sailboat bolt cutter

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Dear Readers

• Boat Maintenance
• Safety & Seamanship
• Sails, Rigging & Deck Gear

Emergency Rigging Cutters

The new toolova shootit 12 is a no-brainer at the high end-it cuts wire and rod almost like butter. at the low end, the old hacksaw does pretty well, too, given a proper supply of brawn and elbow grease..

Dismasting is right up there among a sailor’s worst nightmares. When a mast comes down at sea, no matter how or why, there’s tremendous potential for further damage. Few things will sink a boat quicker than the end of a mast holing your vessel. Speed is of the essence when such a calamity occurs, and the number-one priority is getting rid of the danger as quickly, and safely, as possible.

In most circumstances on most boats, the quickest and safest way to accomplish this is to remove the clevis pins securing the rigging, either by simply pulling them out (if they aren’t under load) or knocking them out with a drift and hammer. Several things, however, will work against you. First, cotter pins are often badly installed, with the ends left too long and wrapped completely back around the clevis pin. Second, in any sea condition other than a glassy calm, there will be a load on at least some of those pins, sometimes a tremendous load, and it will usually move from terminal to terminal, very quickly, depending on how the boat is rolling and where the remains of the mast are resting. Third, getting your hands and tools into position to work with the terminals is almost always a truly dangerous proposition. Extreme care needs to be taken to ensure that when the rigging is separated from the boat, it doesn’t take a piece of you with it.

If clevis pins can be quickly and safely removed and the mast secured without damaging the boat, consider yourself lucky. Unfortunately, when Murphy is doing his best, it may not be possible or prudent to deal with the pins. At this point your only option is to cut away the rig.

We tested three kinds of emergency cutter, using common sizes of wire cable for standing rigging and halyards, as well Navtec rod rigging in different diameters. (Note that these were tests of cutter types, not different products within those types.) We also tried cutting with the old standby-a hacksaw.

Hacksaw On many, if not most boats, the only suitable tool on board will be a hacksaw. It performs better than we expected, particularly on smaller rod, but there’s no question that it takes the most time and is exhausting, particularly when cutting larger diameter rigging. For example, we took 20 seconds to go through 3/16″ 7×19 wire, 40 seconds to cut 1/4″ 1×19 wire, 25 seconds to cut -4 (0.172″) rod, 70 seconds to cut -40 (0.5″) rod. This is a job for the strongest member of the crew, preferably also the one in best aerobic condition. Adrenaline might speed things up a bit, but exhaustion could slow things down.

We tried a number of blade materials and pitches suitable for metal cutting. Bi-metal blades, while somewhat more expensive, are more resistant to breakage and the only way to go. The coarser, 24 tpi (teeth per inch), pitch was significantly quicker cutting rod than finer, 32 tpi, pitch, which was quicker on cable. We also tried a carbide grit wire “blade.” It proved the quickest initially, but was only good for two or three cuts before becoming ineffective as the carbide bits were worn or torn away.

Cable under tension is not too difficult to cut, both 1×19 and 7×19, but things are trickier when you have to hold the wire to cut it. For us, the last few strands were nearly impossible because it was so difficult to keep them steady while sawing. Linesman pliers or larger side-cutting pliers worked better to quickly cut those last strands in these circumstances.

Muscle Power Swiss made Felco C-16 Cable Cutters are a big step up, both in ease of use and price ($350). These popular cable cutters are generally sold for use only on cable up to 5/8″. Though we have had reports of their use on up to -12 (diameter) rod, the reports all indicate extreme difficulty in use and some damage to the blades after only a single cut. Since we were requested not to damage the tools lent us, if possible, we didn’t test them on rod.

If you’re strong enough, there’s enough leverage with the 22″ long handles that you will be able to cut smaller cable straightaway. However, for most of us and for even modest sized cable, you’ll need to rest one handle against the deck or some other suitable unyielding spot and lean into the other handle with all your weight. The illustration molded into one of the tool’s handles shows the user sitting on one handle to cut a cable.

Using body weight for full effect, the blades quickly severed both of our 1×19 and 7×19 wire. It is irrelevant if the wire is under tension or not,

The Felco cutters have aluminum handles, which keep weight to a manageable 5.4 pounds, with large plastic grips. The blades are high carbon steel and will require suitable protection from the marine environment while in storage. The blades can be sharpened and are replaceable, though we were not able to determine a cost for replacement.

There is no lanyard hole or attachment incorporated in the tool, though something suitable could be jury-rigged, or better, a hole could be drilled at the end of one of the handles.

Any tool used on deck, and particularly any tool you expect to use in emergency conditions, should be tethered to the user to prevent loss.

Felco cutters come with a lifetime limited warranty covering manufacturing defects.

Hydraulic Power Ratcheting up the expense and capability are hydraulic cutters. We tested the Huskie Tools model S-24, commonly offered to the sailing community. For a wallet-emptying $1,200, this tool had best deliver, and it does. The S-24 weighs in at a hefty 9.2 pounds and is 17 inches long overall. Think of this as basically a hydraulic jack with the ram providing 7.2 tons of shearing force, enough to cut -40 rod, the thickest we had to test.

The tool is awkward to handle with all the weight at the forward end. The head pivots opens up to accept the rod or cable, snapping shut with a massive spring-loaded latch to hold it together against the tons of force exerted against it while cutting.

Once the head is closed over the rigging, you pump the smaller handle to shear the cable or rod. Use is self-evident, though care must be taken to ensure the head is indeed latched, and to keep the tool perpendicular to whatever is being cut. A lever on the side is depressed to release the cutter for the next cutting effort.

Actually operating the pump handle requires relatively little effort, though it does take noticeable effort for larger rod. In any case, most any crewmember should be able to do the job. The rubber grips provide a secure handhold.

With the exception of the shearing blade and the ram, the unit is painted, but it’s not stainless and will require careful storage to prevent corrosion. A soft nylon carry case is included and a spare shearing head is hidden in the handle. This replaceable shearing head is held in place with a threaded through-pin with slotted heads. Changing it out is easy, but not something you’d want to do where that pin could be easily lost.

Since it’s a hydraulic mechanism with seals subject to deterioration, it should be exercised regularly to ensure it will work when needed.

The hydraulic unit can be rebuilt and the shearing surfaces “sharpened.” There’ s no provision to attach a tether; the best you’re likely to be able to do is to tie one around the primary handle.

Husky provides a five-year limited warranty.

Gunpowder Power An innovative and unique purpose-built tool just introduced in the U.S. is the German-built Toolova Shootit 12. This is known technically as a Powder Actuated Tool (PAT), one that is powered from a “load,” which looks for all the world like a small caliber firearm cartridge. At first glance, you might think it was a .22 caliber rimfire blank cartridge, but it’s actually .27 caliber. Unlike a typical blank, the casing is crimped closed on the end and then sealed. There’s no wad.

Firing the load ignites the gunpowder, and the explosion drives a piston that actually does the work. Anyone who has used a powder-actuated fastener tool to set a nail in concrete will be familiar with the basic principle.

Instead of firing fasteners out the end, the piston acts as a shear against an anvil integrated into the forward end of the tool, cutting whatever wire or rod has been placed in the slot between the piston and the anvil.

The Toolova proved extremely effective, instantly severing all the cable and rod up to -22 (0.375″). The -40 rod was too big for the slot.

The Toolova’s importers, Euro-Marine Trading, were kind enough to loan us the first tool brought into the US, even before they’d had a chance to try it out themselves. Somewhere in the process we missed the instructions that it was meant just for cable. Could have fooled us.

Later we were told that the tool for sale had been upgraded with a tougher anvil material to allow for cutting rod up to 0.375 inches, which performance we can verify. The harder material provides greater safety margins, but there’s no visible or operational difference.

The body of the tool is constructed of “high-tensile steel,” to provide the strength required, and is nickel-chrome plated. Smaller parts are stainless or powder-coated for the most part, but we found a few bits and pieces of plain steel, some with a simple black coating, not the best choice for a marine environment. We experienced a problem with the body coming loose and unscrewing after a number of operations. We are told this problem would be addressed.

The loads come in quantities of 10, held together in a plastic strip. The loads are coated with lacquer and in our testing they survived three days immersed in a bucket and functioned properly immediately upon removal. As an aside, it’s interesting to note that powder-actuated tools were first developed for shipbuilding operations that required fasteners to be installed underwater in some situations.

We found the 13-1/4″ long, 6-lb, $585 Shootit 12 somewhat awkward to use. Unlike most PATs designed to use such strip loads, this is not a semi-automatic, or even pump-operated mechanism. The single shot design requires the breech to be unlocked and opened, and the strip manually moved to the next load before closing and locking the breech. It sounds worse than it is, but it’s also much worse than it needs to be, based on other PATs we’ve used. With a little practice, it can be accomplished in a matter of seconds, but there’s plenty of room for error and even injury in the process.

The cocking and firing mechanism is also a bit cumbersome. A large hand guard that also serves as a safety mechanism is rotated counter-clockwise, after which the plunger-style cocking handle can be pulled out against a stiff spring. The spring-loaded firing lever slips into a slot to hold the firing pin back. It is designed such that if the cocking handle is released prematurely (and the spring is strong enough that this may occur) the aft end of the firing lever prevents the firing pin from making contact with the load. Unfortunately, it’s possible to inadvertently squeeze the firing lever while cocking the tool, which defeats this safety feature.

Once cocked, firing the tool is accomplished by simply depressing the firing lever once the rotating safety is in the off position. Because of the weight and unwieldiness of the tool, our natural inclination was to operate it two-handed, one holding the tool, the other squeezing the trigger. We found it very easy to hold the tool in a way that the cocking handle caught the palm of our hand as it was fired, causing a misfire.

Later, during discussions with the importer, we were advised that this design was settled upon to allow one-handed operation, with the obvious significant benefit that the other hand remains available to hold on to the boat.

Grasping the barrel between the hand guards with one hand, the trigger lever down, you can operate the trigger lever using your pinky finger. Unfortunately, the design of the rear hand guard-cum-safety doesn’t lend itself to operation with one hand, somewhat defeating the advantage of the design concept and compromising safety.

Nowhere in the instructions we received is one-handed operation illustrated, though a brochure we were given later does make mention of this capability. We found the provided rudimentary instructions inadequate because of this and other failings.

These are all problems that would be eliminated if a conventional pistol- style handgrip and trigger system were used. That would make the tool far easier to use one-handed, in our opinion. We are told that such a design was tried, but the existing design was the one best liked by testers. The manufacturer’s explanation to us regarding tool balance to the contrary, in our opinion nothing inherently prevents a pistol grip design from being utilized and producing a well-balanced tool with functional and safety advantages.

The load is surprisingly quiet when it goes off, and there’s no recoil to speak of because of the tools weight. There’s a 5/16″ hole in the front hand guard that can be used to attach a tether.

The tool comes with two strips of loads, 20 shots; additional strips are $10 each. Safety goggles are provided and the instructions advise the use of safety goggles and gloves during use. We can easily imagine many situations where wearing such goggles would be impractical, considering the circumstances when the tool may be called upon. It’s an imperfect world, and sometimes the legal department’s best efforts go for naught.

The Shootit 12 comes with a two-year limited warranty and a mandatory two-year repetitive inspection interval, to be performed by the manufacturer. The cost of this inspection has not yet been established.

Alternatives We also tested some alternatives to see if other avenues might be worth pursuing. It was recommended by one rigging expert that we try a metal cut-off disk. We borrowed a 14.4-volt battery-operated power saw from Makita, but the 1000-RPM it produced wasn’t enough for the disk to work. The same size metal-cutting disc fitted to a 120-volt die grinder made quick work of rod, cutting through -22 rod in just 15 seconds.

A cordless 12-volt drill with the same size disc required 70 seconds to slice through-17 rod. With no safety devices, that naked cutting disk probably isn’t a great choice on deck, even if someone eventually produces a cordless tool with the oomph of a die grinder (we couldnt find one in our tool search).

A battery-powered Dremel Tool with a cutting disk lacked the power to cut through anything but the thinnest rod, and even that took more time than a hacksaw. We also tried a reciprocating saw with various blades, expecting it would at least equal the hacksaw, but with less effort. It proved remarkably useless. None of the brand- name reciprocating blades we tried lasted long, the material obviously wasn’t up to the steel used in the rod.

Conclusions Ergonomics, safety, and other issues aside (because everything is a compromise), the Shootit 12 is the easy choice for best emergency rigging cutter. Despite what we consider a relatively awkward design, it produced the quickest results with the least effort at a cost that, if not inexpensive, is less than half the hydraulic cutters.

The tool came to us in a fitted lightweight plastic case that was already cracked and broken, and whose latches broke immediately after we received it. It certainly needs and deserves something better for storage. A tough, waterproof Pelican-style case would be ideal.

Instructions need to be substantially improved-both the operation and safety aspects. In fact, an instructional video covering both use and safety might be the best plan. If you buy a Shootit 12, take to heart the company’s recommendation to practice first before having to use the tool in an emergency. There are too many safety and functional idiosyncrasies to expect anyone to be able to grab it and use it effectively in an emergency. Any of the crew that could potentially use the tool should be included in such training. In fact, that goes for any type of cutter.

The hydraulic cutters have met their match in the Shootit 12. We can’t see any reason to spend as much as twice the money for something that isn’t as easy or quick to use, unless you have rod rigging so large that the Shootit 12 won’t work.

For wire rigging the Swiss-made Felco cable cutters are effective and affordable, though they’re not easy to use. The larger the wire, the more difficult it will get.

There are compounding mechanisms that make tools of this general type easier to use and more efficient, at the cost of simplicity.

Whatever cutting device you decide on, keep familiar with it.

Thanks to Landfall Navigation of Greenwich, CT for providing our evaluation tools, including the Shootit 12 that Euro Marine Trading (Shootit 12 distributor for the U.S. and Canada) made available even before they had an opportunity to test it themselves.

Contacts- Euro Marine Trading (Toolova Shootit 12), 62 Halsey St., Unit M, Newport, RI 02840, 401/849-0060; www.euromarinetrading.com . Landfall Navigation, 354 W. Putnam Ave., Greenwich, CT 06830; 800/941-2219; www.landfallnavigation.com . Felco SA Mlzes 4, CH-2206, Les Geneveys-sur-Coffrane, Switzerland; 41 32 858 14 66; www.felco.ch/en/monde.asp . Huskie Tools, Inc., 198 Brandon Dr., Glendale Heights, IL 60139; 630/893-7755; www.huskietools.com .

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

Thank you for this article. A few images/graphics would have been helpful.

There are well reviewed Chinese made hydraulic cutters on Amazon for ~$200.

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My Cruiser Life Magazine

Cutter Rigged Sailboats [GUIDE] Advantages, Sailing, Options & Features

Cutter rigs are often more prevalent in boating magazines and theory than they are in your marina. Most cruising sailboats are Bermuda rigged sloops with just one permanently attached headsail. So, are two headsails better than one? Or, are they double the trouble?

Table of Contents

• History of Cutters 

What is a Cutter Rig?

Cutter features, cutter rig options, sailing a cutter rigged sailboat, 5 popular manufacturers making cutter rigs, it takes two to tango, cutter rigged sailboat faqs.

History of Cutters

Cutters became popular in the early 18th century. These traditional cutters were decked (instead of open) and featured multiple headsails. Smugglers used cutters to smuggle goods, and the coast guard used cutters to try to catch the smugglers. 

Various navies also used the cutter rig. Navy cutters featured excellent maneuverability and were better at sailing to windward than square-rigged ships. 

Navies used cutters for coastal patrol, collecting customs duties, and “cutting out” raids. These “cutting out” operations consisted of a boarding attack. Fast, maneuverable cutters could stealthily approach an enemy vessel and board it. This type of attack was common in the late 18th century. 

US Coast Guard ships, now powerful, fast, engine-driven, steel vessels, are still called cutters today as a nod to their past.

A cutter rig sailboat has two headsails instead of just one. The jib is located forward and is either attached to a bowsprit or the bow. The inner sail is called the staysail and is attached to an inner forestay. 

Traditional cutters were built for speed. Today, cutter rigged sailboats are popular with ocean-crossing sailors, cruisers, and sailors looking for an easy to manage, versatile rig for all conditions.

It’s important to distinguish cutters from other types of boats with a single mast. Cutters regularly fly two headsails on nearly every point of sail. Many sloops are equipped to fly different-sized headsails, but it is unusual or unnecessary for them to fly more than one at a time.

Solent Rig vs Cutter Rig

A solent rig is traditionally called a slutter–a little bit sloop and a little bit cutter. This configuration features two large headsails mounted close together. The solent rig is good if you do a lot of downwind sailing. You can pole out both headsails and go wing-on-wing, with one headsail on the starboard side and one on the port side. 

If you are on any other point of sail, you can only use one solent rig headsail at a time. If you use the inner sail, the wind flow is disrupted by the furled forward sail. And, if you use the forward sail, you’ll have to furl it to tack because there’s not enough space between the forestays.

The solent rig is a way to add more sail options to a standard sloop. Most solent stays are not required rigging to keep the mast up, so owners remove them when not in use to make tacking the primary headsail easier. 

Advantages of a Cutter Rig

There are a lot of reasons to like a cutter. A cutter rigged boat has redundant rigging and spreads the sail load across its rigging. And a cutter rig offers increased sail options–it offers increased sail area in light winds and easy and efficient ways to decrease sail area in heavy weather. 

In heavy weather, a cutter will drop or furl her larger headsail – usually a yankee or a genoa. That leaves just the smaller inner staysail. This arrangement is superior to the standard sloop, which sails in high winds by reefing her headsail. The staysail, however, lowers the center of effort on the sail plan and maintains draft over the reefed mainsail. That makes the boat more stable, maintains performance, and reduces stresses on the rig. 

If you imagine the sailor going to sea and needing to reef, it’s easy to see how many more choices they have than the sloop sailor. While each sailor can reef their mainsail, a cutter skipper has full control over both headsails as well. 

Because a cutter rig spreads the load across two headsails, it’s easier to manage. There might be more sails, but each sail is smaller and has smaller loads on it. That makes cutters the preferred option for sailing offshore when short-handed, as are more cruising couples. 

Lastly, it has to be added that there’s something appealing about the traditional looks of a cutter. 

Disadvantages of a Cutter Rig

While there are many benefits of a cutter, there are drawbacks and disadvantages too. 

Sailors will have more lines to manage and more processes to think through. More sails mean more halyards and sheets. And when it comes to maintenance and upkeep, a cutter will have more standing and running rigging to replace, along with one more sail. 

Cutters are also harder to tack. You’ll be dealing with two headsails instead of just one. Many designs deal with this problem by making the staysail self-tacking. This has fallen out of favor, but it’s a great advantage if you find yourself short-tacking up or down rivers.

Regardless of whether you need to tack both headsails or not, getting the larger sail to tack through the slot and around the inner forestay is sometimes a challenge. Many skippers find themselves furling the headsail, at least partially, to complete the tack. 

Cutters need extra foretriangle room, which can mean adding a bowsprit, moving the mast back, or both. 

Cutter Rig Position

Looking at a cutter rigged sailboat diagram, you might see a bowsprit depicted. Often, cutters fly their yankee from a bowsprit. Bowsprits allow boat designers to increase the fore triangle’s size without making the mast taller. Other cutters don’t use a bowsprit and mount the yankee sail on the bow. 

A cutter sailboat might seem like more work. After all, there are two sails to trim and manage. In addition, you’ll have to perform maintenance on two sails and purchase and maintain double the hardware. 

However, the two headsail arrangement can be easier to manage when the sails are under load. Instead of having one jib or genoa to trim, the weight and pressure are spread across two sails. 

Mast Location

Today’s modern boat designers often focus on providing living space in the cabin. Designers often move the mast forward to create a larger, more open saloon. When the mast is forward, there’s less space to mount two headsails. A cutter sailboat needs a decent foretriangle area. 

A cutter rigged sailboat is also more expensive for boat builders. The deck must be strong enough to handle the inner forestay’s loads. Between the additional building costs, saloon design issues, and customers’ concern over increased complexity, boat builders often favor a single headsail. 

Easier on the Boat and Crew

Since the loads are distributed between two smaller sails instead of being handled by one large genoa. This means there’s less pressure on attachments points and hardware, and therefore less wear and tear. In addition, because there are separate attachment points on the deck for each sail, the load is distributed across the deck instead of focused on one spot. 

Because each headsail is smaller, the sails are easier to winch in, so the crew will find it easier to manage the sails.

There’s nothing cookie-cutter about a sailing cutter. From the cut of the jib to the configuration of the staysail, each cutter sailboat is unique. 

Yankee, Jib, or Genoa

Traditional cutters have a yankee cut headsail along with a staysail. The yankee is high-cut and usually has no overlap. The high cut improves visibility, and a yankee has less twist than a typical jib. By sloop standards, it looks very small, but on a cutter it works in unison with the staysail. 

A jib is a regular headsail that does not overlap the mast, while a genoa is a big jib that does overlaps. The amount of overlap is measured in percentage, so a 100-percent working jib fills the foretriangle perfectly. Other options include the 135 and 155-percent genoas, which are popular for sailors in light winds. 

The problem with using a big jib or genoa with a staysail is that there will often be a close overlap between the two headsails. If flown together, the air over the staysail interferes with the air over the outer sail, making each one slightly less efficient. In these cases, it’s often better to drop the staysail and leave it for when the wind pipes up. 

Roller Furler, Club, or Hank-On Sails

Sailors have many options to manage and store their cutter’s sails. Sailors can mix and match the options that work for them. 

Roller Furler vs Hank-on Sails

You can have both sails on roller furlers, both hanked on, or a mix of the two. 

Buying and maintaining two roller furlers is expensive, but it makes the sails easy to manage. You can easily unfurl, reef, and furl both headsails from the cockpit without having to work on the deck. 

Hank-on sails are fool-proof and offer less expense and maintenance. You can use a hank-on staysail, either loose-footed or club-footed, depending on your needs. Hank-on sails make sail changes easy and they never jam or come unfurled unexpectedly. 

The most common setup on most cutters is to have the larger yankee or jib on a furler, and the smaller and more manageable staysail hanked on.

Club-footed Staysail

A club-footed staysail is attached to a self-tacking boom. Since there is only one control sheet to handle, there’s a lot less work to do to tack from the cockpit. It tacks just like another mainsail. You can tack the yankee while the club-footed staysail self-tacks. 

Island Packets and many other cutters feature this arrangement, which makes tacking easy. 

However, a club-footed staysail takes up space on the foredeck–it’s always in the way. It’s harder to get to your windlass and ground tackle. In addition, it’s harder to store your dinghy on the foredeck under the staysail boom. The boom also presents a risk to anyone on the foredeck, since it can swing during tacks and jibes and is even lower to the deck than the mainsail boom.

Loose-footed Staysail

Keeping a loose-footed staysail on a furler clears space on the deck. Without the boom, you can more easily move around the foredeck, and you’ll have more space when you are managing the anchor. In addition, you can more easily store your dinghy on the foredeck. 

However, the staysail loses its self-tacking ability. You’ll now have to have staysail tracks for the sheet’s turning blocks and another set of sheet winches in the cockpit. When it comes time to tack the boat, you’ll have two headsails with four sheets and four winches to handle. Most owners choose to furl the outer headsail before the tack. Then, they can perform the maneuver using the staysail alone.

The good news is that most offshore boats are not tacking very often. If you’re on a multi-day passage, chances are you’ll only tack once or twice on the whole trip.

Downwind and Light Air Sails

There are a number of light air sails that will help your cutter perform better when the wind is light. Popular options include the code zero, gennaker, and asymmetrical spinnaker. 

Adding one of these sails to your inventory can make it a dream sailing machine. A code zero can be flown in light air. Since the cutter is already well equipped for sailing in heavy air, a light air sail really gives you the ability to tackle anything.

Sloop Rig, Ketch, and Yawl

While some describe a cutter as a cutter-rigged sloop or a sloop cutter, a modern sloop has one mast and one permanent headsail. 

But you’ll also find the cutter rig used on a ketch or a yawl. A cutter ketch or yawl offers a cruising sailor increased sail area and choices by adding the mizzen mast and sail behind. 

Sailing a cutter rigged boat is not that different from sailing a traditional sloop. Sailors will have to pay close attention to trim and tacking. 

Sailing a Cutter Rig to Windward

A cutter usually can’t point as high as a sloop when sailing to windward. The yankee hinders the staysail’s airflow, and the staysail starts to stall. 

Tacking a Sailboat Cutter

If you need to short tack up a narrow channel, and both your sails are loose-footed, you can roll up one of the headsails and just use one headsail to tack. Many staysails have a boom and are self-tacking. This means you can tack the yankee, and the staysail will take care of itself. 

Reefing a Cutter

A cutter sailboat has more options to easily get the right amount of sail. You can add a reef to your mainsail, then furl or reef the yankee a little, and then add another reef to the mainsail. As the wind increases, you can take the yankee in all together, and sail with a double-reefed mainsail and the staysail. Finally, you can add the third reef to the mainsail. Some staysails can be reefed, too.  

A cutter rig offers many options during heavy weather. For example, you may end up taking the mainsail down altogether and leaving the staysail up. Or, you might choose to replace the staysail with a tiny storm sail. 

Adding a storm jib on a sail cutter is much easier than a standard sloop. On a sloop, you’d have to remove the large genoa from the bow and then add the storm sail. This operation places the skipper in a challenging situation, which can be avoided on a cutter. 

On a cutter, you can remove the staysail and add the storm jib to the inner forestay. Working a little aft of the bow will give you increased stability while managing the staysail’s smaller load.  

While many modern sailboats are sloop-rigged, cutter-seeking sailors still have options. 

Rustler Yachts

While many new yachts have ditched the sturdy offshore cutter rig in favor of greater simplicity, Rustler is making a name for themselves by bringing it back. It’s still one of the best options for offshore sailing, and it’s great to see a modern yacht company using the rig to its full potential. 

The Rustler doesn’t need a bowsprit to accommodate its cutter rig. The Rustler is set up for single-handed and offshore cruising with all lines managed from the cockpit. Their smaller boats are rigged as easier-to-sail sloops for coastal hops, while the larger 42, 44, and 57 are rigged as true cutters with staysails and yankees.

Cabo Rico Cutters

Cabo Rico built cutters between 34 and 56 feet long. They aren’t currently in production but often come up on the used boat market. They are beautiful, semi-custom yachts that turn heads where ever they go. Of all the cutters the company built, the William Crealock-designed Cabo Rico 38 was the most long-lived, with about 200 hulls built. The second most popular design was the 34. The company also built a 42, 45, 47, and 56—but only a handful of each of these custom beauties ever left the factory. Most of the larger Cabo Ricos were designed by Chuck Paine.

Cabo Ricos have bowsprits, and the staysail is usually club-footed, although owners may have modified this. Cabo Ricos are known for their solid construction, beautiful teak interiors, and offshore capabilities. 

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Pacific Seacraft

Pacific Seacraft features a full line of cutters. Pacific Seacraft boats are known for their construction, durability, and overall quality.

Just a few of the best-known cutters built by Pacific Seacraft include the following.

• Pacific Seacraft/Crealock 34
• Pacific Seacraft/Crealock 37
• Pacific Seacraft 40

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Island Packet Yachts

Island Packet boats are probably the most popular cutter design available today. Designer and company founder Bob Johnson created beautiful cutter-rigged full-keel boats with shallow drafts that were very popular around Florida, the Bahamas, and the east coast of the US.  

Island Packets are known for their comfortable, spacious layouts. Older models could be ordered from the factory as either sloop or cutter-rigged. The result is that you see a mix of the two, as well as plenty of cutters that have removed their staysails to make a quasi-sloop. 

Island Packet is still in business today, but now favors solent-rigged sloops with twin headsails. 

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Hess-Designed Cutters

Lyle Hess designed several famous cutter-rigged boats, including the Falmouth Cutter 22 and the Bristol Channel Cutter 28. These gorgeous boats are smaller than most cruising boats but are a joy to sail. Lyle Hess’ designs were popularized by sailing legends Lin and Larry Pardey, who sailed their small wood-built cutters Serraffyn and Taleisin around the world multiple times.

These beautiful cutters have a timeless look like no other boats. They have inspired many other designs, too. You’ll find them built from both wood or fiberglass, but a variety of builders and yards have made them over the years.

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Cutter rigged boats offer cruising sailors a flexible sail plan that’s perfect for offshore sailing. Sailors can adjust the amount of sail according to the current wind conditions. Traditional cutters were known for being fast and agile, and today’s cutters carry on the tradition with pride. 

What is a cutter rigged yacht?

A cutter rigged yacht features two headsails. One headsail, usually a high-cut yankee, is all the way forward, either on a bowsprit or the bow. The staysail is smaller and attached to an inner forestay.

What is the advantage of a cutter rig?

A cutter rig offers cruising sailors more flexibility. They can easily increase and decrease the sail area and choose the optimum combination for the sailing conditions. While there are more lines and sails to handle, each sail is smaller and therefore easier to manage.

Matt has been boating around Florida for over 25 years in everything from small powerboats to large cruising catamarans. He currently lives aboard a 38-foot Cabo Rico sailboat with his wife Lucy and adventure dog Chelsea. Together, they cruise between winters in The Bahamas and summers in the Chesapeake Bay.

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What’s in a Rig? The Cutter Rig

By: Pat Reynolds Sailboat Rigs , Sailboats

What’s in a Rig Series #2

A variation on the last installment of What’s in a Rig (the sloop) is the Cutter Rig. Although it has gone through some changes through the course of history, the modern cutter rig is generally a set-up with two headsails. The forward sail is called the yankee and the one slightly behind it is the staysail.

Cutter rigs are a choice a cruising sailor might opt for more offshore work. Since longer passages usually means encountering heavier weather, the cutter rig can be the perfect choice to have a ready-to-go balanced sailplan when the wind picks up. They are not quite as easy to tack as sloops, but since cruisers go for days without tacking, the ability to quickly furl the yankee and have a small staysail up in a stiff breeze is worth the sacrifice.

Cutter rig fans also enjoy the balance it provides. A small staysail set farther back on the boat and a reefed main is a very solid arrangement on a windy day and for cruisers who want to be comfortable in 25-knots, this is important. Also, a staysail makes heaving-to easier – this is a task far more utilized by the cruising sailor.

So, there you have it – the cutter rig is a set-up preferred by sailors on a voyage. They have disadvantages in how they tack but strengths in how they behave in open-ocean conditions.

What's in a Rig Series:

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Sailboat Cutters: The Ultimate Guide

Introduction:.

Sailboat cutters are a distinct type of watercraft designed specifically for sailing enthusiasts and adventurous individuals seeking thrilling experiences on the open water. These boats are meticulously crafted with features and functionalities that enhance the sailing experience. This typically includes spacious cabins, comfortable seating areas, and efficient sail handling systems. In this comprehensive comparison, we will delve into the key characteristics of sailboat cutters, including their design, features, rigging options, and explore the top sailboat cutter brands available in the market.

Sailboat Cutter Design and Purpose:

Sailboat cutters are meticulously designed to facilitate comfortable and efficient sailing journeys. These boats typically feature a hull design focused on stability and seaworthiness, enabling them to navigate various water conditions, from coastal cruising to extensive offshore passages. Sailboat cutters often boast spacious cabins with well-appointed sleeping quarters, a galley equipped for cooking meals, and a salon perfect for dining and relaxation during your sailing adventures.

Sailboat Cutter Key Features:

Cruising Amenities: Sailboat cutters are equipped with a wide array of amenities to enhance the cruising experience. These may include comfortable berths, a fully functional galley complete with a stove and refrigerator, a marine head featuring a shower, and ample storage space for provisions and personal belongings. Some models even offer additional features like air conditioning, heating systems, and entertainment systems to elevate onboard comfort.

• Sail Handling Systems: Sailboat cutters are equipped with efficient sail-handling systems that make sailing a breeze. These systems often include roller furling headsails, in-mast or in-boom furling mainsails, and electric winches for effortless control of the sails. With these advanced features, sailors can easily adjust the sails to adapt to changing wind conditions without the need for extensive manual labor.
• Stability and Performance: Sailboat cutters prioritize stability and performance to ensure a smooth and enjoyable sailing experience. These boats generally possess a moderate to heavy displacement and incorporate a keel or centerboard to provide stability. They also minimize excessive rolling in rough seas. Sailboat cutters are designed to strike a balance between speed and comfort, allowing sailors to embark on long-distance cruising with confidence.

The Cutter Rig:

The cutter rig distinguishes itself by featuring two headsails. An inner forestay equipped with a smaller headsail (known as a staysail) in addition to the genoa or jib. This rig offers increased sail area and flexibility in sail combinations, enabling sailors to adjust to varying wind conditions more effectively. The cutter rig is particularly popular among cruisers planning offshore passages.

Appropriate Buyers and Considerations:

Sailboat cutters are ideal for individuals passionate about sailing and those seeking comfortable and self-sufficient accommodations for extended journeys on the water. When considering a sailboat cutter, potential buyers should take the following factors into account:

• Cruising Style: Determine the type of cruising you plan to undertake, whether it’s coastal sailing, offshore passages, or long-distance voyages. This will help you choose a sailboat cutter that is specifically designed and equipped for your preferred cruising needs.
• Accommodation Needs: Evaluate the number of people you intend to accommodate on board and ensure that the boat provides adequate sleeping quarters and living space to ensure comfort during extended stays. Consider the available amenities, such as a fully equipped galley, a marine head, and sufficient storage capacity for provisions.
• Budget: Sailboat cutters vary in price depending on factors such as size, brand, features, and rigging options. Establishing a budget and researching different models within your price range will assist you in finding the sailboat cutter that best meets your requirements.

Top Sailboat Cutter Brands:

When searching for a sailboat cutter, it’s crucial to explore reputable brands known for their quality construction, exceptional performance, and sailing-specific features. Here are three top sailboat cutter brands worth considering:

Hallberg-Rassy:

Hallberg-Rassy is a renowned brand in the world of sailboat cutters, known for its impeccable craftsmanship, seaworthiness, and luxurious interiors. With a legacy spanning over six decades, Hallberg-Rassy has established itself as a leading name in the industry. They deliver sailboat cutters that offer exceptional performance and comfort on the water.

Hallberg-Rassy sailboat cutters are meticulously designed and constructed. They place a strong emphasis on both form and function. Their robust hull constructions prioritize stability and durability, ensuring a smooth and safe sailing experience. The interiors of Hallberg-Rassy sailboat cutters exude elegance and sophistication.  With spacious accommodations, exquisite finishes, and thoughtful layouts Hallberg-Rassy prioritizes comfort and convenience.

Hallberg-Rassy Key Features:

• Impeccable Craftsmanship: Hallberg-Rassy sailboat cutters are built with an unwavering commitment to craftsmanship and attention to detail. Every aspect of the boat, from the joinery work to the choice of materials, reflects the brand’s pursuit of excellence.
• Seaworthiness: Hallberg-Rassy sailboat cutters are designed for bluewater cruising; with a focus on stability and performance. The combination of a well-balanced hull shape, a deep keel or centerboard configuration, and a robust rigging system ensures exceptional seaworthiness and handling.
• Luxurious Interiors: The interior spaces of Hallberg-Rassy sailboat cutters are meticulously crafted to provide a luxurious and comfortable living experience on board. Spacious cabins, well-appointed galleys, and ergonomic seating areas create an inviting and sophisticated atmosphere.

Sw https://www.nautorswan.com/ an:

Swan sailboat cutters embody the perfect synergy between elegance, performance, and luxury. With a rich heritage and a legacy of producing top-quality yachts, Swan has earned a reputation for excellence in the sailboat cutter market. Swan sailboat cutters are designed to deliver exceptional performance and an unparalleled sailing experience.

Swan sailboat cutters are characterized by their sleek lines, graceful profiles, and outstanding performance on the water. Their sailboat cutters offer a harmonious blend of speed, comfort, and seaworthiness. The interiors are designed to provide luxurious and sophisticated living spaces, featuring high-quality materials, elegant finishes, and customizable layouts.

Swan Key Features:

• Performance-oriented Construction: Swan sailboat cutters are engineered for exceptional sailing performance. With innovative hull designs, lightweight construction materials, and advanced rigging systems, Swan sailboat cutters offer impressive speed, agility, and maneuverability.
• Luxurious Interiors: Swan sailboat cutters provide sumptuous and well-appointed interiors, designed with meticulous attention to detail. From spacious cabins to lavish saloons, every aspect of the interior is crafted to offer comfort, style, and a sense of luxury.
• Cutting-edge Technology: Swan sailboat cutters embrace the latest technologies to enhance performance and onboard comfort. State-of-the-art navigation systems, integrated entertainment setups, and advanced control systems ensure a seamless and enjoyable sailing experience.

Island Packet:

Island Packet sailboat cutters are renowned for their focus on comfort, durability, and ease of handling. With a dedicated following among cruising enthusiasts, Island Packet has established itself as a leading brand in the sailboat cutter market. Island Packet sailboat cutters are designed to provide a balance of performance and livability, making them ideal for extended offshore passages and comfortable cruising.

Island Packet sailboat cutters feature robust construction, prioritizing durability and reliability. Their sturdy hulls, full keels, and generous displacement contribute to exceptional stability, sea-kindly motion, and ample storage space. The interiors of Island Packet sailboat cutters are thoughtfully designed. They provide spacious accommodations, functional galleys, and well-protected cockpits that ensure a comfortable and enjoyable cruising experience.

Island Packet Key Features:

• Solid Construction: Island Packet sailboat cutters are known for their robust construction and attention to detail. The use of high-quality materials, reinforced fiberglass hulls, and superior bulkhead structures ensures longevity and reliability.
• Comfortable Interiors: Island Packet sailboat cutters prioritize comfort and livability. Spacious cabins, ergonomic galley setups, and well-appointed living areas create an inviting and cozy atmosphere for extended stays on board.
• Self-sufficiency: Island Packet sailboat cutters are designed to enable self-sufficiency on extended journeys. With large tank capacities, ample storage, and robust electrical and plumbing systems, Island Packet sailboat cutters provide the necessary amenities for comfortable and independent cruising.

The sailboat cutters produced by Hallberg-Rassy, Swan, and Island Packet represent the pinnacle of craftsmanship, performance, and comfort in the market. Each brand offers its own unique combination of design principles, key features, and exceptional qualities. Whether you prioritize impeccable craftsmanship, elegance, and speed, or comfort and self-sufficiency, exploring the offerings of these top sailboat cutter brands will lead you to find a vessel that provides an unforgettable sailing experience, combining both luxury and functionality.

Conclusion:

Sailboat cutters offer dedicated features and functionalities to enhance the sailing experience for enthusiasts and adventurers. When considering a sailboat cutter, it’s crucial to assess the design, cruising amenities, rigging options, and accommodation to ensure the boat aligns with your specific cruising requirements. Exploring reputable brands such as Hallberg-Rassy, Swan, and Island Packet will aid you in making an informed decision and finding a sailboat cutter that seamlessly combines comfort and performance on the water.

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The History of the S.S. Pomona: Porthole to the Present

• Cutter Rig—Optimizing and/or Converting

In the last two chapters I covered why a true cutter is a great rig for short-handed offshore voyaging and how to decide if the cutter rig is right for you .

Now I’m going to cover what it takes to successfully convert a sloop or even a ketch to get most, or maybe even all, of the benefits that we true cutter owners are so damned smug about.

Also, if you have a cutter, but are less than happy with her, read on. Making a cutter rig work really well, like so many things in offshore voyaging, requires getting the details right, and that’s what this chapter is all about.

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More Articles From Online Book: Sail Handling and Rigging Made Easy:

• Six Reasons To Leave The Cockpit Often
• Don’t Forget About The Sails
• Your Mainsail Is Your Friend
• Hoisting the Mainsail Made Easy—Simplicity in Action
• Reefs: How Many and How Deep
• Reefing Made Easy
• Reefing From The Cockpit 2.0—Thinking Things Through
• Reefing Questions and Answers
• A Dangerous Myth about Reefing
• Mainsail Handling Made Easy with Lazyjacks
• Topping Lift Tips and a Hack
• 12 Reasons The Cutter Is A Great Offshore Voyaging Rig
• Cutter Rig—Should You Buy or Convert?
• Cruising Rigs—Sloop, Cutter, or Solent?
• Sailboat Deck Layouts
• The Case For Roller-Furling Headsails
• The Case For Hank On Headsails
• UV Protection For Roller Furling Sails
• In-Mast, In-Boom, or Slab Reefing—Convenience and Reliability
• In-Mast, In-Boom, or Slab Reefing —Performance, Cost and Safety
• Making Life Easier—Roller Reefing/Furling
• Making Life Easier—Storm Jib
• Swept-Back Spreaders—We Just Don’t Get It!
• Q&A: Staysail Stay: Roller Furling And Fixed Vs Hanks And Removable
• Rigid Vangs
• Building A Safe Boom Preventer, Part 1—Forces and Angles
• Downwind Sailing, Tips and Tricks
• Downwind Sailing—Poling Out The Jib
• Setting and Striking a Spinnaker Made Easy and Safe
• Ten Tips To Fix Weather Helm
• Running Rigging Recommendations—Part 1
• Running Rigging Recommendations—Part 2
• Two Dangerous Rigging Mistakes
• Rig Tuning, Part 1—Preparation
• Rig Tuning, Part 2—Understanding Rake and Bend
• Rig Tuning, Part 3—6 Steps to a Great Tune
• Rig Tuning, Part 4—Mast Blocking, Stay Tension, and Spreaders
• Rig Tuning, Part 5—Sailing Tune
• 12 Great Rigging Hacks
• 9 Tips To Make Unstepping a Sailboat Mast Easier
• Cruising Sailboat Spar Inspection
• Cruising Sailboat Standing Rigging Inspection
• Cruising Sailboat Running Rigging Inspection
• Cruising Sailboat Rig Wiring and Lighting Inspection
• Cruising Sailboat Roller Furler and Track Inspection
• Download Cruising Sailboat Rig Checklist

Thanks John, that’s a lot of thought and education for me with my old wooden cutter. Up to now I’ve been thinking of the staysail and the running backstays as generally more of an impediment than a help, especially when single handed, but you’ve made me realise I should be paying more attention to them, and maybe even start using the winches! Keep up the good work.

Thank you, John. Gratitude is a Brewer 44 ketch. She is rigged with a baby stay and tracks that look (from the pictures) like they are well placed. We have dual winches on each side and have a staysail, which we (sorry to admit) have never flown because, when we are offshore, the dinghy is on the foredeck and there is so much stuff up forward. Do you have any experience running a Brewer as a “cutter”? Ted Brewer insists it not be called a cutter ketch, but rather an ketch rig with a double foresail plan. Any thoughts and recommendations would be welcome as, when we are offshore, there usually is enough time to tinker with a rig!

No I have not sailed a Brewer 44, but I know the boat and would expect her to do just fine with a cutter rig, once you get it set up right, as above.

Hi John, Great article, I love my cutter, and find that my boat points at least 5 degrees higher when sailed as a cutter, rather than as a sloop.( I have a removable inner forestay with a Highfield lever for tensioning it) . I have a hanked on staysail , which I prefer on smaller cutter, say under 40 ft. This allows one to have a hanked on storm jib, if things get seriously windy. I appreciate the need for a furling staysail on larger boats, but would always prefer a hanked on storm jib. I have been thinking about replacing my 1x 19 SS running backstays with Spectra or Dyneema. I have not seen any cutters yet that have done so, but there could be a lot of advantages. Any thoughts on that?

We replaced out wire runners with high tech rope some 10 years ago and would never go back to wire. You can see ours in the picks above.

The big advantage is that being lighter they don’t slap around and therefore don’t try to jump out of our hands as we run them forward.

I’ll mention the old fashioned boomed staysail again here since it can eliminate the sheeting track issue and also offers other advantages.

We have a wishbone boomed staysail that sheets to a fixed point. We use twings that lead aft through blocks attached at the inner shroud chainplates for fine adjustments when the wind is forward of the beam and use a preventer when it’s further aft.

The twings don’t need winchs since we can ease the sheet slightly, adjust the twing to its pre-marked position and harden in the sheet again. Excellent sail control on all points of wind.

Like any other system there are disadvantages but it really works well for us and is another option worth considering.

Hi Pat I’m attracted to the wishbone boom as it makes self-tacking elegantly simple and does away with a lot of deck gear. It limits the area to non-overlapping, but that I would easily accept on a staysail. My main concern is how to carry the loads from the forward end of the wishbone boom. Is yours attached to the stay? Wouldn’t that push the stay forwards at that spot, causing deformation of the sail? Or has the sail been shaped with that in mind? Or have you got some other smart system I haven’t yet thought of?

Hi Stein The forward end of our wishbone connects to a SS tube that slides up the 7×7 wire rope stay. It is slightly bowed, has flared ends and a plastic inner sleeve that extends above and below to better distribute the distortion of the stay.

Yes, our sail is cut to allow for the distortion of the stay but I’ve seen a number of wishbone staysails where the piston hanks were simply attached with different lengths of lashing to allow for this.

Hi Pat That attachment method seems good. I think the wear on the wire will be no more than it is at the exits of the terminals, so it will most likely not reduce the working life of the wire. But I still have some questions. 🙂

A sail shaped for the bend in the stay or adjusted at the hanks, will of course be just as well shaped as with any other configuration, but how is the behaviour with different loads and trim tensions on the sail? If you tension the boom outhaul (if that’s the correct English term?) it will increase the push on the stay. Will that make the sail shape uneven so you have to tension the stay, or am I wrong?

Also, I assume you don’t reef the staysail, but keep it either full or take it down? If you reef it, I guess the boom must come down with the sail? Do you know of methods to facilitate reefing?

Hi Stein I haven’t noticed any significant distortion of the luff area due to thrust of the wishbone on the forestay when adjusting outhaul tension. I must admit I am not a fanatic sail trim person but the sail always looks OK. I don’t reef my staysail (I’ve never had to) but can see no reason why not and may well put reefing points on the next one. The bottom portion would remain in place and you would reef the luff and leech down to the boom.

I have to confess that I’m a jib boom hater, part of my fixation on clear decks . Having said that, I agree that there are benefits, but to me they are outweighed by the disadvantages. I suspect that in the final analysis, despite my prejudices, it all comes down to personal preference.

Hi John I understand your dislike of clutter but have found that when it’s not in use the wishbone is a useful handhold amidships when moving about on the foredeck . When it’s in use it’s no more ‘in the way’ than the sail itself.

Hi John. Another good post, as always.

I’ll just give a comment on the polyester vs epoxy topic, and health issues. There is no doubt that epoxy is a better material. Tolerates higher compressive loads, is stiffer but still stretches more without cracking, adheres better, impregnates the fibres better, is watertight (polyester is as watertight as a very dense sponge) and more.

Of course I prefer epoxy, but still there are potential problems. One should be careful with relatively fresh polyester. Even up to a couple of years old, it may in some cases contain enough styrene to damage the epoxy. The styrene evaporation is what gives the stench when polyester hardens, and the characteristic “plastic” smell in new boats. In sufficient amounts, it will soften the epoxy structure permanently.

Most epoxies will cure fine in room temperature with no added pressure and mechanical properties clearly better than any polyester. Still, if cured under pressure (like vacuum bagging) and high temperature (preferably at least 50 degrees C / 120 F) the strength will normally double or triple. Applying those conditions are normally close to impossible in an existing boat. As mentioned, epoxy is still better than polyester, but many boat builders will relate to how it “should be done” and then advice for polyester. They can be honest and even not lazy, just “emotional”. 🙂 Polyester also hardens faster, so the work process is faster, thus cheaper. With epoxy, you frequently have to wait overnight or more.

For self-builders, there is another big problem with epoxy: It’s an extremely strong allergen. Polyester smells really bad, so it’s easy to notice that one should not inhale the fumes but use ventilation and protective gear. Most epoxies make way less fumes and they don’t smell strong, even while curing. Still you need to be more careful. Epoxy fumes and uncured epoxy is serious stuff. If you get wet epoxy on your skin, nothing much happens, normally. It’s sticky but not too hard to wash off. Use water and soap. Alternatively the cleaning stuff used by car mechanics etc. NEVER use any solvent to clean your skin. It will penetrate your skin and bring both solvent and epoxy into your blood. It’s like drinking it!

If you’re sensitive or are repeatedly exposed to epoxy, you will sooner or later get serious skin rashes or blisters. This is an allergic reaction, which epoxy provokes very efficiently. The trouble is that when you had that reaction once, you’re permanently allergic to epoxy, and frequently you will trigger other allergies too. I’ve managed to escape this, by being totally “nazi” with cleanliness and protection, but many of my sailing friends have serious problems with allergies from epoxy exposure. They do have continuous problems with it and wish they had been more careful.

One common bad thing to do is sand hardened epoxy and inhale some of the dust. At “room temperature” 23 degrees Centigrade, 73 Fahrenheit, almost all epoxies will need more than a week to cure fully. The “fast cure” ones too. The epoxy will harden much sooner, but a full cure takes time unless the temperature is significantly higher. Also, a complete cure depends on a thorough mixing of the resin and hardener. If you breathe in not fully cured epoxy dust, you get chemically active particles in your lungs. Not good. After a full cure, it’s way less harmful.

I’m not trying to say that you should avoid epoxy, but I can’t overemphasise this: You are dealing with a chemical reaction that is a really bad match for your body. Being relaxed about it is not smart. To make things worse, being totally clean when working with epoxy is hard. You need to establish methods that work for you and your specific task. If you work inside a boat, I’d use a hose to extract air from further inside the boat than where you are working. That way there will be a continuous flow of air across the work area and away from you. A vacuum cleaner is good enough. Placed it outside the boat, away from where fresh air flows in, with a long hose. Preferably remove the dust collecting bag etc, to increase flow.

You need to use gloves, of course. I normally use “surgical gloves”, those you can buy in most pharmacies. Latex is useless, as epoxy will penetrate them quickly. Vinyl is clearly better, but will also be penetrated. The by far best is “Nitrile rubber”. If you wear thin cotton gloves inside, it will increase the duration of the gloves. Sweaty hands will speed up penetration. Either way, change cloves frequently, depending on how much exposure, but at least every 10 minutes if you get epoxy on them. Use a blocking cream on your hands and lower arms. Use clothes you can dispose of or clean efficiently. Make sure you breathe fresh air. In some situations, a full face mask is smart, those plastic sheets that just cover. Cheap stuff. Make sure you can work without stress. Stress will make you cut corners. Then you will be exposed.

If you take proper care, epoxy is an amazing material and building stuff is great fun! Good luck!

Lot’s of good information, thank you. One of the reasons I recommended the west system products and manuals is that they do a really good job of explaining the safety precautions that we must take when using epoxy.

Also, west even have a manual on how to use vacuum bags.

One thing, I think I’m right in saying that temperature and speed of cure don’t have any measurable effect on strength, at least of West epoxy.

And even if they do, for the applications we are talking about, I don’t think it matters much. On the boats we are dealing with here, if there is any doubt at all, just up the strength of the upgrade or repair.

Bottom line, I fixed an old racing boat with really bad structural issues with the west system and found it all pretty easy and very forgiving to use. And at the end of the project the boat was far, far stronger than she was when new.

Hi John You are completely right on what cure methods mean for this type of use. Epoxy is a structurally very good material no matter how it’s cured. The reason for using higher temps and pressure is not that it’s necessary but that it’s possible and gives improvements. These improvements are important when the epoxy is used like with carbon in a mast, where its physical properties need to be fully exploited.

All epoxies, also West, change their properties with higher temp cures. The data sheets for professional users show this. It’s a property of the base resin. It gets harder and at the same time tolerates more compression and stretch. The purer the epoxy is, the stronger this effect is. The main reason for mentioning it was that it might be why pro users are hesitant to using epoxy in areas they can’t get the max strength out of it. That reason is irrelevant, though. Just a bad excuse to avoid a more work intensive material.

The West Epoxy is primarily aimed at amateurs, so they are good at adapting to that. Lots of good info. I would also recommend their products. Another producer that has some of that focus, but not quite as good on the info, is SP Systems. They also work some with the high-end pros, have a larger spectrum of products and own some of the factories themselves.

Both of these are definitely high on price though. Buying from other sources via industrial channels may lower prices to less than a fourth, or much more, but normally means you need to buy it in barrels and the level of service, users equipment and info is as much lower as the price. You’re expected to know more than the provider. For the use we are talking about here, this is normally a bad solution and West etc will be better even on price, as you can buy small quantities.

Hi John, Yes, that is a problem I have with my SS runners. My method of securing them in the stowed, unused, position, entails passing a hook with a wire strop through the lower eye, and then tensioning them aft ,with a small tackle. It can be a bit of a struggle in rough seas. When you mention ” high tech” rope, what exactly are you using? I too, am totally against staysail booms, bloody dangerous things in my experience. The dangers far outweigh any self tacking benefits, especially offshore. I have a 6500nm delivery to N.Z. on a nice cutter later this month, looking forward to that.

Staysail boom haters unite! 🙂

Sorry, I’m not exactly sure which high tech rope we used. With these things I just tend to trust our rigger, but I can probably find out if it’s important. I’m pretty sure it was not Spectra because of the creep problems, and I know it was not PBO, because Jay doesn’t trust the stuff. I think it may be Technora.

Hi John, We sail a cutter formatted Hylas 47. Two up this sail plan is a dream. I was considering changing my runners to high tech line but am flummixed about how they would get attached up aloft. Currently the rigging wire versions are on T terminals, which fit into slots in the mast. I suppose there must be T terminal fittings that can attach to line but I have not managed to find any – maybe not looked hard enough? any thoughts / ideas would be welcome. Geoff

Hum, I don’t know, but I have to think that there must be a solution for this. Anyone else have any ideas?

I guess, in a worst case, you could have a rigger make up a short wire adapter from T terminal to an eye and then splice the high tech rope to the eye. Not very elegant, but should work.

I believe that you are looking for a “T ball bail”. There are a few different types that will show up if you google it but then you can splice directly to it or form a thimble through the bail.

Great article, and pertinent to my situation. I have a Whitby 42 (that you may know, BTW) that had the mizzen decommissioned. The two static aft stays, I believe, could act very much like running backstays. The removable inner forestay was replaced with a permanent unit (secured below as you mentioned), but does not stand parallel to the forestay/furler. I’m cognitive that this could cause issues with tacking/gybing, but wonder what other performance/trim issues this might present?

I guess it depends exactly where the top of the staysail stay terminates and how much off parallel the two stays are. If the answer is a lot, then I think that’s going to be a big performance hit and going with a true cutter rig might be a mistake.

Stein, Wonderful dissertation on safety and some of the characteristics of the adhesives. Bill, We use high tech rope for our runners and have been very happy with them. Stein, I would also argue against a wishbone rig for all the reasons mentioned. The staysail is just much to easy to tack: with good timing I hand snub most of it in and winch the last few inches, to warrant the extra gear and the danger of something hard flailing about the foredeck. My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

Hi Dick Thanks. 🙂 I agree that a staysail is very easy to tack, but it still takes one person to do it at the right moment. Sailing alone, that’s not always easy, so self-tacking has its value and I have used a lot of different systems that work ok, but not yet tried a wishbone boom, so finding someone with experience makes me curious. I mostly sail multihulls, like solo sailing and I’m a total speed addict, so I know my priorities are not the same as normal cruisers, but maybe still interesting to explore the possibility. Wishbone booms interest me for three reasons: 1. A track is the normal alternative for self-tacking, but clutter the decks badly, are ugly, expensive, vulnerable and unreliable. 2. The wishbone boom has no friction, so the sail will tack without trouble. 2. The sail will be perfectly shaped even at wider angles. Just let out the sail and it’s ready to work at another angle. No need for barber hauls and non-stop balancing of multiple ropes.

To me, it seems that a wishbone boom might give some big advantages that might be important enough to accept the disadvantage of having something moving around there. We either way accept that the main sail must have a boom that is a much bigger risk to us, as it’s mostly moving in the same area as our heads. 🙂

“The sail will be perfectly shaped even at wider angles. Just let out the sail and it’s ready to work at another angle. No need for barber hauls and non-stop balancing of multiple ropes.” This was what I hoped for but hasn’t been my experience and by the sounds of it you are much keener than me! I use haulers when close hauled to adjust leech tension and control sail twist and I usually use a preventer when off the wind. So, yes, there are lines to adjust but these can be done at your leisure after tacking.

Hi Pat I used to do racing as a profession, so I’m more keen on trim and details than most sailors. Meaning that I can be quite annoying when cruising. 🙂 But I still do enjoy cruising, as long as the boat works well and is used right. That’s why I’m interested in discussions here.

Preventers will naturally be useful, but I’d assume nothing else that needs attention after a tack…? An adjustable rope from the rear end of the wishbone boom, along the foot of the sail and attached to the base of the head stay, could keep the leech and twist as you want it.

Hi Stein Yes, I’m sure you would be maddening when cruising – constantly adjusting sail trim :).

Yes, a vang should theoretically keep the leech as wanted but will not control twist effectively. Sheeting from a central point limits control. I don’t find the barber haulers a problem since we are very rarely tacking repeatedly.

Just to clarify, tacking the way Dick and I do it, It doesn’t ” takes one person to do it at the right moment”. I tack our boat single handed all the time and the staysail just hangs out aback until I get around to dealing with it. No urgency or right moment at all.

For me the loss of easily reefing and furling the staysail is a complete killer of the wishbone boom idea. One of the coolest parts of the way we are set up is that we can quickly adjust the staysail size to get the boat the heave-to quietly in all conditions.

I think you may be better served with a self-tacking jib idea. Many production cruisers are now offering neat implementations ( have a look at Hanse for ideas) where the track is moulded onto the coach roof, with a narrow sheeting angle. The only compromise is the staysail/jib cannot overlap the mast which may reduce performance. I do not believe modern self-tackers clutter the decks since they do not come out beyond the line of the coach- roof.

We would have fitted a moulded track on our sloop and gone with a self-tracker, but we have no runners and instead a foreward “baby stay” to stop the mast inverting in extreme conditions, which prevents this. I’m with John on the jib boom idea.

Hi Rob Having sailed a Hanse sloop with a self tacking headsail I comment that it is not a good solution. It may be better for a staysail.

Interesting, this hasn’t been my experience in NZ Pat, but anyway – not my problem as we didn’t go down this track! Rob

Hi Rob I’ve tried a lot of different self-tacking systems. On small boats some of them work fairly ok if they are maintained well. On bigger boats, especially for long distance, I strongly doubt that it’s smart to have any of those. Those tracks are quite vulnerable. A bit of sand will destroy it quickly. Even the slightest disturbance will stop the automatic tacking. When you have to run on deck to kick them over, you don’t feel helped…

I’ve never tried a wishbone boom solution, apart from on windsurfers, but they are interesting in several ways. The most important advantage over tracks, apart from being much less vulnerable, is that it will let the sail keep its shape even at very wide angles with no barber hauls etc. The short tracks in the cabin top of some cruisers are only suitable for max upwind. That’s not frequently useful for cruising.

I’m a big fan of the cutter rig, but I’m also investigating alternative layouts, mostly suitable for fast catamarans, where overlapping sails are generally not too useful either way. That (and general curiosity) is my reason for being interested in details about wishbone solutions.

I agree the sheeting can be narrow narrow, and needs to be coupled with an off wind sail like a Code zero. In stronger winds (especially on a cat) I think the sheeting angle will be sufficient and the jib/ staysail being open in the head will not be a big issue. I raced on a 10m yacht class here in NZ with self-tacking jibs, and never had an issue. Why should jib tracks jam any more than mainsail tracks which nearly every yacht has?

The thought of a substantial jib boom sweeping our foredeck at knee height is much more worrying to me than any self-tacking jib issue. In the final analysis, we chose to keep things simple and opted for a conventionally rigged 100% jib. This tacks so quickly that a self-tracker / jib boom didn’t offer enough to warrant the cost/ added complexity.

Hi Rob Self tackers and wishbones are probably off topic, and I feel guilty for keeping this going on, but one more comment: I love simplicity almost as much as I love speed, 🙂 so I think a convensional sheet system on a cutter staysail is a good solution, probably the best in most cases. My interest in a wishbone boom is mostly connected to other rather uncenventional layouts, but Pat here likes his setup, so it must have some merit.

I’ve sailed racing multihulls with heavy duty mainsail tracks, longer than the LOA of some cruisers. Even those do jam slightly sometimes, but the consequences are normally minimal. The mainsail traveller only needs to move in gybes etc, when the sheet is looser, friction lower and the power pushing them out is always sufficient, as long as there is any wind. Upwind it stays in the centre. No movement.

A jib track needs to move under max tension, has much tighter angles and must move to the exact same spot every time. It gets less push the closer it is to the end stops and frequently rope tension increases at the same time. Good jib tracks with good control systems do do it perfectly, most of the time, but a trickier task means they fail way more often. A long distance cruiser can easily live with that, but I think the advantages are not worth the disadvantages. I think we agree on most of this topic. 🙂

Hi Rob The Hanse set up wasn’t bad with full sail and going to windward. With it partially furled or off the wind I found the sheeting point was far from ideal. Pat

my cutter experience is essentially nil hence this basic question re cutter tacking: I’m sure the stay sail tacks easily but not so with the Genny or the job top ? seems will need to furl this in enough to clear the inner stay then roll it back out once on the new tack ? pls pardon my ignorance on this…also do you know if matt has seen my question about sail drive prop efficiency I posted on his recent article re props ? would appreciate having his take on this when he can…cheers

richard in Tampa bay

Hi Richard,

No, it is not necessary to furl the jib top to tack. I described the procedure under #8 in this post .

We were out on another test sail yesterday and found even with a staysail stay relatively close to the forestay (about two feet or 60 cm.), it was fairly straightforward to tack (we haven’t done it for some time). To gybe is a different story, but the idea of letting the staysail back until the jib topsail is through (and in fact using the staysail as a sort of ramp to “help” the process) is quite practical. I explained “#8” to my wife and she grasped it immediately and wondered why a lot of people furl to tack. This pleased me. I also agree about staysail and main. Sure, you can’t point well, but it’s a lot more stately a progress if things are getting a touch hairy.

You may be interested in the sail plan of my boat: https://numawan.wordpress.com/2007/09/30/le-plan-de-voilure-the-sail-plan/#more-4

John … Great piece on cutter rigs – i’ve been following this closely after considering a conversion (currently have 135 Genoa and 10o Staysail, both on furlers) for a Hylas 49 … Been trying to solve several problems, boat tacks like a dog getting the 135 through the slot, frequently I’m short handed (my wife and I) and the 135 gets to be a handful in a blow, sails are pretty blown out anyway – so looking for a new set…. Have you ever seen you recommended arrangement (100-110 Yankee + Staysail ) rigged on a Hylas 49 ?

I don’t have any experience with Hylas 49, but, as I remember, the hull is based on the 1980s Stevens 47, a sweet offshore boat. Also, the underwater body is somewhat similar to our boat. Bottom line being that I think the boat will work very well set up the same way we are as a cutter.

Great article John. In TS Bill 25-35+ close reaching in the meander in Marion Bermuda this year with our brand new 9oz full dimension staysail we often unrolled our 133% #2 laminate Genoa which became a small topsail. For reaching the staysail is trimmed to the Genoa track just aft of the shrouds and the reefed jib is sheeted to the rail. As the aging #2 Genoa breathed its last just as we crossed the line at St Davids, we will be ordering a harmonious topsail for the staysail. The new adjustable Genoa cars will move to new staysail tracks on the coach roof as you suggest. Since our J42 may be slimmer at the waist than Morgan’s Cloud, could you please let us know the sheeting angle close hauled of your staysail and topsail? Some proportioning will help sighting our new cabin tracks. Cheers Bill SV ComverJence

Sounds like a plan.

Actually, on a beam to length ratio basis, MC is probably no wider that your J42. In fact she maybe narrower, at least if we use overall length for L.

Be that as it may, I don’t know the exact sheeting angle, but anyway, I think it would be a mistake just to copy our track position, particularly on boats this different. Rather, as I say in the article, get your sail designer to specify the sheeting angle. They should know since sheeting angle is fundamental to sail design.

To Geoff Skinner I have T fittings with an eye to facilitate splicing line, from Gibb via Sailing Services, Miami. You have to know the size of your socket. Fair Winds

To Geoff Skinner re: T end fittings with ring are actually by Alexander-Roberts to fit Gibb sized sockets I sourced them from Sailing Services in Miami

Thanks for fielding that.

John, (and other cutter savvy readers)

As always, a knock out interesting article that I have been pondering for some time that introduced new viewpoints that I had not considered before. For instance, the diagram that shows why the deck sweepers are such inefficient reaching sails because of the catch 22 of needing to move the sheet lead forward and aft at the same time…amazing!

I was wondering (probably along with other readers) about weather helm and tricks (sail trims) you use to reduce it on a cutter rig. We have a wonderful Brewer 12.8 with cutter rig, but I struggle to reduce weather helm when close reaching. Besides putting on some backstay tension, easing the vang a bit to allow the main to twist, and reefing the main, do you have cutter specific things you learned to help balance the boat?

Our jib is probably best described as high clewed genoa. It is a big sail, but the sheet angles are similar to that of a yankee, with the leads close to the center cockpit.

Thanks in advance. You the man! Conor

Thanks for the kind comments.

First off, have you read the above chapter (I moved your comment)? Lot’s of tips that will help.

It’s really hard to diagnose a weather helm problem without sailing on the boat, but here are a few places to look:

• What sort of shape are the sails in? If they are old and the shape has blown back, thereby tightening the leach, that will give you weather helm that is just about impossible to fix without buying new sails.
• Is the mast raked too far aft?
• Is the mast tuned so that it takes a nice fair bend ,that conforms to the main design when backstay tension is applied.
• Are the two headsail leaches nice and parallel and is the separation about equal, as shown in the shots above?

Hi John, Great article and comments. It’s amazing how little information is available about cutter rigs. I was pleased to see a picture of Mai Tai in the beginning of this article representing the cutter family. I do want to mention something that may be worth a look: Cutter rigs have two sets of spreaders on the mast to give side or lateral support to the rig at the point where the “inner forestay” attaches. The second or higher set of spreaders is where the inner forestay should attach. If there is only one set of spreaders you will have to attach the inner forestay at such a low point that the staysail area will be reduced beyond effectiveness. Running back stays should be used to prevent fore and aft pumping of the rig but they will not provide enough lateral stability to hold the mast straight when flying the staysail. So there is more to converting a sloop to a cutter than first meets the eye. Intermediate shrouds need to be added and a second set of spreaders. This means chain plates in the hull, more wire rigging, turnbuckles and two more spreaders. Personally, I would buy a cutter to begin with and forget the conversion.

Cheers from New Zealand Lane and Kay Finley

Welcome back! Even though you have just pointed out a glaring omission on my part…thanks…I think. :-).

Seriously, a very good point, although not a killer these days when so many boats have two spreader rigs.

Dear John, I have a Pan Oceanic 46 cutter designed by Ted Brewer and I am in the process of making a new set of sails for my Genoa and staysail with Lee Sails in Hong Kong. I do not have much experience sailing cutter when I bought her (SV Sunrise), her set of sails were too old (and baggy) for me to make any deductions of what to ask for in my new set of sails. I have read your post on how the 2 sails should work together and will certainly discuss that with Lee Sails. However, I do have one observation that I am not sure if it is worth pursuing to improve upon; Sunrise does not go to close haul well. The best angle with the set of baggy sails is 45 degrees with about 18-20 degrees of heel. I mentioned that I am not sure if it is worth pursuing is because many opinions I got from the internet indicates that (1) cutter are generally not designed to sail close haul as a major consideration and (2) a semi-full keel are likewise not designed for close haul. But then again, there are opposing comments (to some degree) to the above. Hence I am exploring maximizing Sunrise’s close haul ability to sail as close to the wind as much as possible with a new set of sail since I am replacing them anyway. Your views and of others sailors are very much appreciated.

One other thing I notice is that the clew on SV Morganscloud is high compare to a conventional Genoa. It is more like a high cut Yankee. I thought that it is best aerodynamicall for the clew to be as low as possible (ie decksweeper) to maximize efficiency (less spillage at the foot and low centre of pressure of the Genoa equals less heel). The clew is raised on a cruising boat to allow forward view when sailing which is owner dependent. What may be your reason for a high cut Yankee as oppose to a conventional Genoa?

Please direct me to the correct page in your website if these topics have already been discussed as I cannot seem to find them on the search engine. Thanks much,

A full read through of this chapter and the last will answer the low cut genoa issue (don’t do it). A few other thoughts.

• Nothing is going to make this boat a windward machine and 45 degrees is not bad at all for this type of boat.
• Have you considered going with a sailmaker that has a local representative in your area? Yes, I know it will cost more, but getting input from a good sailmaker is invaluable and can save you a bundle in the end by making sure you get the right sails and they work together. You will find hints about choosing the right sailmaker in the above article and here: https://www.morganscloud.com/2009/11/18/how-we-buy-sails/
• Don’t try and crowd source this decision on the forums. Many, (perhaps most) forum denizens have more opinions than knowledge. (AAC is not a forum) and it’s very hard to sort the few who know what they are talking about from the noise.

Hi John, have read the chapters. Very informative and addictive read. I should get back to work really! Ok, while preparing for the long cruising voyage (could be 4 to 7 years time) we as a family have to do with coastal sailing on our blue water cruiser. Many times the wind is on our nose and how i wish Sunrise could point higher and get there a little faster. Hence my exploration to increase the close haul performance. I can see the benefits of a true cutter for a short handed crew (basically, only my wife and I as our toddlers are a liabilities) and when the time comes for more reaching and downwind sailing arrives, I am really thinking how one can improve the upwind performance of a cutter rigged cruiser. Well, it gets worse. When we bought Sunrise, she came with a behind the mast roller furling main (Famet system which is now defunct). I know that is a very inefficient sail but a lot our sister boat owners advise against getting rid of it because of the ease of handling the main from the cockpit because the main is a big sail to hoist and handle on the conventional system. I have done some research and think that the Antal system is the way to go. But the system is expensive and I dont have the budget for it right now (including new gooseneck, reefing system etc). So I am “putting up” with the furling main until the kitty is more full but my wife thinks that I shouldnt for a short handed boat. Anyway, that is for another day. Meanwhile, I just play with the sails..

Rob: For what it’s worth, I have a steel full keel cutter with a largish staysail and a Yankee cut jib on a shortish bowsprit. I concur that 45 degrees is not unreasonable, but you can experiment with stay tensioning and certain techniques, such as backwinding the jib, to make your tacks more efficient, if not much higher. Tuning’s a bit of an art, but one well worth learning, in my view.

I just installed a Tides Marine track, full batten cars and “slippery” slugs on our new main and so far we are very pleased with the sail handling. The cost was about $1,000 for the gear, which was about 25% of the cost of the new main. You may wish to stick with the old main until you’re ready to commit. Were it me, I would change things up all at once.

BTW, how high does Morganscloud sail upwind to as a true cutter?

There’s no simple answer to that, depends on leeway, sea state and wind strength. In any sort of sea we make good about 50 degrees to the true wind angle, but at least 4 degrees of that is leeway due to our comparatively shallow draft and nothing to do with the cutter rig.

A good thing to remember when discussing close windedness is that most people lie about it, or at least are mixed up about true and apparent wind angles, or forget leeway. Almost no cruising boat, and few cruiser racers, actually make good even 45 degrees true wind angle unless the water is dead smooth. Also true and apparent wind angles on sailing instruments are almost never accurate.

Lest you thing that 50 degrees is a bad number, as the forum denizens will tell you, I need to point out that we are talking about a two time class winner of the Newport Bermuda race here.

As I say in the posts, a sloop with a low cut genoa will have better VMG in smooth water inshore. In the ocean over a multi day passage a properly tuned and sailed cutter will kick ass and take names, particularly if both boats are short handed. The key to fast ocean cruising rig is not close windedness (within reason) it’s all around speed—it’s not how fast you go that counts, it’s how often you go fast.

Even inshore, a bit of tactics counts for a lot more than 5 degrees of pointing: https://www.morganscloud.com/2010/11/04/racing-to-cruise/

Finally, there’s a simple cure for leeway and pointing too: 1200 rpm on the engine.

Hi Marc, Thanks for the advice. You boat sounds a bit like my boat except for the sails which I am about to make a decision on. I have not ventured to rig tuning yet but will do once the new sails are on. I have never heard of Tide Marine but I will check it out. The Antal system I looked at for a 46ft boat is in the region of $4000 excluding the sail!

Antal (and Harken) make fine products and on a different boat I would be happy to have them. The Tides Marine external track (which one measures with the special kit they send first) is sturdy and allows full battens and smooth dousings. It was a compromise but as we were getting an ocean-grade main, it was a logical one. Be prepared to grind your slug gate a little larger, however, should you choose to go this route. You may find this and the links off it instructive: http://alchemy2009.blogspot.ca/2016/05/sticking-around.html

Lastly, if you are tuning in earnest for the first time, remember to check and snug up your chain plate bolts first and to take it easy and to get a racing sailor aboard to help. Employ rum if needed.

I think your boat may be a bit big for the Tides system. A good mainsail slide system is a true blessing. Might be better to save up for a good one than cheap out.

Hi John, yes you are right. We close haul at 45 degrees to apparent wind. The one that is indicated on the Raymarine dial. Our system isnt wired (yet) to indicate True wind to us. Therefore we use the apparent wind angle as an indicator because when the boat moves, it is the wind angle that she sees. About Sailmaker. I live in Singapore and we do not have a local sailmaker here as the sailing community is not big enough. Lots of powerboats. Lee Sail in Hong Kong is just about the nearest and I was about to make a decision on a lowish cut Genoa until I read your posts. Our boat was designed as a true cutter and at one time i wanted to convert her to a full sloop for better upwind sailing. I am now doing a lot of rethinking and rereading your posts…

I have a low-cut genoa for strictly light air, but the standard sail is a high-cut Yankee. It is very versatile and only starts to get useless when 50% rolled up or so. The staysail can, if desired, have a set of reef points put it for truly hairy conditions. Some prefer both jib and staysail to be on furlers; I prefer the bulletproof (to me) hank-on staysail and storm staysail. With these two, we can run off in 50 knots. The trick to loving a cutter is to sail it in all weathers. Then you learn its qualities and forget stuff like the big old tacks you have to make.

OK, I see why you are so worried about this. 45 degrees to the apparent wind will equate to around a 120 degree tacking angle, and that’s pretty bad. First step, is, as you have determined, new sails. That and decent tuning should get you at least a 20 degree improvement in tacking angle which will be a huge improvement in VMG.

Good spotting, John. I thought he meant 45 degrees either side of the true wind, meaning a 90 degree tack, or close reach to close reach, I suppose.

Hi Marc and John, thanks for the advice. Will discuss Yankee jib and a low cut staysail with my sail maker and see what they come up with…

Hi John, I am working on my new sail in earnest. Can you explain what do you mean by ” the staysail stay should be parallel to the headstay and set about 30% of the foretriangle base (J) back from the headstay.” My boat’s main sail is a behind the mast roller furling sail with batten and has a straight leech. I know it is not an efficient sail but offer the convenience not getting out of the cockpit on a shorthanded boat. On its own, it does not give much forward speed to the boat. Say for a 10 knot wind, the boat moves only 3 knots (assuming no current). The genoa was the main driving force. Now, if I were to go for a Yankee jib and staysail combo, how do I get them right to compensate for an inefficient main. Bigger sail area?

I explain all of that in the three chapters on cutters.

Hi John, ok, thanks. Rob

Hi John, I am about to make a purchase of my Yankee jib and staysail. For the staysail Sail maker recommended a 9.4oz cross cut furling Dacron (10.76m luff x 3.9m foot x 9.6m leech). I think that should be ok as it is not a very big sail. The Yankee is a bit tricky because I am deciding on the cut and material. Sail maker recommends a 8.8oz cross cut furling Dacron (15.45m luff x 7.6m foot x 12.09m leech) or a tri-radial cut 9.1oz USwt Challenge Warp Drive dacron(WD9.11). The tri-radial cut is 50% more expensive than the cross cut option. I know you mentioned that the tri-radial cut is the way to go but my reservation is on the material (which I have not heard of anyone who has used it before) and a first timer converting to a true cutter sail plan and of course the cost. How much different in sailing performance is there between the cross cut and tri radial cut?

When I make a recommendation in a chapter like this I have thought about it a lot and it’s my recommendation. It would only change in light of new technology. I don’t believe this to be the case here.

My understanding is that the differences in cut distribute the sailing forces differently across the sail. The weight and strength of the material (is “Warp Drive” equivalent to “HydraNet”, which is Dacron beefed up with Ultra-PE?) is a separate metric. I went with a fairly robust weight of regular Dacron for my new main because of my reefing habits; my cutter’s Yankee is also stock Dacron, but were I to replace it, I would opt for a tri-radial cut as I suspect you can reduce stretch and bag over time. Me, I prefer a lighter cloth for the Yankee and an earlier furl.

If you don’t have money for the more expensive sail, moderation of your sailing habits to more conservatism is the cost of keeping the sail an equal number of miles at sea, I would think.

I have a bit more time today. I have no experience with warp drive, but I can say that laminates are now pretty reliable, so I would not worry too much about that. Also, it’s important to realize that with sails, like many things, initial cost and cost of ownership are two different things. So, while a crosscut woven Dacron sail may seem cheeper I have often found that a radial cut laminate sail keeps it’s shape so much better that in the end it can be a more economical choice.

In addition you will have more fun sailing your boat with a better sail.

Bottom line, cross cut is simply wrong for high cut jibs. In fact, even back in the day when I was sailmaking, long before radial cut headsails, we used to miter cut high cut sails for just this reason.

Hi Marc, very sound advice. Yes, I must admit that money is not on my side with so many things to do on the boat plus a family. I would like to go for a Dacron tri-radial cut but my sail maker does not do a Tri-radial cut with the standard Dacron. He would use laminates of Wrap Drive. But there is so little that can be found on Wrap Drive on the internet. Is it as good as the Hydranet? (my sailmaker does not use Hydranet, only Challenger material I think). So, is Wrap Drive worth the 50% increase in price? Not a question to you but to myself. But I appreciate the spirit of your honest sharing. Cheers mate,

Hi John, interesting that you mention that laminates are “pretty reliable”. All the feedback I got is to steer clear from it as it has a life of at most 5 years plus all the problems with mild dew. The only sailors I know who uses them are racers. In fact I do not know of any cruiser who uses laminates. Most use standard Dacron and Hydranet. Wrap Drive is not a laminate but Dacron with “wrap yarn” (whatever that is) to perform like laminate. I am uncertain of the maintenance requirements/issues, ease to repair and durability of the material to really make an informed decision. I think it is too new in the market. And yes, point taken on the tri-radial cut for a Yankee.

Leech line. most times it is difficult to reach the clew to adjust it while sailing. How does one do it on a Yankee which has an even higher clew. A friend of mine suggested using “over the Head” leech line where the lines goes over the head of the sail, comes along the luff to the (near) tack. It has a small block at the head to facilitate the acute turn of the leech line at the head. Have you had any experience or comments on this system of leech line?

As I said, I have no experience of Warp Drive, but after having a quick look it looks like a competitor to Hydra Net. Anyway, you have my opinions. Be aware that most forum denizens just repeat mythes, so making buying decisions based on “accepted wisdom” on a forum often leads to tears. Before Hydra Net was available, I used laminates for cruising and racing for years and had good service. If you are cruising full time, 5 years can be good, not poor service, it all depends on the miles. I generally find that a well made set of radial cut sails will last about 30,000 miles before losing their shape to the point I can no longer stand to sail with them.

And yes, leading the leach over the head is the required for a high cut sail, and something that any decent sailmaker should do as the default.

Hi Marc, this is from Curisersforum : “Warp is pretty much a marketing play to get you to pay 40% extra for a dacron sail. It’s still simply a woven dacron cloth and it will stretch on the bias just like any other (good tight weave) dacron cloth. In no-way will it perform (low stretch) like a laminate cloth.

There have been numerous attempts to make a woven dacron that is strong in one direction into good sails and they have all failed. Using Pentex fibers (a high modulus dacron) in one direction was all the marketing a rage a while ago. However, ALL woven cloth will stretch on the bias (that is at 45 degrees across the weave) no matter how low stretch the fibers or un-crimped the weave is. This is just a simple fact of the physics of weaving. And this is true if its cross cut or tri-radial. These attemps have tended to produce sails with shorter longivity than regular dacron cross-cut (because they try to use the low stretch in one direction and overload the bias direction).”

I guess the best advice is from someone who has actually used it.

Hi John, Thank you for taking the time to read into Wrap Drive. I really didnt expect you to as you already have a lot on your plate looking after your website. I was hoping perhaps some sailors in this discussion would have some experience. I am taking your opinions and advice thus far very favourably and seriously. Cheers,

Hi John, sunstrip protection for sails. Do you have any experience of using Challenge UV150 and Sunbrella as sunstrip for the Yankee and staysail? Of course in terms of performance, it is preferred not to have any sunstrip at all as it leaves the trailing edge of the sail relatively smooth. But in the tropics, some protection is needed. There is another option of using a laced up “sock”. But that needs another halyard plus more fabric to stow… And advice would be most appreciated. Thanks,

I don’t like Sunbrella for a sunstrip; too heavy so it distorts sail shape. Our sailmaker uses a self-adhesive product that works well and adds very little weight. I’m not sure what the product name is, but your sailmaker should know.

I am refitting a 1990 Cabo Rico 34 cutter with new sails and have been advised by my sailmaker that a 135 jib top “will give her more power up wind” whereas my internet research into the few other CR34 cutters that I could find shows those boats have anywhere from 110s to 130s for the jib top. Do you have an opinion on the 135 versus a smaller sail? And radial versus cross cut? I am also converting the staysail from hanked on to roller furling and dispensing with the boom. Any reason to consider retaining the boom as opposed to free footing the staysail? Of course I want to retain good self tacking ability as I single hand a lot. Thanks for a great website/resource.

If you are going to sail her as a true cutter using the Jib Top and staysail together any time the wind is forward of the beam, in my opinion, it would be a major mistake to build the jib top with that much overlap. I detail the reasons in these three chapters on the cutter rig. If you want more sail for light air performance buying a light air sail like a code 0 is almost always a much better solution than trying to add a bunch of area to the jib top.

Does your sailmaker clearly understand that you are planning to sail her as a true cutter with both headsails in use at the same time?

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WORKPRO W017004A Bolt Cutter, Bi-Material Handle with Soft Rubber Grip, 14", Red&Blue

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8-inch/210mm

• Note: Cutting Locks Is Not Recommended
• Drop Forged Chrome Molybdenum Steel And Powder Coated Jaws For Sure, Efficient Cutting And Long Life. Ergonomic Bi-Material Anti-Slip Grips Provide Greater Control And Comfort In Cutting
• Classic Lever-Fulcrum Design And Precisely Aligned Blades Deliver Added Leverage With Less Effort
• Cutting Capacity: Hrc≤42: 7/32-Inch(5Mm Maximum);Hrc<25: 1/4-Inch(6Mm Maximum)

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Drop forged chrome molybdenum steel and powder coated jaws for sure, efficient cutting and long life	The classic lever-fulcrum design makes it easy to cut hard objects with less offorts	Anti-slip grips provide greater control and comfort in cutting	Adjustable minimum opening prevents excessive force during cutting, which can lead to chipping or edge wear.

Reference Size Information and Choose the Right Bolt Cutters：

• Due to the difference in hardness of metals, please refer to the size information to choose the right bolt cutter for you.
• 14inch/18inch can meet the daily life cutting（Cut Chain, Wire, Screw, Rivet,ect）
• 30" bolt cutter is heavier, but has the most cutting capacity

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Price	$21.99$21.99	$25.89$25.89	$13.99$13.99	$15.29$15.29	$23.58$23.58	$111.99$111.99
Features	Durable Chrome Molybdenum Steel;Anti-slip Soft Grips;Classic Lever-fulcrum Design	Curved Jaw Locking Pliers;Long Nose Locking;Comfortable Grip	High-strength SK5 Steel;Sharp and Effortless Cutting	Automatic Wire Stripper/Cutter/Crimper;AWG10-24;Soft Grip Handles	High-quality Carbon Steel;Multipurpose	Basic Tool Kit; Packed In 18" Durable Nylon Bag

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Manufacturer	‎Hangzhou Great Star Industrial Co.,LTD.
Part Number	‎W017004A
Item Weight	‎2.29 pounds
Product Dimensions	‎17.71 x 5.9 x 1.96 inches
Item model number	‎W017004A
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer	‎No
Size	‎14"
Color	‎Red&blue
Style	‎Bolt Cutter
Material	‎Chrome-molybdenum steel jaws
Power Source	‎Hand Powered
Item Package Quantity	‎1
Measurement System	‎Metric
Included Components	‎bolt cutter
Batteries Included?	‎No
Batteries Required?	‎No

Additional Information

ASIN	B015W3BAW6
Customer Reviews	4.5 out of 5 stars
Best Sellers Rank	#1,282 in Tools & Home Improvement ( ) #1 in
Date First Available	September 28, 2015

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This WORKPRO bolt Cutter is featured with molybdenum steel jaws, compound cutting action requires less effort. Bi-material soft handle for comfortable cutting.

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	W017004A Bolt Cutter, Bi-Material Handle with Soft Rubber Grip, 14", Red&Blue	24" Bolt Cutter, Chrome Molybdenum Steel Blade, Heavy Duty Bolt Cutter with Soft Rubber Grip, Cutting Tool for Cut Chain, Wire, Screw, Rivet	30" Bolt Cutter, Chrome Molybdenum Steel Blade, Heavy Duty Bolt Cutter with Soft Rubber Grip, Cutting Tool for Cut Chain, Wire, Screw, Rivet	18" Bolt Cutter, Chrome Molybdenum Steel Blade, Heavy Duty Bolt Cutter with Soft Rubber Grip, Cutting Tool for Cut Chain, Wire, Screw, Rivet, Black,blue,red	141585 Heavy-Duty Medium Size Bolt Cutter 24" for Cutting Fence, Steel Wire, Chain, Screws, Rivet, and Medium Padlock, with Soft Grip Rubber Ergonomic Handle Cutters	14 Inch Bolt Cutter Heavy Duty Forged T8 Steel Blade Wire Cutters for Chain/Metal/Screw/Rivet/Fence with Rubber Grip Handle
Price	$14.01$14.01	$28.60$28.60	$34.99$34.99	$21.99$21.99	$37.99$37.99	$15.99$15.99
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• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 73% 14% 6% 2% 5% 73%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 73% 14% 6% 2% 5% 14%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 73% 14% 6% 2% 5% 6%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 73% 14% 6% 2% 5% 2%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 73% 14% 6% 2% 5% 5%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers like the quality, weight and performance of the tool. For example, they mention it's a great size for lightweight to medium work, it works great on heavy wire and that it'll get the job done. Customers are also impressed with the grip, saying it'd be easy to hold and doesn't hurt their hands. They appreciate ease of use, and value. That said, some complain about the durability and how easy it is to cut.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers are impressed with the performance of the cutters. For example, they mention it's right for the job, works well with a bit of elbow grease, and is a good tool.

"...WORKPRO W017004A Bolt Cutter, and I have been thoroughly impressed with its performance and build quality...." Read more

" Made project so much easier . Tried to cut mounting bolts with several other smaller cutters I already owned and was unsuccessful so picked these...." Read more

"Sturdy and work well " Read more

" They worked perfectly , the front chipped off but it was a thick lock I was cutting through so not suprise. Overall I'm satisfied with the purchase." Read more

Customers like the quality of the bolt cutter. For example, they mention it's well-made, tough, and strong enough to cut anything. The cushioned handles are robust and comfortable, and the overall features are great. Some say the bolts are long-lasting and the tool is well-finished.

"...Value for Money: Considering its impressive cutting power, durable construction , and comfortable grip, the WORKPRO W017004A Bolt Cutter offers..." Read more

"...The handles are comfortable, stable and are made of quality material." Read more

"Purchased for someone else, they seem pleased - no report on longevity of blade or other parts." Read more

"I was looking for a good, cheap, long-lasting bolt cutter that I could use to cut 1/8" to slightly larger chains, cables, and protruding bolts and..." Read more

Customers appreciate the value of the bolt cutter. They say it's well worth the money, affordable, and easy to use. Some customers even say it makes their work almost fun. Overall, customers find it to be a very good buy.

"...comfortable grip, the WORKPRO W017004A Bolt Cutter offers excellent value for money ...." Read more

"I was looking for a good, cheap , long-lasting bolt cutter that I could use to cut 1/8" to slightly larger chains, cables, and protruding bolts and..." Read more

"...Goes through them like butter. I'm happy and the price is great ." Read more

" Excellent product & quality. It can be used on any small projects to cut wire. It's very sharp." Read more

Customers like the ease of use of the tools. They mention that it cuts through items with ease, is relatively easy to use, and is lightweight. Some say that it's easy to cut screws and metal grids.

"...It effortlessly cuts through bolts , chains, padlocks, and even thick wires with ease...." Read more

"... Took down the bolts very easily with not too much force, and screwed on bolt covers in just a couple minutes...." Read more

"...They are sharp and relatively easy to use for more delicate cutting jobs...." Read more

"...This item is a comfortable size, not to heavy and less effort to use . 128 cuts in 4 panels is a lot of work." Read more

Customers find the weight of the tool to be great for lightweight to medium work, compact, and perfect for various tasks. They also say the short handles are light-weight and fit in apron or on a clip. Overall, customers are satisfied with the size and strength of the product.

"...They’ve stayed sharp and are just the right size . The handles are comfortable, stable and are made of quality material." Read more

"...Overall, they are a solid choice for lighter work but may not be sufficient for more demanding cutting jobs...." Read more

"...This item is a comfortable size, not to heavy and less effort to use. 128 cuts in 4 panels is a lot of work." Read more

"...It's easy to use, not too heavy , and cuts well." Read more

Customers like the grip of the tool. They say it's comfortable, easy to hold, and doesn't hurt their hands. Some appreciate the rubber soft grip handles and double-dipped handles. Overall, customers are happy with the grip and say it handles soft metal very well and hardened steel up to 1/4 inch.

"...its impressive cutting power, durable construction, and comfortable grip , the WORKPRO W017004A Bolt Cutter offers excellent value for money...." Read more

"...They’ve stayed sharp and are just the right size. The handles are comfortable , stable and are made of quality material." Read more

"...The soft plastic grips are comfortable to use . After cutting a number of aluminum chain links the cutting edge looks unfazed...." Read more

"...They are easy to hold and don't hurt my hands to use them...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the ease of cutting. Some mention that it cuts well, is sturdy, and easy to maneuver. It does a very good job cutting small wires, and wired flowers with ease. However, some say that it's very hard to cut a bolt, cattle panels, and makes snipping wire rope more difficult.

"...Value for Money: Considering its impressive cutting power , durable construction, and comfortable grip, the WORKPRO W017004A Bolt Cutter offers..." Read more

"...the problem with cutting stranded cable is that the two cutting surfaces do not "perfectly " and "closely" align...." Read more

"I ended up using these a lot more than I anticipated. They’ve stayed sharp and are just the right size...." Read more

"... Goes through them like butter . I'm happy and the price is great." Read more

Customers are dissatisfied with the durability of the bolt cutter. They mention that the lock dented the blades and made them slip sideways. Some say that the cutter head was all but mangled by the time they cut a dozen springs.

"They worked perfectly, the front chipped off but it was a thick lock I was cutting through so not suprise. Overall I'm satisfied with the purchase." Read more

"I only used it once on a thin shackled lock and it dented in the teeth a lot ...." Read more

"...The cutter head was all but mangled by the time I cut a dozen springs. These cutters aren't hard enough to hold up to any level of serious use." Read more

"...cut the padlock all i was left with was a broken ego and warped blades for my bolt cutters with light gouges in the padlock...." Read more

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> > Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. 23-11-2016, 15:51   Boat: Wauquiez Centurion 32 23-11-2016, 16:26   Boat: Liberty 458 worth a crap on wire ...thats not what they are designed to do. They are designed to break, not cut, bolts. Get cable shears instead. 23-11-2016, 16:40   Boat: Mahe 36, Helia 44 Evo, MY 37 and most every cruiser usually has one of those aboard. 23-11-2016, 17:21   Boat: Casacde 36 23-11-2016, 17:47   Boat: Currently Shopping, & Heavily in LUST! & practice. Especially those who aren't good with tools, have less steady nerves, or are physically weaker. The confidence & experience gained really helps lot. And such gained experiences & traits are "cross transferable". So practicing drills helps, regardless of whether or not you ever need to do such things in anger. The Uncommon Thing, The Hard Thing, The Important Thing (in Life) Making Promises to Yourself, And 23-11-2016, 21:15   Boat: Hans Christian 41 T 24-11-2016, 03:25   Boat: Beneteau Oceanis 45 24-11-2016, 04:45   Boat: 44ft mono hull their thumb when using an angle grinder I'm not sure it's the best plan to be using one on a wet in a storm when you're stressed. 24-11-2016, 04:52   24-11-2016, 06:58   Boat: morgan O/I 33' sloop use so there is no substitute for some testing. As others have wisely noted you do not want cords on deck in bad conditions nor to rely on a in the wet. That eliminates the angle grinder that is great in routine . The easy test is get a sample of your largest rig wire/cable and try some of the options. I would use a loose piece because wire under tension is always easier to cut. I would also out anything that requires bracing one handle on a flat surface as one might not be available when you need it. Pick something easy for you to use because when it hits the fan you will not be at your best. Good luck and if you do some experimenting publish your results. 24-11-2016, 09:21   Boat: 1976 Sabre 28-2 24-11-2016, 14:26   Boat: Wildcat 35, Hobie 33 24-11-2016, 14:56   Boat: Wildcat 35, Hobie 33 24-11-2016, 15:11   Boat: Currently Shopping, & Heavily in LUST! waiting for an unlikely event...and the charges could get damp). The hydraulic cutter seems like a fine solution and worked easily. It also could have other uses. My standing rigging is past due for replacement so I may look for a good pair. Use for that and then stow vaccum sealed with an rag for emergency use. Rigging on a cat, even my little cat, is quite a bit beefier and will give me a chance to test...if nothing else I can chop up some of the old rigging as a test. 24-11-2016, 15:15   Boat: Wildcat 35, Hobie 33 , Thread Tools Rate This Thread : Posting Rules post new threads post replies post attachments edit your posts is are code is are are are Similar Threads Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post gts1544 Construction, Maintenance & Refit 37 11-02-2013 18:12 debath Construction, Maintenance & Refit 34 11-08-2009 13:37 Weyalan Deck hardware: Rigging, Sails & Hoisting 4 07-08-2006 21:24 Bill Houlihan Multihull Sailboats 16 31-01-2006 23:32 Scott k Monohull Sailboats 17 08-10-2005 23:15 No Threads to Display. - - - - - - - Privacy Guaranteed - your email is never shared with anyone, opt out any time. Forums New posts Unanswered threads Register Top Posts Email What's new New posts New Posts (legacy) Latest activity New media Media New media New comments Boat Info Downloads Weekly Quiz Topic FAQ 10000boatnames.com Classifieds Sell Your Boat Used Gear for Sale Parts General Marine Parts Hunter Beneteau Catalina MacGregor Oday Help Terms of Use Monday Mail Subscribe Monday Mail Unsubscribe Hunter keel bolts Thread starter JoVar6 Start date Jan 23, 2014 Hunter Owner Forums The Cherubini Hunters Hello, I am new to this site seeking help. Does anyone know the eact number of keel bolts on the Cherubini type H36? I have located eleven in the bilge area. Are there any more forward? I really don't want to lift the fixed forward sole needlessly,-Hunter is no help! I intend to drop the keel to re-seal it after groundings during our ICW trip from Maryland to Florida.   JoVar6 said: I intend to drop the keel to re-seal it after groundings during our ICW trip from Maryland to Florida. Click to expand The boat has been on the hard for some time, drying out. There was a slight 'smile' crack noted at haul out, which progressed to about a foot long at the front of the keel, and started oozing water. During the removal of multi-coats of bottom paint by the previous owner(s), the joint sealant readily came off, and the silica filled perimeter joint compound readily flicked out in pieces, leaving a good 1/8 inch (3mm+) open gap at this area. Its a safe assumption, water has penetrated into the keel voids. I want to physically observe what if any structural or corrosion damage has been done to the keel bolts! One should never, repeat NEVER re-seal around the keel, encapsulating water that will continually corrode the 300 series stainless steel bolts to its eventual failure. (This from an ex-pat Canuck)   I agree that, if you suspect salt water has infiltrated to the keel bolts, dis-assembly and inspection is called for. Bummer! As mine is a 37C, I can't advise about hidden keel bolts on the 36. Please keep us posted on what you find.   agree with Jim As Jim eluded to, dropping the keel is a lot more complicated than merely removing a few nuts. My only advice would be to make absolutely certain its necessary to drop it. I once observed a team of two men take two full days just to chisel out the "5200" (or whatever) in addition to the nuts.   JoVar6: No need to take out the forward sole (i.e. from the compression post forward) to see the additional bolts. If you remove the wood grate of the head floor, you can get at the shower drain piece which is screwed into the interior floor liner. Remove the drain piece and you will be able to see the additional bolts. I don't remember with any real conviction, but I think there is only one bolt forward compression post. I will be hauling my 1980 H36 in April and with your information, will certainly observe my keel joint. At the very least, it's time to re-torque the bolts. At my last haul four years ago, the joint looked ok with no evidence of separation. But a few days after the haul-out I did notice one morning just a faint driblet of water that seemed to be emanating from the forward part of the keel joint. The moisture didn't continue as the day warmed up. So I did the only sensible thing ... pretended I never saw the driblet and I put the boat back in the water after the bottom paint job. Were your keel bolts leaking also into the bilge? My bilge is always totally dry.   DianaOfBurlington JoVar6: I've visited my boat today and remembered to look down into my removed shower drain pan. Yes, there is only one keel bolt forward of the compression post. To remove / tighten the nut, a small portion of the lip next to the shower head door sill I think would need to be ground away. However the wood head floor grate will probably cover the grind-away so it would not be seen after the work is done.   Not so easy on that keel bolt operation. We had very minor leakage from 2 or the keel bolts on our '80 H27. Due to the possibility of bolt damage between the hull and keel we decided to drop the keel just to make sure. ( I have seen pics of bolts that were almost gone due to the salt water on the stainless bolt) We thought it would be a simple process of resting the keel on blocks, removing the nuts and lifting the hull off. Well that didn't work. The keel remained attached to the hull and required several hours of serious chiseling to release the keel. We were pleased that the bolts were in perfect condition. It was re-bedded with 5200 (factory recommendation) and should be good for another 30+ years. If there is any chance of water trapped between the hull and keel it would be a great peace of mind to know the condition of the bolts.   Thank you all, especially RardiH36, for some very useful information, and I apologize for being tardy in checking for additional posts. I had to return for my real home base at Southern Georgian Bay for a dose of winter.(brrrrr) Thanks again.   I don't know if I had too much faith in Hunter, or was just stupid, but for twenty years to get my boat to my house I had to get it over a sandbar that only had four feet of water. I would back up about a half a mile, get up to full speed and just ram the boat over the bar. It was always quite dramatic. Most times I made it. Sometimes not. In any case, Midnight Sun has never had a keel bolt leak. Never had any barnacles on the bottom of the keel either.   Blaise said: ...I had to get it over a sandbar that only had four feet of water. I would back up about a half a mile... Click to expand Just as a followup, Midnight Sun is a deep draft boat.   Blaise said: I don't know if I had too much faith in Hunter, or was just stupid, but for twenty years to get my boat to my house I had to get it over a sandbar that only had four feet of water. I would back up about a half a mile, get up to full speed and just ram the boat over the bar. It was always quite dramatic. Most times I made it. Sometimes not. In any case, Midnight Sun has never had a keel bolt leak. Never had any barnacles on the bottom of the keel either. Click to expand This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies. Accept Learn more… Photos show an oil tanker ablaze days after Houthi rebels attacked it with a drone boat A commercial oil tanker adrift in the Red Sea was still on fire days after an attack by the Houthis. The Greek-flagged vessel MV Sounion was struck by an exploding Houthi drone boat last week. Carrying 165,000 tons of crude oil, the EU said it poses a "navigational and environmental hazard." A commercial oil tanker adrift in the Red Sea was still on fire days after Houthi rebels attacked it with an explosive-laden drone boat last week. The incident was the most recent successful attack by the Iranian-backed rebel group in Yemen, which is targeting vessels in key shipping lanes in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians amid the war in the Gaza Strip. Targeted tanker The Greek-flagged tanker vessel MV Sounion came under attack by the Houthis last Wednesday as it was transiting the Gulf of Oman, the Greek shipping ministry said. The 274-meter-long oil tanker was en route from Iraq to the Greek town of Agioi Theodoroi, about 50 miles west of Athens, where several key oil refineries operate to provide fuel from Greece to other parts of Europe and  the US . A hostile rescue mission Operation Aspides — the European Union's counter-Houthi naval mission — deployed a French frigate to rescue the crew aboard the Sounion, which was left stranded in international waters after the ship lost engine power during an attack. During the rescue mission, however, the French warship detected a hostile naval drone "heavily loaded" with explosives and destroyed it, the French military said. Une frégate 🇫🇷 déployée en mer Rouge a réalisé ce matin le sauvetage de l'équipage du pétrolier Sounion, action comprenant la neutralisation d'un drone de surfaceEngagée dans l'opération @EUNAVFORASPIDES 🇪🇺 la frégate🇫🇷continue ses missions de maintien #sécuritémaritime https://t.co/JyV0POavRg pic.twitter.com/eBe9ZPP7nH — FFEAU.ALINDIEN (@FFEAU_ALINDIEN) August 22, 2024 The frigate evacuated more than two dozen crew members aboard the Sounion, who were all reportedly unharmed in the incident, and transported them to a nearby port in Djibouti. Following the rescue operation on Thursday, the abandoned tanker was reportedly anchored in place in waters between Eritrea and Yemen, a maritime security source told Reuters last week. Houthi explosions Late Friday night, the Houthis posted video footage to social media showing explosions rocking the damaged oil tanker as fires broke out on the main deck. An analysis by the Associated Press said three simultaneous explosions could be heard in the video, suggesting that the explosives were planted on the abandoned vessel rather than struck by a drone or other munitions. Burning for days The EU's naval operation released images of large plumes of smoke billowing from the tanker vessel on Monday, which was still ablaze days after the Houthi attack. Authorities added that at least five locations on the ship's main deck were still on fire, including part of its superstructure and areas near the hatches of its oil tanks. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said the burning tanker also now appears to be adrift, possibly having lost its anchor. 'An imminent environmental hazard' The EU said the ship, which is loaded with 150,000 metric tons (about 165,000 tons) of flammable crude oil, represents "both a navigational and an imminent environmental hazard," warning vessels in the area to exercise "extreme caution." The Sounion is carrying at least 1.1 million barrels of crude oil, or about 47.9 million gallons. By comparison, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker could carry just over 53 million gallons — about 11 million of which spilled into the Gulf of Alaska in 1989 after the tanker hit a reef. As of Sunday night, there were no obvious signs of an oil spill , Aspides wrote in a post on X . "A potential spill could lead to disastrous consequences for the region's marine environment," the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority said Friday. Houthi's havoc in the Red Sea continues In its 10-month campaign terrorizing commercial ships in waters near Yemen, the Houthis have targeted more than 80 vessels — seizing one and sinking two . At least three mariners have been killed in the Houthi campaign. The Sounion is the third vessel operated by Greek shipping company Delta Tankers to be targeted by the Iranian-backed rebel group this month. In a televised speech, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the rebel group was attacking Delta Tankers' ships because the shipping company allegedly disregarded the rebel's group demands not to enter "the ports of occupied Palestine." "Delta Tankers is doing everything it can to move the vessel (and cargo)," the company said in a statement on Friday, per Reuters . "For security reasons, we are not in a position to comment further." Main content 473 IMAGES Stanley 14-330 Bolt Cutter Bahco 4559-30 750mm/30" Bolt Cutters With Comfort Grip Handles 36" Bolt Cutter Pro Bolt Cutters 750mm / 30″ Supreme Bolt Cutter bolt cutter undefined 18 in. Bolt Cutters VIDEO Repairing our autopilot linear drive underway Bolt 37 Как очень легко открутить слизанный штуцер суппорта Русский булат "Грибник" (9ХС Фултанг). My IMHO Krenn RC8 Pnuematic Bolt Cutter Лодочный мотор Sea Pro 2,6. Ручной стартер: замена шнура на трос, намотка пружины за пару минут COMMENTS Emergency Rigging Cutters Swiss-made Felco rigging cutters are found in most rigging shops. They're expensive but worth every penny in an emergency. Muscle Power. Swiss made Felco C-16 Cable Cutters are a big step up, both in ease of use and price ($350). These popular cable cutters are generally sold for use only on cable up to 5/8″. Cutter Rigged Sailboats [GUIDE] Advantages, Sailing, Options & Features Advantages of a Cutter Rig. There are a lot of reasons to like a cutter. A cutter rigged boat has redundant rigging and spreads the sail load across its rigging. And a cutter rig offers increased sail options-it offers increased sail area in light winds and easy and efficient ways to decrease sail area in heavy weather. Bolt Cutters Bolt Cutters It is all very well to say what bolt cutters work fine, but what are you cutting with these bolt cutters...? I would not purchase a set of cutters without checking if they will cut through the largest member of stainless rigging that was on my yacht. What size bolt cutters What size bolt cutters would be good for emergency cutting stays or shrouds on a 40-44' Catamaran (think Leopard or Lagoon). 14", 24", 42"? Bolt Cutters? Hi powercruisers, As a newbie looking to do costal crusing in Oz, does any body carry bolt cutters capable of cutting your anchour chain? Would anybody consider this a necessity or is a fowled anchour Sailboat Rigging Hardware & Parts Shop a comprehensive selection of sailboat rigging ranging from specialty wire rope and terminals to swaging tools and rigging pins. Whether replacing worn running rigging lines or updating aging standing rigging wires, we provide everything required - from turnbuckles and toggles to swagers and crimpers - as parts of a sailboat rigging. What's in a Rig? The Cutter Rig The Cutter Rig. By: Pat Reynolds Sailboat Rigs, Sailboats. What's in a Rig Series #2. A variation on the last installment of What's in a Rig (the sloop) is the Cutter Rig. Although it has gone through some changes through the course of history, the modern cutter rig is generally a set-up with two headsails. The forward sail is called the ... Emergency wire cutter (standing rigging) Hi; Does anyone carry a tool on board for cutting wire rigging in an emergency (ie dismasting). I'm looking for a decent reasonably priced wire cutter that cuts cleanly to carry for such an emergency. Is there a tool you recommend that cuts cleanly and doesn't cost more than 200 dollars? Thanks... Sailboat Cutters: The Ultimate Guide Discover the best sailboat cutters for an extraordinary sailing adventure. Explore top brands like Hallberg-Rassy, Swan & Island Packet in our ultimate guide. Cutter Rig—Optimizing and/or Converting Now we get to the nitty gritty: How to convert your boat to a cutter rig and how to make existing cutters better. What size bolt cutters Cruisers & Sailing Forums > The Fleet > Multihull Sailboats What size bolt cutters Click Here to Login Register Vendors FAQ Community Calendar Today's Posts Search Log in Social Groups Pictures & Albums Members List Meet the Mods Meet the Advisors Signup for The Daily Cruiser Email Page 2 of 5 < 1 2 3 4 > Last » This discussion is proudly ... Cutter (boat) Cutter (boat) A cutter is a name for various types of watercraft. It can apply to the rig (sail plan) of a sailing vessel (but with regional differences in definition), to a governmental enforcement agency vessel (such as a coast guard or border force cutter), to a type of ship's boat which can be used under sail or oars, or, historically, to a ... Sloop to Cutter, Pros v. Cons? Sloops are for pointing, cutters are for reaching. If you intend lots of 'downwind sailing' or a venue that involves mostly reaching (tradewinds) then a cutter rig will probably be best; but, if you are planing routes that involve a lot of pointing/beating then a fractional rig sloop is probably the best. RIDGID 14233 Model S36 Bolt Cutter, Heavy-Duty Bolt Cutters This RIDGID heavy-duty bolt cutter features a center cut that has a 9/16-inch capacity for soft metals, a 1/2-inch capacity for medium metals and a 7/16-inch capacity for hard metals. The overall tool length is 38 inches. 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WORKPRO W017004A Bolt Cutter, Bi-Material Handle with Soft Rubber Grip KSEIBI 141580 Heavy-Duty Medium Size Bolt Cutter 18" for Cutting Fence, Steel Wire, Chain, Screws, Rivet, and Medium Padlock, with Soft Grip Rubber Ergonomic Handle Cutters 4.4 out of 5 stars 737 1 offer from $32.62 Moscow Death Brigade "Boltcutter" Official Video New Album Dropping May 10th: https://www.moscowdeathbrigade.com/radio-hope-albumTour With ZSK:18.04.24 CZ Prague Rock Cafe19.04.24 DE Leipzig Täubchent... What size bolt cutters Originally Posted by Steady Hand The use of Bolt Cutters has been mentioned as very difficult. A good visual demonstration of that is seen in the Yachting Monthly "Crash Test Boat" video Moscow Death Brigade Moscow Death BrigadeBoltcutter (Full album)Tracklist:01. 00:00 - Renegade stomp02. 02:57 - What we do03. 05:47 - Anne Frank Army, pt. II.04. 09:31 - Boltcutt... Boltcutter LP / CD LP / CD LP / CD PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY DOWNLOAD LP / CD LP / CD PLAY 2018 Hunter Cherubini Keelbolts Hello everyone,\u000B\u000BMy name is Robert, and I am looking to buy a Cherubini 37 cutter. Like the last guy to post on this forum, I am also an engineer, and have already rebuilt several boats.\u000B\u000BI cannot find any information on the keelbolts they used (material), or what kind of keel to hull joint was... Moscow Death Brigade Boltcutter Lyrics Boltcutter, boltcutter, we're from the same gutter We came to bring the pain - out to gut them Cut metal like butter, skeleton key in my backpack Boltcutter goes Click-Clack Keep ... Chinese Cutters Ram Philippine Vessel in the South China Sea A Philippine offshore vessel was rammed and disabled by Chinese cutters and warships near a contested South China Sea shoal on Sunday. BRP Datu Sanday (MMOV-3002), an offshore vessel operated by ... Crew Member on Mike Lynch Yacht Says He Walked on 'Walls' Trying to Crew member on watch duty on Mike Lynch's yacht says he was 'walking on the walls' of the boat as he tried to save passengers Rebecca Rommen 2024-09-01T16:12:59Z A residential cruise ship that's supposed to sail the world for 3 years The Odyssey is due to sail around the world every 3 ½ years, visiting 147 countries and 425 destinations en route. Advertisement While the ship is stuck in Belfast, passengers can go on board ... Hunter keel bolts C&C Frigate 36 St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia. Jan 24, 2014. #4. I agree that, if you suspect salt water has infiltrated to the keel bolts, dis-assembly and inspection is called for. Bummer! As mine is a 37C, I can't advise about hidden keel bolts on the 36. Please keep us posted on what you find. US admiral says American ships could sail into a South China Sea A US admiral said that American ships could escort Philippine vessels in the South China Sea. Tensions are high in the area as clashes continue between China and the Philippines. The US is bound ... Greek Oil Tanker Still Ablaze Days After Houthi Attack in Red Sea A commercial oil tanker adrift in the Red Sea was still on fire days after an attack by the Houthis. The Greek-flagged vessel MV Sounion was struck by an exploding Houthi drone boat last week ... catamaran gulet motorboat powerboat riverboat sailboat trimaran yacht