National C Scow Sailing Association / Welcome to the NCSSA Forums / Racing Minds

Sit-ups and curls

Hayden — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:21:16 GMT

The IBYC Spring Regatta is only eight weeks away.

Pump it up:D

Can older C hulls be competitive?

Ed — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:24:05 GMT

Can old C Scow hulls with newer rigs and sails still be competitive? Is there an big advantage in having a 2000 versus an 1984 or a 2008 versus a 1998?

C-Scow Specs

cscowhine — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:10:55 GMT

I am in the market for a used c-scow and in my reading about the boats there is a lot of talk about old verses new when it comes to mast types. How do I identify it the boat has a newer type mast verses the older aluminum masts. This seems important when it comes to sailing techniques.

Old Wooden C-Scows

boatdrinks4u2 — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:10:13 GMT

Hello,

Just bought my first old wooden C-Scow to restore. A 1960 Stamn. It is in gorgeous condition with just cosmetic and light hull work. Anyone that has any experience with restoring one of these or any wooden boat that would like to offer free advise would be greatly appreciated. Maybe a "if I had to do it again, I would have started this first...". Or a "make sure you ... before anything else." I am sure some are thinking, "quite now before the wife leaves you..."

Once I pick it up next week I am going to take as many pictures as I can and fully document the condition, structure and lines...

Thanks,

Ron

Boosting regatta participation

scraig — Sun, 10 May 2009 20:50:09 GMT

Quantum sails is closed for business and Melges has suspended C Scow production.

C Scow sailors need to come together this year to keep the class alive. Regatta numbers are down again this year, after a bad year last year. Only 7 boats sailed at Spring Lake.

I have a few suggestions to increase participation at regattas:

1. Every host club should organize housing for off-the-lake sailors, and post this information on their flyer/announcement. This can make the difference between attending or not attending in these hard economic times.

2. Regatta announcements need to go out on an Email distribution list. This needs to be coordinated by the board and officers. We are too passive now, relying on word of mouth or waiting for sailors to look for postings on this site or others.

3. Hosting clubs need to offer some help lining up potential third crewpersons. I've sailed 2 regattas in the past year where my wife and I could not find a local third and had to go out in 20+ MPH winds with just 2 of us. I know, ideally we would bring a potential 3rd, but that is not always possible.

Here is what I have learned

Team Wagon - Augie — Thu, 31 May 2007 13:25:32 GMT

Ok - so I am going to try this, maybe once a week, or everyother. int he past 8 years of sailing C scow, I have learned a lot about how to sail these boats. From speed to waves to sail trim, there is a lot that goes into a Successful C scow race. So this is my attempt to share what I have learned.

Todays topic - Mast setup. I have been approached by many people about how to set up the mast on the C boat. - Step one - step the mast.

Mast rake - the tuning guide says to be around 31 feet 10 to 11 inches. Honestly, I have not sailed in 3 years forward of 31' 9.5 inches. Light air - heavy air whatever... the boat feels better with the mast back a bit. So I set the mast to 31-9.5 and have the sidestay hand tight, so there is no sag.

Jack Stays - with just 2 (375lbs) sailing - we sail at 50 inches from the base of the mast. That is applying a small amount of pressure with one finger on each jack stay. I could probably get them to 58-60 if I pushed hard. when we add our third, I tighten them up to about 44 (one finger pressure).

Mainsheet cars - this is on e of those things that most people done move, but I move these more than anything. The general position of the cars would be the back car just over the back traveler and the 2nd car infront of that. Then i move the middle car very forward on the boom. The main sheet cars control the mast 'swivel' and thus controls the mast angle to the wind. I beleive you should have your cars pulling on the mast to create less rotation. Try this and see how it feels. It feels great in flat water. More rotation in chopper waters.

With this mast set up, you will find yourself getting close to 'two blocking' the mainsheet in 10 to 12 mph. in flat water, this can be very fast, and you will get a great sounds ''hummmmm'' from your mast and boat.

See what you think and happy C boating.

Augie

The Racing Mind...

abarkow — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:28:30 GMT

When you start a regatta - when do you start to think about the racing? How do you prep for a regatta - big or small?

Forget about the logistics of getting the boat to the regatta or about the hotel rooms. This is a simple outline for what I do to prepare for almost every regatta.

1. Know your Water (Know your Track)- Map it out. Know where north is on the lake. Get a good mental picture of the shoreline, the water color, the boat traffic and the surrounding areas. It is my feeling that if you are comfortable with your surrounding - you can focus more on racing.

2. Weather - Know your weather and wind forecasts. Not only for the clothing you will need, but for visualizing the races. There are a ton of sights to find this out. Fow6new.com is good for wind - sky vision plus - for SE Wis. www.wunderground.com, www.windfinder.com are two more good sights. Or my favorite www.lifestriders.com/weather.htm.

3. Visualize - You have all heard it with athletes focusing and visaulizing their performance. Well it works. You know what the lake looks like, you know what the wind will be, so visualize a bunch of starts and races on the water. Generally I start this about 4-7 days before the regatta starts. A few minutes here and there to get my mind used to the scene and prepared for starts - up wind legs - narrow - wide - short or long. Run through old regattas or races that were successful on that particular lake. This really works.

Most of you know or heard of this, but I wonder how many of us actually do it. I know if I am stressed at work or home - my sailing suffers. Truly focus on the race - blockout everything else in your life beside the race at hand. Trust your moves - if you think you should tack... TACK.

Hope this helps.

Wagon...

What are some good C Scow racing books/guides/manuals?

CXNA — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:15:23 GMT

I've started sailing C Scows and now I want to race. What are some good tuning guides/racing books/guides etc.?

deck layout

cmradu — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:22:11 GMT

Hello everyone,

I am wondering if anybody could please post a picture or link to pictures or diagrams of the deck hardware and rigging. I restored a 1973 wooden Melges C-Scow, I am in the process of replacing the deck hardware, and cannot make sense of my rigging diagrams.. I knew I should have taken digital photos! I guess best would be pics of a woody from the 70's but even an older glass boat would do. My scow has hardware both on the topsides and on the centerboard cassettes.

Thank you very much beforehand for your help.

Chris

Need information please

clen0005 — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:14:34 GMT

I recently purchased an older C scow (1977 Johnson) that has not been kept in the best condition. Much of the running rigging is missing. I am missing the vang and cunningham as well as the rear traveler ropes. There are many cleats and pulleys that have nothing running to them. I cannot find any online diagrams or manuals for rigging my boat.

Does anyone have a owners manual or rigging diagram?

Thanks,
Charles C in Minneapolis

Traveler and Sheet after Tack?

Ed — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:56:02 GMT

After 3yrs of sailing a C I finally realized that playing the traveler is very important on these boats.

What about tacking? Do you leave traveler stationary after a tack? OR do you let it out more and bring it in when up to speed? OR do leave the main sheet out a little and bring it in when up to speed?

Thanks!

From Qs to Blues

abarkow — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:56:35 GMT

After getting in a few races in the C boat with the new rags (North), I wanted to pass along my thoughts to all those Quantum sailors who will be changing over to Norths in due time.

They are different - in a good way.

Mast rake stayed the same - 31 ft - 9.5 to 10 inches. side stays just hand tight.

Boom blocks - center block all the way forward - aft cars just infront of the back traveler.

The main thing we changed were the jack stays. The days of sailing at 55 to 60 on the jacks are gone. Jeff and I found that with 380 to 390lbs on the boat - the jacks should be 47, and with 500 lbs on the boat - tighten to 38 to 40. The reason being is that the Norths are flatter and if you have that much mast bend - you loose too much power.

Augie

Board Height

miked62372 — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:52:23 GMT

Hi All,

We are new to the C Scow racing scene & have some questions about board height:

1) The Melges tuning guide suggests that in 0-8 kts "The head of your board should be just 2” above the board box slot". Does this measurement apply to an older C? Ours is an '84 Melges.

2) Generally, how should the boards be positioned when going downwind in light wind vs. heavy?

Thanks for any suggestions!

Experience with board repair

Jack Ehlers — Wed, 06 May 2009 09:36:50 GMT

Sailors,

We have an older C-scow that we're getting ready for the season on Lake Calhoun, Minneapolis. Would appreciate your comments on trouble-shooting/fixing a bilge board.

From the top position, the starboard-side board is difficult to drop. It sticks in the upper quarter of movement then descends easily. Obviously the same sticking happens on the return trip. We've noticed that in the down position the board is not firm but can be jerked back/forth a quarter inch or so. We're not sure if it was hit since there's no evidence of forward edge damage.

It appears very difficult to access the board for repair or inspection. There is a square bolt on the in-board side and no apparent access from inside between the bulkhead and hull.

It would seem that these boards should be repairable? Do you have any ideas on how to get access and inspect its "inner workings?"

Thanks very much.

Quantum Sails Closing in Wisconsin?

Stackm — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:30:26 GMT

Just got a call from Jim at Quantum sails in Wisconsin saying come and pick up your sails as we are going out of business May 1st! Not certain if this is all Quantum or just in the Wisconsin area but it seems we have less options as far as C sails go. Anyone else have more info or thoughts on Quantum vs North sails for C's moving forward??

Inland Sails

KC 7 — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:19:16 GMT

Is Inland sails no longer part of Quantum? they are no longer listed on the website.

Removing mid-ship traveler

edgar — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 07:01:00 GMT

I have a 1982 Johnson and want to remove the mid ship beam

will it effect boat flex? Has any one done this it make traveling around the boat way easier for single handling or helm switching Thanks Ed

Maximum Wind Speed for a C Race?

Ed — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:33:34 GMT

I was wondering if different fleets had minimum and maximum windspeeds in which they would or wouldnt start a race?

Race management seminar at Island Bay Yacht Club

Hayden — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:08:45 GMT

Island Bay Yacht Club will be hosting a race management seminar on November 8, 2008 for more info check the US Sailing web site. For those who won't be attending the seminar a trip to the Abe Lincoln library and museum makes for a good day along with the other Lincoln sites. http://www.alplm.org

New Owner, Older C Scow (1981)

Snorij — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:29:27 GMT

Have the rigging and tuning guide, wanted to know if anyone had an owners manual, or any additional information on the older C Scows. Thanks

C tiller extensions?

Ed — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:16:42 GMT

Are there any recommended tiller extensions for C Scows? I have an old one that doesnt work well with me.

Sincerely,

FREE Regatta

edeckert — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:54:01 GMT

The Cedar Lake (WI) Yacht Club is throwing a FREE regatta on May 10-11. We just want you to come and enjoy some great racing and a lot of fun. Their will be no entry fee and all the free beer you can drink. If you want to only sail one day that is fine too. We just want to have some great racing. If you have any questions, please contact edeckert136@gmail.com or 262-675-0836. Hope to see you at the regatta.

Need for splash deflector or center traveler

edgar — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 11:24:53 GMT

Can some one tell me if I need the splash defector on a 1983 Johnson?

Is the center traveler of any mechanical advantage - yes I know the new boats dont have it - also if I keep it how do you bypass the first block do you go throught the shackle hoding it on or do you let it hang free as it bypasses it

Thanks - I'm new to the C-Class but have sailed an E-Sow for years any hints on what to avoid beside not releasing the running back stay - does it nose dive faster ot turn turtle faster

Running Backstays -when to use

davemun — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:54:59 GMT

As a newcomer to the fleet I'm getting mixed messages on the use of the running backstays on the C. Some old hands tell me you don't need to worry about the backstays when beating upwind close hauled as the sidestays carry all the mechanical force anyway in that situation. So, you'd only tighten up the backstays on a reach and a run. The C scow is not the most popular boat on our lake (no races) so I'm kind of looking for true expert feedback. Thanks in advance for any replies!

Regards,

-Dave

Iowa housing?

MO36 — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:00:43 GMT

Does anyone have a line on housing, rentals, accomodations for either the ILYA invite at Clear Lake or especially the Interlakes at Okoboji the following weekend?

We've got quite a few boats from Lotawana that would like to attend the Interlakes, but no one has been able to find any hotels, cottages, condos etc. w/ availability that weekend.

Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Dave

New to C Scows

foster5000 — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:43:24 GMT

I am new to C Scows, I am interested in getting into one, and have a good line on a cheap one. but it is older. it has a wooden mast. How much should i care about that. I will not likely race it much. but may want to go that way later. I just dont know enough about them.

thanks

Looking for some C-Scow Information guys

Too Slow Monroe — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 20:36:41 GMT

Okay...considering my first scow...and I found an old C-Scow. I have raced Hobies, Hunters and have cruised the BVI in numerous sailboats.

Living in Idaho, we have pretty shallow lakes and the C-Scow should fit in just right.

How stable are these boats...do they turtle like a Hobie? How hard are they to right if they do capsize?

Any help would be wonderful.

I am a member of the Southern Idaho Sailing Association and plan to race this in our open class with a bunch of C-22's, an Ultimate20, Ranger20 and some lasers...would I be competative?

Thanks;
Too Slow
(yeah, my current boat is one of those Ranger20's...LOL)

Dallas

Team Wagon - Augie — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 09:23:26 GMT

Lets get boats to go to Dallas, pitch a tent lake side, grab a whata burger and a beer, sail some great races and enjoy some warmer weather.

SLYC Mother's day

CaptnPea — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 12:29:45 GMT

It's on... at SLYC, write kth60@aol.com for details.

Friday recepetion.

Steak dinner Saturday

Captn Pea

Replacing line

KC 7 — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 14:14:50 GMT

[p]I need to replace the cunningham lines on my 1996 Melges.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what brand/type of line I should use without breaking the bank?
I could use some tips or a procedure for actually replacing the lines?
Melges says the line is about 22', but is that per side or the total length? What diameter of line should I use?[/p]

8th Annual C-Scow Midwinter Championship

Team Mud — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 08:31:44 GMT

18 Boats were pre-registered... How did the event go? Let's hear some stories!