Dear FC friends
Last year I bought the FC 32, Puffin. in the UK and sailed her across the North Sea for Denmark. Came in in a force 10 on the West coast on the 1rst of april and have sailed her a lot the next two seasons, But. - i feel that she need some more ballast on her keel, maybe 200 kilos far down.
My questions are now: Has anybody ever tried this, how was it fixed, where, and how does this beauty behave afterwards.
Puffin sails very well,goes high to the wind (maybe 35-40 degrees),but ought in my opinion to stand better up to a blow, which we have plenty of here on 56 degrees north. She is however a good seaboat!
Hi Stig,
As you know the FC22 is a cruising boat and sails better when loaded down to her waterline. The FC22 does not have external ballast, but rather an internal one. I have attached n FC newsletter that better describes this with Lyle Hess’s remarks.
Sorry, the first message got away after I attached the file. I wanted to explain that I had to zip the file as I could not attach a pdf file. I hope this helps,
Thnkyou for the reply. I have of course tried to ballast her down to the waterline, but she still needs some more. When she now comes ?n the hard for the winter, inside, I Will again look at the possibilies of attaching maybe a pair of lead sausages close to the keelsole. Apart from this, I believe to have read All material of the FC,s, and is a quite experienced sailor with 75000 nm ?n my own sailing yachts logbooks.
But I still look forward to second opinions of this matter.
Another thing is that I last year purchased a capehorn gear with good succes for Puffin. FC 32.
You bring up a very interesting subject, and I imagine you now have more high wind sailing in a FC than just about any one. It’s interesting that in retrospect L. Pardey would have liked to have had an additional 400 kilos of ballast in Seraffyn so you may be on to something. Proportionally, the 200 kilos you want to add sounds about right and I hope you update the forum with the outcome.
Thanks for your opinion and information about Larry Pardeys Seraffyn, which I many years ago saw in Aalborg, Denmark, which also is FC no.32, Puffin’s, hometown.
I got Puffin on the hard yesterday and will now start the thinking/discussion proces on the ballast matter.
By the way, I met Larry Pardey and Taleisin in 2002 in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Taleisin was on her way down South to Cape Horn, I on my way North in my Joshua ketch Aurore from Puerto Williams and Chilean Patagonia, after a Pacific circuit. His memory was better than mine about when they were in Aalborg in Seraffyn. He also told me that his grandfather was a Dane.
And so the history and myths goes on.- But I knew the ballast question would be controversial in this forum. It is also a matter of fine thinking and balance, like putting a selfsteering gear on a boat. I would not sail without it, mine is a Capehorn from Yves Galinas of Quebec. It is very light! and steers the FC nicely on every course, even when motoring in the slightest of wind.
Thanks for your opinion and information about Larry Pardeys Seraffyn, which I many years ago saw in Aalborg, Denmark, which also is FC no.32, Puffin’s, hometown.
I got Puffin on the hard yesterday and will now start the thinking/discussion proces on the ballast matter.
By the way, I met Larry Pardey and Taleisin in 2002 in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Taleisin was on her way down South to Cape Horn, I on my way North in my Joshua ketch Aurore from Puerto Williams and Chilean Patagonia, after a Pacific circuit. His memory was better than mine about when they were in Aalborg in Seraffyn. He also told me that his grandfather was a Dane.
And so the history and myths goes on.- But I knew the ballast question would be controversial in this forum. It is also a matter of fine thinking and balance, like putting a selfsteering gear on a boat. I would not sail without it, mine is a Capehorn from Yves Galinas of Quebec. It is very light! and steers the FC nicely on every course, even when motoring in the slightest of wind.
It’s not the boat its your sails, roller furling ruins any boats performance but when you put it on such a small light boat it is even worse, the weight forward and poor sail shape. I would suggest flatter cut hank on sails, you could also lighten your rig by upgrading to rope standing rigging Just my 2 cents
You are so right about the weight and windage aloft. I have sailed many multihulls, where this is even more crirical, but I still believe that the FC shuld have had a draft of around 1.3 m with the same ballast as now, -or the more weight in the keelsole.
Yes, and I have roller jib and ditto staysail and maststeps, but have removed a rather large radardome from the mast for the reasons you mentioned.And the little yacht sails beutifull with its low draft- up to around force 4 Beaufort.
Stig, my boat was owner finished so I’m not exactly sure of your interior set up but I wonder if you could use bags of lead shot that would conform to the small spaces. I’m finishing my boat and she still has no water tank, engine… I use 8 cases of wine and about 5 cases of canned food plush a six month supply of dog food to keep mine weighted down, I still have room to double my stores. She is definitely more comfortable with more weight. That being said I love how light these boats are, I sail engine-less and if I need to I can easily scull her with the tiller if I’m to lazy to pull out the yuloh, if I need to fend her off, a small shove and she goes where I ask. On the negative side we had 50 knot gusts coming through the marina last night and it was pretty bumpy, the FC is a live wire for sure but without a doubt the most fun boat I have ever sailed.
Stig,
I sailed my FC all over for 16 years without an engine. I would have to agree with you on the thought that she needed a little more ballast. But for the most part it just remained a thought.
Probably the largest improvement in her sailing qualities happened right around the time I took 350lbs out of her bow. WOW, what a difference. She would pick up and beat to weather like a bat out of hell.
Also, on my BCC I have rigged her with synthetic rope rigging. This took almost 70lbs aloft out. That has made a big difference for my BCC. I was able to carry full main and yankee in 20kts of wind, beating to weather, “just” burying the rail. Couldn’t do that before.
So I would check your weights, and take weight aloft out first. As it sounds like you have already discovered the benefits. They say to figure a factor of ten for aloft vs ballast (rough estimate). So if you can remove 40lbs aloft, that would be roughly equal to adding 400 lbs in your keel.
In the back of my mind I was always worried about upsetting her sailing qualities by going outside what Lyle had designed. so I made sure she was properly set up first as far as trim and weights.
One last thing to consider. It takes sailing power to beat into a gale. I don’t think the FC is a large enough boat to develop the power to beat into a big wind and sea. Believe me when I say I have tried. No doubt she does really well considering her size. She just needs to be handled a little differently because she is a “small” boat. So you just need to heave to earlier than a larger boat.
Hi barefootnavigator and other interested FC Afficionados
I have tried with loose ballast all around, also when I sailed the boat from Dart River in SW england to Denmark last year in March. I had full tanks and additional jerrycans of water and fuel, a heavy packed rubber dinghy and lots and lots of tinned food, beverage, liquor etc. We were two persons on the trip wit all our personal wintersailing gear.
Puffin is a “standard” built FC from the Morse yard and with a Yanmar 1GM 10. You will see exactly this boat on the famed Falmouth Cutter Video, Youtube. At that time her name was Maid of Slapton, later to become Puffin of Dart, now Pufffin of Aalborg,Denmark. She is surely the only FC in Europe and no. 32 of her kind.
But then- and now, having sailed her for two full seasons, I still feel that she would be better with some more keelballast, probably up to around 200 kilos close to the keelsole. And maybe I will add it in some way. I will keep the forum updated to get some good inputs.
Thanks for the fine input, which came in at the same moment I mailed to Barefoot. I will try to use your hints, or some of them. But tell me, have you closed the hole for the propeller in the hull and rudder, as it means a world of difference in sailing ability?
I once owned an old scottish gaffrigger, where I removed the 8 hp aircooled engine for a 10hp Sabb and had a cut made into the rudder to incorporate the prop, instead of a propeller out through the side. This old Gaffer from 1922 looked very much like the FC and the BCC, Same lines and a very tough and very fast boat, also with the three wawes, bow, mid and aftwawe, like the FC. She sailed however not quite so good and fast with the cutout in the rudder. El Chungungo was 30 ft, 9 tons of weight and a 3 tons lead keel 1,65 m under, and of course very stiff in a blow.
The Falmouth Cutter IS a small boat, that you of course must handle correctly, as you write. And I tried her in force 9-10 Beaufort across the Northsea on her maiden voyage, when I had bought her in the UK. It was too much, but we did it and survived with the knock-knock good luck and a strong, seaworthy little boat.
Yes, stig i filled in the hole on both the rudder and keel. really made a difference.
I once beat into force 8 with a triple reefed main and double reefed staysyl. The current was contrary to the wind so we had square waves. Only had to make 15 miles to the anchorage. Took 3 days to make 5 miles to weather before I gave up and sailed back to my port of departure for ice cream.
I would have been hove to in force 9-10 and been glad to be in a Hess/Morse boat.
Scottish boats are stiff because they are stubborn.
As Barefoot’s plans have changed, I’ve recently purchased FC #21 from him and I’m looking at many of the same things he did. It’s nice to have these recent conversations available in the forum.
I’ve looked at the Dynex Dux synthetic rigging from Colligo marine, and replacing the “standard” mix of 7/32 and 1/4 inch stainless with Dynex would save 20 lbs in just the weight of the wire alone, not including the weight of the StaLocks, turnbuckles, etc. For simplicity I would probably go with 7mm all around so that I’d have a single size to worry about.
Just my 2 cents