| Author | Message | ||
     Jeff Roy New member Username: Jeffr Post Number: 83 Registered: 03-2001 Rating: N/A |
Just thought I would post an update. I re-installed my baby stay prior to doing the New England Solo-Twin, a 77 mile offshore double handed race. There was a very big seaway and we put it on tight. I think it helped control the mast a lot. It certainly didn't hurt, we won our class  | ||
| Mike Bergmann Unregistered guest Rating: N/A |
I use the babystay in heavier air and chop. I keep it out of the way by using a shock cord retractor at the base of the mast, so it stays hooked up all the time. The line comes back to a cam cleat at the cockpit. | ||
| Deborah Davenport (Ddavenport) Rating: N/A |
Back in the late 80's, we had a 9.1 fleet of 12 on the south shore of Lake Erie, which is notorious for its nasty short chop. Almost all of us added checkstays to counter the babystay, and found the addition to be highly productive. There was a MORC measurement rule contstraint on how far aft the attachment point could be, so most of us attached on the coach roof. We attached ours to padeyes between the forward/halyard winches and halyard line clutches, and about 2" outboard of the companionway hatch track. We added a significant backing plate for the attachment padeye on the inside coachroof. For the checkstay rig, we used two doubles, one with a becket, for a 5:1 purchase. We cleated to the factory-installed vertical clam cleats on the bulkhead (those were for the guy, and obviously not in use on a beat). This proved more satisfactory - easier to release when tacking - than the first cleating solution we used, which was the bottom block on the rig being a double with a cam cleat. The problem with that solution was that sometimes crew had to strech across the coach roof to release. Alternatively, you can put an eye lead on the genoa track, and attach them there. You could add cam cleats on the cabin sides, same as the factory did for the pole downaul. The cabintop arrangement has the advantage of providing a lazy jack effect, useful when taking down the main shorthanded in a stiff breeze. The genoa track arrangement has the advantage of not requiring any additional backing plates. | ||
| jeffr Rating: N/A |
I have found that the mast on my 9.1 likes to pump in steep waves or high wind. Even in gentle swells if I sight up the mast I can watch the top of it move for and aft with every wave. I have tried different backstaytensions and that only seems to help a little. With the top of the mast flexing like that it is impossible to maintain any steady sail shape. I also found that my mast will vibrate and pump while sitting on it's mooring in anything over 19 kt.s of wind. The vibration seems to start with the tuff luff and eventually gets the whole rig going. I am sure this is not good for the rig in general. I suspect limitting mast pumping was one of the reasons they put the baby stay on in the first place, have any of you used other methods to limit mast pumping and vibration? Is anyone using checkstays and if so, how did you rig them. | ||
| Scott Corder (Pastcommodore) Rating: N/A |
Great question! As someone who has actually misplaced his babystay (after I removed it years ago), your query causes me to wonder the very same thing (I can't believe I never wondered my self). Two options come immedieately to mind: 1. If you're never going to use the pad-eye again, why not remove the strap? It would make the V-berth just that more comfortable and (in my case) further facilitate some sort of "child restraint" barricade for when we sleep on the boat with our 2 year old twins (who we have tried with limited success in the past to confine to the V-berth). But alas, we may have to move them to the settees this year for other resons - it's just too early to tell. Suffice to say, it's likely to get interesting given their curent mobility and curiosity! 2. Leave the tie-strap in place and use the pad eye as the lead for the foreguy to the spinnaker pole (instead of the track on the foredeck). Several folks I know have tried or are using this method to reduce the strain on the foredeck track. It creates a far less "forward" point of load for the foreguy (and somewhat reduces the need to constantly re-adjust the foreguy every time you move the pole to trim). I'd be interested to know if anyone has any other thoughts on this subject. | ||
| Jeff Roy (Jeffr) Rating: N/A |
From the feedback I have received from this group so far I think it is safe to say very few if any 9.1 owners use the baby stay. That's good news for me. The only time I have been on boats that used them I thought they were a pain in the .... If you do not use the babystay, is it safe to remove the tie strap from the baby stay pade eye to the forward stringer? Yesterday I discovered that this area of my deck is a total sponge. I am really disappointed that my serveyor missed this. I have already finalised my purchase so I am going to have to bite this one. I happened to lean on the strap and I noticed the deck flex big time. The damage seems to be isolated to a relatively small area, but I am sure I am going to have to replace at least a square foot of core in that part of the deck. UGH. Unless there is a real good reason not too, I was going to eliminate the pad eye and the tie strap. Whadda ya think? |
