June 2020 Newsletter

Which Mainsheet? 

We stock Rooster, Marlow and Southern Ropes mainsheets.  So how do you decide between them?  Team GBR sailor Micky Beckett has been using both the Rooster Polilite®  and Marlow Fusion mainsheets for years - day in, day out!  In this article he talks about the pros and cons of both… read on!

"I have spent years alternating between the Marlow Excel Fusion and the Rooster Polilite® mainsheets. Both are very high performing 6mm ropes to have as a mainsheet. Let me explain my thoughts on each, and hopefully this article will help you understand the relative merits of these two mainsheets....

This months top tip

Try and make sure that the moving part of your outhaul primary line sits above the fixed part at the boom end eye.  This will eliminate any risk of the moving part of the primary line getting stuck between the plastic eye and the boom which can happen if the plastic eye hasn’t been fitted very well.

Centreboard Elastic/Bungee Strop

Micky Beckett suggested that Southeast Sailboats come up with a neat solution for the centreboard strop……

“Unsurprisingly this is a little bit of rope that has almost certainly been overlooked. I had this idea about a year ago, that by ensuring the string loop at the top front corner of the centreboard sat on top of the board – rather than inline with the hole, it would be a lot more effective. The exact change I’m referring to is best explained by looking at a photo.

The benefits of having the loop attaching to the bungee slightly higher up are twofold. Firstly, it means the centreboard elastic is pulling the board downwards as well as forwards, meaning the board is less likely to do that really annoying ‘pop-up’ upwind. The next advantage is that it means the downhaul & outhaul control lines can pass under the centreboard elastic, this means that grabbing and adjusting the leeward line is much easier, and in general it’s easier to keep the lines tidy and free running. A big improvement from a small bit of rope!

In terms of the loop itself, it needed to be quite a precise self-tightening loop, to make it easy to apply. Southeast Sailboats have made the loop incredibly neatly, making it the easiest task to put on the board and the loop sitting in the perfect place.”

This small piece of rope engineering is now available at £5.95!

Re-roping your systems and minimising wear

It’s a fact that your ropes will wear out before your blocks will, and when your ropes do wear out Southeast Sailboats will always re-rope your systems for you very economically.  The photos below show kicker and outhaul system ropes that came back to Southeast Sailboats recently – these ropes have had a very hard time, and should have been replaced earlier! 

The photo on the left shows different sections of kicker system rope that has had around 100 long sailing days of hard use racing and training - probably equating to something like couple of years use for the average Laser sailor.  Kicker ropes obviously have a much harder time due to the stress on the rope, frequent cleating/uncleating, and as we will show later – increased friction.  The outhaul system has a much easier time and the rope on the right is different sections of outhaul system line that has had approximately 180 sailing days use - probably equating to something like 2-3 years use for the average Laser sailor.   

As a rule replace lines well before they look like the bottom right image if you want to avoid failure of the outer covering.

The photo below shows what happens when an otherwise perfectly good rope gets snagged - most probably on a split ring on the kicker/vang lower unit.

We obviously want to replace our ropes before we get to this stage, so take time to occasionally inspect your ropes, particularly in the wear area where it is being cleated, or other areas where it may be getting snagged.  To avoid snagging ensure that your split rings are in good condition and/or tape them.  We can also do a few things to minimise rope wear, particularly on the kicker and downhaul/cunningham.  So what can you do to minimise wear?

We all know what the gooseneck can do to our ropes over time.  To reduce this wear, ensure that the more prominent and sharper thread/nut end of your gooseneck bolt (1) is on the static side (the non-moving part of the primary line).  The head of the bolt (2) should be on the same side as the moving blocks/lines.  A related tip is to route the downhaul primary line on the outside of your outhaul strop (3) – this helps stop the downhaul primary getting trapped in the gooseneck.

Ropes with Technora in the cover are far more durable than normal Polyester covered lines, and are also grippier in the hands.  However, this comes at the cost of increased wear on certain items.  On the kicker one little looked at item that gets a hard time is the small black Harken eye/fairlead.  This will become grooved over time.  In the extreme example below, the rope has worn through and on one side worn right through to the bolt.  Every time the kicker is used, this worn fairlead will damage the rope even more.  We sell these Harken fairleads for just £3.45 and they take just a minute to fit.  Alternatively, just turn the fairlead around and when both sides have been worn replace it then!

Making Your Training Effective

For a lot of who are used to club racing, open meetings and championships a lot has changed and until things get to a ‘new normal’ and we are back to racing, a lot of us are focused on training.  However, I know that I am not good at training by myself and need help!  Thankfully there is a lot help available on-line….

Southeast Sailboats sponsored sailor Jon Emmett and author of Be Your Own Sailing Coach (amongst other titles!) has produced a great 2-part webinar to show us all how to make the best of our time on the water without coaching.  Having been off the water for such a long time we all want to make the best of the time we now have. It may be a little while before we return to the racing that we are used to but there is no reason why we cannot be improving ourselves whilst we wait. Who doesn't want to sail better? Checkout part 1 via the link below!

International Sailing Academy - Our friends at ISA who run fantastic Laser clinics in Mexico and the USA, have just launched ISA Online; a hub for courses specialized in providing Laser skill explanations, video examples, checklists, feedback loops and deliberate practice based drills. 

The video lessons explain the ‘how-to’ for every skill. They also provide checklists so you can administer the training yourself, and give examples of drills you can practice before racing or on a practice day. The course is live, with portions of the video lessons currently available, and more on it’s way in the coming months.  You can find out more via the video above or the link below…. 

Last, but no means least, in this really insightful video Michael Beckett talks about returning to sailing, coaching yourself when you are on the water and making the most out of your sessions.

Minimising the risk of failures and breakages

If you watched the Michael Beckett video linked earlier in this newsletter you will know that he has trained a lot by himself, so he is well placed to give a little bit of guidance as to how to check out your Laser to minimise risk of breakages/failures when out sailing.  This is what he has to say on the subject…

“For a lot of us, sailing is the perfect escape which we’ve been looking forward to for months. Now with most sailing clubs accessible to single handed sailors, our time has finally come! Getting back on the water has been incredible, however it isn’t quite like it always has been. With still a heavy number of restrictions and social distancing, it is essential that when out in a Laser, we are not presenting and risk to anyone else, because that’s never been what Laser sailing is about. It isn’t my place to lecture anyone about seamanship, tides, weather, navigation or anything else, I just want to point out what you could spend a few minutes doing before heading on the water in your Laser.

I have broken a lot of things on a Laser, many of which more than once. These incidents usually required a kind soul arriving in a motorboat to pick me up and put me safely back ashore. Now that safety boats are logistically challenging due to social distancing, and the RNLI are under intense pressure, it’s great going on the water knowing that I’m sailing responsibly and independently.

Here’s a few things I would just check over before heading on the water:

1.       Mast cracks: look at the worn out patch of the mast which sits at deck-level, if you see any spider cracks more than an inch long, that mast will brake soon. Also look for cracks extending out of the rivets at the vang and gooseneck fitting;

2.       Boom rivets: check the rivets that hold the mainsheet blocks on aren’t excessively loose or corroded. If you need to replace these it will take about 20 minutes with the right tools (drill, rivets and riveter);

3.       Boom cracks: look for these at the rivets holding the front mainsheet block on, and around and in the middle of the vang fitting;

4.       Top section: if you still have an old aluminium top section, try not to rotate it 180 degrees to reverse the bend in it, as this will make it brittle and prone to snapping without warning, so unfortunately no tell-tale indicators of failure here but there is a risk;

5.       Ensure that the centreboard elastic is short enough that if the centreboard can’t come out of the slot whilst it is attached, otherwise it will likely fall out whilst your boat is upside down. Similarly ensure that the rudder pintle actually holds the rudder down to stop it from popping off;

6.       Check the your sail cloth strap, the one that sits on top of the top section, this can become easily frayed from resting the rig on the ground, it will snap when a lot of downhaul is applied if more than 20% is ripped;

7.       Check out Southeast Sailboats original 10-point boat maintenance guide which will complete your checklist for a reliable and robust boat.

Happy sailing!”

Popular upgrades

The following continue to be some of our most popular upgrades....

Harken 29mm bolt-on deck blocks.  Easy to fit, these blocks instantly improve your Laser. Available as the blocks by themselves or as an assembly including the block plate.

Our signature 8:1 downhaul/cunningham system.  We have built/shipped hundreds of these systems to sailors all over the world.  An essential upgrade if you are using the MKII standard sail, and also if you are struggling to pull on enough downhaul on your Radial or 4.7 rig.  Each system shipped is custom made using blocks from Harken, Allen and Ronstan, with options including rig type, termination and secondary lines types/colours. 

Transform your kicker/vang system with our range of great free-running block/key assemblies using blocks from Harken, Allen and Ronstan and stronger kicker keys.  Whether you are using a 15:1 or 12:1 setup, lower friction in your system makes it easier to pull on, leaving you with more energy to focus on sailing/hiking! 

Customer Reviews 

Over the years I have received some great customer reviews about Southeast Sailboats service and unique control line systems – I just wish that I had captured them all and asked for permission to put them on the website!  So, with a bit of spare time as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, I have created a customer reviews page on the website.  Could you please help me by taking a few minutes to write a short review? It only needs to be a sentence or two!  If so, just click on the link below…

Southeast Sailboats 'Away Dates'

Southeast Sailboats competes at events in the UK and in Europe.  As a result, occasionally the 'away sailing' banner is put up on the website.  Given the current pandemic, when the next event is unknown, but if we are away we will put up a notice on the website.

International Shipping and Tax Free Sales

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING - Yes, we have shipped our systems to all the above countries!   Our international shipping options start at just £4.00. In addition to our normal and tracked postal services, we have added express shipping using UPS to our wide range of international shipping options. Flat pricing for UPS express shipping is £16.95 to mainland Europe and the Republic of Ireland, and £26.95 to the US and Canada.  Delivery is typically 2-4 days.  Pricing is fixed irrespective of parcel size/weight.  For other countries please contact us for an instant quote. All our international shipping options are listed on the website (link below).

TAX FREE SALES - If your delivery address is outside of the European Union you can now benefit from Tax Free sales.  Click on the button below for more details of how you can save the 20% UK Value Added Tax that is included in our web prices.