Aquarius Sail Owners

Is there a kit available to upgrade an 80's vintage SC17 to use a self-tacking jib? I would also like to use a spin or a hooter eventually.

Now that I have seen a self tending jib setup up close I realize that it is quite a proposition and would not be an inexpensive upgrade. I like the idea of buying a new ARC 17 better...

Why is it so expensive?

As I see it you would need the following.

A new main beam with boltrope groove.
A new jib that is cut with a shorter foot so it will pass in front of the mast.
A curved section of traveler that mounts in front of the main beam (this is quite an assembly)
A traveler car
Some blocks.

Here is a drawing of a self tacking system for an F18 cat http://www.harken.com/rigtips/formula18.php

Maybe you can use your old beams and screw in eyestraps like I did. You can also use a straight jib track instead of the curved. That should cut the costs down.

If you use a straight track don't you lose the self tacking feature? I thought the idea was that with a curved track the jib would set itself properly when you tacked.

The straight track is used on the ARC-17 & 21. Only the ARC-22 uses the curve track. So I don't see any reason to not go with a straight track.

With my curved track you only need one line to control the jib. The curve will set the correct position depending on the tension. I am not sure if the straight track requires a barberhauler or not, in addition to the jib sheet.

Kevin,
We just use the jib sheet with the straight track. No barberhauler.

Here in Western New York we are Super Cat / ARC challenged. I know of one other SC in the Buffalo Area and one in Rochester. Believe it or not, the first SC 17 I bought I got from Florida, nice sails and an ok tramp and trailer, but a poor patch job was done on both hulls... Well, they looked good on the outside

SC #3 came from Lake Ontario. Nice boat, but hurricane Ike beat this boat to death against a concrete wall when it came up the Lake Erie shore.

SC #3 came from Virginia. Good hulls, but they could use a fresh coat of Gelcoat.

(I won't even mention the SC 15 that is sitting in my back yard, waiting for some attention.)

Needless to say I have a good supply of rudder assemblies, beams and main sails. The only other SC I have seen up close is in terrible shape, so I try not to use it as a guide for anything.

Thanks for your comments and directions. I'm learning a ton about what is possible with this boat and having fun along the way. I hope to install the new tramp I bought from Aquarius Sail this weekend after I wet sand, compound and wax the hulls.

Next year we will do the self tacking jib. Who knows, maybe I will actually see an ARC 17 with that setup sometime in the next year.

I installed a self-tacking jib kit on my 15. I suggest getting the entire kit from Aquarius because they have the right 'recipe' and you won't have to reinvent the wheel, so to say.

I went with a straight track to save a little money and because Bill Roberts was pretty much adamant about how well they work--and they work very well. I set the sheeting system up like an Inter 20 where the line is controlled from 2 different blocks mounted on the beam. I crossed the line in the middle of the tramp and tied it off on both ends to the eyelets on the tramp track where the jib blocks used to attach. That way, it is very convenient to get to the line when you are on the wire.

The only problem I have now is that the line is heavy and wants to drag in the water in light air. It then pulls in on the jib control blocks and won't let the sail go all the way out when going down wind. I'm thinking about getting a forward tramp made that is a triangle from the end of the compression pole to the beam.

Also--I wanted to run a Hooter on the boat but couldn't. The jib attaches so low that the spinnaker pole is about even with the decks. The Hooter hit the bridles and I would have had to either cut a huge curve in the foot or add a 12 inch wire leader to get it higher on the tack. I punted and I'm going with a spinnaker.

Does the new jib improve tacking?

Yes and no.

With the standard jib set up, you can back-wind it by leaving it cleated longer if you have to, but you can't back wind the self-tacker without going to the front and holding it.

It is very convenient because you have one less string to pull before you get out on the wire.

Really, I found that if you sit in the back of the boat and stay on that back corner until the boat goes through the wind, it really helps. The boat will rotate around you and the bows will be up in the air acting like (backwinding jib) sails. It isn't fast, but it takes the frustration out of tacking a cat.

I can tack mine from the wire, pop the main sheet and make it around to the other side very quickly now. I use the sitting-in-the-back method only in very light wind.

Yep, roll tack works great with a self tacker. I find that the straight track actually adds tension as the wind increases, similar to sheeting the jib.