History and Hull

HISTORY

We have been the proud owners of a KERRY (C10) since 1973 (purchased from the designers and builders, JACK and NORMA PAYTON) and have been involved in sailboat racing at the WILDWOOD SAILING CLUB since then.

There were 14 KERRY DANCERS built by Jack and Norma.


Jack and Norma also designed and built the FLYING CANUCK.



There have been numerous modifications made to our KERRY DANCER and these are outlined below. These changes may appear to be formidable at first glance but when you consider they were done over a period of 30 years, the task might not appear so daunting.

Many of the original components were made from wood but over the years aluminum or stainless steel components have replaced the wooden parts. The only wooden part left on our KERRY DANCER is the support for the mast step.This course of action is not because we dislike wood (finely finished wood is a thing of beauty but wood needs to be protected and constantly maintained or it deteriorates rapidly in a marine environment) but due to the fact that once something is made in stainless steel, you can usually forget about it.

These changes are not all unique to KERRY DANCER class sailboats but encompass many changes that would benefit other classes of sailboats.

HULL

GROOVES

One of the most distinctive features of the K-D, aside from its long, lean profile is the grooves in the front sides of the hull. During a conversation with Jack Payton, the designer and builder of the KERRY DANCER, the subject of the grooves came up and he expressed the opinion that the grooves channeled air bubbles under the hull. These air bubbles acted like ball bearings between the hull and the water. I do not give too much significance to this observation, but Jack was a great innovator. I do know that the grooves definitely strengthen the hull in this very critical area.





MAST TRANSPORT & STORAGE SUPPORTS


One of the challenges facing sailboat owners is how to tranport the mast securely and safely when it is longer that the boat being tranported.


Front support attaches to forestay anchor with two clevis pins.

Middle mast support uses mast pivot pin.

















Rear mast support attached to top gudgeon












MAST STEP SUPPORT

My preference is for a mast rake of 2-3” (usually anything over that indicates a problem e.g. a club member's KERRY DANCER had a problem with his wooden support under the mast deteriorating and that caused his mast to have excessive rake). This lack of proper support can cause weird bends in the very limber fiberglass mast when the mast step is not square to the mast and mast foot. He had a problem with the wooden support under the mast step deteriorating because of dry rot. He had a stainless steel enclosure made up for the support. He eventually came up with an adjustable support which allowed him to restore the camber of the deck around the mast step to its original profile. He also had numerous cracks around the mast step. When the mast step support deteriorates, it allows the mast to sit lower in the boat which gives you excessive rake, which is not desirable as it makes the KERRY DANCER more tender. In my opinion, mast rake should be used to balance the helm of a boat.


CONDITION OF HULL BOTTOM

Another point of significance is the impact a dirty bottom has on a boat’s performance. Every year, we would turn over our KERRY DANCER, using our MF tractor and our apple picker and clean the bottom with muriatic acid (this was the only method I found that was capable of removing crud, etc. from the hull, without harming the gelcoat) to remove the mineral deposits from Wildwood Lake water. A coat of paste wax, Carnauba, would then be applied and lightly polished (as I assumed the motion of the boat would finish the polishing job). This treatment was also applied to the rudder and centerboard. As the season progressed, one could notice the difference in hull speed as it took about 2 weeks for the hull to be really polished and then as the season was winding down, the performance would deteriorate.



CENTERBOARD TRUNK GASKET

Our centerboard trunk well gasket had deteriorated and needed to be replaced. I elected to use 5 oz. Yarn tempered sail cloth doubled over to form a lip, rather than make a new rubber gasket. The new gasket has stood up well for many years (much better than any rubber gasket).

CENTERBOARD TRUNK CAP

The wooden cap on our centerboard trunk had deteriorated (split) over the years and we elected to replace it with a cap made out of 1/4" aluminum. It is much easier to fasten attachments, etc. to the aluminum cap as compared to the wooden cap.








CENTERBOARD

Our centerboard is a properly profiled fiberglass foil with lead inserted in the lower portion. When going to windward, we always have the centerboard fully down (as that keys the boat to the water) and would only retract it when on a broad reach or run. The pullup for the centerboard was mounted so that the helmsperson could easily pull the centerboard up when changing from a beat to a broad reach for planing. Another innovation of Jack Payton’s was to install a raised portion on the upper part of the centerboard that caused the centerboard to tilt to windward, when fully lowered, which further increased the windward ability of the KERRY DANCER.


BUOYANCY TANK

The compartment under the deck, at the bow, is actually a buoyancy tank. One time our buoyancy tank filled with water when the plug came out when we capsized. The boat did point better as a result, but I much prefer the tank to be full of air rather than water, as compared to having extra weight in the bow. You should check, at the earliest possible opportunity, if your buoyancy tank is full of water. If it is, you might have a problem with the water freezing (expanding by 11%) in cold weather which could cause structural damage.


CAPSIZING

Having capsized our KERRY DANCER on numerous occasions, the capsizes always seemed to happen when we were beating to windward, in strong winds and one side of the boat would be under water. The wind would get under the hull of the boat and even if the mainsail was completely released, the wind acting on the hull would cause us to remain sailing along at quite a steep angle of heel. In this state of equilibrium, you are completely at the mercy of the wind. If the wind increased in strength, you went swimming. If the wind abated, you came down from this precarious angle and carried on sailing, knowing you had tweaked the tail of a dragon. This state of Nirvanna (bliss to some- impending disaster to others) is seldom attained if you have at least two crew members but then you are more likely to break the rigging. Also this level of heeling is almost impossible to achieve with the judicious use of the traveller.

Towing a KERRY DANCER full of water can be a challenge as it wants to capsize readily when full of water. We found the best approach was to paddle the boat to shore and bail out the water,(even though it seemed like there was a thousand gallons of water and bailing would lose its novelty).


STORAGE SHELF

A storage rack located under the rear lazarette is ideal for storing items that you need immediate access to e.g. life jacket bag, rigid life preserver, etc. It is firmly attached to the hull with stainless straps and bolts at the front and rear.

TRANSOM DRAIN PLUG


Outlined below is our solution to the transom drain plug. Originally, the plug was an over the center snap plug, similar to what is used on a thermos bottle. It had deteriorated and we wanted a suitable replacement. One of the challenges was to come up with a fitting that would be suitable for the rudder blade to rest against when the rudder is fully down and because of the limited access to the inside of the transom (see STORAGE SHELF), the drain plug had to be fully accessible from the outside of the transom.

Construction details

Outside cap is a 3/4" stainless steel hex with a 3/8" shank and a 1/4"-20T.P.I. thread up the center.

Next is a stainless steel spacer -1/2" O.D. x 3/8" I.D. x 1/8" wide.

Three o-rings -1/2" O.D. x 3/8" I.D.

The stainless steel body is 1/2" O.D. x 7/8" in length, with a 3/8" I.D. recess in the end. The body is tapped 1/4"-20 T.P.I. for a 1/4" x20 T.P.I. stainless steel set screw, 3/4" in length. The set screw is inserted in the body with red loctite.

The o-rings and thread are coated liberally with white grease and inserted, from the outside and tightened securely with a 3/4" wrench and a 1/8" allen key.

This plug has performed well for several years and never gives any indication of leaking or becoming loose in the drain hole and always has been easy to remove when necessary.

TRAILER GOAL POSTS

Guides mounted on the trailer greatly assist launching and retrieving the KERRY DANCER, which is easily accomplished by one person but two people make it easier. One really appreciates the goal posts when it is windy as it is so easy to get blown off your course, when preparing to retrieve the boat. The actual posts are aluminum covered with Ultra High Density Polyethylene that can rotate on the posts.

Traveller

Also see traveller information in
http://pamsmatilda.blogspot.com/
under Jib Tack Leader +decksweeper jib +traveller
for two excellent photos of boats - one using a traveller to great advantage and one of a similar boat, in the same weather conditions, not using a traveller (quite a difference in the heeling of their boats).

The traveller mounted on our KERRY DANCER is a Ronstan traveller track (RF1293- 1 1/16”) with a traveller car (RF1289 and 2 adjustable stops(RF1287). Holland Marine Products (Owner- Peter Tielen) in Toronto is a good source for Ronstan parts. May I comment that I personally prefer adjustable stops to traveller control lines because at Wildwood Lake, when beating up the lake, the tacks are quite short and with the stops, you do not have to worry about control lines becoming tangled. I made up stainless steel supports to properly fasten the traveller track to the sides of the seats which helps to support the centerboard trunk and keep it from flexing. Another great benefit of the traveller is that it really defines the helmsperson’s space and you do not have crew imposing on you when you want to come about.You will also need to add bails and blocks to the boom to properly distribute the pull on the boom.

An enlightening tale follows.
On a blustery day at the Wildwood Sailing Club, we noticed a CL16 running down the lake and decided to see if we could catch him. We did manage to pull alongside him, at the end of the lake and we both proceeded to come about for the beat back up the lake. After our first tack, I knew we were in for a challenge because of the strong winds. On our second tack, I moved the traveller to leeward about 8" and an amazing change occurred. We were no longer sailing in survival mode (using all our talents to keep the boat from capsizing) but were making excellent progress to windward, without the potentially dangerous heeling that we were encountering without the traveller. We proceeded to make further excellent progress to windward but our sailing friend (a very skilled sailor) continued to proceed back and forth across the lake but was not making much progress up the lake (he was just trying his best to keep his craft afloat). Halfway back to the club, another skilled and knowledgeable sailor, with his wooden sloop that he fancies is quite a racer, elected to change his course and join us in the beat back to the club. After his first tack, he knew that he was in for a challenge but managed to keep going to windward in extreme conditions. He also was not making much progress to windward but was flying from one side of the lake to the other.
We proceeded to the club under relatively pleasant conditions as the other two boats continued to thrash back and forth across the lake.

I WAS REALLY AMAZED AND IMPRESSED. Just 8" to leeward (with mid/boom sheeting, an 8" offset is the equivalent to a 16" offset with end of boom sheeting) made all the difference between a sail in challenging conditions to a sail in less demanding circumstances. I know it is very satisfying to survive a sail under demanding conditions (Yes, I too, have kissed the "terra firma" after surviving a interesting sail) but it is comforting to know that going to windward doesn't have to be so punishing if your craft is properly equipped for such conditions.What is really amazing is that we made so much progress to windward and were far, far more comfortable.


Prior to installing the traveller, our technique for sailing to windward in strong winds, was to sheet the jib as tightly as possible (the jib alone should never have enough power to capsize you) and luff the main when capsizing seemed imminent and NEVER, I repeat, NEVER cleat the mainsheet.This technique has served us well in the past, until the wind gets so powerful that it gets under the hull (because you are on such an angle of heel) and you find that easing the main has no effect and then, you go swimming with your boat.

When you are sailing to windward, you are tempted to pull the main sheet as tight as possible (pulling the boom to the centerline) so that you can point as high as possible. You also want the boom as low as possible to flatten the sail (flat sail reduces power in strong winds). This is a recipe for trouble as it results in excessive heeling. When a gust hits and you have to let the boom out, the mainsail will shake furiously and then you can pull the boom back to center until the next gust hits. Having a traveller, mid/boom mainsheet and a flexible boom allows you to pull the boom down (flattening the sail), without pulling the boom to the centerline.

I consider a traveller to be the greatest addition to a tender craft, as you never know when the wind might pick up. Having the traveller means you can pull the main sail flat, without pulling the mainsail to the centerline, which increases heeling. Other sailors have commented that a vang will accomplish this, but a vang pulling on an angle (even the best double braid dacron stretches by at least 6% when it gets loaded) cannot compare to a mainsheet pulling straight down. Also others have commented that you do not really have to pull the main to the center but in strong winds any slack in the main sheet will cause the mainsail to shake quite dramatically.

A traveller really does change a KERRY DANCER from being overpowered in strong winds to an easily controlled boat that still goes to windward well.

It has always been a source of amazement to me why the traveller works so well, in a tender boat to reduce heeling, when you have more power than necessary to propel your craft under control.

The best explantion, I have is that the traveller allows you to use a technique called "FEATHERING" to great advantage.
By allowing the main sheet to be sheeted in tightly, with the traveller offset 8"from center, the jib, which is also sheeted in tightly, backwinds the front portion of the mainsail, eliminating the power (heeling and forward thrust) generated by the front portion of the mainsail.
Consequently, you are using only the rear portion of the mainsail to propel your craft.
In effect, you have hobbled the mainsail (in strong winds) yet when you want more power (if the wind slackens) you can readily move the traveller to its normal center position, restoring the normal performance of your boat.
Reefing a mainsail or applying backstay tension (to flatten your mainsail) can also reduce the power of a mainsail but having an easily adjustable traveller is in my opinion the easiest solution to this challenging problem.

Rigging

TURNBUCKLES



The turnbuckles were installed in order to have a rig that could be finely adjusted rather than the large increments dictated by the original shroud pin anchor bracket. My view is that a slack rig is harder on the rigging than a properly tuned rig because of shock loading. The upper shrouds were tensioned to 240 lbs., the lower shrouds 120 lbs., the forestay to 160 lbs and the diamond stays to 110 lbs using a Loos tension guage. One of the changes I found necessary to make to the rig was to improve the anchorages for the upper shrouds on the mast. The bolt hole in the mast was showing signs of stress in that it was being elongated from the stress of the shrouds. I enlarged the bolt hole to accept a stainless tube which I then fibreglassed in position. Since the modification, no further deterioration of the anchorage has been observed.





SHROUD EXIT COVERS


Aluminum plates were made up to cover the shroud exit holes in the side deck. The covers are a sliding fit on the shrouds and can pivot on the shroud to cover the exit holes. These covers are strictly cosmetic.














FORESTAY LOWER ANCHOR


The luff (center) of our split jib is connected to the sister clip shown in the photo which allows us to let the bottom of the jib billow out when running. It also allows us to pull jib off to one side to capture more of the wind when running and using it as a spinnaker, with a luff and leach.











BOOM VANG

I consider a boom vang to be an essential aid to sailing well downwind. It gives you extra sail area when running and may inhibit an unintentional jibe.



ADJUSTABLE GOOSENECK AND CUNNINGHAM


An adjustable gooseneck allows you to have a tight luff (essential in strong winds). You can pull up the mainsail with the halyard, as hard as you can but you are always able to tighten the luff even more by pulling the gooseneck down. The same principle applies to the mainsail outhaul which you want to be able to tighten in strong winds. LIGHT WINDS =LOW TENSION ON GOOSENECK AND OUTHAUL, STRONG WINDS= HIGH TENSION ON GOOSENECK AND OUTHAUL

I do not consider a Cunningham control necessary if you have an adjustable gooseneck.

Main & Jib Sails

“SAILING TO WINDWARD IS AN ART AND TO A LARGE EXTENT, IS WHAT SAILING IS ALL ABOUT”.

Sailing to windward well even dictates the shape of the boat, e.g. a sloop rig rather than a catboat rig or gaff rig.


MAIN SAIL

New sails were ordered from Raudaschal sails, Toronto (owner Heider Funk) in April/1986. I believe they are now under new ownership and supply North(?) sails. Heider was quite involved with Jack Payton in developing the split jib for the KERRY DANCER. The new mainsail had an increased roach and had adjustable battens in the top two battens pockets, with velcro fasteners. This feature allowed one to apply tension to the battens in light winds which would apply camber (Maximum camber is sail depth of approximately 18% of the chord length for a very powerful sail) to the sail and in strong winds, the battens were not tensioned (Minimum camber is a sail depth of approximately 5% of the chord length for a very flat sail), which gave you less powerful sails, ideal for strong wind conditions.

The adjustable battens really work as I remember on numerous occasions visiting various groups of sailboats, which were unable to move because of the light winds yet the KERRY DANCER could still move reasonably well in the light winds.

(See information on adjustable battens further on this post for more details on why they can be very effective)

The old main sail was cut down to the first reef points and the top batten was changed to velcro adjustment. The new sail, even with the increased roach, was much preferable to the cut down old sail because of the impact the traveller had on the heeling, as you never knew when the wind would decrease in velocity and you would have to brush against another boat, in light winds, with a much less powerful sail, not suited for light winds.

An interesting observation is that, in my opinion, the KERRY DANCER sailed better in stronger winds with the combination of the new mainsail, even with its increased roach, and the traveller than it did with the old cut down mainsail (which was even better than any reefed mainsail) and no traveller.

VERY INTERESTING INDEED!!!

ADJUSTABLE BATTENS

Our longest adjustable batten with an overall length of 64 1/2"

It is .100" in thickness and .740" in width which makes it very limber.

The deflection of the batten is controlled with an adjustment flap on the outer end of the batten pocket which is fastened with velcro.

The batten when adjusted for high winds is deflected by compressing the end only 1/2" which results in defection of 5% of 64 1/2" = 3.23".

Amazing how such little compression results in significant deflection. Also shows that if you are out in strong winds be sure to slacken off the compression on the battens or you could have more power than can comfortably handle.

In light winds, the batten is fully tensioned resulting in a compression of 5 1/4" which results in a deflection of 18% 0f 64 1/2" =11.61". This camber has a significant impact of the power of the sail. You will probably find that when other boats are just sitting in one spot in light winds, you will have sufficient power to manouver when they cannot.

When utilizing adjustable battens on your craft ensure that they are limber enough for easy adjustment. Many boats that have adjustable battens have battens that are too stiff (THICK) and they cannot adjust their sails to the current wind strength, subsequently they find that they are more likely to fall into holes in the light winds

You might have to slacken off your mainsail boom outhaul to fully realize the impact of your adjustable battens.

This concept also applies to your jib sail. In light winds, move your jib sheet fairlead forward to create a more powerful sail.

The only downside to having adjustable battens is that sometimes the wind is so light that when you come about the boom swings over to the other tack but the defected sail stays on the original side. A quick pull on the boom quickly corrects this problem.

SPLIT JIB

Since most boats go downwind at relatively the same speed unless they have an advantage of a whisker pole or spinnaker, the split jib is a real advantage to the KERRY DANCER, especially if you have a whisker pole that allows you to control the height of the clew.

SPINNAKER

My experience with a spinnaker on a KERRY DANCER has been less than ideal. One of our club members tried a spinnaker on his KERRY DANCER and quickly proceeded to break the mast at the spreaders. So, I wouldn’t advise installing a spinnaker when the split jib should perform the same function without jeopardizing the boat. Operating a spinnaker on a very limber fibreglass mast, without a backstay, is asking for trouble.

WHISKER POLE

The split jib is a great innovation to give you an advantage downwind if it can be properly controlled with an adjustable whisker pole that you can raise or lower to get the split jib into clean air.
The whisker pole uphaul line attaches, with a sister clip, to the top of the outer end and the downhaul attaches to the bottom sister clip. With the uphaul and downhaul controls, you can fly the split jib as you would a spinnaker, tensioning the luff.
The whisker pole is stored in its collapsed state in a cutout in the styrofoam floatation under the starboard seat.


WIND INDICATOR

Nowhere has it been mentioned how critical a good wind indicator is to achieving good windward performance. Others manage to sail well with wind indicators on their shrouds or a ribbon from the masthead and I compliment them on their ability to read the wind. However, a WINDEX 15, with the vanes set to the appropiate angles for a KERRY DANCER, allows a helmsperson to notice and adjust for the slightest change in wind direction (THE WIND IS NEVER CONSTANT- THE ONLY THING CONSTANT ABOUT THE WIND IS THAT IT IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING). A characteristic of the most proficient sailors is that they monitor the wind direction frequently.







WIND INDICATOR MOUNT FOR MAST














HALYARDS




The original halyard tails were 3/8" three strand dacron eye spliced to 1/8" 7x19 stainless cable with a thimble nicropressed onto the wire end. They were replaced with 5/16" dacron double braid eye spliced to the thimble nicropressed on the wire end.


The new halyards have worked well for several years with the exception that occassionally the main halyard would hang up on the mast's thru bolts when the mainsail was being raised. Then you would have to lower the mainsail a bit and attempt to raise the mainsail again. Another problem was that the sister clip on the end of the main halyard would not pass thru the retainer on the mainsail top pulley, consequently the main halyard could only be removed from the mast by cutting off the sister clip and nicropressing on a new sleeve when the main halyard was re-installed. As a result the wire portion of the main halyard kept getting shorter and shorter which resulted in the rope tail not being able to be attached to the sister clip when the sail was removed (to prevent the halyard from swaying in the wind).


In an effort to solve this problem, the main halyard will be tail spliced to a new length of 5/16" dacron double braid.







SECRETS OF THE TAIL SPLICE REVEALED

















JIB HAYARD TOP PULLEY



Within a year of installing the new jib sail, it was found that the material had stretched sufficently that a tight luff could not be accomplished. This was the result of too much sailing in strong winds The halyard pulley was changed so that the pulley was above the the forestay (not part of the forestay) which resulted in the ability to tighten the luff properly. Originally the forestay was attached to the pulley's frame and then to the hounds.

Why the jib halyard cannot be removed without disassembling the jib halyard top pulley

IDEAL SAIL TRIM


SAILING TO WINDWARD
These two sketches ( RIGS and RIGGING by Richard Henderson -page 187) outline idealized slots with proper trim and twist for light and medium winds for beating to windward.The best way to check your sail trim is from another boat off of one of your stern quarters or even standing on shore (It is difficult to evaluate your sail trim when you are on the boat being evaluated.) An even better approach is to capture the sail trim state with a camera.













Once you have captured the details of your windward sail trim, the big question is how you are going to use that information.






A. Blame your poor windward performance on the design of your craft. ( if the boat designer had wanted your boat to perform better, he would have added the necessary controls when the boat was made.)

OR

B. Work out a plan to add each control that is lacking over a period of time that is compatible with your financial and time resources.


WHAT CONTROLS ARE NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE IDEAL SAIL TRIM??

THE ABILITY TO CONTROL THE FOLLOWING FUNCTIONS IS ESSENTIAL TO ACHIEVE IDEAL SAIL TRIM

#1 mainsail leech tension (low in light winds- high in strong winds)
#2 jib sail leech tension (low in light winds - high in strong winds)
#3 mainsail foot tension (low in light winds - high in strong winds)
#4 move jib sheet fairlead to inboard position for light winds
#5 move jib sheet fairlead to outboard position for strong winds
#6 move genoa sheet fairlead to inboard position for light winds
#7 move genoa sheet fairlead to outboard position for strong winds
#8 move mainsail sheet anchor to above centerline (to windward) for light winds
#9 move mainsail sheet anchor to below centerline (to leeward) for strong winds

Ideal sail shape and trim for close-hauled sailing depends, of course, on the weather conditions, especially on the strength of the wind.


On a beat the camber and twist of a boomless headsail is easier to control, because the sheet tension is then pulling the clew away from the tack and spreading the two corners apart.
This greater controllability of the headsail shape means that the jib's leech can be made to conform better with the mainsail's vertical curve, and the slot can be optimized from head to foot. Notice that in both sketches the slots are fairly uniform from head to foot, but the sails have been flattened with less curvature vertically as well as horizontally in the medium breeze. This results in more forward thrust, better ability to point, and less heeling. The shape is achieved by tensioning the luffs and tightening the sheets while moving their leads farther to leeward. The mainsheet lead is moved with the traveller, and the jib's lead is transferred to a rail track. As the wind increases, the jib's lead is moved further aft to increase the upper leech and widen the slot to reduce heeling. In light winds, the sails are given more vertical curvature and camber to increase their power. The mainboom is on the boat's centerline, but the sheet's attachment has been moved slightly to windward of center so that it can be eased to allow some sail twist (boom moves up) without having the boom end move to leeward, thus causing the main to choke the slot. The lower battens can hook to windward slightly, but the upper battens should not. The luff tension is slack to increase camber and move it further aft. Draft in the lower mainsail is controlled with outhaul tension. The foot should be slack in light airs and tensioned in heavier winds. The jib's leech follows the mainsail's curve and a fairly uniform slot is achieved by moving the jib lead inboard, easing the sheet, and pushing the lead a bit farther forward to prevent excessive leech curvature and sail twist. The jib's stay as well as it's luff are slacked to increase draft and move the maximum camber aft. All of these adjustments create powerful sails for light airs, but it should be said that in a real drifting match, where the breeze is almost calm, the sails should be made much flatter to maximize projected area, minimize stalling and limit slatting in motorboat swells.


SAILING OFF THE WIND

When running before the wind, sails provide power through drag, and you must guard against one sail blanketing another. Blanketing occurs when the forward sail comes into the wind shadow of the after sail and is starved of non-turbulent air. This situation is caused by sailing by the lee, and the obvious solution is to head up a bit to give the forward sail clean air or, when a spinnaker is not carried , jibe over one of the sails and sail wing-and-wing.
Of course, the smaller the offending sail and the farther it is from its victim, the less the blanketing.

There are times when a headsail can be carried successfully in the lee of the mainsail, if it is used in conjunction with a poled-out jib. The sails can be arranged to minimize blanketing by encouraging the air flow from leech to luff on the windward sail to spill into the wind-starved leeward sail.












We (Richard Henderson) carry a drifter-reacher opposite a poled out genoa on downwind legs when racing in non-spinnaker events, and the combination is astonishingly effective. In fact, my crew and I are often amazed that on certain occasions we can keep up with boats carrying spinnakers. This seems to indicate that not only twin jibs can be effective but also that spinnakers are not as beneficial as many sailors think.















So, the split jib of the KD seems like a pretty good solution to sailing downwind.

Rudder Assembly

I replaced the wooden cheeks with 3/8” thick aluminum. The wooden tiller was replaced with a stainless steel tube with internal pulleys for the rudder pullup. The wooden parts were always a source of frustration because even though they looked good when freshly varnished, the varnish soon deteriorated from the ultraviolet rays of the sun and the wood was starting to crack.

A rudder pullup system is essential in case you encounter "skinny" water and greatly assists in launching and retreiving the boat. The rudder does not require a hold down system as the designer/builder poured lead into a cavity in the lower portion of the rudder and I have never noticed the rudder deviating from its full down position.

RUDDER LOCKING SYSTEM

I also installed a secure locking system to ensure the rudder stayed attached to the boat if it ever did capsize. Since the rudder assembly was installed, I have been very happy with it as it has worked flawlessly, looks good and never needs any maintenance. You will notice, from the photos that I also made up new pintles to fit in the original gudgeons and also installed a tiller extension but I must admit it is not used very often.

The locking pin retracted.

Knot Meter

KNOT METER

A Horizon Marine Instrument Knot Meter AS45 was installed to allow the performance of various changes and settings to be monitored and evaluated.

The knot meter is installed behind the starboard front seat support on a bracket that allows it to be swung out out harm's way when it is not required.

The sending unit for the knotmeter is permanently installed below the storage shelf beneath the lazarette for protection.

Mast Raising System

Another addition that we have made to our KERRY DANCER is the installation of a mast raising system. This system allows one person to raise and lower the mast quite easily, no matter what the wind strength or the tilt of the trailer. The secret of any mast raising/lowering system is to have control of the procedure at all times.


TOP OF GIN POLE

The wire supports for the gin pole are securely attached to the 1 1/2" aluminum pole which is 6' in length. The 4 to 1 tackle is attached with a stainless strap over the gin pole and and the lower 2 sheave is attached to the forestay anchor with a 1/4" clevis pin.
The slot, at the end of the pole, is fastened through the hole in the middle of the forestay turnbuckle barrel, with a 1/4" clevis pin.








ANCHORS FOR SUPPORT WIRES


The stainless steel anchors (1/8" thick) for the pivots have the attachment hole on the same plane as the mast pivot bolt.










PIVOT FOR SUPPORT WIRES

The pivot assembly attaches (with a 5/16" bolt) to the pivot anchors which are thru bolted to the hull with a 1/4" backing plate. The pivots are necesary to allow the angles to change as the mast is raised.








BASE OF GIN POLE (BRACKET ON MAST)


The bottom of the gin pole is firmly attached to the mast with a 3/8" diameter stainless pin. The pole does not rely on the bracket's strength to keep the gin pole at right angles to the mast but relies on the forestay being attached to the end of the gin pole.

Northwestern Visit

Here is an excellent report on a visit to Wildwood Sailing Club by Ian Robertson's Northwestern class in June 2002, which mentions some of the admirable traits of the KERRY DANCER.



























We hope the students enjoyed their visit.