<WARNING -- another goofy but fun idea coming...>
Maybe we should start an annual award for the most elegant, over-engineered
upgrade. I nominate Tom for 1999 MVP of the Potter Over-Engineering Corps!
Glad to hear there's somebody out there who's as crazy -- more crazy? -- as
I
am!
And maybe we should also have an award for the mostly elegantly simple
upgrade
too!
(please don't take offense Tom, I mean this in good fun and I sincerely
admire
folks who come up with wonderful stuff like your rudder!)
Judy B.
Judith Blumhorst, DC
HMS18/P19 Sail Captain, Potter's Yachters
WWP-19 #266 "Red Wing"
SF Bay, CA
Judy,
I'm miffed. I believed my rudder design to be farthest off the beaten path,
but you nominate Tom for the award. Oh well. Try this one: I drilled 3
holes in the foredeck forward of the chain locker bulkhead. Through one
hole I ran my CDI furler line, through a 45 degree angle attached to half
inch hot water PVC pipe epoxied to the underside of the deck all the way
back to the cockpit, where I brought it back to fresh air through the
coaming and into a Clamcleat.
The two other holes (all 3 are lined up and spaced across the bow) are for a
loop of 3/16" line that I use to raise and lower my Stasher, which is UK
Sail's name for a spinnaker sleeve. One end of the line is tied to the
Stasher ring and goes through a block at the masthead, down to the deck,
along the underside of the port deck through more hot water PVC pipe, turns
and exits the cabin beneath the ladder through a double inline exit sheave.
The line goes to the rear of the cockpit about a half inch off the deck,
through a Tiller Tamer that I took off the tiller, back into the cabin
through the double inline sheave, up the underside of the starboard deck
next to the furler line, and up through the middle hole of the three holes,
all of which BTW have Delrin thru-deck fairleads, and back to the Stasher
ring. Once my asymetrical spinnaker is hoisted, along with the sleeve or
Stasher, I loosen the Tiller Tamer and haul the port line raise the sleeve
to set the spinnaker. The TT holds the line perfectly until I am ready to
jibe or quit the sail.
Does this Rube Goldberg design win me an honorable mention at least?
Jim Tietjen
P19 #1015 Sevushka
Huntsville, AL