Modifications
Any new boat needs to be dialed in. That is, all its pieces parts have to be broken in, adjusted, tweaked, tuned and possibly replaced. This
is especially true for first-in-class vessels, where basically everything is one big experiment. I'll be updating this page from time to time with the changes that I find are useful so that any builders
can plan ahead whiles the boat is still a pile of parts and put them in before it gets too hard to do so. Other things I'll put here are useful
accessories and procedures.
A custom-fitted cover
Quick disconnects for the lazy jacks
Cover
The first thing the boat needed was a cover. It had been sitting under a Home Depot tarp. All that could be said for that was that it was better
than nothing. It was a real nuisance to tie down, allowed damp which promoted mold and mildew, was coming apart in the sunlight and looked like crap.
What the boat really needed was a custom-fitted cover that was easy to remove and replace, strong, breathable to allow ventilation and proof against
ultraviolet light.
Chesapeake Light Craft has a line of covers for their boats
that look like traditional canvas but are actually WeatherMax fabric. This, I was told, is the same as Sunbrella but without the brand name and at a
lower price. Since Hvit Skygge is the only one of its type, there were no covers available from CLC yet. So I got in touch with the lady
who makes the covers and commissioned one. Now that the patterns exist, if there are enough future builders it will be an
easy thing to get a Faering Cruiser cover added to the product line.
One of the things that makes this cover so nice, apart from the materials and workmanship, is its clever design. Notice how the boat can be left with
the mast stepped with the cover on. There is a zipper on the starboard side and a cap that opens up into a collar. The zipper allows the cover to be
installed and removed with the mast stepped.
The cap, when unfolded to form the collar also allows the mast to stay stepped. For winter storage and traveling on the road, the mast is unstepped
and the collar folded back into the cap configuration. In both configurations the boom, yard and sail are under the cover, spanning the cockpit
from hatch to hatch. The peak thus formed lets water run off the cover. This is amazingly convenient for land storage. The boat is stored rigged.
When it's time to go sailing, it is trailered to the ramp, the cover removed and stowed in the forward hatch and the boat is ready to launch.
Note the bungees used to hold the main halyard and lazy jack halyard and block in place against the mast.
Since the fabric is breathable, I keep the hatches open a crack and the ballast tank covers off while the boat cover is on. That allows air to circulate
inside the compartments, preventing mold and mildew. That's especially important in the cabin.
Occasionally a very heavy rain and wind combination will force water through or under the cover. Since Hvit Skygge has a self-draining
cockpit that's not a real issue. Any water that doesn't drain out will eventually evaporate because the cloth is breathable.
Lazy Jack Disconnects
As received from CLC the lazy jacks were permanently attached to the mast and boom. This meant that the mast, boom, yard and sail had to be handled as
a unit - an awkward heavy unit. Stepping the mast involved climbing into the boat carrying the sail and all the rigging, then trying to get the mast into
the step while the boom, sail and yard were oscillating like an out-of-control pendulum. Some law of nature also required that whenever this evolution was
performed the mast and sail assembly would be rotated to the wrong angle relative to each other.
Even worse, there was no way to put the cover on while the mast was stepped because the lazy jacks prevented the zipper and collar from closing.
Four little pieces of shaped metal completely fixed the problem. I disconnected the lazy jacks where the single vertical line branched into the two
lines and attached a Brummel clip to each end. These are metal quick release clips with no moving parts. The top one was whipped and seized
into place, the bottom was lashed and seized.
Now the lazy jacks can perform their usual functions. But when it's time to secure the boat, the main halyard is dropped, the yard lashed against the
boom with the sail in between and the lazy jacks are unclipped. The boat is ready for its cover. Alternatively, the parrel can also be disconnected and
the main halyard unrove from the masthead. Now it's possible to unstep the mast while standing on the ground next to the trailer. The mast can then be stowed
across the cockpit under the cover or completely removed.
A pair of bungees secure the lazy jack halyard and block as well as the upper Brummel clips. Without this they would fly loose in the wind and beat the hell
out of anything near by.
Page 1 - The Faering Cruiser Hvit Skygge
Page 3 - So Now I Have a Cruiser
Page 4 - First Campout
Page 5 - A Quick Spring Sunday Sail
Page 6 - Okoumefest 2016
Page 7 - Mid Atlantic Small Craft Festival 2017
Copyright © 2016 László I. Mórocz. All Rights Reserved.
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