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 November Sailing and Stack Pack		  New Topic  Reply to Topic
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DavidCrosby
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233 Posts
Initially Posted - 11/11/2023 :  17:08:54  Show Profile  Visit DavidCrosby's Homepage  Reply with Quote
My boat is still in the water. Trying to squeeze out a few more sails before I haul it for the season. Today (11 November, 2023) was a gorgeous day. Temperature was about 55ºF. Wind 7-8 mph.

I have been building a stack pack over the past few weeks. Lots of back and forth to the boat for fitting, etc. and then back home to sew. I first roughly built the stack pack out of cheap blue poly tarp to get it looking how I wanted it to. I started with Sailrite's instructions and did not like the look. Multiple adjustments resulted in a very trim shaped stack pack. I am extremely pleased with the results. Not totally finished, but I figured I would sail with it a few times and then take it home for the winter for finishing touches. I plan to add mesh drainage along the bottom and add some D-rings at the leech end to keep it from pulling forward.

Anyhow, here is a video from today's sail. Tomorrow's forecast is slightly warmer with winds of about 6 mph. My plans are to pull the boat out of the water Thanksgiving weekend. The 10 day forecast currently indicates next Saturday may be a good day to sail as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbGnTIW_9l0&t=16s
David Crosby "Small World"
'02 C250 WK #614

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4012 Posts
Response Posted - 11/12/2023 :  06:08:47  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Wow Dave, Nice work. Are you taking orders?
Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688
Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound


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DavidCrosby
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USA
233 Posts
Response Posted - 11/13/2023 :  11:55:34  Show Profile  Visit DavidCrosby's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by islander

Wow Dave, Nice work. Are you taking orders?


Scott, Thanks for the compliment. "Taking orders" was not the intent of the post. At this point, I have a long list of projects for my boat. My wife has a long list of winter projects for the house. And my friend has an even longer list of projects for his boat.

Seems that I convinced him that since he has an F-350 he can get that bigger boat he has been wanting and still join us on our group trips north each year.

In early March, we drove to Florida with a "not yet finished" custom built trailer and brought home (Carlyle, IL) his 1995 Catalina 320. We spent the summer learning this new boat.

Now we are in process of doing modifications to be self sufficient such as building a hinged mast step, mast supports with rollers, adding guide rails to the trailer, adjusting the trailer's gin pole and many other things. We are targeting Elk Rapids, MI for the 2024 summer trip (two C250s and one C320). (Elk Rapids because we know they have a launch ramp that is adequate to get this beast on/off the trailer.) The logistics for this project have been significant. Anyhow, to make a long story short, my plate is full so probably not taking orders for stack packs.



David Crosby "Small World"
'02 C250 WK #614
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DavidCrosby
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Response Posted - 11/13/2023 :  16:18:48  Show Profile  Visit DavidCrosby's Homepage  Reply with Quote
I was not quite ready to write up the steps involved in creating the stack pack, but I received a PM from a forum member and ended up writing a lengthy e-mail response after an initial e-mail volley. I decided I will post that here. This member is creating a stack pack for his C25 and has encountered some of the same issues I did while getting underway.
Note: This needs to be refined and as mentioned, I still have some minor refinements to be done in the coming week or so.

Here goes:
Since we are not apples to apples (C-250 to C-25), exact measurements do not really matter. I am providing below the requested measurements from my final blue poly tarp template. I will update with measurements from the final product once I end my sailing season and dismantle the boat for the winter.

I have seen the two Sailrite videos you mentioned. My very first action was to measure my sail on the boom exactly as Sailrite indicated in their video.

1) I plotted it out on the poly tarp, cut and started sewing.

2) I did not want to pick stitches to remove the Keder bolt rope I purchased, so instead, I sewed a 5/16¡¨ line into the edge of the tarp to create a bolt rope.
Note for forum: I used an aluminum awning track and matching bolt rope for the attachment. This is a deviation from Sailrite instructions.

3) I sewed the batten pouch where indicated on the Sailrite video based on my measurements. I did not like how this is done. It makes for a very proud pouch and a nice water collecting depression between battens (top of cover).

4) I installed aluminum awning track on my boom, a bit more than half way down. The C250 boom has a seam running the length of the boom, so I lined up the top of the track with this and pop riveted it to the boom. Full length. I had some previous experience with a stack pack on my friend¡¦s C320. (The previous owner modified an existing sail cover into a Stack Pack and then I modified it even farther). Being cheap, I cut 2 inch strips of aluminum track and 3 inch strips of Keder bolt rope. These were sewn or pop riveted along his boom with a space in-between. This had proved to be no good. The lazy jacks pull the cover forward and we had a difficult time keeping the bolt rope in the track. So, we then went to full length track on the boom. This winter I will be sewing full length bolt rope onto his existing stack pack. So, lesson learned. If you are going to use the track and bolt rope go full length on both.
Note: I had only installed the track on one side of the boom because the track was out of stock at Sailrite (Awning Track Aluminum 48¡¨). If I had enough track, I would have made two poly tarp panels and done a test fit with both. I recommend this, because the sail would keep flopping to one side of the boom or the other. I wanted to get a size with it laying loosely within the panels on the boom.

5) I did a test fit of my blue poly tarp panel (Sailrite size). It was extremely large. I took it off and headed for home.

6) I cut several inches out of the poly tarp panel and then on the next trip to the boat did another test fit. I still was not at all happy. It was still very large from the middle back to the leech.

7) I then had a brainstorm.
I removed the lazy jacks to get them out of the way.
With my existing standard cover and a helping hand, I pulled the bottom of the cover tight along the boom and marked it with a soap pencil.
I then marked along the cover where I envisioned the PVC batten should be.
I took the sail cover off. Secured the sail with line and took the sail cover home.

8) I trashed my previous poly tarp template and started over. I cheated and just cut off the sewn bolt rope I created on the previous tarp and duct taped that to the edge of my new template.

9) I took measurements off the existing sail cover and transferred to the poly tarp.

10) I wanted three Lazy Jack legs, so I took the sail foot length and divided by four. 11 feet x 12 inches = 132 inches divided by 4 = 33 inches. With this information I created strips of fabric to sew onto the panel for the PVC batten. The strips were cut at 33 inches x 5 inches. They become smaller because they get hemmed on all four sides. Don¡¦t trust my number. Make sure your batten will fit within. My markings on the panels were for lining up the top edge of the strip and moving along the length of the cover, I had marks at the 33 inch spots and basically fell about 1.5 inches shy on each side after putting in the hems. This gap left a place to slot in one inch straps with a D-Ring on the end for Lazy Jack attachment. I sewed the strips on top and bottom laying flat on the panel.

11) With both panels done it was time to go back to the boat for another fitting. Finally, success!!! I was very pleased with how the poly tarp panels looked. I did some loose adjustment on the length of the central overlap to make sure I had enough fabric when I cut the Sunbrella. Off it all came and back home it went.

12) Finally, the moment had come that I was committing to cutting the Sunbrella at $38.95/yard. I went to town with the hot knife and then started sewing. FYI, 5 yards at 60 inches wide was necessary for this project.

13) Back at the boat, I did a trial fit again. This time with the expensive stuff. It was looking great. With a helping hand, I pulled the central seams together and pinched in a protruding fold of both sides together (about 3/4 inch). I then marked along the top of this fold with my soapstone pencil.

14) Off it came again and back home we went. By the way, I am 80 miles door to door.

15) This time I drew full length lines at the marks and then cut again. Finally the zipper was sewn in.

16) Back to the boat again for another fitting. This time I brought my sewing machine with.

17) The overall fit was great, but I needed to work out what to do with all of the excess fabric up front, when I try to pull this around the mast.

18) This was resolved by pleating the fabric and stapling it with a stapler. Then off again and back to the sewing machine.

19) I placed about one foot of track vertically on each side of the mast. To hold the cover in place, I pop riveted a snap fitting to the mast and pressed the other piece into the cover.

20) The lazy jacks are trying to pull the cover forward, so when the stack pack comes off again, I will either sew in D-Rings at the leech end of the cover and tie it off or do the same snap fitting that I did at the mast.

So, for the requested measurements.

  • Leech - bottom to top edge of batten line = 10.5 inches.

  • Leech - bottom to top edge of fabric = 12.5 inches.

  • 103 inches from leech - bottom to top edge of batten line = 17 inches.

  • 103 inches from leech - bottom to top edge of fabric = 22.5 inches.
    Note: It is a straight line from the above points. Beyond this I start a curve up to the following.

  • At mast (11 feet for a Catalina 250) - bottom to top edge of batten line = 19.5 inches.

  • At mast (11 feet for a Catalina 250) - bottom to top edge of fabric = 36 inches.
    Note: I ultimately cut a fair amount of this out once it was on the boom for the final fitting. But the 60 inch Sunbrella allowed for the slop. I was thinking that I might have it slope up and tie off like the existing sail cover.



Total cost in materials for this project is $385.00
Note: Blue poly tarp - $6.00 and I still have a lot left for templating other projects.

Attached are a couple of pictures.

Measuring the Poly Tarp at the Leech


Showing the middle of the tarp and where the straight line starts to curve up


Template at the mast


Working on Sunbrella - in process - measure twice (or more), Cut once.


Close to being done. Still needs fitting across the top and a zipper added.


Keder Awning Rope White 5/16" - https://www.sailrite.com/Keder-Awning-Rope-Tape?quantity=1&custcol_feet=1&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAr8eqBhD3ARIsAIe-buMMQw9ZdrQpRO6jNfON3_04wLKhUavZo2Hty7Vy9h9OAzRf-TW4Y54aAnMVEALw_wcB

Awning Track Aluminum 48" - https://www.sailrite.com/Awning-Track-Aluminum-48?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAr8eqBhD3ARIsAIe-buPz-F6PoSl-tQqw0msW37217zC7A4lXVXOiPi6ZjQm5U--cZLNOHCoaArYpEALw_wcB
David Crosby "Small World"
'02 C250 WK #614
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Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9047 Posts
Response Posted - 11/19/2023 :  21:47:46  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I can see why your friend(s) want you working on their boats... Just don't let it keep you from sailing!
Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge
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