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Got remarried and looking for larger boat. This has been a great boat and I have fixed up several things that were in poor shape. Excellent shape overall. I'll post pictures if requested. The boat is in storage now but I have lots of pictures.. I am located in central Indiana at 765-349-2096. Thanks!by Dave - classifieds
Hello! The original Bandit manual has the side and fore stays fastened with "chain plates", which are adjustable. As the stays don't stretch much, the chain plates allow some adjustment to tighten everything up. (The original manual is on this website.) Here's the picture from the manual: However, on my Bandit, it came with just shackles, which work fine and are a lot lessby Dave - sailmfg
Glad to see you picked up an MFG19; I've got a Bandit 17 up in Indianapolis. I'd like to see your boat sometime; it's just a little larger than mine, but the cabin is much bigger. Do you sail on Monroe? I've been going out on Eagle Creek (west side of Indy) and plan on going out on Geist soon... I'm not surprised that you're having a little rudder trouble; from what I've seen of MFG's boatby Dave - sailmfg
One of the hardest things for me on my Bandit was to raise the mainsail by myself. I can raise the mast and run the mainsail halyard line inside the cockpit and around the cheek block before I launch, which looks like this: Then I'd: set the tiller straight (I have a "tiller tamer" - essential equipment!) head the boat into the wind (I use a trolling motor for this -by Dave - sailmfg
The previous owner of my boat made a really nice cabin floor out of pressure-treated lumber. This makes the cabin so much more usable. There's actually two sections of floor; neither one is fastened down. (I'm a little concerned about where they'll end up if I flip the boat - maybe I should fasten them down...) You can see how the underside of the floor is constructed in the second pictby Dave - sailmfg
When I first got it, the weakest part of my Bandit 17 was the rudder and tiller; it had been patched up a little, but seemed pretty shaky to me. The rudder bracket had been cracked and a section of stainless steel wrapped around it to help out. I found that the hinge pin for the rudder was bent when I took that out, so I straightened it out by squeezing it straight in my bench vise. (Iby Dave - sailmfg
As part of my boat repairs, I also wanted to replace the mostly broken/missing rub rail. I checked around at West Marine, etc. and couldn't fine any rub rail that was small enough to work. The old rail was only about 3/4" of an inch wide and had a small lip underneath it. Finally, I tried looking at automotive products and found a wheel well molding at a place called AutoMega (wwwby Dave - sailmfg
When I got my Bandit, it didn't have any bow protection at all; I guess the original rub rail just went around it, but I think that's a pretty sharp turn right at the point of the bow: I couldn't find a replacement bow cap that would fit, so I made a new cap out of a 36" long x 1" high x 1/8" thick aluminum strap, (purchased from a Lowes hardware store). I just clamped theby Dave - sailmfg
Well, I'm not comfortable shipping my hatch out; it's too hard to replace if it gets damaged in shipping. Anyway, wouldn't it be a lot easier to use a male mold? You'd just put on the mold release, glass over the top, coat it, and then trim the sides down after you take it off. The underside of the hatch has to fit the hull closely to seal out the water. I'd think it would be hard to use a feby Dave - classifieds
You know, I could probably make a male cast of my original hatch for you out of water putty or something; then you'd have a male mold to use. I'd think that would be a lot easier to make a fiberglass replacement with...by Dave - classifieds
I'd definitely like to see more details about making a fiberglass mold and a replacement hatch. I've never done fiberglass work, but I'd like to try it sometime. You'll probably need an original hatch to make your female mold - you probably know that the original is curved in complex ways to fit the hull... Take lots of pictures and post them here! Daveby Dave - classifieds
I just made a wood forward hatch cover for a Bandit 17 for someone else on these forums; I've attached the picture. Let me know if you're interested in buying a replacement hatch like this...by Dave - classifieds
I have a 17' Bandit. Do you need the complete assembly or are you looking for just the wood tiller and rudder? I can get dimensions if you're trying to make or repair one. I had to fix mine after I bought it...by Dave - classifieds
You'll have to figure out some way to hold a trolling motor on your Whip, but if you can work it out, a trolling motor is great. I use a 36 pound electric trolling motor on my Bandit 17 and it pushes it around just fine. I don't think I could get it launched or docked without it (I usually go out by myself). There's no mechanical knowledge needed to use an electric trolling motor; you justby Dave - sailmfg
I think spare hardware is a great idea. My boat didn't have any spares for anything when I got it, so I got a few things just to be safe. It takes me an hour to get to the water and then another 1/2 hour to rig the boat, so I don't want to drop some little shackle or something overboard and have to come back. I also thought I might lose something while actually sailing, so I take along a littlby Dave - classifieds
I think that is the gooseneck; it sounds like it probably looks a lot like mine (Bandit 17): I would really look hard for it. I'd guess it may be pretty tough to find a replacement, but a good sailing shop or metal shop could probably build one for you...by Dave - classifieds
Dub - your boat's cabin looks kind of like a Bandit, but not exactly. If it's an MFG-made hull, the Hull Identification Number (HIN) is located on the transom, probably near the location shown in this picture: My hull's been painted a couple times, so the HIN is pretty hard to see, even within a couple feet. If there's nothing there, I'd suggest looking all over the hull, very closely, tby Dave - sailmfg
Congratulations! Somebody told me that the first time out is always the hardest; it will get easier every time you go sailing. I picked a bad spot on my first trip out, so it wasn't much fun; I had to keep tacking to get away from the ramp, right across the main lane of traffic for all the motorboats and jetskis (none of which knew that sailboats have the right of way). Also, the mast had dirtby Dave - sailmfg
I just needed the 30" batten, so I ordered 30" x 1.25" West Marine fiberglass batten - Model # 104141. It fit perfectly in the pocket. I'd suggest you order: one West Marine Tapered Fiberglass Batten, 24" x 1.25", #104075 two West Marine Tapered Fiberglass Battens, 30" x 1.25", # 104141 I don't think the slight difference in length is thatby Dave - sailmfg
I bought a fiberglass replacement from West Marine; it works fine and was reasonably priced. Daveby Dave - sailmfg
I just get these cheap bright-blue polyetheline "tarps" from Harbor Freight: www.harborfreight.com/19-ft-x-19-ft-6-inch-all-purpose-weather-resistant-tarpaulin-5612.html WalMart and most hardware stores sell the same thing under various brands; they're really cheap and will probably last a few years if they're not used too hard. These tarps should stop most if not all the UV stby Dave - sailmfg
I'm sure it would be more convenient if you could leave the mast up, but that may not work out. I looked at the Whip sailing/rigging instructions and it sounds like the base of the mast does not tend to stay in place by itself; my boat has a big aluminum "hinge" and the mast has pins that fit into the hinge grooves. (The Whip manual says to have someone hold the base of the mast downby Dave - sailmfg
Well, I step the 22' long mast on my Bandit by myself - after I temporarily tie the base of the mast to the step. Then I fasten the sidestays and walk the mast all the way up. Then I start pulling on the front stay, which keeps the mast upright, and walk over the cabin up to the bow and fasten the front stay. Then I untie the temporary line at the mast base and I'm done. I think it's much easby Dave - sailmfg
Hey, if your boat is only 3/16" fiberglass, I think Joe's right - bunks are definitely the way to go. Rollers would probably be fine if you just let it sit there, but you've got to secure it for hauling some way. I also agree that a ratchet-type safety strap can easily damage your boat if you overdo it. I can deform my Bandit's hull if I crank mine down too hard, so I stop just beforeby Dave - sailmfg
In my opinion, the condition of the hull is the most important thing to check. I think the deck/cockpit is next and then the mast, sails, centerboard, tiller, rigging, and hardware. These are listed in the order of the most-expensive-to-repair first. Also, you may not be able to get replacement parts for some critical items like the mast; everything else you can probably get repaired or replacby Dave - sailmfg
Well, my Bandit 17 is about twice as heavy as your boat and you can see my trailer in the picture below: I have 4 keel rollers and two bunks. By the way, since your boat isn't very heavy, I suspect you don't have to get everything just perfect on the trailer. If you use 4 keel rollers like my setup, you'd only have about 75 pounds of weight on each roller, so I don' think that would be harby Dave - sailmfg
Is this sail still available? If so, where are you located? Thanks!by Dave - classifieds
Say, I just noticed yesterday that the anchor points for my main sail block & tackle have been moved forward about 16" from their original position. I asked the previous owner and he said he moved it because he got tangled up in it once. As you can see from the picture, in the original location, the block and tackle would almost touch the tiller. That seems kind of clumsy to me.by Dave - sailmfg
OK, I'm getting the hang ot if...here's some more pictures...by Dave - sailmfg