[Rhodes22-list] Extension bar use

[Caesar Paul]

Ben,
 
I have had my boat for about 4 months now and have launched and retrieved weekly for the first two months.  I have launched without, and with the extension.  It has been easier for me to extend the bar after I unhitch from the tow vehicle.
 
Both the angle of the ramp, and the height of the tow vehicle dictate whether you use the extender or not.  I have been able to launch on all my ramps without using the extension bar.  The rear wheels got wet, and, regardless of your vehicle, you would need to stop when your exhaust pipe begins to belch.
 
Caesar
Gentle Breeze 
1984 Recycled 2008 

--- On Wed, 10/1/08, ben <benonvelvetelvis at theskinnyonbenny.com> wrote:

From: ben <benonvelvetelvis at theskinnyonbenny.com>
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Extension bar use
To: "'The Rhodes 22 Email List'" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Date: Wednesday, October 1, 2008, 11:07 AM

Do most of you find that you need the extension bar?  My normal launch gets
deep enough fast enough that I don't need to use it at all.

Ben S.
R22 Velvet Elvis

-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Michael D. Weisner
Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 2008 10:57 AM
To: The Rhodes 22 Email List
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Extension bar use

Andrew,

I have played the same game of "catch the pin" many times.  Proper 
adjustment of the trailer height using the trailer jack and lots of fresh 
grease on the tongue extension make the job much easier, whether the car is 
used or you do it by hand.  My new extension tongue is slightly longer (1 
foot) and has a stop fixed to the end to prevent pulling it all the way out,

just in case.

We used to launch or retrieve in 30-45 minutes with a trained crew of 3-4. 
Now, my wife and I are able to accomplish the task in about an hour or so, 
including rigging while on the water.  I found that I spent too much time 
climbing up and down the boat while still on the trailer to rig. We just 
extend the tongue, launch, VERIFY NO LEAKS, motor out, drop the hook, step 
the mast and rig in the river.  Now we have no overheads to worry about 
while on the trailer.

If you require help, we are in Kings Park, probably not that far from you.

Mike
s/v Shanghai'd Summer ('81)
Nissequogue River, NY


From: "Andrew Collins" <sailingvesselcarmen at gmail.com>Sent:
Wednesday, 
October 01, 2008 11:35 AM
> Wally
>
> The extension bar is a real help in launching and retrieving, the only 
> catch
> is sliding it in and out and lining up the fast-pin holes while you are
> driving. This is especially aggravating if you are alone. The easy 
> solution
> we came up with is to pull the extension bar out by hand, re-hitch it to 
> the
> tow vehicle and proceed to launch, or vice versa.
>
> A little game has evolved out of this as well if there is a driver and a
> fast-pin inserter: slowly drive forward pulling the extension bar out 
> (with
> the trailer chocked!), fast-pin guy yelling 'slow', SLOWER",
GOT IT! as 
> the
> holes appear. As with all things, practice makes perfect. Pretty soon 
> you'll
> know exactly where that hole is inside the front support sleeve.
>
> Too many of us launch and retrieve alone, and one gets pretty good at a 
> lot
> of things. It goes much faster with an extra pair of hands, and then there
> is a good reason to crack a cold one.
>
> Andrew
> s/v Carmen
>
> On Wed, Oct 1, 2008 at 10:49 AM, Joe Babb <joe.babb at comcast.net>
wrote:
>
>> Hi Wally,
>> Sharon and I trailer sail our Rhodes 22.  We find that extending the
>> trailer tongue to launch and retrieve is the most
>> aggravating thing about it.  Otherwise things go quite smoothly with
the
>> mast hoist system.  It just takes time and patience.
>> It takes us about 1.5 to 2 hours to rig and launch.  That's from
parking
>> at the launch ramp to parking the truck and
>> trailer.  The best tip is to minimize the amount of time you spend
>> getting on and off the boat through planning your
>> work.  We tow with a Chevy 2500 Silverado.  We usually get 16 -18 mpg
on
>> the highway without towing.  On the way
>> back across the Smoky Mountains from Edenton we got about 12 mpg
average
>> towing the Rhodes.
>> Going up steep hills usually slows us down to 40 or 45.  We found the
>> boat tows well at 55 mph.
>> So far, I've always just jumped in the water and led Harmony onto
the
>> trailer.  The trailer extension is a pain, but also
>> very nice as it gets you far  enough into the water to avoid having to
>> use muscle power to launch.
>> Hope this helps.
>> Joe
>>
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