OUCH!!! Re: [Rhodes22-list] Steep Launch Question

[Mary Lou Troy]

Ouch Julie,
First you get it and then Blue Loon. I hope you both heal quickly.

I must say I know what you went through with Blue Loon. We had that exact 
same thing happen the first time we launched Fretless.  We ground out the 
gouges, filled with epoxy and touched up with the touch up paint that Elton 
gave us when we left the factory. You can't notice the damage. The ramp we 
launched at was also steep and as we were drysailing we took to launching 
with an old throwable kapok-filled cushion draped over the bowstop. We 
destroyed the cushion in 2 1/2 years of use. We now launch once and 
retrieve once a year at a much shallower ramp. We still sometimes get 
smudges on the bow from our new black rubber bowstop but the forces are not 
so severe.  If we were still launching at a steep ramp we would have had to 
find something else to pad the bowstop or perhaps retool the bowstop 
assembly to accept one of those big heavy-duty amber stops (we couldn't 
find one to fit). I think the new trailers have a different bowstop 
assembly - at least the ones I've seen at the boat shows look different.

Another tip for steep ramps: when you pull out, make sure the boat is 
centered on the bunks. Don't let the keel catch on the uprights that serve 
as the keel guides. The keel guide upon which the keel is sitting cannot 
support the entire weight of your boat.  The good news is thought the bang 
of the boat dropping onto the bunks when the keel guide broke scared the 
sh** out of us, no damage was done to the boat. We bent the support for the 
aft keel roller and a year later had to re-weld one of the vertical 
supports on the trailer - possibly related.

Good luck on the repairs. Hope your ribs mend quickly and you are back out 
on the water soon.

Mary Lou


At 10:47 PM 5/29/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>With the patient and generous help of Steve Alm (aka Slim), our newly 
>delivered recycled Rhodes 22, Blue Loon, was rigged yesterday and launched 
>today on Lake Minnetonka just outside of Minneapolis. The launch was at a 
>marina used mostly by keelboats and they generally use a travelift/sling 
>to drop them in the water rather than from trailers. Because of the this, 
>the ramp is short and very steep.
>
>We ran into a problem with the stern floating completely and the front 
>still resting on the bunks. The angle forced the bow onto the V-shaped 
>rubber bow stop on the trailer, popping it off completely and dropping the 
>bow onto the metal support underneath - end result:  the boat now has a 
>long, deep scratch on her previously unblemished new paint job.
>
>Prior to the launch the bow was 4-5 inches away from the bow stop and the 
>support arm was retracted. The marina manager suggested that we may have 
>had better success had we moved the bow support arm out so that it was 
>actually touching the boat before we started and tying a line from the bow 
>eye to the the support to keep in snug. I'm not convinced that that would 
>have made a difference.
>
>Does anyone else have any experience launching with short, steep ramps and 
>suggestions about avoiding future mishaps like this?
>
>Slim - if you want to add a more detailed explanation, please feel free.
>
>On a more positive note, the new Yamaha that we got from Stan (9.9 
>extra-long shaft) fired up and ran beautifully. Steve and Dan enjoyed a 
>nice but somewhat calm sail on Blue Loon's maiden voyage under new name 
>and new sails.  They also tested out the 'new' modified IMF batten sail 
>but you'll probably have to wait for a stronger wind to get a report on 
>how well it functions.
>
>I unfortunately had to stay on shore and watch - I was in a major auto 
>pile-up on Friday and spent the holiday weekend in the hospital. My 
>sailing season will have to wait until my broken ribs have some time to mend.
>
>Julie (and Dan)
>S/V Blue Loon ('96 Rhodes 22, recycled April 2003)
>__________________________________________________
>Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list