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Newbie i12 sailing question. At what wind speed does it get
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Author:  Oceanairre [ Sat Feb 23, 2013 2:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Newbie i12 sailing question. At what wind speed does it get
Too uncomfortable to sail - unstable, too hard on the rigging... 10 knots? 15 knots? A what speed do you decide to leave the sail in the car?
Author:  beachpotato [ Thu Feb 28, 2013 7:28 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Newbie i12 sailing question. At what wind speed does it
Hey Oceanaire, i am also a rookie and setting up my i 12 for fishing. I think i have a set up figured out for a Scotty Lake Troller and will post that, but i also want to know about the capability of the sails?

Beachpotato
Author:  PeterWeb [ Wed Apr 03, 2013 7:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Newbie i12 sailing question. At what wind speed does it
Oceanairre wrote:
Too uncomfortable to sail - unstable, too hard on the rigging... 10 knots? 15 knots? A what speed do you decide to leave the sail in the car?


10 knots. Even with a small home-made jib to help the steering track better (yes, and a sailing rudder), the plastic stay clips start to fail at or around 10kts/20kph (and if they fail once, they are more likely to fail next time).

Plus I believe the rig's officially rated for less than that - 10mph.

If you put in metal clips to replace the plastic ones, you can sail in 10kts, maybe a little more, but you are risking too much stress on the rigging, especially the pad-eyes and the mast straightness.

HOWEVER: Don't leave the sail behind if there's any chance of the wind dropping. It's easy to pre-rig and bring along strapped in the boat, and very useful if conditions do improve. Likewise, if you start a multi-hour journey when there's no wind, DO bring the sail.

Where I am, wind conditions frequently change, and it's very frustrating to start with no sail and wish you had one only 15 minutes later.
Author:  sgorch [ Mon Apr 08, 2013 3:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Newbie i12 sailing question. At what wind speed does it
I've been in gusts over 15mph and been surprised at how pleasant things stay. Remember, there are several things that mitigate the wind gusts' effects on the sails.

As the boat heels, the windward stay stretches, and the mast deflects, the sail's apparent area exposed to the wind decreases. Don't make the included nylon stays too tight, and let them stretch. I try to stretch them less than an inch when attaching them. As the wind picks up, one of the stays will sag, as the other two stretch, but that's ok.

And your first defense in a gust or strong wind is always to ease the mainsheet. "When in doubt, let it out!" That's a good axiom for performance AND safety.

As Captain John Van Strein (who taught me offshore sailing on Western Grace) would say, "Scandalize the main sail!" When we were in winds building to over 45 knots, he didn't mind abruptly depowering the huge main (in that case by easing the traveler and/or mainsheet, and then dropping the halyard agressively. The sail would flap a bit while we reefed, but the heeling would ease immediately on that big, 57-foot boat. So don't feel bad to just let out the sheet until the sail begins to flap, and things will calm down amazingly. Then trim it back in until it's comfortable.

I've been amazed at how sturdy and stiff the i12s is. I haven't had any worries about the attachment points pulling out.
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