Banidt 17 Trials
Posted by theakboy
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Banidt 17 Trials January 06, 2009 10:23PM |
Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 15 |
Midwinter and I am missing getting out on the water, so I will share a few observations about sailing the Bandit 17. This is base on several days of sailing this last summer.
Rigging the boat turns out to be fairly easy, once you have all the pieces sorted out. There is a rudder rod that was bent that caused all kinds of problems. Couple of blows with a hammer straightened it out! Crude but effective. Have to say that the mast shrouds are not too easily adjusted. Turnbuckles are worth the extra money. I would like a boom vang but looks like there is no room for it due to the mast design.
There is a lot of room in the cockpit. We had four crew and there was room to spare. The cuddy has plenty of room for gear. Only problem is that some of the water that sloshes up through the centerboad case ends up in the cabin where it stays until you clean it out. Overall, this boat is plenty big enough for daysailing the harbor with four people.
Launching the boat was no special problem. The only issue is that the kick-up rudder does not want to stay up and is not easily adjusted either way. (I just don't like that rudder design.) Other than that, it was a matter of finding a good ramp and getting the wind and tide on our side. One day we came back into harbor at extreme low tide. The boat draws 8 inches but sadly we only had 6 to work with, and a foot of muck. We all jumped out and got very muddy but the boat did get on the trailer eventually. We'll check the tide table next time.
Out sailing the boat feels nice and sturdy. I have sailed keel boats of the same size and was concerned that this might be too tippy, but that was not a problem. Up to 20 knots it was fine. Anything more and I want off the water in any case. When the wind picks up the boat moves nicely and gets on a plane. My problems was that the outboard I have will not tip up so I was dragging the prop and that was annoying. Upwind performance so far is not great as I discovered when passed handily by a vintage keelboat of the same size. There clearly is room for tuning the boat and upgrading my sailing skills. That's the plan for next summer!
One minor observation is that people like the look of this boat. I know it is a cheap boat for fun, but it looks kinda cute too. The only problem I have is too much white in the cockpit. I have some mahogany planks for the seats which will go on for the coming season. Should reduce the glare.
I also would like to do some camping in this boat. So, I will look for a boom tent.
That's all for now. If anyone is reading and wants pictures I could attach them.
Rigging the boat turns out to be fairly easy, once you have all the pieces sorted out. There is a rudder rod that was bent that caused all kinds of problems. Couple of blows with a hammer straightened it out! Crude but effective. Have to say that the mast shrouds are not too easily adjusted. Turnbuckles are worth the extra money. I would like a boom vang but looks like there is no room for it due to the mast design.
There is a lot of room in the cockpit. We had four crew and there was room to spare. The cuddy has plenty of room for gear. Only problem is that some of the water that sloshes up through the centerboad case ends up in the cabin where it stays until you clean it out. Overall, this boat is plenty big enough for daysailing the harbor with four people.
Launching the boat was no special problem. The only issue is that the kick-up rudder does not want to stay up and is not easily adjusted either way. (I just don't like that rudder design.) Other than that, it was a matter of finding a good ramp and getting the wind and tide on our side. One day we came back into harbor at extreme low tide. The boat draws 8 inches but sadly we only had 6 to work with, and a foot of muck. We all jumped out and got very muddy but the boat did get on the trailer eventually. We'll check the tide table next time.
Out sailing the boat feels nice and sturdy. I have sailed keel boats of the same size and was concerned that this might be too tippy, but that was not a problem. Up to 20 knots it was fine. Anything more and I want off the water in any case. When the wind picks up the boat moves nicely and gets on a plane. My problems was that the outboard I have will not tip up so I was dragging the prop and that was annoying. Upwind performance so far is not great as I discovered when passed handily by a vintage keelboat of the same size. There clearly is room for tuning the boat and upgrading my sailing skills. That's the plan for next summer!
One minor observation is that people like the look of this boat. I know it is a cheap boat for fun, but it looks kinda cute too. The only problem I have is too much white in the cockpit. I have some mahogany planks for the seats which will go on for the coming season. Should reduce the glare.
I also would like to do some camping in this boat. So, I will look for a boom tent.
That's all for now. If anyone is reading and wants pictures I could attach them.
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