Does anyone have any thoughts about drilling holes in the caprail over the hull/deck joint on a Nonsuch. I don’t know if all Nonsuch models have the same type of caprail but the one on my N22 seems very sturdy and an ideal place for mounting things. It has a vertical element through which you could drill without penetrating the deck or the joint itself. One could, for example, attach a shackle for a preventer, and I am thinking about it as an attachment point for a bimini frame.
Any views and especially any experience with this would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
Christian Pastore
N22 #47 (electric) Magic Time
Deltaville, VA
Two questions: Does your boat have an aluminum toe rail with holes for all manner of attachment points ?? And, thinking carefully about it, I don’t think that a preventer on a Nonsuch is a safe idea and have no idea of where you you’d mount it. Normally, a preventer would stop a crash gybe on a regular boom with a much smaller main.
I believe the rail is aluminum but I am not certain. it has no holes in it, but there is room for small ones, say the size needed to accept a shackle pin.
As for a preventer it is indeed one to prevent an accidental jibe that I meant. I got the impression that others on this site use them. Am I wrong about that? It’s not the subject of my question but do others have views on that as well?
Thank you!
Christian Pastore
N22 #47 (electric) Magic Time
Deltaville, VA
In general, I prefer through-bolts with fender washers or backing plates for anything that could be subject to significant pulls, especially if those forces are pulling in any direction other than perpendicular to the fastener.
You’ll see plenty of exceptions, and it’s not a hard-and-fast rule, but most of the exceptions involve things where the forces are distributed over a wide area, e.g., a sail track screwed to the mast.
I also share Ernie’s concerns about a preventer on a Nonsuch. If I was in conditions where one might be needed, my instinct would be to change to a course where one wasn’t needed.
We don’t do biminis out here in Southern California, so I don’t have direct experience on that topic. However, I do have a strong prejudice favoring unimpeded access forward. The times when I’m in a hurry to get forward are generally times when there’s a problem, and I don’t need additional problems caused by unnecessary obstacles. If I was going to install a bimini, I’d want to think very carefully about how to lay it out so that its support and attachments didn’t interfere with going forward and also didn’t interfere with the mainsheet.
Enjoy electric boating – I know I do.
– Bob
Me Gusta
Nonsuch e26U #233
Marina del Rey, California
I agree with you Bob about being able to sprint forward. BUT, the boat as I bought it already has a bimini that impedes access.
That’s not a criticism of the previous owner, who I think did a great job on a bunch of modifications (including the bimini and the electric propulsion), but an acknowledgment of the need to make tradeoffs at times. At the moment the bimini is mounted on the deck just outside of the coaming. This makes it extremely sturdy and works very well and allows me to sit on the coaming, which I like for the improved view, but it does mean that to go forward you must either swing your legs outside of the lifelines and walk along the toerail while hanging onto the bimini or duck under the port or starboard forward corner of the bimini. They both work well and I’ve gotten used to them but I think perhaps I could open up the space a bit if I installed a new bimini frame that connected to the caprail (or perhaps toerail is the better term) since it is further outboard and outside of the deck. I also think it could be even stronger than the current bimini frame, which would be good because I am thinking of mounting two solar panels (about 900 watts weighing 90 lbs.) on it to charge the batteries feeding the electric motor. My concern is whether I would compromise the physical integrity of the caprail by drilling holes in it. I don’t think so but I hoped that someone who had already done so could share their experience.
True, Christian. There are no holes in the toerail (you’re right !!) but I drilled a fee small ones to tie small shackles for this or that (using Dyneema).
One a “non” Nonsuch, one way or the other, to over-simplify, a preventer is a line tied from the BOW to the stern (back) end of the boom to keep the boom from swinging stern-ward and then flying to the other side. The triangle between the bow, the mast and the end of the boom is very big, the main is not THAT big, and the physics would give this setup lots of strength to, indeed, keep the boom tied solid so it couldn’t swing. Don’t forget on a conventional sloop, the mast is to be found in the middle of the boat, more or less.
On a Nonsuch, the mast is way the heck at the front of the boat. This will give NO strength to the preventer tied to the end of the boom (from the bow) and, possibly, the line would bust or some other real damage or injury would occur. It’s almost as if we were tying a line from the MAST to the end of the boom. We re talking about a HUGE, powerful sail flying to the other side. Perhaps a few of us have figured out a simple (and safe) way to do this (which I doubt, frankly) but I don’t think that Nonsuchers use preventers. VERY scary.
Thanks for that Ernie. Makes perfect sense what you say about a preventer on a Nonsuch: of course you need somewhere to fasten it with a good angle. And it’s good to hear that you’ve drilled through the toerail, as I am considering, without any ill effect. I may indeed try the bimini idea, but I’ll stay away from preventers!