closer to the wind, tightening the sails as you do so. Be sensitive to the boat slipping into irons, or the sails luffing. For tacking, make sure that the boat is moving at decent speed before making the shift. Don't try tacking after you've started losing speed by inadvertantly going too close to the wind. Also, don't shove the rudder over hard to tack - that's a sure fire way to lose speed (the water stalls behind the rudder creating a ton of drag and turbulence). Instead, gently move the rudder and make sure you have speed to coast to the other side.
@Colin Angus That bad huh ! That picture was my first sail, after about 5mins in the water, so I'm not surprised it's not set right.
I intend to get out this weekend. I'll be mindful of trying to get some more up to date photos.
Yes, there is a daggerboard.
A quick pic of the "Golden Pearl" helmed by her previous owner & builder. She was painted in Yamaha Racing colours, and certainly turns heads as a result! You can see the Topper sails which are a great option for a low cost, easy to source rig.
I'm loving all of the beautiful photos posted of the Row Cruiser! I'm especially in awe of the amazing sunset photos. This boat looks like it's perfect for a calm and relaxing evening. I can't wait to see more photos of the Row Cruiser!
First row after painting. Still have some hardware to add before it's complete
