View Single Post
  #16   Report Post  
posted to rec.boats.cruising,rec.boats.building
Skip Gundlach Skip Gundlach is offline
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by BoatBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 540
Default Sailing fast and Loos

Replying to my own post again, to concatenate commentary...

Actually, I'm really doing an update and some comments:

First, the Morgan 461 is built like a tank. Even the transom, at the
top, when we cut the hole for the the shower receptacle, was over 3/4"
solid fiberglass. The deck, not counting the 3/4" marine ply core
between the headliner (also molded fiberglass - ~1/8") in most places,
is 1/2" thick solid glass. So, it's hell for stout, and I'm not the
least bit concerned about strength. However, being fiberglass, it
*will* bend, thus the settling time we're allowing.

To the original topic, and some of the chatter about it, sure enough,
the rig is tightening up as we sit. We've been afloat 8 days. From
only one being relatively tight, the shrouds are banjo-tight, and the
lowers no longer wiggle, though they can be moved. I'm presuming
what's happening is that the bow and stern are rising infinitesimally,
bowing the sides out in similarly tiny degree, lengthening the affected
items. However, I've not noted a similar loosening of the backstay -
perhaps that was already overtight..

Coincidentally, while, with the new coupling, I'd not noted a shaft
misalignment, the old (badly mauled!) coupling showed a gap at the top.
If the hull is doing what I surmise above, that would work out that
sort of misalignment, I'd think.

As noted in prior stuff, we're not racers, but ... we do like to get
the most out of our rig. As much as the other refit costs have been,
and with our port supply privilege, having the Loos heavy duty
professional tool aboard is relatively trivial - and now back on my
radar.

As always, thanks for the informed discussion. I was commenting today
to an email acquaintance that my time in this group, doing active
research or learning, is approaching 10 years, predating, even, our
confirmation that we'd do what we're about to set out to do. This and,
now, various mailing lists, have been an invaluable resource, exposing
me to ideas, sources, realities, lectures and the like, leaving me far
better informed than before.

And, while we have yet to pull the plug, I have to confess to having a
bit of enjoyment in reflection on all the potshots taken at us to the
effect that it - even so much as to buy a boat - would never happen.
Each in their own way - mine happens to be one of research and caution
:{))

L8R

Skip

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery!
Follow us at and



"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain