In part 1 of these notes I expressed the view that the Seawind kit has some shortcomings. This note amplifies this view, summarizes some of the attempted improvements and offers some thoughts on where the draft Class rules might accommodate some improvements. 

Attached to this note are some photographs labeled Seawind Detail (SD1-5), which I will refer to as I go along. 

1.  Rigging Materials – The line supplied with the kit is terrible, stiff with a strong memory where bent sharply. The adjustment bowsies are too small and fiddly especially for semi-arthritic fingers! Seems like many others feel this way. I now use plastic coated fishing leader wire for shrouds, forestay and backstay (SD1). To allow adjustment to the fore and backstays I use a length of Spectra 2000 ES 55 200# line with home made bowsies (from the cut off pieces from the servo horn). I use brass swivels with attached safety pins to attach the ends of the forestay to the jib club and mast (SD4 & 5). The shrouds are attached and adjusted using a Dubro clevis with screw and locking nut (SD3). For running rigging I use Spectra 2000 ES 55, 200# or 50# as noted below. 

Suppliers: “Steelon” plastic coated wire 30#, connector sleeves and brass swivels are found in most fishing supply stores. Dubro clevises and fittings are sold in local Hobby Bench and other stores. Woven Spectra line is said to be sold in the fishing section of Walmart and other stores up to 50#. I found it difficult to get and bought on-line from the excellent “Hang-em-high” kite supply store www.citystar.com/hang-em-high, who also supply carbon fiber/epoxy tube for spars etc. Where Spectra is just not obtainable Dacron polyester braided line is the next best. 

I propose that the rules allow use of commercially available or home-made materials, and fittings for the stays and shrouds provided they merely perform the kit intentions of security and lengthwise adjustment.  

2.  The outhaul and trim adjustment for both jib and main is clumsy and hard to repeat. The cam cleats to secure the outhauls tend to foul the sheet lines. Dennis Desprois (Walrus Sails, Scottsdale) showed me a neat way to fix these problems by installing a pair of sliding bowsies, one each side, on the fore end of the jib club and boom (SD2, 3 & 4). These comprise a piece of Spectra 200# line and two plastic rings cut off a tube (1 cm o.d, 2 mm wall, Pex plumbing pipe will work). Two holes are drilled horizontally through the spar roughly 6 cm apart (more if you need more travel). The rings are converted to bowsies by drilling three holes in the rim at, say 2, 4 and 8 o’clock. The line is threaded through, under and along the spar incorporating one bowsie on each side using the 2 & 4 o’clock holes, leaving the 8-holes facing aft and the line is tied off under the spar. This allows either bowsie to slide fore and aft along the spar. The Spectra 200# line from the sail clew is led through the hole at the aft end of the spar and through the 8-hole in the bowsie. After finding a suitable mid point position a knot is tied inside the plastic ring to secure the line and the end burned off. 

For the main and jib sheets I attach Spectra 200# by safety pin to the sail winch arm and lead through the deck opening and around the pulley and terminate in a small loop just ahead of the pulley with the winch in close hauled position (SD3). I run Spectra 50# lines from the loop for jib and main sheets. For main sheet I run the line through the ring and bridle from the kit, a small split ring (~1 cm) attached to the plastic eye on the underside of the boom and terminate with a kit safety pin. The safety pin attaches to another split ring on the end of Spectra 200# line run through the 8-hole of the main trim bowsie, adjusted and tied off as for the outhaul. The jib sheet is run forward through deck eyes as in the kit, up through a split ring attached to the plastic eye on the club and terminated in a safety pin. This is then attached to the jib trim bowsie as for the main sheet (SD4). 

These arrangements may have another slight side benefit, at least as far as the jib is concerned. By removing the weight of the cleat from the aft end of the club and replacing it with bowsie weight forward of the pivot it may assist rotation of the jib in light air. 

I propose that the rules allow use of alternative materials and fittings, as well as location of attachment points to jib and boom, for jib and main sheet and outhaul control provided they merely perform the kit intended functions. 

3.  The jib club and main boom in the kit are too short to allow proper sail adjustment. You will note I have incorporated jib and boom extensions which other skippers have also found useful. For the main boom, one of our Sun City skippers fabricated replacement end pieces from plastic strips, which fit into the end of the aluminum section, and are secured by a screw from underneath the spar (SD3). By leaving the screw head protruding slightly it acts as a stop to prevent the loop, which limits vertical travel of the sail clew, from sliding too far aft. This allows the outhaul line to exert aftward pull on the clew while the vertical travel is held fairly constant. 

For the jib I simply replaced the plastic kit piece with a piece of ¼ inch wood dowell secured again with a screw from underneath the spar (SD4). This provides a similar arrangement for the jib and, in addition, allows a topping lift (leach line) to be attached at the aft end of the club and run, complete with bowsie, up to the forestay attachment point on the mast without fouling the sail leach (SD1 & 5). While the kit clearly does not provide a topping lift, the ability to adjust twist to match the main sail helps get the most out of the boat especially in light air. 

I would like to see the rules allow for jib and boom extension. Maybe we could persuade KYOSHO to offer longer aluminum sections either as an after market kit or to modify the regular kit sold? 

4.  In the kit the sail tack is fixed at a constant distance above the boom. You will note that while I have left the attachment for the head of the sail as in the kit, I have added a cam cleat on the mast above the boom which is used to secure the downhaul from the sail tack after looping under the gooseneck (SD3 & 4). This arrangement allows me, within a small range, to make adjustments in luff tension with or without changes in sail twist without adjusting the vang. Essentially I am moving the sail vertically at the luff while leaving the clew at a fixed location. Does this make sense? 

It is not a big deal but I would like to see the rules allow for adjustment of the main downhaul. 

5. Sails, kit or after market and luff attachment systems. Having sailed quite successfully with the kit sails, I bought a suit of paneled Mylar sails (kit dimensions) from Dennis Desprois (Walrus Sails). The main reasons were that the kit sails came creased and never looked good, I wanted to see what effect sails with built in camber had versus the flat paneled kit sails and Dennis just plain makes nice looking and performing sails. After about six months of sailing with each type my observations are that the system for attachment of the sail luff to the forestay and main spar respectively have a greater impact on sail performance than sail type, especially in light air. 

For the jib the Steelon forestay is run through seven small pieces of plastic tube attached to the sail luff with adhesive tape (SD1, 2 & 5). I found that the small red plastic tube supplied with each can of WD40 works just fine! Luff tension is maintained and adjusted by anchoring the tack by a line through the second hole in the kit piece supplied and knotted below the spar, while the head is secured to the jib attachment point with it’s own separate line and adjustment bowsie. This allows freedom of rotation and separate forestay and jib luff tension adjustments. This just plain works better then the kit system! 

I propose that the rules allow use of after market sails using the same dimensions as the kit and alternative attachments of jib to forestay and separate forestay and jib tension adjustment. 

For the main it gets a bit more complicated. When I first saw the aluminum section spar with bolt rope tunnel in back it reminded me of the DN iceboat system. However in the DN the spar can rotate on a ball at its base and is only supported at one point about ¾ of the way up. In this way it forms an effective leading edge for the airfoil with mast bend and rotation key factors in sail performance. The Seawind’s fixed spar means that the sail folds around the aft edge of the spar especially when it is all the way out and can produce some nasty looking creases which are difficult to trim out. When the kit sail was replaced with a stiffer Mylar paneled sail, with pieces of plastic tube fixed on the luff as for the jib and running inside the bolt rope tunnel, this effect was amplified by a resistance to change shape, which hindered coming about in light air. 

In one modification I stabilized the spar at the joint with heavier gauge and vertically longer aluminum spreaders and eliminated the lower shroud. However I had to eliminate this option as the spar was too prone to fore and aft bend.

Others, and I, have found that conversion to simple loops of line (Spectra 50#) for attachment of the luff to the spar provides an effective system which performs better in light air (SD5). In my version I have kept the leading edge of the luff as close behind the spar as possible while others have adopted a gap of about 1/8 inch, but in either version the key is to allow easier sail rotation about the spar. 

All of the above suggests there is no reason for the aluminum section spar provided by the kit, a tubular section would perform as well or better which leads on to substitution by a carbon fiber/epoxy tubular spar. 

One of our skippers has installed a carbon fiber/epoxy tube mast, eliminated the lower shroud and modified the gooseneck fittings and mast crane to attach to the tubular spar. While it is not clear that this confers any significant performance advantage my own view is that this is getting away from the one-design philosophy and into workshop mods.  

I would be happy with freedom to attach the main sail with loops of line and leave the kit spar, shrouds and fittings in place? 

6. Deck fittings and scale detail. As you can see I have installed per kit instructions all the deck fittings. I know of no skipper who has had any problem with location or function of any of the stay or shroud attachment fittings. One or two skippers have replaced the ring and bridle system for the main sheet by a fixed post and loop borrowed from a Northwind kit. Although it performs the same function it seems to me to diverge unnecessarily from the one-design. There is no doubt that from time to time skippers get their sheet lines caught up in one of the deck fittings, winches or wheels and many have removed or never installed them. 

I propose that only kit-supplied fittings can be attached to the deck in the locations indicated. Items may be omitted but not substituted (what’s the harm if there is a minimum weight?). 

One or two skippers have installed charging jacks or on/off switches set into the deck or a magnetically operated reed switch fixed to the underside of the deck. I see no problem with these, as they do not affect boat performance. 

7. What to do with the antenna wire? I have stayed with the kit instruction and just let the antenna wire drape into the bow below decks. Several skippers seem convinced that it is essential for the antenna wire to protrude above the deck and lead the wire through a grommet (flexible plastic tube) let into the deck and attach the end of the wire to the mast or even hook on to the spreader. I was about to try it myself when, in the middle of a regatta, I experienced a lot of radio interference. I solved the problem by whipping out the receiver and changing crystals to a different frequency. Imagine trying to do that in a hurry with the antenna wire firmly anchored above decks! I have never experienced any problem traceable to the antenna wire being below decks. One neat idea I saw somewhere is to run a line of CA glue along one side of a plastic drinking straw and stick it to the right underside of the deck towards the bow. Then poke the antenna wire down the straw. This has the merit of keeping the antenna above the waterline and out of any bilge water without hindering removal of the receiver. I don’t think the rules need to dictate the location of the antenna. 

7. Gooseneck swivel and vang. When installed I found the ball joint swivel on the gooseneck to be stiff to operate, hindering boom rotation in light air. I found a temporary fix by loosening the securing screw, however, if not watched closely it will work loose or come out altogether. Here is a way to free it up. Remove the securing screw leaving the boom with ball and socket attachment on the end. Run a threaded rod or bolt through the ball and secure it top and bottom with nuts. Put the rod or bolt in the chuck of a drill, put paste rubbing compound over the exposed portion of the ball and spin the ball in the socket with the drill while oscillating the ball and socket joint. Repeat with more rubbing compound and flush waste out with WD40 until satisfied with the freedom of rotation. 

Adjustment of the vang itself is a bit tedious requiring snapping off the top ball joint and screwing the end piece(s) to adjust the length and re-attaching the ball and socket. A turnbuckle type adjustment would be nice but I guess I can live with what the kit provides. 

I hope this note will help some skippers avoid having to “reinvent the wheel” and help all get the most satisfaction out of sailing our Seawinds. I welcome all comments and alternative suggestions.

| Part 1 | Photos |