I may be wasting your time...

Discussion forum for the Otter class of sailing dinghy

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bobnlesley
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Nov 26, 2015 4:49 pm

I may be wasting your time...

Post by bobnlesley »

My nephew's just acquired a dinghy via a house he's purchased and as the only family member with a vague knowledge of things boaty, it's fallen to me to identify it and more importantly work out how to rig it. I'm hoping that I've got a couple of photos to attach.

My best guess so far is that it might - size seems correct - be an early, single-skinned GRP Otter, with a sliding Gunther rig? There are no builders nameplates fitted, nor any sail number; the only marking is the 'shadow' where the markings 'SSA67', though I'm suspecting that this may refer to the long defunct Semerwater Sailing Association.

Assuming it is an Otter, or if not, that someone at least recognises the rig I'd appreciate any info on how I secure the yard to the mast; also where I might obtain a forestay for the mast and a suitable headsail. I'm presuming that there's no backstay?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Attachments
dinghy mast.jpg
dinghy mast.jpg (65.94 KiB) Viewed 20809 times
toms dinghy.jpg
toms dinghy.jpg (149.05 KiB) Viewed 20809 times

cweed
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 10:18 pm

Re: I may be wasting your time...

Post by cweed »

Hello.

I dont think that's an Otter.................

When you say secure the yard to the mast, presumably you mean the top mast to the bottom mast?
Haven't you already rigged it in the photo?

Forestay....... Usually your local yacht / dinghy chandlery will make one, some on the spot if you tell them the length and what fittings you need at each end, and if they have the equipment.

Jib.... I'd suggest a Mirror dinghy jib or Heron or Gull or otter might be about the right size.........

bobnlesley
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Nov 26, 2015 4:49 pm

Re: I may be wasting your time...

Post by bobnlesley »

...Haven't you already rigged it in the photo?...

No, I was just holding one against the other. we have the two side stays, but clearly need a forestay and head sail, also a kicking strap of some description; what I still haven't worked out is how the gaff is
secured to the supported mast, beyond the jaws at the gooseneck, perhaps I just lash one to the other?

cweed
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 10:18 pm

Re: I may be wasting your time...

Post by cweed »

Rigging.........

At the top of the mast (lower mast) should be a sheave / pulley. This takes the halyard (rope that pulls up the sail) on a bermudan rig, or the top mast on a gunter (your top mast) rig. One end of the halyard, the end toward the rear of the boat, is attached to the top mast, possible just by threading the rope through a hole in the topmast and knotting it, or possibly by attaching the halyard to an eye screwed to the topmast. The attachment point on the top mast will be about 1/3 the way up from the bottom of the spar, it will be situated so that when the halyard is pulled tight, the top mast will lie as close to the bottom mast as the set of the halyard and the sail will allow.
At the bottom end of the 'top mast' should be 'jaws' which will guide the top mast in position to keep the lowest part of the top mast as close to the bottom mast. The 'jaws' are usually secured to the mast just by a piece of strong shockcord (marine elastic) or even a piece of cord. So the jaws make an open U with the top mast, and the shockcord or line hold the bottom part of the top mast against the bottom mast as a slide arrangement.
There should be some kind of lacing you will also need to do from the jaws part down to the boom ( the wooden spar that holds the bottom of the sail. You probably have to lace when the sail has been raised. The lacing holds the sail to the bottom mast.

As for the kicking strap / vang, I suggest a simple piece of line attached to somewhere near the bottom of the mast, looped over the boom, where there may be some kind of stop or block. Put a loop in one end of the line , then tie or thread through an eye on the mast, over the boom, free end through the loop already made, pull tight and tie off.

Your boat may not ever have had a foresail.

If the mainsail is small, a forestay of a strong kevlar type line tied very securely would work , you can then decide if / what else you need to do to be able to use the boat.

bobnlesley
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Nov 26, 2015 4:49 pm

Re: I may be wasting your time...

Post by bobnlesley »

Thanks for that cweed, your suggestions all make sense given the selection of lines/cords/securing points fitted to Tom's dinghy. I can't see us wanting too rig/sail it until the summer, but I'll pass the info on to him so that he (or more likely me?) will put it all together some sunny Sunday and give it a try. We'll see then if it's sailable without any headsail, not that the mast-height would allow for much of a foresail anyway; thanks again, I'll repost and let you know how it went; thankyou.

Niad
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2016 10:46 am

Re: I may be wasting your time...

Post by Niad »

I think it is a Heyland Swift,
Small not much bigger than a rowing boat?
Jo

cweed
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 10:18 pm

Re: I may be wasting your time...

Post by cweed »

Niad.........

An interesting suggestion.......

I looked on the CVRDA dinghy database, they list the Heyland Swift and the Heyland Lugger, but there are no details on either.............

Do you have other information on either of these?

http://www.cvrda.org/wp-cvrda/dinghydata/heyland-swift/

Niad
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2016 10:46 am

Re: I may be wasting your time...

Post by Niad »

We have one at our club
This one looks very similar to me, I think it is an older model.
It is the only boat I have seen with a daggerboard that narrow
http://heylandmarine.com/swift-sailing-boat/
Measurements and pictures of modern ones on the above link

cweed
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 10:18 pm

Re: I may be wasting your time...

Post by cweed »

Niad..........
Looks conclusive! Thanks.

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