DRAGONFLY Trimarans User Forum

gminkovsky

@steveB: did you have to winch her in from the dinghy???? I just can't picture how she could climb into the boat. I once had a guest on my 920 for a day sail. She is about 5'4" and ~200 lbs. She went for a swim by diving off the ama, but could not climb back up using our ridiculous standard swi...

gminkovsky

@jacob madsen: every capsize should be counted. Operator error; design failure; material failure - it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that there is a catastrophic event. Compare these stats to any other boat, multi or mono, and you will see a pattern. Trimarans and catamarans have a h...

gminkovsky

Is your mast aluminum? If so, switching to carbon will save A LOT!

gminkovsky

Sails. Some of the high tech sails weigh very little. Carbon fibre battens instead of fiberglass. Saves a lot of weight aloft. anchors and chain: get aluminum anchors; reduce or eliminate chain; downsize the rope to the yale nylon brait 8-strand. put thimbles on both ends of the rode so you can easi...

gminkovsky

4 stroke.

gminkovsky

I just looked at my trailer. Without the boat on the trailer, I can only estimate that the end of the centerboard trunk is over the centerline between the 2 axles. This is a compromise position where tongue weight is on the low side when the boat is folded and very reasonable when the amas are remov...

gminkovsky

What are other reasonable explanations for the failure of my main halyard and the board downhaul line? Both had compression loads over a short line span. However, my downhaul never had any significant overall load on the part of the line that failed! My halyard had damage to the cover. The downhaul ...

gminkovsky

I have recently experienced my second failure of Dyneema rope. The first one was my main halyard that I described a few years ago. The second is my Board Downhaul line. My board is somewhat difficult to dislodge initially. So often, I put the downhaul line on a winch and give it a light tug. Then I ...

gminkovsky

@sjschweitzer815: The mast base is attached to the deck with screws. No other surprises.

@UltraDry: why is the pin not in the mast base? I understand that the pin CAN be removed once the mast is up, but what would be the reason? I think the pin keeps the mast from pushing onto the board line flanges!

gminkovsky

The last 2 cm or so are very hard on my boat as well.

The best solution: have your first mate (or 2 if she is skinny:) walk on the trampoline while winching the last turn or 2 when unfolding or on the ama when folding.

gminkovsky

Repair. New polyester 2-inch webbing all around and Tenara thread. Buy your own cone of tenara and bring the whole thing to a canvas person. They will have the 2-inch webbing. Take your Tenara cone back when done. It will last you for all of your repairs. Double-check that you do not need to replace...

gminkovsky

Tillers of various length and thickness are widely available from all marine stores. Not particularly cheap. Or get a piece of aluminum and shape it and bend it to your liking. First look at West Marine and Defender catalogs.

gminkovsky

I can solder and use electric meters. I am not sure what/where to look for it. All instruments seem to work fine except wind speed and direction. I know all 3 (wind, depth, speed) are connected with seatalk cable. The connections are at each instrument, behind the electrical panel, and also somewher...

gminkovsky

ST40 wind instrument on my boat does not seem to be working. I had it repaired by the factory 2 years ago. AT that time the instrument just went blank. This time, we just stepped up and the mast. I reconnected the wire. The instrument shows 0 degrees true wind, 134 degrees apparent. 0 wind speed. I ...

gminkovsky

I just looked at my 920: all 4 akas have drain hole at the inboard end. All of them appear to have a 3-4 inch (8-10 cm) round hole at the outboard end. It's difficult to see. My boat is partially open in the backyard. I can just barely see it.

gminkovsky

Regarding aluminum bar to prevent folding: it is not secure enough. It is probably only good to prevent folding when anchoring or motoring. Please search in the forum about a capsize where the aluminum bar just broke off at the attachment point. Quorning switched to using a safety cable from the for...

gminkovsky

I would replace both. Look for Lewmar Synchro - very affordable and strong. Did the boat fold when the block failed (or start to fold)? If you were sailing when this happened this could have been really bad. I strongly suggest backup anti-folding system which would prevent folding even if the lines,...

gminkovsky

I replaced my Honda 10 with Tohatsu 9.8 last year (I completely rebuilt my Honda so I have a spare engine...). I had to file the wood mounting bracket. I used a chisel to cut a slot on the front side where the mount is tightened. I also had to drill new holes for the bolts. I solved the linkage issu...

gminkovsky

I replaced a few connectors on my spray hood. All pieces slide off the bar and over the end connectors. I used standard over-the-counter black nylon fittings to replaced the broken plastic pieces. There are stainless steel connectors that open up like a jaw. They are very expensive. I bought a few o...

gminkovsky

If you mean the little fair-lead blocks that change direction of the line, they are common off-the-shelf blocks - look in defender or west marine catalog. If you mean the sheaves where all lines come out from the mast and/or board, you are dealing with (probably) Fredrikson or Ronstan (who bought fr...

gminkovsky

PPPS The handles on all opening hatches have O-rings that should be replaced every 2 years or so. About $1 for 5 at Home Depot.

gminkovsky

PPS After this heavy rain, it is a great opportunity to check everything else for leaks: around main hatch and companionway, around all round and square hatches on deck or amas, around and underneath chainplates on amas, around and underneath pivot bolts on amas... etc, etc. Check around the compass...

gminkovsky

Replace if it is cracked. If not cracked, replace the O-ring if it has one or apply silicone sealant if there is no O-ring. You may need to remove the base, seal and then replace the base.

PS Use UV-resistant silicone or sealant. Don't use 3m 5200 because it cannot be removed later...

gminkovsky

You may have missed it in my explanation of standing rigging tuning above. The short part of backstay is attached to the inboard chainplate on the ama just behind rear wings using a multi-part block and tackle. There should be 2 blocks and line for each side. The line then goes through a rope clutch...

gminkovsky

And now I trying to "pay it forward" to TC and Radford

!

gminkovsky

As I said before, I think waterstays adjustment is the most difficult part of rigging. Here is a direct quote from 920 manual: WATERSTAYS: There are two long stays for the forward wings and two short ones for the aft wings. The thread part of the waterstay you turn into the big stainless steel fitti...

gminkovsky

I should add that there is one report of dismasting due to back stay failure: first the all-wire backstay failed, then the adjustable part failed. Just search the forum for description. Basically, anything that is safety related should be inspected and replaced preemptively. While you are checking, ...

gminkovsky

Not much to tweak in standing rigging. Don't touch the diamonds on the mast - they should have been properly tuned at original install. If you want to touch them - get a gauge and follow Quorning specs. The forestay is not adjustable. The back stay is two part: the long part goes to the eye on the a...

gminkovsky

Is it nessesary for long distance transport to have an trailer with rear plattform support behind the centerboard? - No. Either type of cradle works. In Germany it is allowed to pull max. 3,5to behind an SUV, so I think I need a special trailer , build with steel is o.K. The width is allowed to 2,55...

gminkovsky

If you want a trailer where you can roll-on or off a yard dolly with a boat similar to what Quorning sells, I can't help. If you want a trailer to use with a standard Quorning cradle, I can get dimensions and pictures from my setup. Basically, you start with a standard galvanized or aluminum (what I...

gminkovsky

Interesting solution! Looking forward to pictures. I do have some concern about reusing old parts: stainless steel fittings have a tendency to fail suddenly without warning. I think there are ways to examine the parts with microscope and some acid to identify cracks... Especially the old pin bored o...

gminkovsky

The best sources for ropes are Defender, West Marine when it's on sale. If the cover is damaged I recommend replacing ASAP. Search in the forum on what happened when my halyard broke under way. The cost of the rope was much less than the cost of the rigger with crane to replace the halyard with mast...

gminkovsky

Lucky you in Georgia! We had snow on Saturday and today again. Come to New York (when it gets warmer) - I will show you everything! Make yourself a spreadsheet with all items that you need every spring, every fall, and all other that come up occasionally. If you need it once, you will need it again ...

gminkovsky

I had this done by the factory. The antenna wire just runs freely inside the mast. Use electrician's snake or stiff wire to thread it through. The cable comes out from the bottom the same as nav lights cables. At the top, there is a hole on the side of the mast. There is an offset mounting bracket w...

gminkovsky

The vaca end and the wire are pretty common albeit expensive stuff. It's the ama end with the metric thread that is a problem. I would check with Colligo Engineering if they can make the ama fitting or the whole waterstay. Even if the ama fitting is thread-to-fork or thread-to-eye, you could have a ...

gminkovsky

Defender for pins and winch service kit. The annual sale is coming up in 2 days. Place your order then for everything. Don't forget bottom paint, gas stabilizer, filters, toilet repair kit, etc... Start counting your boat bucks ($1000) :(. If the winch is really broken, get in touch with Richard. Do...

gminkovsky

I have a 920 that I sail and cruise with my wife and 2 kids. In prior years, when my children had flexible summer schedule, we would do 4-5 2 and 3 day cruises typically about 12-18 nm from home. We would also do 1 long 10-12 day cruise about 100 nm from home. I also had 5 and 6 people on board for ...

gminkovsky

I can see that it would be easy to attach 2 blocks on each side of the boom to feed the reef line to the sail. But how are you going to get the line from the sail down to the deck? Do you plan to attach a standing block to the deck next to mast? How are you going to reinforce the attachment point on...

gminkovsky

First, congratulations! Second, get in touch with Richard Suriani - US DF dealer. You will need his support. Third, expect a flurry of answers from other knowledgeable DF800 owners! I am not sure on q1. In 920 there are both electric and manual bildge pumps located on port side of the cabin just aft...

gminkovsky

EVERYTHING for DF will be more expensive than for F boats! You can use any standard ropes and regular blocks. Everything else is European and metric, or only made by Quorning. Everything is expensive and takes FOREVER to get in the US. Spars, furlers, some of the rigging has to be ordered either fro...

gminkovsky

Here is one more idea: there is one mono in my harbor that uses the following approach to prevent bow/mooring collisions and damage: an oversized inflated tire inner tube that is attached around the mooring ball and painted in bright colors. Looks sort of like an old-fashioned life ring around the m...

gminkovsky

I've been using shock cord for 12 seasons very successfully! My mooring this year consists of 2 mooring balls and a huge cumbersome amalgamation of shackles and swivels to attach all my lines. Below the mooring (through both balls) is a 5/8 inch (16 mm) chain. So this is very heavy. My 1/4 inch (6 m...

gminkovsky

The reason for tying the halyard with a knot is so that you can cut off the first 15 cm every 1-2 years to prevent both point loads on the halyard and wear and tear where the halyard enters the mast. If the cover is not completely torn you can put on additional cover over the halyard where the line ...

gminkovsky

why not get cheap galvanized chain? The whole thing is above water most of the time. And even if you get corrosion, it is the cheap chain that will get it, not the stainless fittings on the blade or block. So you will replace it in 2-3 years!

gminkovsky

I can't afford a DF 35!

I have a 11 year old 920!

The difference is $128 for 2 (including shipping). 54 + s/h vs 89*2 + s/h.

I actually found just the outside handle for $10 + s/h.

Still need to confirm that it will fit...

gminkovsky

Ivan,

do you have the Lewmar part number?

I called RigRite - it's $89 + 11 shipping!

Thanks,
George

gminkovsky

On of my hatch handles is broken. I need to replace it with either original or a new locking type.

Does anyone know the manufacturer of the hatch (mine is 2003 920)?

Does anyone know a source for handles in the US?

Are there after-market replacement handles that will fit?

Thanks,
george

gminkovsky

This happened to me also. The wire gets jammed between the blade and the rudder housing if there is slack in downhaul. I learned to keep tension on both uphaul and downhaul lines when putting the rudder down. It prevents broken wire. I replaced mine with an identical wire. I kept the old one as a sp...

gminkovsky

I can't comment on the 800, but I did this on a friend's 920 to pass under a low bridge. It was very easy, but you have to be careful and methodical. Took us (2 people) between 1 and 2 hours to lower it and about 1 hour to raise it after the bridge. We were using Quornign-supplied hardware that incl...

gminkovsky

Not sure about 800. On 920, the forward akas have factory eyes that I use for mooring lines that go to the mooring ball. They are also used for spinnaker blocks. The rear akas have factory eyes to attach barberhauler blocks and preventer blocks, and also for asymmetric spinnaker or screacher blocks....

DRAGONFLY Trimarans User Forum

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second Dyneema failure

ST40 wind instrument problems

hatch handles