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Looking for advice on sailing thru snow

Submitted by Jenny1 on January 22, 2007 - 20:19.

Small drifts I went thru on Sat. were no problem if enough speed was maintained, but if I had to push thru them to get started, it felt like mud. With the latest snow there are no open spots to get started in. Can you get started thru 2" of powder and a 15 MPH wind? I am just looking to save a little sweat finding out NO the hard way.
Jenny1

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Although I'm sure it has

Submitted by Bob Gray on January 26, 2007 - 16:12.

Although I'm sure it has happened,I've never seen a plank torn off a well maintained DN from snow drifts and I've seen boats disappear in a cloud of snow while blasting thru drifts at speed. The typical Sarnes long attach plates are a great setup, they give plenty of strength for normal sailing but allow the plank to be torn off the boat when it should (like hitting big cracks, other boats etc) and actually do minimal damage to the boat. I had a plank tear off after hitting a crack at speed, I turned the plates on the boat around so I could get the screws in fresh wood and then sailed the Centrals the next day.

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No (big) problem...

Submitted by GeoffS on January 25, 2007 - 16:56.

2" of powdery snow in 15 mph of wind shouldn't be a big problem. I'd suggest starting a bit more laid-off (i.e. pointed away from the wind) than on clear ice, but otherwise things are very much the same. Run, hop in the boat, and sheet in as you accelerate.

Tacking and gybing also require a bit more planning. You need to start with good speed so the extra drag won't slow you down too much.

It takes a fair bit to rip the plank off a DN, even though they don't have the framing stays of a Renegade or Skeeter. It is is a good idea to regularly check the screws holding the hardware to the hull and plank to make sure they aren't getting loose (I do that almost every time I set the boat up). It's not unusual for them to get loose with use, and usually a quick turn with a screwdriver is all you need.

I'm a bit paranoid and regularly replace the screws (once a season or after anytime I hit anything like a really solid snowdrift). The reason is that I've had the heads get bent over enough that they will occasionally twist off when I'm tightening them. That's a pain to fix, and so I've settled on preventive maintenance instead.

The 2005 Gold Cup was sailed in pretty plank-high drifts, and I don't remember anyone deplanking at the regatta. This year's Western Challenge was also sailed in high winds and drifts w/o any serious damage (at least that I heard of). FWIW, I had my boat in the shop for other reasons after that weekend, and replaced all the hull-plate screws (although only one was slightly bent).

Cheers,

Geoff S.
DN US-5156

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Snow on ice

Submitted by mewolf1 on January 25, 2007 - 17:21.

Might it be prudent to put hardware on a DN and make up a set of "plank stays" , just for crusing to avoid the possibility of deplanking?
Kent

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Hmmm....

Submitted by GeoffS on January 25, 2007 - 17:45.

I think some people with "super DNs" (springboard and 10' plank) do add framing stays.

Deplanking is pretty rare, and sometimes it isn't the worst thing that can happen.

Many people go the other route, and make the plank attachment weak (and easily replaceable) so that when something bad happens the plank comes off and absorbs much of the force.

I've seen some boats where the plank is located fore-aft and side-to-side with pins or cleats, with bungie-cords holding the plank up against the hull. When you hit something, the plank pops off, you slide to a stop, get out, reassemble everything, and keep sailing.

As an alternative experience, last year a Renegade was hit on the port rear runner by another boat. The force was enough to bend the runner (3/8" plate with Aluminum-angle stiffeners). Everything stayed together, but the compression shock transmitted to the hull through the framing stays basically "popped" the hull apart pretty much from the bow to the stern. It looked like someone had put a bomb inside. This was a pretty extreme situation, and I'm not sure what would have happened if something else had given way first (plank, faming-stays, etc.), but it's an indication that sometimes keeping everything "in one piece" isn't the best solution.

The downside of the "weak plank attachment" system is that after a crash you have the plank with runners sliding around, and that can sometimes be a problem itself.

Cheers,

Geoff S.

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Sailing Thru Snow

Submitted by William Schmiedlin on January 24, 2007 - 15:35.

Wise boat builder from Wisconsin told me that a DN is not designed to be sailed thru any snow due to the lack of "Plank Stays?". He is a renegade builder, explained that when you hit snow with a DN plank, the twisting moment placed on the two little mounts will overtime lead to boat/plank breakage! The larger boats have stays that connect the ends of the plank to the bow much like our side stays.

Sail with caution!

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