mainsail solution

[BugTussel]

i have a 82 SC17 that came with a sail from a SC19

so at full hoist the bolt rope at the boom is not in the track. so the boom always pushes past the mast.

does anyone have a solution besides go get the right size sail.

also the mast has no downhaul system. i though i might be able to control the boom if i rigged something there. any suggestions would be awesome.

[whalerman]

The SC 17 uses a batten as a boom. There should not be an external boom on your rig.

[BugTussel]

correct its a round bar in the the sail like a batten. i was unsure if i should call it a boom or a batten because my Battens are flat and this is round. ether way i still have the issue of the sail pushing past the mast when my sheet is in tight

[whalerman]

You have an interesting problem here as the 19 sail is huge compared to the 17, not only taller, but wider as well. The foot of your sail probably projects back beyond the edge of the tramp over a foot. When you attach the main sheet to the sail and haul in on it it will naturally cause the sail to bump into the mast. You really need a SC 17 main. Why not try to purchase one on the owners forum. You may be able to trade your 19 main for a 17 main if it is in good shape.

I think you would have a much more satisfying sailing experience with the proper main. These 17's are incredible boats. Definitely faster than a Hobie 16, but no where near as fussy. Almost as fast as a H18, but infinitely more comfortable Best of all, they don't pitch-pole. You can sail them really hard, make some grievous mistakes and be forgiven.

[jjd78]

FYI the 17 & standard 19 share the same mast extrusion... they just added adjustable diamond wires to the 19's mast

[Matt Haberman]

Hello,

I think I should clarify a few things here.

The SC17 and the standard SC19 did share the same mast except that the 19 had spreaders as was previously mentioned. The SC17 and the standard SC19 had the same luff length on the mainsail, but the foot was longer on the 19. The longer foot is probably what is causing the problem with the mainsail pushing past the mast.

There were a few SC17's floating around that had SC19 mainsails on them, but in order to make this work the bottom of the sails had been recut to put the clew plate in the correct location for a SC17.

[BugTussel]

do you have any pictures of this? i have never seen any other SC other than mine to compare.

[surfsail]

Matt.

I saw a main for a SC19 listed on our local craigslist & am tempted to buy it & modify it for my SC17 - if only for giggles & grins. .
It's fun by myself on a trap in relatively light winds but I'm guessing that it would be even more of a blast with an oversized main..

Any weather helm or other handling problems?

Also, is the only change required to the main shortening in the lowest batten area and relocating the clew?
Any dimensions to go by?
Any Pics?

Were the cross arms on the 19 a bit further apart than on the 17 (8' if I remember correctly)

I'm not sure it's even available, but is the jib for the 17 interchangeable with the 19? Any rigging mods required here?

The other problem is that I'm in Florida & the 17 is in Michigan so I may need to do the mod 'blind', unless I can borrow a local SC17 main to lay next to it..

I still have to rig up a downhaul system with reasonable purchase but am assuming that the same system would work for both sails
What I currently have is nothing short of a Rube Goldberg,,

Thanks for your input..

[Kevin Keller]

Can you just move the clew plate further forward with no other modifications?

[surfsail]

Definitely would be simpler to leave as much in place as possible and only 'add' by adding a clew block and reinforcing the clew area locally.

I also plan on reinforcing the lower batten's outer end ~ 4 feet to help the 'cantilever' effect..

Way easier experiment to reverse than cutting the sail - irreversibly.

The soft lower roach edge may also help by twisting off off & spilling on extreme gusts..

I'm also considering keep the clew attachment for the 19 in case I pick one up (on my wish list) but would need to tie it to the batten above to stop it flapping itself to death etc, Maybe I'll remove the plate for now leave the 'tab'..

Matt

What is the difference in the distances between the front & rear cross arms on the SC17 vs the SC19?

Thanks

[Matt Haberman]

SurfSail,

19 Mainsail on a 17 has been done before, but there are a few things you should be aware of.

1) As you have noted, the distance between the beams is greater on the 19. I don't have the exact measurement in front of me at the moment but it is approximately a foot.
2) The 17 and 19 mast are the same length, but the 19 had spreaders to support the larger mainsail. Without the spreaders the mast with be pretty bendy and may not hold up to the increased sail area.
3) The width of the 17 and 19 were the same, 8' 0" so there is no difference there.

Moving the clew plate forward as you have indicated is a good idea if you choose to use the 19 main on your 17. I would recommend putting it in the same location (distance from luff) as on your 17. You can leave the 19 clew plate in place in case you find a 19 to use it on.