Not experienced enough to comment on the genoa size, but several
people on the list have gone with a smaller genoa and seemed pleased
with the results in strong winds.
I am not a fan of side rails on the Rhodes, but again there are others
on the list who are. I agree with Stan that it interferes with sail
shape and handling. I have a non sailing wife and a small child
among others. On a Rhodes there is no need for them to leave the
cockpit. The only time I need to go forward is when anchoring and
docking. I'd listen to Stan & Elton, never known their advice to be
wrong.
Mike Corley
SV Ranger
99 Rhodes without side rails
01 Jan 2001
Russ, get the rails. they look shape on the boat, give a nice
handhold going forward, the double life lines work for the cockpit,
Karin is very happy with them and the kids in the cockpit. The wide
gates do not hinder or cause a trip hazard at the docks, They are
high enough not to be a keen tripper. Much, Much Much, better then
the straight life lines. Their is not problem with the sheet angles
and the sails do not get tied up in them (just the forward lowers like
most Rhodes :-), The only complaint I have is that my set have a base
leg to close to the winch to permit the winch handle to turn 360.
have to go back and forth, oh well thier goes my racing turns ;-),
get them you will like them.
MJM
03 Jan 2001
[The top section of this email addressed the head sails, so the email
was split and the paragraphs concerning the head sails were place
under theGenoa Sails topic]
I would go with the new rails (I did :-), The Solid set mid ship and
use life lines to connect them to the aft rails, I think I understand
what you are asking but I would not do it, besides it looking ugly
you asking for a custom rail job(not cheap, and you do what the boat
in 2001), The 24 inch "standard" lifelines have never worked on the
boat, also do not try to put anything from the mid ship rails to the
bow puppet rails, That will foul the sails. Under sail you are rally
on the fordeck and the stays do act as lifelines, Stan might be
trying to talk you "polity" out of your design, might pay to listen.
Bottom line, get the rails as pictured with the dual gated lifelines
in the cockpit or leave it off altogether. I sailed Rhodes22 both
ways and they are fine boats.
MJM
04 Jan 2000
[The top section of this email addressed the head sails, so the email
was split and the paragraphs concerning the head sails were place
under theGenoa Sails topic]
As I mentioned in my previous post, I custom built my own set of
stainless steel railings. There are several pictures of Dynamic
Equilibrium on the photo web site if you'd like to see what my
railings look like. The stainless steel railings are all smooth &
rounded with nothing to snag a line on while tacking. The pictures of
GBI's stainless steel railings look like they are very well made. If
they'd been available in 1987, I'd have probably bought them instead
of building my own. My experience with sailing handling over my
stainless railings is they are almost as easy to tack as with no
railings at all. The lifelines are another story. With lifelines,
there are places to foul sheets at each stanchion & they are not as
slippery as railings. The problem is the worst in light air. My
other problem with the standard lifelines is that they are too low
for good safety & uncomfortably small in diameter to hang onto or
bump up against in foul weather. My stainless railings are 30 inches
high & about 1 inch O.D. so you can get a good grip on them. Yes,
there is some extra weight & windage. But, it's pretty equally
distributed around the boat & down relatively low. My railings have
never caused me a problem in this respect & they've kept me on board
all these years. The lifeline or railing height is one of those
things you shouldn't scale down proportionately with the size of the
boat because the people that depend on them stay the same size.
As far as sail trim with lifelines or railings, my experience is that
the railings don't interfere with the genoa car sheeting location
until I furl the headsail down to less than about 110%. At this
point, the appropriate genoa car location changes from the outer
track to the inner track. Rethreading the sheets to the new genoa car
is a little more cumbersome with the railings than without them.
Actually, I keep a set of sheets rigged up to each set of genoa cars
with a snap shackle to quickly attach the sheets to the clew on the
genoa. Then in puffy conditions, I can quickly switch back & forth.
Some people like to weave a fishnet in between their railings or
lifelines to make the setup a little safer. It probably is safer,
but it definitely interferes with genoa car location! With fishnet,
you have to rethread the sheets every time you move the genoa cars
even slightly. I had fishnet on the railings around my cockpit for
a very brief time right after I 1st built them. The fishnet was
such a royal PITA to live with that I took it off.
In 1987, when I built my railings, my sons were 4 years & 1 year old.
The 3 of us frequently sailed with nobody else on board. My sons
have grown up with our Rhodes 22. Could we have made do W/O the
railings? Possibly, but you have to do what you feel comfortable
with. This is something I felt so strongly about that I was
motivated to build my own railings. My sons are currently 17 years &
14 years old. We all still love to sail our Rhodes 22.
Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
04 Jan 2001
Michael, thanks for the practical advice on sails and the furler
system--given what GBI is likely to keep in stock without delays and
extra costs. As far as rails, I didn't have in mind any special
design. As I understand it, there are at least two "standard" GBI
options. One is the rails that you like on your boat (although I
didn't understand from your other message just what the lines to the
cockpit rails and the gate are). GBI's current rail design is at
http://www.pathfind.net/rhodes22/pics/ENCLOSURE.jpg
Any lines or gates to the cockpit must be on the "Cockpit Life Lines"
option on GBI's "Super Options List". I have never seen these and
wasn't planning on getting them. The other design, probably older, is
just two vertical stauncheons on each side amidships, through the top
of which runs a lifeline which then attaches to the deck near the bow.
Pictures of this are on the enlarged versions of Bill Gallant's boat
at
http://www.pathfind.net/rhodes22/pics/Gallant1.jpg
and at
http://www.pathfind.net/rhodes22/pics/Gallant2.jpg
Under any design, I didn't have in mind any gate or connection of
life lines from midships back to the cockpit rail that wraps around
to the stern.
Your rails sound good, but I think it would bother me also if they
don't leave room to rotate the winch all the way round--even when
not racing.
Judging from all the reponses, views about rails, or the absence
thereof, are all over the map. There are a lot of views about sails,
too, even under similar sailing conditions. I appreciate everyone's
responses, and I have learned a lot from them, even if I haven't made
up my mind yet.
David Keyes
04 Jan 2000
forgetabout the life lines in the
http://www.pathfind.net/rhodes22/pics/Gallant2.jpg, They are
exactly the type that do not work on the boat and are better off
without them, That Is my humble option.
http://www.pathfind.net/rhodes22/pics/ENCLOSURE.jpg is the type of
rail on my boat along with the addition of a double life line from
the rails to the rear rails, they work very nice, I made a mistake,
it was not the lifeline rails that caused the trouble, it was the new
rail for the CEO seat(the white seat in the picture) and maybe the
upgraded winches I had installed. Some of the down side of being
first to try. Check we stan might have been solved.
MJM
04 Jan 2000
