Category Archives: Mainsheet

Mainsheet Articles

2006, Anchor and Windlass, Mainsheet, Repair/Replace/Maintain

Windlass Alert

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Windlass Alert
Warren Elliott

November, 2006 Hull #: 44

There has been considerable traffic on our Sailnet email discussion group on this subject. Captains are finding problems ranging from clutch lockups to windlass slowdown/ failure, so I thought I’d give a brief overview of the problems and solutions, before more of you “suffer”–and there has been some suffering! Changing gear oil has also been batted around, but this is much less important, per the manufacturer, Maxwell.

Note that I hope to have a fuller article on this in the near future. There are two windlass models within our fleet: the “Freedom 800″ and the “VW 800″; early C380’s have the latter unit, but horizontally mounted. Boats from about late 1997 to 2002 have the Freedom model, and later C380’s and C387’s have the VW 800, vertically mounted.

Captains with the Freedom windlass have reported more problems than others, probably

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2006, Engine, Mainsheet, Repair/Replace/Maintain

Is Tachometer Accurate?

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Is Tachometer Accurate?
Richard Herbst

Date: November, 2006 Hull #: 93

I recently suspected that my helm’s tach was inaccurate. After investigating, I found as much as 1300 RPM error near the high end! The tachometer’s input signal comes from an upgraded alternator on my Westerbeke 42B engine, a Balmar model 91-100. So, if there’s an upgraded alternator in use, you could have a big tachometer error.

I found the error by using a $65.00 digital “Diesel Tiny Tach” from Design Technology Inc (www.tinytach.com) which claims an accuracy of +/- 10 RPM. My order included a longer cable [$10, + about $7 shipping], which allows the indicator to reach the helm. The Tiny Tach is powered by a 9-volt battery; its transducer clamps onto an injector’s fuel line, measuring the pulses of injected fuel to determine RPM. The unit can be set up permanently or connected when needed. I used

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2005, Mainsheet, Sailing

Boat Speed Under Power – Mainsheet May 2005

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Title:Boat Speed Under Power
Author:Jim Jaeschke
Date: 5/1/2005
Hull #: 73

Boat Speed Under Power – Engine/Transmission/Propeller Performance There has been a few lively discussions on the Sailnet C380+ list about how fast and at what RPM our boats will move under engine power. The bottom line is that your boat should cruise at 7+ knots at engine rev’s that promote long life. I’ll try to help you get there by discussing prop characteristics, tying in engine performance and, for the practical side: tachometer and boat speed instrumentation.

Instrumentation In order to know our boat’s motoring performance, we need reasonably accurate instrumentation. It has been reported that the tachometer on some boats has not been calibrated, resulting in erroneous RPM readings. It is important, not only for this discussion but also for engine life, that the tach indicate engine RPM correctly. If you suspect a problem, have your boat yard

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2005, Boom, Customizations, Mainsheet, Repair/Replace/Maintain

Dutchman Boom Brake Installation and Use – Mainsheet May 2005

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Dutchman Boom Brake Installation and Use
Kevin Murray
Mainsheet Date: 5/1/2005
Hull #: 88

The Dutchman Boom Brake is designed to control the speed of the boom as it crosses the boat during jibing. This can be a dangerous situation in moderate or higher winds. It also makes a great preventer for use when running downwind. As shown in Figure 1, this brake consists of three sheaves mounted between two plates in a triangular configuration; a line wraps around these in a serpentine fashion. The two upper sheaves are fixed and do not rotate; the lower sheave either rotates or is fixed depending on the setting of the control knob on the front of the device.

When the line running through the brake is tensioned, it grips the line with greater tension yielding more grip. By adjusting the knob and/or tension, more or less braking friction is in winds below

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2005, Customizations, Dinghy Davits, Mainsheet

Weaver Davits

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Weaver Davits
Rick Beauregard

November, 2005 Hull #: 160

What To Do With The Dink

After another great weekend of sailing, snorkeling, barbequing, and general partying at Emerald Bay at Catalina Island, getting ready to go home is a drag. We start the routine around 11:30, to wait for the predictable San Pedro Channel trade winds to fill in. First, we retrieve and put away the flopper stopper, then I stow the Honda generator, and the eight horse Yamaha, haul the kayaks aboard, and uncover the main. Last but not least is the dinghy.

I used to tow my 10 foot inflatable Quicksilver and take care of it when I got to home port. But I didn’t like the effect it had on my sailing performance. I hauled it aboard and laid it on the foredeck a few times, but up there it gets in the way and is a

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2005, Customizations, Mainsheet

Genny Furling Line Controller – Mainsheet February 2005

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Genny Furling Line Controller
Warren Elliott
Mainsheet Date: 2/1/2005
Hull #: 44

How to control my headsail’s furling line? This was one of my first challenges with our new C380. It was obvious that some sort of block and cleat arrangement was needed in that port cockpit area; but then a secondary question arose: how to accomplish this without drilling any holes in that beautiful fiberglass, and still keeping the furling line out from underfoot?

Without the ability to simply ask our great Sailnet email group [Sailnet didn’t exist and I didn’t even have a PC “back then”], I set about scrounging through my voluminous “junk box”. [Much to the Admiral’s chagrin, I save all sorts of “stuff”]. I decided to concentrate on attaching “something” to the genny foot block, as it seemed to be in a good location. After quite a few visualizing exercises, a plan developed: use a

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2005, Mainsheet, Mast, Repair/Replace/Maintain

Cracked Mast Step – Mainsheet February 2005

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Cracked Mast Step-Version II
Ted Sholl
2/1/2005
Hull #: 257

Cracked Mast Step – Version II This is a summary of Ted Sholl’s experience with his C380. His article was submitted for publication several issues back, but was removed due to lack of space. Subsequently it somehow “slipped through the crack” [pardon the pun]. With the passage of time, boats with this problem probably have all been discovered and repaired. However, just in case, here’s some “food for thought”. My apologies to Ted, whose full article is on our website.
Shortly after taking delivery of “Sound of Silence” hull #257 in July 2000, we noticed some cracks and apparent corrosion around the circumference of the mast step [collar] that sits at the base of the mast and is attached to the cabin roof [and compression post below]. The mast fits into the collar and is held in place by a

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2005, Mainsheet, Reviews, Sailing

Affordable Cordless Drill as Winch Driver

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Affordable Cordless Drill as Winch Driver
Roger Cheney

2/1/2005 Hull #: 132

Faithful readers of this column [others are to be pitied!] may recall an earlier brief article [May ’03] in which Wallace Shakun [Morning Star, C380 #12] proposed using a heavy-duty cordless drill to drive winches. He put the idea into practice using a straight-drive 1/2″ Bosch drill together with an adapter “bit”, which he developed, that mates a standard 1/2″ chuck with our winch drive socket.

The idea sounded good to me, except that I felt a right-angle drill would provide an easier way to resist the high torques developed [about 500 inch-pounds]. Wallace indicated that the straight-drive version worked well, but that he was also considering the right-angle approach.

Milwaukee now has a hefty right-angle drill, which develops a “bit” more torque, and which costs somewhat more [$300 vs $200]. Roger Cheney [C380 #132, “2nd Wind”] has

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2005, Customizations, Electric Winch, Mainsheet, Reviews, Tools

Affordable Cordless Drill as Winch Driver – Mainsheet February 2005

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Affordable Cordless Drill as Winch Driver
Roger Cheney
2/1/2005
Hull #: 132 

Faithful readers of this column [others are to be pitied!] may recall an earlier brief article [May ’03] in which Wallace Shakun [Morning Star, C380 #12] proposed using a heavy-duty cordless drill to drive winches. He put the idea into practice using a straight-drive 1/2″ Bosch drill together with an adapter “bit”, which he developed, that mates a standard 1/2″ chuck with our winch drive socket.

The idea sounded good to me, except that I felt a right-angle drill would provide an easier way to resist the high torques developed [about 500 inch-pounds]. Wallace indicated that the straight-drive version worked well, but that he was also considering the right-angle approach.

Milwaukee now has a hefty right-angle drill, which develops a “bit” more torque, and which costs somewhat more [$300 vs $200]. Roger Cheney [C380 #132, “2nd Wind”] has

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2005, Mainsheet, Port Lights, Repair/Replace/Maintain

Installing Portlight Screens

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Installing Portlight Screens
Warren Elliott
Mainsheet Date: 2/1/2005
Hull #: 44

The diagrams below show the method for installing the screens for the portlights on hulls somewhere around C380 hull #200. The screens are probably the same for all 387’s and 390’s.

Note that the shape of the portlights on the drawing look remarkably like the ones used on hulls less than 200. I suspect that Lewmar used whatever sketches were handy and adapted them. Bottom line is that the newer portlights should appear much more rounded at the ends, hence oval [you can see the true shape on their website]. Distinguishing features shown are “push-type” window latches [a bit difficult to tell, unless you’ve seen them first hand] and the bar or strap across the top of the screens [oval shape should have also been a distinguishing feature].

These drawings show the process that should be used when installing

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