[FishDragon]

Hi all;
I just bought a 1985 Pirate 15 - pics at http://www.sailnet.com/forums/members/fishdragon-albums-1985-pirate-15.html. It's in great shape, and I'm really looking forward to getting out in it in the next 2 or 3 weeks. Still, I want to find whatever info I can on the boat in the meantime. The only thing I've found so far is a very minimal amount of info on sailboatdata (PIRATE 15 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com).
Luckily, outside of replacing one small bolt on the boom (swivel bolt), the boat appear complete, in good shape, and ready to sail. The trailer's nice too, but I do intend to replace the wheel bearings and buy new tires and wheels (the current tires are old and showing some cracking and have little tread left - I'm replacing the wheels just to have nicer ones). The first few times I take it out, I'll be going to Spruce Run Reservoir in New Jersey - anybody have any experience there?
Any info or advice is WELCOME!
Happy sailing to ALL!!
Marc

 

[CalebD]

Congrats Marc on your new boat!

It seems that the Annapolis Sailboat Builders Co. has gone the way of many boat manufacturers: out of business.
I had no more success with my google "juju" than you did; there does not seem to be much info available on the Pirate 15'.

I owned a similar sized dinghy sailor for some years. With the Pirate 15's displacement(weight) given as 300 lbs. it would likely handle similar to mine.
That said, the placement of your body weight is going to be very important to keeping the hull flat on the water with the sails up.

Kudos to you for replacing the tires and bearings on your trailer. Check out the leaf springs while you are at it.

 

[FishDragon]

Thanks! Good thing I weigh 225 - it'll help keep the boat flat. LOL Going to take it to a lake near here Sunday - supposed to be in the mid-60's and sunny!

 

[krisscross]

Congratulations! Looks like a nice, simple boat. I would have it dry-rigged on the trailer before I go sailing, to make sure everything works and to familiarize myself with the set up. I would also have a paddle handy. You might be able to install a trolling motor on the stern, but paddle is a lot simpler. I would also make sure the inner containment space is fully drained before launching - and when you pull the boat from the water, check to see if you have any water in that space. That will tell you about internal leaks, which often come from the hull to deck joint.

 

[FishDragon]

I set up the mast, boom and mainsheet last weekend - if it's calm enough tomorrow, I'm going to do that again, only with the sails this time. It came with two sets of sails, so I'm especially interested to see if there's any difference. Got paddles - may eventually install a motor. Unfortunately, the brand-new Honda 5HP I bought for my previous 21-ft boat is too big for this one. Really a shame, as I have less than 20 hours on it.

 

[krisscross]

It is a boat with a lot of sail area by design. Ideally, you would want a smaller set of sails for stronger wind days, and larger sails for calmer days. Smaller sails make the boat much easier to control, especially in gusty winds. That is where I would start. But you might also have 2 sets of same size sails, one old and one new.

 

[FishDragon]

Unfurled the sails on the driveway today - looks like an older and a newer set. Main's are the same size, and the older jib's a little smaller, but the older set appears to be more stretched out. Turns out I only got one up-haul line - for the jib, I'm guessing, based on it's length. Going to go get a second line in the morning before I head out. Also determined the swing keel is metal - looks to be approx 1/8" thick (def need to pull it, clean it up and paint it). Doesn't appear to drop all the way down - something else to more closely look at. The best part of this smaller boat is I have it in my backyard, making working on it 1000x easier.
Hoping for light winds tomorrow...

 

[titustiger27]

Hi all;
I just bought a 1985 Pirate 15 - pics at http://www.sailnet.com/forums/members/fishdragon-albums-1985-pirate-15.html. It's in great shape, and I'm really looking forward to getting out in it in the next 2 or 3 weeks. Still, I want to find whatever info I can on the boat in the meantime. The only thing I've found so far is a very minimal amount of info on sailboatdata (PIRATE 15 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com).
Luckily, outside of replacing one small bolt on the boom (swivel bolt), the boat appear complete, in good shape, and ready to sail. The trailer's nice too, but I do intend to replace the wheel bearings and buy new tires and wheels (the current tires are old and showing some cracking and have little tread left - I'm replacing the wheels just to have nicer ones). The first few times I take it out, I'll be going to Spruce Run Reservoir in New Jersey - anybody have any experience there?
Any info or advice is WELCOME!
Happy sailing to ALL!!
Marc

I see saildata doesn't have any pictures --- if you have a brochure picture, or manual outline --- or under sail the owner of the site --- Mr. Browning -- would likely use it.