Forums, Mast, Rigging and Sails

moongirl at 18/11/2015 22:53:49
Does anyone have any thoughts about fitting rolling sleeving, in particular to the for’d lowers, to aid the passage of the f’sail when tacking?

Is there a danger of moisture being trapped & corroding Dyaform wire?

Zoom 495 at 25/06/2015 04:06:34
Hello all, and thanks for your help as this project gathers momentum!!
On my older Kemp mast that still has the roller boom set up, the luff track does not go down very near to the boom making slab reefing ( my new main is set up for that and most of the attendant blocks and tackle are on the boom) and flaking the main more difficult than it could be. It appears to me there is a luff grove in the mast itself and perhaps one could detach the riveted-on track and use the groove that is in the mast.
Does anyone have some experience with this?
Thanks,kris

Zoom 495 at 07/06/2015 00:37:26
Hello all. I preparation for installing my headsail furler, I need to get a new fore stay made.
In the tuning guide on this site (Contessa confessions), the correct fore stay length is given as a measurement obtained by using the genoa halyard cleated off at a point where the tip of the snap shackle is at the top of the spar band that is at the goose neck. My 1977 Kemp mast with roller boom reefing has no spar band on it.
Does someone have a measurement that would indicate where that spar band would be? ie if the boom were to be parallel to the waterline, how far above a line extrapolated from the top of the boom would that band be?
When I hang a weight from the main halyard the mast appears to have no rake so I am thinking the fore stay I presently have is a tad short.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you from the west coast of Canada,kris

Mary Blue at 30/04/2015 12:28:59
Hello.
I am looking for a new general purpose and class approved spinnaker. I saw on several contessa pictures a white spinnaker with a rose in it. It looks as if these were one design offer. A spinnaker is more standard than a headsail or mainsail that has to fit onto the boat’s rig. Does anyone know if affordable onedesign spi’s are on the market or can be ordered via the class association?

Zoom 495 at 30/03/2015 09:55:39
I would like to install a furler on Zoom soon. There is one for sale locally that is a Harken MkIII, unit 1.
Can anybody tell me if that is a suitable model? I will be able (hopefully) to determine if it is in good shape, I just need a little guidance as to selection. And perhaps also a heads up on installation ie forestay modification etc. Thanks in advance,kris

Zoom 495 at 06/03/2015 01:44:08
I am about to install a new set of shroud u-bolts that I have received from JR. I am also looking forward to tuning the rig and getting a furler and a new headsail too!
The new upper shroud u-bolts have much longer legs than the old ones and will require drilling a new hole in the transverse knee for the bar to go through. Has anyone done this procedure and want to contribute any helpful tips for this project? Should I fill the old void?
I was hoping to do it whilst keeping the mast up. Has anyone done this before?
How much mast rake is desirable on the Contessa 32?
Thank you in advance and happy sailing,kris

Zoom 495 at 05/10/2014 18:10:59
I have just purchased one of the few UK built Contessa 32 `s on the West Coast of Canada. I hope to draw upon the experience of others here to guide my various projects. The first project will be refitting my Kemp mast.
The first questions are; Is there a conduit for the wiring running to the mast head? Are there any tricky or specific inspection items with respect to the Kemp mast? Is there any reason to remove the roller reefing gear from the mast? ( the vessel now has slab reefing ).
Thank you in advance and for all the postings read so far.

Alan Dixon at 21/09/2014 16:06:40
Twice this season (once today) the kicking strap anchor point on the boom has failed.
I have a Selden mast and boom, the kicker is attached to the boom by a fitting in a slide, the fitting is anchored in the slide by a 5mm or 6mm bolt tapped through the fitting and locating in a hole in the boom.
Both failures have been caused by the bolt shearing during a gybe
Any thoughts or suggestions welcome
Alan

christophe at 06/09/2014 13:05:28
Is there a kind of inventory from who is racing with which sailplan?
Same for the following points:
- how many boats are using a roller/Tuff luff or hanked on
- which kinds of props are being used, Darglow or fixed two bladed
-…..

George Isted at 06/06/2014 11:58:20
Following discussion with the regularly used Co32 racing sail makers about the HWJ the Class Measurer requests that the membership follow the ISAF Equipment Rules for Sailing (ERS) measurement rules in relation to the ForeTriangle height. Following the measurement of a few boats, sail makers should use 11.07m as the standard Co32 ForeTriangle height, therefore the max size at 13.5% would be ~16.50 sq m.

Thank you.
George Isted
Vice Captain and Class Measurer.

Edited: George Isted on 2014-06-06 11:58:59

Tazling at 13/05/2014 05:16:02
Hi all

I am scratching my head over the spreaders on my JJT CO32. The spar (mast) is by Linked I believe, a sturdy if not beautiful stick. The spreaders are the hollow foil-shaped type which slip over tangs or stubs on the mast (where the lowers terminate).

Here’s the puzzle: the spreaders rotate freely through several degrees. Like 20 degrees on one side, a bit less on the other. The pins are intact, and there still seems to be metal (not powder) inside the spreaders where the big tang or stub is.

Are they supposed to rotate? Or is the CO32 design supposed to have fixed spreaders?

If this is a case of egging out the hole in the tang, I’m puzzled as to how the clevis pins can have eaten so much of a slot in a 1/4" thick aluminium tang rather than destroying the much thinner metal of the spreaders themselves.

So… calling all early 80’s Contessa owners: are your spreaders fixed, or are they designed for a certain amount of rotation?

Perplexed (how worried should I be???)

De
S/V Tazling
JJT Co32 ’81

Mark Himsworth at 12/05/2014 09:31:02
What follows is from Blanco’s Ray Rouse, who trialled his new laminate #2 yesterday:*********************Dear Race Fleet,Blanco went out for a pleasant jolly this Sunday morning to try out our new laminate number 2. The W’ly wind was averaging 23 kn with the occasional gust briefly up to 30 kn. We stayed in the entrance to Southampton Water, in the lee of Calshot, where there was little sea running. With a slab in the main, the number 2 performed beautifully, sailing high and fast on a beat. And the boat was comfortable both upwind down. The number 2 goose-winged very efficiently on the Spinnaker pole, which will be a boon for those boats too shorthanded to risk hoisting a Spinnaker in a strong breeze. If anyone is wondering whether or not to get a laminate number 2, I would urge them to make the investment that will stand them in good stead for a very long time, amply repaying the higher initial outlay. I do applaud those on our committee who put in so much time and effort into developing the modern Contessa sail plan. We now have a beautiful, classic yacht, with sails that will last, have a wide wind range, and are now easy to handle. It really has made the Contessa a wonderful boat to sail in all weathers. Looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible and at the Royal London regatta (and let’s hope that we don’t lose that one to weather as well!!), Ray Rouse.

waratah912 at 21/04/2014 21:50:52
How does one rig a jockey pole?

Thanks

Paul

Nick Howes at 11/03/2014 00:12:36
I bought Quest a couple of months and find I have a cruising chute by Hyde sails which has an attachment point for an umbilical line, suggesting it must have been designed to fly on a Facnor Asymmetric Furler. Does anyone have any experience of these furlers ? I would be interested to know if they are of value especially for single handed cruising ?

Thanks, Nick

doug at 20/11/2013 11:02:25
Force 4 do a vinyl mast boot that can be cut down to fit. Has anyone tried one? What do you think?

The other approach is using the wide self amalgamating tape sold for the purpose – Mastboot Rubbaweld. The big advantage of this is that it can be put in place/repaired with the mast in the boat. Have you used it?

Thanks

david.barrow at 06/11/2013 14:13:58
I am contemplating doing a longer offshore passage next season and having recently sailed in a boat where we polled out the genoa for lengthy periods I was very impressed by how effective it was.

i am interested in what is used in the Contessa, the spinnaker pole or a short whisker pole?

Also do most rig a gybe preventer from the boom end or mid boom? there seems to be differing views as to what works best

I would greatly value any thoughts and advice.

David Barrow

Rupert Brown at 01/07/2013 15:19:11
WANTED !!

An old proctor mast. I have the facilities to sleeve it if the dreaded corrosion has set in. I can collect anywhere in the UK.

Please contact me as follows:

Tel: 07734 971898
E mail: info@greenwichmeridian.net

Thank you.

Rupert Brown
( ZORA – CO 313 )

James Chew at 24/06/2013 19:04:22
Hi everyone, I’m a bit confused over what sizes of (hank-on) jibs/genoas are made for Contessas. I have a number one genoa, a storm jib, and a sail that says ‘number 2 jib’ on it, which is high-cut ‘yankee’ type thing that doesn’t quit reach back to the shrouds.

I find that the number 1 is a real pain as I do most of my sailing short-handed, and I only cruise, so having to skirt it over the rail, and not being able to see much ahead is not ideal. However, my next sail is tiny, so I’m looking for one halfway in between.

Can anyone tell me which sail this is?: http://www.co32.org/SECTION_Gallery/CONTESSA%20CRUISING/slides/BADGER.html
That looks like just the job(/jib). I wondered if it was a number 2 genoa, but then seeing the sailplan drawing on the technical papers part of the website it looks more like what is shown there as a staysail – or maybe it’s neither.

Can anyone advise? Thanks very much.

James Chew at 08/04/2013 23:57:37
Hello everyone, I have a 1973 Co32 and there is some corrosion on the mast. It was found behind the stainless steel fitting for the kicking strap, a few inches above deck level. When the fitting was removed it revealed corrosion on both sides of the mast, particularly on the starboard side where it has gone right through the mast leaving a hole. On each side the corrosion is limited to the approx. 40mm by 40mm square covered by the fitting.

The local rigging company is saying that it may be necessary to replace the mast. Since I cannot really afford to do this I have sought the advice of a few other people, all of whom think that replacement is unecessary and that this can either be repaired, or does not even need to be.

Can anyone offer me any advice on this please? Thanks very much.

NickVBaker at 16/02/2013 18:44:07
Does anyone have any experience and/or recommendations with stack packs and lazy jacks?

I have 3/4 length battens. Is it possible the roll the cloth up around the batten and strap it along the boom when sailing?

Nick Baker
French Herring

eric clubley at 08/02/2013 13:29:18
My Canadian built Contessa doesn’t have a kicker/vang. I want to put that right. Any suggestions as to type, make, size/capability please?

Thanks

Eric

Warren at 01/11/2012 21:39:13
I am currently replacing my mast and standing rigging after it was damaged in a winter storm at the marina. I am planning to leave for extensive offshore cruising next summer and would like to fit an appropriate replacement rig. Can anyone tell me the specs on the spars currently being used on the new build Contessa 32. I am also interested in knowing if the “Expedition” class is using a heavier spar and standing rigging. cheers

eldredh at 05/10/2012 17:12:48
We recently had a potentially serious, but in fact inconsequential, failure on Drumbeat when the backstay broke away from whatever it attaches to in the stern of the boat (somewhere in the back locker). Without a detailed examination it appears that 2 or 3 bolts have sheared/broken or come undone. The bolts seem to have attached a piece of metal (shaped like an inverted tuning fork) which is attached to the backstay to something in the boat. Does anybody know exactly how this arrangement works? Should we all be checking these bolts on a regular basis? Perhaps they had come loose and ultimately failed.

waratah912 at 01/10/2012 21:36:40
Unfortunately we were away for the weekend of the Nationals, but with such a wide range of wind conditions it would be interesting to know what genoa configurations were used by each boat – how many were using roller genoas? Were these used on Sunday or replaced by No 3/4? What about the light wind on Friday – did the roller users lose out to those with full No 1?

doug at 12/09/2012 15:14:08
I am starting to think about a new set of sails.

Could anyone tell me what they have paid for a new main in Dacron?

Also for a standard No 1, for a furler, in a similar material?

I am just thinking about ball park figures for cruising sails so it does not matter if it was an expensive cut, cloth or loft; tho it helps if you could briefly point this out.

Many thanks.