[C38] History of the longer boom
Joseph Launie
jlaunie at cox.net
Tue Apr 22 16:38:14 EDT 2008
Max,
There is more to the story. In Oxnard, CA a boat called Dragonslayer
decided to try to stay within the 10 percent factor for a 6 second
penalty. They added a longer boom and a main one foot longer. We raced
against them frequently in Macavity and altho they were faster they
often were not 6 seconds/mile faster. I remember one 20 mile race which
ended at Channel Islands Harbor breakwater in 25 knots of wind with
Dragonslayer surging across the finish line first with her chute up and
Macavity 2 boat lengths behind. We were both doing close to 8 knots.
Joe Launie, Commodore, Macavity
Max Soto wrote:
> Hi guys,
>
> This very interesting info. Haven't heard this before, and I always
> wonder what happen if the boom was a little bit larger.So, You just
> answered my question!!
>
> Regards
>
> Max
>
>
> 2008/4/21, David Epstein <davidepstein at seicontrol.com
> <mailto:davidepstein at seicontrol.com>>:
>
> Hi Phil,
>
> You are correct, when SuperStar was originally ordered by my late
> boat partner, Sid Blinder, he specified a boom that was about 40"
> longer than stock. When he first looked at the plans for the boat,
> he felt that the aspect ratio was way too high, and that the overall
> design would warrant the longer boom. He ordered the boom with a
> secondary sleeve inside the stock extrusion, as with the main being
> sheeted in the middle of the boom, he thought it would otherwise
> likely break.
>
> We could not participate in the Nationals with the larger main, so
> Sid borrowed a stock mainsail and we marked the boom at the standard
> limit so the boat would qualify as "stock". After SuperStar was
> delivered with the longer boom, several others followed suit. As far
> as I can know, the only one that might still have the longer boom is
> either Snooky Po Free (now Shalako) or Grape Shot (in Mexico, last I
> heard), but I can't remember for sure.
>
> As the 40" was over the 10% that PHRF had specific guidelines for at
> the time, the local board had to make a determination as to our
> penalty. They decided that three seconds a mile would be fair to
> start. We won a few races, so they dinged us another three seconds a
> mile. After a few more wins, they increased our penalty to nine
> seconds a mile, making it much tougher to win races. Sid had the
> boom cut to stock length and ordered a new mainsail with a fuller
> roach, supported by two full-length battens at the top (he was the
> first that I know of to do this on a C38). The larger roach and full
> battens recovered much of the lost sail area and were not penalized
> by PHRF. We got our nine seconds back, and started being
> competitive again.
>
> I clearly remember what is was like to sail the boat with the longer
> boom, and I miss the extra power it provided. It was extremely well
> balanced with the 130 genoa, and was very good even with the larger
> headsails. Our main had a flattner plus two full reefing points, so
> we could always shorten sail as needed. I have always thought that
> the boat should have a boom that is at least 40" longer, and that the
> traveller should be located right before the helm, which would be
> better in all ways in terms of sail trim and control (but not cockpit
> space and openness).
>
> Keep in mind that my experience was with a main that had a fairly
> straight leech, not the full roach/full batten versions that we all
> use now. Also, the larger headsails really helps power through chop,
> which otherwise can be tough in these boats. I would suggest that
> someone considering such a change should consult their sailmaker
> and/or a navel architect before making the mod and ordering a new
> sail.
>
> Thanks for the opportunity to go down memory lane...
>
> Regards,
>
> David
> .
>
> PS - "baby boomer", nice one...
>
>
>
>
> At 09:23 PM 4/21/2008, you wrote:
>
>
> >Mr David Epstein,
> >
> >I addressed this to the list-serve, but my question is directed to
> >you, David. I was told that Superstar or another C38 tried a longer
> >boom and mainsail foot back in the 80s at the C38
> >Nationals. Apparently, the larger main didn't perform well enough
> >to compensate for the rating handicap.
> >
> >Most production boats these days are going with a larger main and a
> >smaller jib to ease handling. From a cruising perspective, how did
> >the longer mainsail foot affect the balance of the boat? Would
> >enlarging the main and going with a smaller headsail make the boat
> >easier to handle for a baby boomer?
> >
> >Phil Gay
> >C38 049 Que Linda
> >Everett, WA
> >_______________________________________________
> >Listserve mailing list
> >Listserve at catalina38.org <mailto:Listserve at catalina38.org>
> >http://catalina38.org/mailman/listinfo/listserve_catalina38.org
>
> David Epstein
> President, Sound Solutions
> Chairman, CEA TechHome Division
> Member of the CEA Division Executive Board
> Tel 310.398.0032
> Fax 310.398.0036
> www.soundsolutions.com <http://www.soundsolutions.com>
> www.ce.org <http://www.ce.org>
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>
> --
> Max Soto
> C38 #198 ESTANCIA
> Puntarenas, Costa Rica
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