14 replies to this topic

[Gatekeeper]

This handsome (Perry designed) Mirage 27 arrived at our club yesterday...the owner and his buddy are both careful people who think things through and are not prone to embarrassing mistakes...until yesterday.

While the launch went beautifully there was one tiny loose end...anyone see it?

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[Bad Andy]

On the bottom?

[Overbored]

the cradle will only slow them dowm a little, maybe they painted it with antifowling paint?

[Gatekeeper]

Close,


"I thought you tied the cradle to the trailer.

"I thought you did"



No harm done. It's sitting on the ramp between the trailer and the boat.


We dragged the cradle out, and within 2 hours the mast was up and we were eating chicken wings, and drinking draught at the pub.

[hard aground]

The first time I ramp launched my Merit I found out that the steel equipment boxes weren't attached to the trailer by any force stronger than gravity. That was fun....

[Soñadora]

fuck I miss sailing

[Tucky]

fuck I miss sailing

I finally went in the water yesterday, I'm actually a little earlier than normal. My boat before launch looks like the photo, and it is always an anxiety ridden bit of time until the mast is up (which is done with the trailer winch), boat is launched folded and then finally unfolded. Because it is a wing mast the shrouds that run to the floats are not tight as the mast goes up- I fix these little shrouds from the main hull to about 7 ft. up the mast. So my mast is held side to side by "lowers" running 7 feet up a 42.5 mast. Nothing about it is comfortable until the mast gets close to vertical and the shrouds begin to tighten. Then when the boat is unfolded the geometry makes the shrouds go a little slack and by this time the mast is resting on a ball- talk about canting the mast.

This year everything went so smoothly I began to worry, mast on ball, boat in water, backed out of the ramp area (pillars on each side for a ways for the travel lift) boat unfolded, all the right stuff on the top of the mast is working, so far so good but my anxiety no better until everything is done. Hopefully sailing tomorrow and then I'll relax. Yes, orange is fast.

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[SereneSpeed]

This handsome (Perry designed) Mirage 27

Gosh, I'm getting all gooey. I just love the lines on that boat, the curves forward of the keel make her look so Proud!

Sorry Bob - if you disagree - but, I prefer the transom on the 26'er...

LWL be damned!

[Beau.Vrolyk]

I think the Mirage27 is a sturdy looking purposeful boat. I'll bet it would do just fine even with a cradle attached to the bottom. A bit slower, but nothing proper sail trim couldn't fix.

We have a great launch ramp in Santa Cruz, it's wide enough to launch four boats at the same time. The first day of amateur salmon season I get a big pot of coffee, walk over to the ramp around 4am as the first guys arrive, and have a blast watching. My friend brings the bagels and his buddy brings the spreads. We eat my last year's salmon while we sit on the edge of the ramp. This year was pretty calm, only a couple of flooded cars. Two years ago, a suburban went ALL THE WAY in. That was a little harder to pull out than a cradle!

Good times, guys, good times!

BV

[Bob Perry]

Serene:
No, I'm with you on that. I never liked the stretch excersize. It distorts the sheer to my eye. Builders love it.

[steele]

I think the Mirage27 is a sturdy looking purposeful boat. I'll bet it would do just fine even with a cradle attached to the bottom. A bit slower, but nothing proper sail trim couldn't fix.

We have a great launch ramp in Santa Cruz, it's wide enough to launch four boats at the same time. The first day of amateur salmon season I get a big pot of coffee, walk over to the ramp around 4am as the first guys arrive, and have a blast watching. My friend brings the bagels and his buddy brings the spreads. We eat my last year's salmon while we sit on the edge of the ramp. This year was pretty calm, only a couple of flooded cars. Two years ago, a suburban went ALL THE WAY in. That was a little harder to pull out than a cradle!

Good times, guys, good times!

BV

Our local version of this is a trip to the locks after the Forth of July. It is a pretty big drop from the fresh water lake to Puget Sound, and the currents can be strong. Most are already pretty sauced by the time they get there. It is a bit like bumper boats. One of the two locks has cleats that float with the water level, the other not. This is good for a suspended powerboat once in a while.

[Great Red Shark]

Serene:
No, I'm with you on that. I never liked the stretch excersize. It distorts the sheer to my eye. Builders love it.

Forgive the hijack, but...

Whenever someone says "they 'just' took boat X and made it (longer/wider/taller)" - I always figured the person speaking had NO IDEA what hey were actually talking about - you know the kinda person that says "All you have to do is make a mold off it...." (demonstrating themselves as someone who OBVIOUSLY has NEVER tried to make a mold off anything more complex than a silly-putty form, 'cause that shit ain't easy)

But, - do/did builders REALLY just whack molds and stretch them ? I mean, - you'll find people who'll swear that J/29s and J/30s are the same but for some freeboard and deck when they are clearly quite different boats, - are you fairly certain that those sort of 'chop-job' mods (for want of a better term) really DID happen ?

[Gatekeeper]

Serene:
No, I'm with you on that. I never liked the stretch excersize. It distorts the sheer to my eye. Builders love it.

All that aside, the proud new owner bought her for one reason..."she just sails well"

Nuff said.

[Gatekeeper]

Serene:
No, I'm with you on that. I never liked the stretch excersize. It distorts the sheer to my eye. Builders love it.

But, - do/did builders REALLY just whack molds and stretch them ?

I think Mirage did it with every boat Bob designed for them...including our 33 that later became a 35. The 35 routinely sell for $10k more than the 33 and all you get for it is 2' and 100lbs of empty plastic.

[Beau.Vrolyk]

Great Red,

It's a long story and not a "production" boat, but George Olson and Ron Moore and Paul Tara and a few other crazy guys took a mold for the GRINDEL and made it about 18" wider with nothing more than a car jack, some beer and a lot of "that looks about right". It resulted in the Moore 24.

BV