Tag Archives: sliding seat

Snapped off sliding seat

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This assembly had to snap sooner or later didn’t it? Look at the picture above. The leverage is straining the seat tray way to much.
And it snapped all right. I gave the Meson for a spin into the hands of a young Europe Moth racing sailor and she sailed it back home with a broken seat ten minutes after she left.
Just in case, the Meson I talk about here below.

Genuine dinghy racers roll tack the boat and throw themselves to the windward side of the boat, hooking into the hiking straps (I don’t). With no hiking straps and only the seat to rely on my dear young friend threw her on the extended seat that then gave way.
…
I guess she sailed all right and I made a faulty seat.
A better seat for a Meson would be a straight plank like this one:


As I will need the item for the Minisail gathering 2018 at S.C. Bowmoor it’s now repaired. Probably to be modified to fit the Sprite later on. For the Meson a better and even more simple plank will have to be made.

Anyone still reading? Thank you and how about this:
Would an inverted sliding seat be any good? It might not be, then again it looks all right, anything inverted does. I might make one.

To be continued!

Taking MS 9000 to the Europeans, guess why…

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Here is why: Look at the lovely poster of the event:

Now take a look at my Minisail 9000 sail:

Minisail Sprite 9000

Minisail Sprite 9000

I can’t but suspect but the designer of the poster artwork must have seen the sail.
So, dispite not having sailed that boat for more than a year I’ll take 9000 to the Europeans at Wormer Holland in a few days.
Four boats with two excellent local sailors (Frans and Yakko),David A. and daredevil Dean M. are the competition in the Minisail class.
I’ll choose for presence rather than win, probably sailing along carefully and pleasantly kind.
Done that on several occasions and it wasn’t only pleasant but it ended with a good result as well.

Fun isn’t it; five Minisails in an European event.
Three MS Sprint, one Monaco and one wooden Sprite; All with seats. (I’ll remove mine when it’s below 3Bft, but don’t tell anyone).

Report on the event will be next.

All is well

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Minisail and Merlin Rocket 2482
Not really on a global scale but it’s well in my boating micro-environment, indeed a bit of a nuisance for this blog: not much to report about.
Meson 2287 is now water tight, the centerboard slot gasket is a fine addition, and she goes like the clappers once the wind picks up. Mind she’s a handful to keep upright in shifty conditions. In 4+Bf she sails best with the centerboard half-way down and that’s not a lot to dampen any heel. Add to that the light weight (hardly no inertia moment at all) and the plank acrobatics.
Picture following: Nice run upwind riding the plank 1/2 extended. A wind shift forces to let go the main and slide in gently and rapidly both together. By the time you recover balance the following shift kicks in and blows you over. That had me swimming a few times.
This part of the learning curve now mastered (well a bit) I am confident the little witch has some more tricks to throw me off I need to find out about.

Let’s hope for a not too cold winter so I can get her out plenty before the next season begins.
Some weeks ago the Merlin Rocket 2482 and Minisail 9000 were out together on the pond. With hardly any wind we at least had the time to take a picture.
(MS 9000 had the plank removed for that day and somehow didn’t carry the right sail.)

Restoring a Meson Part IV 1/2

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IMG_6524
Approaching the expensive phase of the game: fitting blocks, pintles & gudgeons, eyelets and straps.
Still not just there yet, the sanding, gluing and painting continues.
The hull had it’s first clear coat of epoxy.
Turned it over and sanded the deck. The centerboard slot needed a proper shave with the router.
A new standard rudder rudder stock was glued, but I am not at all pleased with it. Though well made and new it’s one concern less on the water, it looks outdated and just wrong. The clumsy block of wood will need a replacement later on and I think to have found a lovely rudder design on an Imperial Moth to copy.
Rudder and center blade parts will look black, and white when the boat should occasionally be the wrong way up in the water.
Yes the centerboard fell on the floor making a nasty dent in the sharp rear end. Bummer, will have to make that better.

Minisail Meson varnished hull