Reply To: New to OKs – a few questions
Hi Dave!
Welcome aboard.
How far ‘south west’ are you?
I’m sailing in a handicap fleet at Christchurch in Dorset. We have Bill MacMillan doing likewise in Swanage & presumably Mary Reddyhoff at Parkstone. So we really ought to get ourselves together sometime because the east coast is a very long drive for us!
Right – your questions – I’m no expert, by the way…
Underdeck controls – I own 2015 – a Hoare composite – also with underdecks. These are fine – if I was re-decking the boat & looking to save a couple of pounds by removing the plastic tubes I might switch to overdeck controls – but providing they work OK I see no reason to change.
Rudders – I have the same problem – mostly sailing in a harbour. I use a fixed 30 degree rudder & rely on local knowledge to get around the course – the nice Milanes 15 degree rudder I just purchased feels much better but I won’t risk it over the mud. You could probably cut down the rudder blade & fit it into a ‘standard’ lifting stock. I’ve thought about doing this but never got around to it but I’m sure someone on this forum has tried!
Masts – I had a red-top but recently upgraded to carbon. When I 1st owned the boat it had a blue-top which is pretty similar to a black-top in performance. I never liked the red-top personally & I’m bit heavier than 12 stone – so if you can’t make the leap to carbon but can replace your current mast for something softer I think it would be a good move for you.
The Batt sails were reckoned to be pretty good for light-ish sailors because Dick’s philosophy was to put a flattish sail onto a stiff mast – so a 2nd hand Batt cut for a red-top might be a good compromise.
Anyway – best of luck & I hope we’ll meet up sometime!
Happy Easter
Chris Arnell – GBR 2015 (Although all my sails have ‘K’ on them)
