Okay, I think I have a bit of a plan coming together.

I will start this winter with the junk rig mod but leaving everything else as is. Next year after getting used to the junk rig and ironing out any minor issues there I'll work on the other things. I'm not going to want to be too adventurous with cruising until I know more about how the boat handles now, and with the JR. This is a sound boat and is worth keeping, so I have time to work out what I really want to do with it.

Loving the creative thinking here on this forum though. Less negative vibe here than some other places.

David Tyler wrote:

Yes, leeboards or bilgeboards will be fine for lateral resistance, but if you want to put some weight down low you'll need a heavy stub keel in addition, just as for the centreboard. I like my bilgeboards, for more space in the cabin plus less trouble due to jamming and fouling.

David Tyler wrote:

The TS16 has a very similar hull form to the British Wayfarer dinghy, in which I was teaching kids to sail, half a century ago. It has a forgiving manner, and was difficult to capsize, except by carrying too much sail, too high up. This problem is going to disappear under a low aspect ratio junk rig, with its ease of reefing and furling. However, I might rig the halyard as a 2:1 purchase, with falls coming down on each side and back to a position where they can be easily reached, even if you are hiking out.

To make the TS16 a more able offshore cruiser, I'd want to take steps to increase the downflooding angle and to prevent water from coming below. I'd decrease the cockpit volume considerably, by widening the side decks, adding a stern deck, adding a sill at deck level by bonding in the bottom washboard and raising the cockpit sole so it was self-draining. To deck over the cockpit entirely would be going too far, and would make steering uncomfortable. 

I see that the TS16 could be built with either a centreboard, or bilge keels, or fin keel. I'd veer towards ballasted low aspect ratio bilge keels, I think. Easier beaching than with a fin, and fewer problems with loss of control downwind. Taking out the centreboard case would eliminate the leakage problem, and give more usable cabin space.

The TS16 has a very similar hull form to the British Wayfarer dinghy, in which I was teaching kids to sail, half a century ago. It has a forgiving manner, and was difficult to capsize, except by carrying too much sail, too high up. This problem is going to disappear under a low aspect ratio junk rig, with its ease of reefing and furling. However, I might rig the halyard as a 2:1 purchase, with falls coming down on each side and back to a position where they can be easily reached, even if you are hiking out.

To make the TS16 a more able offshore cruiser, I'd want to take steps to increase the downflooding angle and to prevent water from coming below. I'd decrease the cockpit volume considerably, by widening the side decks, adding a stern deck, adding a sill at deck level by bonding in the bottom washboard and raising the cockpit sole so it was self-draining. To deck over the cockpit entirely would be going too far, and would make steering uncomfortable. 

I see that the TS16 could be built with either a centreboard, or bilge keels, or fin keel. I'd veer towards ballasted low aspect ratio bilge keels, I think. Easier beaching than with a fin, and fewer problems with loss of control downwind. Taking out the centreboard case would eliminate the leakage problem, and give more usable cabin space.

Arne Kverneland wrote:

Well, Steve,

actually I think it is possible to get too focused on safety. One may end up kicking dust along the beaches, instead of sailing ;-).

Here are my comments to your three problem points:

1.      I suggest you take it a bit easy the first season. Get the rig and boat operational and sail her in protected waters at first.  The flotation you need then, just to avoid that the boat sinks if filled with water, is as much as the ballast plus 100 kg. Remember, the boat is of wood so will in itself provide about its own weight in buoyancy.

2.      Yes, a ballast shoe (start with 100kg) should improve things, but don’t overdo it.

3.      With the ballast shoe and with Styrofoam pads up beneath the side decks etc, it is unlikely that you will do a 180. A line to secure the cb in fully down, is a good thing to have. Try some capsize drills on a calm day, with an assistance boat at hand. Most probably, you will, together with the fixed ballast and locked-down cb, be able to recover her from a 90° position

Remember, the main safety factors in dinghies like yours, and my Frøken Sørensen lie in the way we handle them ( just as with driving motorcycles). As I said to begin with, take it a bit easy, at first.

Here are the safety rules I use for handling my Frøken Sørensen:

·         Stay sober and focused.

·         Cleat the sheet to a quick-release jam- or clamcleat. The cleat must be carefully positioned to let you release the sheet from any awkward angle. This is important!

·         Make a habit of holding the tiller and the (cleated) sheet in the same hand.

·         Keep the tail of the sheet in a heap aft of you on the cockpit floor, so it is free to run out.

·         In strong wind gusts, releasing the sheet has first priority. That normally does the trick, even if you managed to ship quite some water. Trying to head up is a too slow method on dinghies. Practice this quick sheet release, just as motorcyclist practice braking. You will soon see that you don’t need to release the sheet very far to depower the sail. This is one reason why I only use a 3-part sheet  -  quick depowering of the sail.

·         Don’t hand the tiller and sheet over to a newbie in gusty winds. Remember also that  even experienced sailors, coming from heavy keelboats, may not have the sheet-release reflex in their spine  -  they are mostly used to just round up a little in gusts.

·         When I got my dinghy, Broremann, I got into the habit of using a flotation gear, just a simple foam sailor’s vest. I would never use an inflatable gear, since they need regular maintenance and one’s movements will be very restricted once they inflate.

Time to stop worrying and get started  -  good luck!

Arne

 

Like many fields of life it pays to ask a wide range of people about a.new activity. In this case I think the best advice is treat my new boat as an open dinghy when it comes to.sailing strategy. Then any additional benefits of the cabin and balast.will be a bonus. I think the reason some people get into trouble in boats like the TS16 is that they approach the sailing like its a mini cruiser and get lazy.

I am still learnimg to sail this boat but most of the learning is to deal with  the bm rig not the boat.