Search found 19 matches

by Otter915
Sun Feb 09, 2014 7:54 pm
Forum: Otter Dinghy
Topic: Cruising an Otter
Replies: 2
Views: 11710

Re: Cruising an Otter

Hi Jocasam, The Otter would be a good choice and would meet most of your requirements. For a 12 foot boat it is dry and has a good range of stability for a dinghy so you get plenty of warning before you capsize. It is easy to single hand because it has a fairly modest sail area with a fractional rig...
by Otter915
Wed Jul 24, 2013 7:39 am
Forum: Otter Dinghy
Topic: Wheres the Otter gone?
Replies: 4
Views: 14829

Re: Wheres the Otter gone?

Hi Phil, Its good to hear from another Otter fan. I think the Otter dinghy like many similar ones suffered as a racing dinghy because it is seen as too slow and old fashioned compared to the more modern designs. To be fair as an out and out racing boat this is very true. However the Otter was never ...
by Otter915
Wed Jul 10, 2013 2:11 pm
Forum: Otter Dinghy
Topic: Capsize
Replies: 3
Views: 13040

Re: Capsize

Hi Roger, My otter tends to float fairly high in the water when capsized and is about half full of water when righted with me inside it (although mine does have the fully enclosed foredeck). You certainly have a problem if yours floats that low. I assume you had water trapped in the side tanks and f...
by Otter915
Wed Jun 12, 2013 6:30 am
Forum: Otter Dinghy
Topic: Sail numbers
Replies: 2
Views: 11784

Re: Sail numbers

Hi mate, It doesn't really look like a sail number as there were not 1801 otters made and your boat looks older than number 801. However If you need a sail no. for insurance or racing than I am sure 801 is as good as any. Although if that is the case then I would be tempted to go for no. 111 (three ...
by Otter915
Wed Mar 06, 2013 9:45 am
Forum: Otter Dinghy
Topic: Manufacturer's Rigging Guide & Brochure
Replies: 8
Views: 21022

Re: Manufacturer's Rigging Guide & Brochure

It is thinner than the original board and from memory weighs about 15lb. So it doesn't really add a great deal to stability (although obviously it does help a little bit). Likewise it doesn't really make much difference to the speed of the boat. I have found that downwind it doesn't make a lot of di...
by Otter915
Tue Mar 05, 2013 11:23 am
Forum: Otter Dinghy
Topic: Manufacturer's Rigging Guide & Brochure
Replies: 8
Views: 21022

Re: Manufacturer's Rigging Guide & Brochure

Hi Neal, Yes rope to hold the board up and bungee to keep it down sounds like a good format. To be honest I only cruise about in my otter (usually on my own) and my preference is to keep everything as simple as possible. My otter now has an aluminium board so holding it down is no longer a problem (...
by Otter915
Tue Mar 05, 2013 8:20 am
Forum: Otter Dinghy
Topic: Manufacturer's Rigging Guide & Brochure
Replies: 8
Views: 21022

Re: Manufacturer's Rigging Guide & Brochure

Hi Springer, This is mostly guesswork based on my otter (don't know how original it is) and other similar vintage boats I have sailed. The mainsheet would have originally been aft sheeted, so your man has added the ratchet block in the centre to convert it to centre sheeting. While better for racing...
by Otter915
Mon Mar 04, 2013 7:00 pm
Forum: Otter Dinghy
Topic: Manufacturer's Rigging Guide & Brochure
Replies: 8
Views: 21022

Re: Manufacturer's Rigging Guide & Brochure

The brochure can be found on this guys website:- folk.ntnu.no/wells/Otter/index.html It probably won't help to much with the rigging though. What part of it is giving you problems - its not the most high tech rig in the world so if someone has changed it all for racing they have probably improved it...
by Otter915
Sat Feb 23, 2013 10:29 am
Forum: Otter Dinghy
Topic: When do we set sail ?
Replies: 2
Views: 11559

Re: When do we set sail ?

As soon as we get a decent day in March I will have to go for a sail - start to get cabin fever over the winter. It will only be somewhere tame, probably my local reservoir (Carsington). It will be a case of wetsuit on with warm clothes over the top and a flask of coffee on board.
Regards James.
by Otter915
Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:29 am
Forum: Otter Dinghy
Topic: Otter Mast needed
Replies: 11
Views: 22026

Re: Otter Mast needed

Don't know if it is close to you or not, but there is an otter currently on ebay located in Devon. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/otter-14-6fee ... 4abea6f3d5
Regards James.
by Otter915
Tue Nov 06, 2012 11:15 am
Forum: Otter Dinghy
Topic: Just bought an Otter.
Replies: 12
Views: 24107

Re: Just bought an Otter.

Hi Ade, I bought a firefly centreboard off ebay (I think I paid about £3 for it), it was longer than the otter centreboard but the bottom 3/4 of it were a fairly close match for the otter board so I just cut the top off to match the top of the otter board. I expected it to make the boat a bit slower...
by Otter915
Mon Nov 05, 2012 11:08 am
Forum: Otter Dinghy
Topic: Just bought an Otter.
Replies: 12
Views: 24107

Re: Just bought an Otter.

Hi Alant, Unless you are one of those racing types who constantly play about with the kicking strap you might find it easier to just rig it between the boom and the mast fitting. That way it won't catch on the centreboard but will still keep the boom down when sailing downwind or during a gybe. I su...
by Otter915
Tue Oct 23, 2012 8:03 pm
Forum: Otter Dinghy
Topic: New Otter Dinghy
Replies: 5
Views: 12574

Re: New Otter Dinghy

Hi mate, Congratulations on getting a great little boat. As for its age it is hard to be sure but if I was to hazard a guess I would say that it was made within a few years of 1974 and its sail number is around 400 - (it may be stamped on the inside of the transom). It is not a really early one beca...
by Otter915
Tue Oct 16, 2012 12:34 pm
Forum: Otter Dinghy
Topic: Otter Mast needed
Replies: 11
Views: 22026

Re: Otter Mast needed

Hi Fiona, An idea worth considering if your otter has been stood for some time and the sails and trailer are not great is to just buy another otter with a decent mast. Then you can keep the best trailer, hull, mast and sails from the two boats and sell all the rest as a package and still get most of...
by Otter915
Mon Oct 01, 2012 5:16 am
Forum: Otter Dinghy
Topic: Just bought an Otter.
Replies: 12
Views: 24107

Re: Just bought an Otter.

To raise the mast single handed I find that the easiest way is as follows: 1) Lay the mast on the ground and attach one shroud at the correct setting on the shroud adjuster. 2) Attach the second shroud - but lengthen it by approx one inch by adding a carabiner to the shroud adjuster. 3) Put a bit of...