Paul's MFG19 maiden voyage

I took her out for the first time today. The wind was blowing like crazy.

My maiden voyage was not so good. 15 minutes into the journey, the tiller snapped in half. (I noticed there was a rather strong weather helm when I was on a broad reach. Is that normal for this boat?)

Then, while coming back in, my brand new motor quit. It won't idle at all. It runs ok under half throttle, but it dies when I throttle it down. Man was I lucky becuase the wind was at my back and I was able to coast into the slip.

Also, I noticed the fiberglass on the upper deck (forward and right of the mast) is spongy. I'll have to build it up. Any suggestions how to do this to get strength? I assume I have to start layering fiberglass from underneath. Can one of you suggest the appropriate technique?

OK, I need help. Here are my questions:

1. So much weather helm on broad reach in strong wind. Is this normal?
2. Where to find a replacement tiller? Should I build one myself?
3. Any thoughts about the motor? I'm going to take it to a dealer.
4. How should I strengthen my upper deck?

Help!!

Paul

PS: I assume, based on my experience today, that you only use the mainsail if you sail single handed. I have no idea how I would manage it all in stronger winds.

PPS: Oh yeah --- the 15 minutes of sailing before the tiller broke were really fun!

Paul
Webmaster: sailmfg.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2009 01:39AM by Paul.

Paul:
Sorry to hear your maiden voyage was less than you expected. It will get better. Without knowing approximate wind speed I can't really answer your question about the weather helm. Normally while sailing single handed in heavy winds the first thing I do is to douse the jib. My next step would be to reef the main. When dealing with weather helm you want to reduce the sail area as much as possible. As I remember you don't have reefing points which would make step 2 a problem. There is a sail company in Pennsylvania which reconditions sails and can put in the reefing points for you. As for the broken tiller, I think it is time to invest in a new one. West Marine has them for $140. You may try another marine supplier such as Defender. Take your motor back to the dealer and find out what the problem is. If it is a factory new motor they should replace it. I can't help you with the fiberglass problem. I suggest checking on line with a publication such as This Old Boat or Practical Sailor. I know I've seen articles in both of them on fiberglass repair. Hope this is of some help.

Dick

Paul:

For Information on Fiberglass repair go to FreeManual-S@westsystem.com.
They will send you a free 85 page manual on fiberglass boat repair and maintenance. I saw this in Sail Magazine today in the classified section.

Dick

Can't add too much more other than I noticed quite a bit of lee helm my first time out, second time out alot of weather helm. The difference looking back was that I trailer'd out both times. First time I'm pretty sure my standing rigging was loose. Second time I know I got it quite tight. Not sure if that helps or not
If you know anybody that does wood work they can make a new tiller for you. My father-in-law does wood work and said it would be easy to make.

The deck on mine is spongy too. Mine is bad just forward of the main hatch opening though. Previous owner put on each side of the deck a 4"x8" teak board. The goobers just tapped holes clear through the deck and bolted the boards in place, water leaked through holes and rotted the inside. We found out that the deck is plywood sandwiched between two layers of fiberglass. We are considering cutting out the entire bottom layer of fiberglass where it is bad, but out the old rotten plywood, and sandwiching a sheet of aluminum under the deck in its place. It would be alot stronger and probably the same weight. Thats our winter project at the end of the year though. Perhaps it would work on your spongy area.

I hope this helps. Good luck next trip out

Bill

Paul,

I can relate to broken tiller problems and accompanying motor difficulties.

Three years ago I was out with an experienced crew member on a learn to race day. Since the other boats were centerboard boats instead of keelboats, we were deadlast [by a lot] approaching the jibe mark. Instead of jibing slowly, I threw the tiller over, the boat jibed, the tiller cracked and came off in my hand. We had to steer the boat by use of the motor, a gasoline 5HP Force motor back to the marina two miles away. Very interesting.

I've since broken two additional tillers in moderate wind. My current tiller was made from ash by a friend. It's two sections of ash, rounded on the sides and laminated vertically through the center. This weekend, I'll be mounting a tiller tamer on it using screws and epoxy. The previous tillers were oak and black walnut.

As regards the motor, sailors consistently have problems with gasoline motors, due I think, to the very limited amount of time we run them. After spending more dollars and, more importantly, more time waiting for engine repairs when there was good sailing weather, I bought a 36 pounds thrust Minnkota trolling motor. I'd intended to use this as a backup and just to get me in and out of harbor until my gasoline engine came back from the shop, but it's proven itself capable of moving my boat in and out of the harbor in most wind conditions (up to about 10 or 12 miles/hour). Using a deep cycle battery, I get about an hour's motor time on it before needing to recharge the battery. I wouldn't use this on the Great Lakes or coastal waters, but for inland lakes, I think it's fine. About half the active MFG-19 community at Lake Arthur {there are about a dozen MFG-19's at the lake, four or five of which sail frequently} have adopted the trolling motor in place of the gasoline ones.

My Minnkota is light, always reliable, has five forward and three reverse speeds. It will never get me off the lake ahead of a storm, but neither will a gasoline motor. Oh yes, I've not put any additional money into this motor since buying it three years ago.

The sail company in Pennsylvania is probably Sail Care in Ford City. Several of my friends have used them and speak well of them and their customer service.

Spongy fiberglass, as Bill mentioned, is probably a winter (well fall or spring because you need warm temperatures for the fiberglass to set properly) project .

Ken

The first time out I had to fight the tiller a lot, with a lot of weather hull. Then I realized I did not have the rudder in the fully down position. Now it does not matter how stiff the wind is... the rudder is light and responsive... and the boat goes where I point it... regardless of how much sail is on her.

Two things to suggest: one make sure the tiller has it's 1/4 inch cinch line hooked up and that you pull hard on this until the rudder swings into the down position.... then clip it into the jam cleat and check it periodically.

The tiller can be rebuilt, but I would cut it from a solid oak, ash or maple board... making very sure the grain extended from bolts to the palm of your hand.... If necessary, steam and bend it.... Plane it down to fit your cheek pieces and your hand and sand it smooth.

If you want a quick fix, an old salty friend suggests using an old shovel handle as a temporary patch... they are hard wood and designed to take abuse.

My fore deck is also soft... sounds like I will have to take a look at it.... probably after I put my foot through it...

My engine has not generally given me problems.... gas has to be fresh... and the filter should be changed every year.
You might want to check the fuel mix valve... it could be running rich and fouled the plug(s).

Again from the old salt... He recommends running the Jib only in high winds. This is easier to get up, places less stress on the mast, reduces the heel, and can be luffed rapidly if you get into trouble. I find that it makes it harder to tack... but then the boat is difficult to tack in high wind anyway.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2009 11:43PM by ceaston.

Paul & All MFG19 Sailors:

Today in Ohio was a great day with 8-12mph winds out of the west-northwest. Since launching on May 24, I've been out a total of 14 times- a record for me. It wasn't a fantastic sail, but any day on the water is better than a day on the shore. With each sail I'm learning more about the boat and my abilities as a sailor. I'm very pleased with both. FYI, there is a supplier of embroidered sportswear who, calls on me at the golf course and is also a sailor(Lightning Class) . He scanned the MFG19 logo and embroidered it on a windshirt which looks GREAT. He can do polo shirts for $28, T-Shirts for $24 and a variety of other things such as hats,etc. If anyone is interested please contact me. Have a great day and good sailing!

Dick

Hi Dick,

I'd like to see more info or contact information on the MFG19 embroidered sportswear.....especially, I think hats...

Ken

Ken

Ken:
Sorry it took so long to get back to you re: embroidered sail wear. The name of the company is Richland Embroidery Services in Ontario, Ohio. You can contact them at Sue@Richlandemb.com or www.richlandemb.com. The last time I talked to them they said they could do hats for $10 to $14.
Dick

Maybe we could go in on a group buy to get a better deal? I'd be interested.

Paul
Webmaster: sailmfg.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2009 01:25AM by Paul.

Paul,

I'll see how many my local community will purchase.....if we can get a bullk order, with individualized shipping, that would be great.

Ken

Paul, I haven't been on for sometime and decided to take a look today. Have you had the boat out since the maiden voyage? I kept my at local resevoir this summer and it made it real convenient to take it out. I went out on a average of two or three times aweek pending the weather. I am still learning and had some interesting times. I use a trolling motor to get me in and out of the marina and it works fine penind the weather conditions. I usually sail with just the mail sail up, but have used both on numerous occassions. I have no issues getting the either sail up when I am by myself but as others have mentioned getting the jib down is not real easy.

Have you pretty much got your boat fixed up the way you want it?

I purchased a 4hp motor and unfortunately it proved to be a bad purchase, so hopefully next summer I will be able to get a decent one.