[dieselboy]

So, i am new to sailing and new to this area " Houston". I bought a 29' cal and have been working on her for a bit.. She is an Ike survivor and got some damage in the storm. A few cleats were pulled and the pro furl was damaged.
When i bought the boat " which i thought looked huge" i am a bit nervous about her, just her sheer size.
Anyway there were sail bags in the V berth and i pulled them all out a while back and moved them to my house till i was ready for them. Not knowing what was in them i wanted to use my yard to spread them out. Good god one of those sails is bigger than any boat i have ever run and just looking at its sheer size a chill ran up my spine.
"""How the hell am i going to manage that thing when its bigger than any boat i have ever sailed??? """
I stood there for a bit with my jaw hanging down... Now, i know what a spinnaker looks like and i have one.. Its a huge multi colored light weight " parachute that i pulled out next. Also huge but this is a jib sail and a huge one at that!
I later found the bag with the std size jib and it seems to be new. So, the question is what the hell is this monster? some cross between a spinnaker and a jib? It has the rung to slide up the "pro furl" track?


While i have no doubt i can rebuild this boat but sailing her is starting to spook me.. Maybe i need to go back to the minor league for a bit..

Thanks for any input in this matter " even if it is to call me a dumb a--"

 

[Sapperwhite]

might be a blooper. bigger than a genny smaller than a spin. kinda light weight

 

[saildork]

Hey Diesel, don't worry about learning how to sail that thing. There are lots of sailors in your area (Austin and Houston) who will be happy to get you moving in the right direction. Might be someone offering sailing lesson on their boats or yours, too. It'll come together, and before long your 29 footer won't look so huge. Good luck. Cal made some great boats.

BTW, if you can post some pics, someone might be able to tell you if the big, lightweight sail is an asymmetrical spinnaker, a blooper, a drifter or what.

 

[deniseO30]

After 3 yrs my "OMG it's big" feeling my Oday 30 is feeling pretty small now. I'm getting 5ft itist LOL You can handle it Diesel!

 

[bloodhunter]

Not to worry



Hey diesel,
You'll find that big boats sail a lot like small boats, only things happen slower. If you've sailed on daysailers you kow that everything happens in split seconds. You want to come about, you move the tiller and it happens. Coming about on a bigger boat is a much slower process. Same thing with most other maneuvers. Suggestion that you get some sailors who know the area to ride along with you until you get comfortable is a great idea. I've done it myself when I go to a new area because no matter how experienced you may be, nothing beats local knowledge.
As for your monster sail, it could be a blooper or reacher (different names for same thing) which is a very lighweight fully-cut 180 pct genoa. The ones I had in a previous boat reached amost back to the middle of the cockpit. Very good for light air sailing. That 'rung' you mention is sort of curious. I assume you mean some sort of hoop-like thing that will allow the sail to slide up the forestay while the jib is furled. But if that's the case, you'd have to make sure the jib sheets did not get in the way. It can be done but it would be sort of awkward.
Makes me wonder if what you have is some sort of asymetrical spinnaker or gennaker and the 'rung' is the remains of a dowsing mechanism like the old spinnaker sally. Have to see it to be sure

 

[dieselboy]

I shot pics yesterday but the light was not the best and i will post them later today and let all take a look..
I want to thank you all for your words of encouragement i feel a lot better today...

 

[nissantwa]

Dieselboy Cal 29

You picked a good ol' production boat. With big sails and a big blow, that thing can get smacked around, but trimming and furling for conditions, it'll push 7 kts and handle a pretty good sea. I've raced those things and with a spinnaker it can get very hairy. With the small jib in light air, it'll barely move. As I say, choose wisely and watch the weather, you won't want a different boat for a long time.

 

[RTB]

Diesel,

I too recently bought an Ike survivor. It is a Hunter 36, and my previous sailing had been on a Laguna 22.

Sailing the larger boat is no different. Docking is a challenge, just getting used to the length and weight.

Will you be sailing on one of the lakes, or Galveston Bay? The Bay is a blast, with nice steady wind and lots of room. Go for it, you can do it! Good luck with the repairs...

Ralph

 

[dieselboy]

You picked a good ol' production boat. With big sails and a big blow, that thing can get smacked around, but trimming and furling for conditions, it'll push 7 kts and handle a pretty good sea. I've raced those things and with a spinnaker it can get very hairy. With the small jib in light air, it'll barely move. As I say, choose wisely and watch the weather, you won't want a different boat for a long time.

Wow , i had just the main up and was trimming it and it was moving much faster than i was ready for. Yeah we will be sticking with the little sails for a while.. lol

 

[dieselboy]

Diesel,

I too recently bought an Ike survivor. It is a Hunter 36, and my previous sailing had been on a Laguna 22.

Sailing the larger boat is no different. Docking is a challenge, just getting used to the length and weight.

Will you be sailing on one of the lakes, or Galveston Bay? The Bay is a blast, with nice steady wind and lots of room. Go for it, you can do it! Good luck with the repairs...

Ralph

In the Bay so there is lots of room for me to go get in to trouble..

 

[tommays]

Find some racing club in your area and crew for on a boat you will get a chance to learn much more about how to handle the sails

 

[dieselboy]

Ok so i have sail pics..

What the hell is this???

This is my Spinnaker which is almost the same size.

this is my std jib

 

[midnightsailor]

From what I can tell, It looks like about a 150 Genoa(can't tell ifheavy or light) with a luff tensioning device rigged up., Kinda like a cunningham for a headsail. I think that "rung" thing you mentioned is the luff tape for feeding into the foil of the furler, Rick

 

[dieselboy]

From what I can tell, It looks like about a 150 Genoa(can't tell ifheavy or light) with a luff tensioning device rigged up., Kinda like a cunningham for a headsail. I think that "rung" thing you mentioned is the luff tape for feeding into the foil of the furler, Rick

It constructed somewhere in the middle. Its thin in some area's and reinforced in all the high load area's. I did hear that it might be a Genoa before " by a guy on the dock". Not sure of his ability to know what it what on a sail boat.
My jib is built rather tough and the spinnaker is thin as a cheep pair of 80's parachute pants..

 

[Ulchute]

Hi Diesel:

I'm not from your area (Southern California) but you might check your local area for ASA rated classes. The first one I ever took was gift from my wife about 15 years ago. After listening to me "whine and pine" she bought me a class through the UCLA extension service. Turned out the instructor was the director of a sailing school called California Sailing Academy located in Marina Del Rey. The classes were very reasonably priced and involved four different boats of gradually larger size. I took the whole series of classes over two summers and a great time.

Good Luck

 

[dieselboy]

Great advice and is what my plan is but, i would like to get my boat sorted asap. So , as i learn i can practice and build up more experience as i got to make the learning easier.
At present i have a 39 year old boat that has not ever seen a refit. I know that the advice was to buy one that was done and just go sailing but, that does nothing for me. I dont trust others to do it for me and i want to know every nut bolt and washer on her before i sail.
None of those people will be on the water with me if and when things get bad. I will have to be self reliant out there and the only way is to " build your own boat".

I do want to tank all of you for your help and guidance. I know some of you are cringing at the thought i will be on the water ways with you soon..
Have no fear, i am far more critical of my self than any of you will ever be..
When i do come out me and my boat will be in order..

 

[jrd22]

Diesel- I like your attitude. By the time you have your boat all fixed up you'll know more about it than 90% of the people on the water, and that's a good thing when something goes wrong!. In short order you'll feel comfortable sailing it and know that you can handle any situation that comes along (there might be a few humbling moments along the way). Have fun and report back on your progress. I would agree that you have a very large genoa and what looks to be an asymmetrical spinnaker (not sure from the pic).

 

[dieselboy]

Diesel- I like your attitude. By the time you have your boat all fixed up you'll know more about it than 90% of the people on the water, and that's a good thing when something goes wrong!. In short order you'll feel comfortable sailing it and know that you can handle any situation that comes along (there might be a few humbling moments along the way). Have fun and report back on your progress. I would agree that you have a very large genoa and what looks to be an asymmetrical spinnaker (not sure from the pic).

After a LOT of google searching i can confirm its at 150 genoa for the roller jib. The Spinnaker is a Asymmetrical ..
Got to love this site and Google.. lol
Its hard to find information on a 40 year old boat..

 

[sarafinadh]

it is hard to find info on our "ladies of a certain age..."

our little hole in the water is a Cal 28 flush, but There are many similarities between your boat and ours, and I offer up these links as a starting place, if you haven't already found em your own self!

CAL SAILBOATS
sailboats, Cal 29
Sailing older Cal Yachts homepage
CAL 29 Yacht: fast enough to win, big enough to enjoy
The new CAL 29: built especially for the cruising sailor
Wilkie's Cal 29 Sailboat Page
YouTube - Sailing Cal 29 Everett Washington Puget Sound
Cal 28 Sailboat Cal Boats Jensen Marine Cal 28 Bill Lathrop Jack Jensen Good Old Boat
Cal 28 sailboat

and I've been told by very reliable sources that so long at the stick is up and the wet stuff is on the out side it's IMPOSSIBLE to be in over your head!

 

[irwin325cc]

Hey Diesel, I have my boat "Gypsy" a 32' Irwin C.C. in Shoth Shore Harbour on Clear Lake. I am heading down there in the middle of next week and have been refiting her, so far new engine, removed my Pro Furl for new hank-on head sail and new main. Many projects this trip including running lines to cockpit and installing wheel pilot. I will get some sailing in sometime on the trip.
Your more than welcome to come along if you would like or you can come by and just ask some questions if you would like.