First day out - gear failure

Teria close reached into the calm waters in the lee of the breakwater, going well. Suddenly something in the rig snapped with a loud twang and the boat shook a bit, potential trouble! A quick scan up and down the rig revealed all was in place as it should be, then i remembered a  post on the Investigator 563 forum where an owner discovered a half broken chain-plate fitting during a total refit.. A look there revealed the windward chain plate u-bolt's deck-plate had lifted about 3 mm off the deck, a very hard to spot small detail but it was potentially serious, i strongly suspected that the u-boat had half broken - the whole rig was supported by this on this tack.

Instantly we let fly the sheets and rounded up into the wind to relieve the winds pressure on the rig and fittings. The outboard roared to life and Glenn steered us into the wind while i dropped the sails. We motored close to the breakwater and dropped the CQR plough for the first time.  Next we dropped the mast and lashed it onto the railings.

Securing the mast on deck in calm waters of the breakwater anchorage.

Whew rig saved, so retreated to the cabin for lunch and a break, plus time for a couple of pics.

Lunch aboard Teria.

The cabin is kept cool by a forward opening hatch.

We had 2 mobiles aboard for communications, so called my wife who was watching all this from the Casino breakwall to let her know the sail hadn't gone exactly as planned but we were ok and heading back soon.

Leaving the shelter of the break wall, Magnetic Island in distance.

Once the anchor was up we motored out and were soon ploughing into the 15 knot Easterly and 3-4ft waves. Our course back to the harbor entrance took us across  the windward side of the breakwall, about 150 m out, the seas got a bit confused with rebound waves off the wall. The 10 hp outboard hangs off the transom on a bracket, bit a precarious perch in confused seas, but it had already a second attachment to the boat in place - a strong chain incase it's mounting clamps slipped off. Going over some waves the propeller came out of the water and it began cavitating - once the prop is underwater again air forms on the low pressure side of the blade,  the prop wont bite into the water at all and just spins up into very high revs, this is in effect similar to loosing traction in a car. The answer was to quickly throttle off and keep it set to about 1/4 speed. We went a bit slower at around 3 knots but the cavitation didn't happen again and the boats motion was far more comfortable too. The good thing about having a keel is there is hardly any sideways drift at slow hull speeds.

 A  fuel tanker ship arrived when we did and was self-maneuvering in the entrance to the port but we squeezed around  and opened up to 5 knots. Once in the calm harbor things went like clockwork. The retrieval went allot better than the launching did. I nosed the bow into the floating pontoon so Glenn could go ashore and get the trailer in. I took the boat out and slowly nudged the bow into the trailer's guides. Once lodged in place the winch cable went on and Teria was winched up out of the sea.

Securing gear for towing, the outboard comes off the transom bracket and is kept in the tow vehicle.

It didn't take long to get it tied down and we rolled off for home. Some work had to be done on the boat and trailer but I was satisfied that we had come back safely under our own steam. The boat didn't leak, handled nicely under power - in seas and around the ramp,  anchored securely and sailed well even only for a short time. The rig drama drove home that you have to keep checking the gear aboard and keep it maintained. I had done this but not enough it seems, But sometimes in the end the only way to find out is to have a go and get out there.

Rigging Launching Teria - first day out

At the coast guard ramp we found a spot out of the way to the side to rig up as weekends are pretty busy. All the boats we saw there were powered fishing boats which didn't need much time to get set up and away. We were the sole representatives of the trailerable yacht fraternity.

Quite a few things were already aboard like fuel tank, porta-loo, Esky of food, water, safety gear
Sailings a huge subject and even rigging a sailboat up involves knowing allot of nautical jargon so for those new to sailing i'll skip most of that for now, though a few strange words may slip in i will attempt to explain as we go.

Rigging up an investigator 563 before launching

• Removing the taillights board and tie down strap
• Undoing the mast holding supports and moving the mast into raising position
• Raising the mast and securing fore and back stays.
• Setting up the sails ready to hoist.
• Getting the outboard onto the bracket and fuel connected

Rigging up was practiced at home a couple of times first before going public. It took us about 50 minutes to get the boat launched, but with a few improvements and more practice it could be halved??(Meanwhile the fishermen were doing it in 5-10 minutes each, yes it's so much simpler. It's the whole sail vs zoom debate. You've got to like sailing, burning little fuel, challenges and the journey rather than the destination go through rigging up or down and sail slowly about, horses for courses)

I wont get into rigging up details until a later date, as there's so many nautical names to parts on a boat there are heaps of books written to describe it further.

Good thing about the Investigator is that the mast can be raised by one person if need be, on many trailerable sailboats its usually the rigging up bit that needs at least two people. 

The masts up and secured and the mainsail is bent on.






Now the jib is also bent on, the outboard's ready and I'm gingerly backing it into the water.

I'd like to say the launch went smoothly as silk but it was really lucky a good friend who knows a few things about fishing boats was there.  The keel was deep for a trailer boat so the ute had to go in a bit deeper than i'd have cared for, stopped when the exhaust pipe made bubbling sounds then drove back up a bit.   I'd watched a few U-tube videos of cars disappearing beneath the waves etc, so to stop this the handbrake was pulled tight, engine off and 1st gear engaged before getting out of the drivers seat.

Tied a painter onto the bow ring. The painter is a rope for you to control the boat so it won't get away on you. Next was to unshackle the winch rope and safety chain from the bow ring...unscrewed the break back. push, big push, all together heave-ho push,  she's stuck on that trailer.

So pulled the trailer and boat back out to see whats causing that, usually its the pivot centerboard fallen down and hooked on a roller, but it wasn't that. So pushed rocked harder, something was still amiss but Teria finally did slide into the briny! 

After this it all went well. Climbed aboard, the fully serviced motor ran like clockwork and Teria backed out nicely in reverse gear against the prevailing wind. (Must find that ramp designer one day and have a word with him).

Glenn drove the ute and trailer to the car park, while i carefully maneuvered Teria towards the only pontoon next to the ramp.  Docking went well, and the yacht hung off the lee side on a mooring rope . That gave me time to fit the rudder and tiller. It may have been better to fit them before launching but my trailer sailer book said not to, and i was worried the old fixed style rudder may hit the bottom while in reverse and that could have been the end of  the trip.

Launched - Public floating pontoon for all tides.

Cast off and into forward gear

On the way out i released the centerboard drop rope. When it stayed slack it indicated that the centerboard had not dropped. This would have been a problem on many trailer sailers with no keels but  luckily the Investigator 563 has a shoal draft ballast keel too, the 20 kg center-board is only about 30% of the lateral resistance and maybe 20% of the righting moment, (it won't sail sideways or tip over) so we continued on.

Sailing off Townsville, at last!

We raised sails when clear of the port. Broad reached downwind then close reached upwind towards the Townsville Breakwater where my wife was taking these great photos..all was well or so we thought..

Towing Teria - First day out

Sunday the 10th November 2013 was a good day for re-launching Teria. The weather was fine about 15 knots NE. Being the first time out at least 2 people on board had to know something about boats in-case something didn't go according to plan. Teria is over 30 years old. So fortunately an old friend had a day off, Glenn is an experienced fisherman and boatie plus is a genius when it comes to technical stuff.

I had done the trailer maintenance the week before. Pumped more grease into the bearing buddies and pumped the tyres to 36 psi are the main things.

We hitched the boat to the ute, removed the jockey wheel and tested the lighting board. The left indicator and tail lights were out so had to pull it apart and bend a few contacts etc to get it going..(..while dreaming of LED lights)

The boat on trailer weighs about 1.2 tonnes (1,200 kg) and towed well behind the Toyota workmate ute which has a 2.7 liter 4 cylinder engine. We cruised at 40-60 km/hr depending on where we were. The Hayman-Reece tow-bar has 1.8 tonne capacity and the utes towing capacity is also 1.8 tonne according to the owners manual. I had the tow-bar professionally fitted the over a year ago with trailer-sailing or a small caravan in mind. Allot rides on a good towing system, a runaway or death-wobbling boat on the highway wouldn't be good so went for the best.

Most of the drive from Gulliver was pretty flat, the trailer braking system seemed to be pulling her up well. The coast guard boat ramp is situated near the center of downtown Townsville in Ross Creek and it took about 15 minutes to get there.

Boat Driver's Licence in Queensland

The outboard on the Teria was over 6 horsepower, in Queensland that means that you need a boat licence, so did a bit of internet study on the governments website and got a copy  of the Queensland recreational boating and fishing guide to study.

In September, I did my Recreational marine drivers Licence (RMDL) course with Andrew Ryder boat licencing in Townsville.

Theory was in the morning, this covered boating regulations and understanding navigation beacons and lights. After the multiple choice test we had lunch on the way to the boat ramp for the practical. 

The practical began in Ross Creek next to the coast guard station.  Andrew's training boat the Nimrod is a 5.5 m aluminium Surecraft center-console with a 130 horse Evinrude outboard ( It's capable of runs out to the great barrier reef on a good day, 40 km offshore)

Once past the go slow zone, we exited Townsville port at planing speed. Most of the training-testing was in the lee of the Townsville breakwater wall, the Casino and Entertainment center are on the reclaimed land there and its also a cruising yachts anchorage. 

3 of us were on the course that day, the other 2 guys were already experienced fishermen so they did their practical before i had a go (it was the largest most powerful boat i'd ever driven). There was a bit of a chop up outside the break wall so we were really thumping along, if it was your first time in a boat it might be a bit wild. To maintain cruising speed of 18-20 knots we had to be more than 30 m from other craft either anchored or sailing. The Nimrod made little wake either while planning or idling along slowly, it was just the getting on the plane phase that pushed up some wake.

We slowly entered the Townsville breakwater marina and berthed briefly at a floating pontoon. Then it was the high speed man overboard drill, using a bouy for the man overboard. It all went well, though i'm rather looking forward to 3-6 knot speeds in "Teria".! 

The next week i submitted my paper work at Qld Transport department in Garbutt. They took a new photo for a new licence card. A smart car system is being introduced.

A week or so later i had my new vehicle and boat licence card. It's actually a car and motorbike licence with  the boat licence endorsed on the back. The RMDL boat licence doesn't seem to have an expiry date but it is dependent on maintenance of the vehicle licence.

Clockwise : Breakwater Marina, Break wall anchorage, Townsville Port and Ross creek.

Investigator 563 - Teria

The Investigator 563 (18'6") is a small trailer yacht, which can be used as a pocket cruiser. It's a bit heavier than a Princess 18  and displaces about 750 kg's  in the water without crew and supplies aboard. The boat has a shoal draft keel with lead ballast and draws 1'9" (53 cm) with the steel centreplate up. This may make it a tad too deep for easy launching or beaching but it does allow yacht-like self righting ability in the event of a knock down.

A visit to the investigator web site points out the design philosophy. The main problem with trailer sailers up until the mid 1970s (and after) was that they had a centrecase and mast support post which intruded into what was already a small cabin space. Also many lacked a significant ballast keel so could capsize.  The investigators designer Kevin Sheppard found a way around these problems.

Investigator 563 - Plan and layout.

The centrecase and centreboard are housed within the shoal draft keel below the cabin sole. This opens up the saloon area in the cabin. Additionally the traditional mast support post is replaced by an arched mast support half bulkhead. These feature allow unfettered internal access down the centreline of the boat.

The broad transom also adds extra room where its most needed in the cockpit area. There are 2 large quarter lockers with big hatches. The cabin has 4 bunks. The 2 main saloon berths are long and there is sitting headroom below. The fore peak has 2 smaller berths (which can convert into a double bunk) plus has space for a porta-loo.  I use the forepeak for stowage and now sail solo or with one crew.

The other nice feature is a pop top over the main saloon. When at anchor the headroom can be increased to standing height. It also increases cabin ventilation. The pop-top is lowered for normal sailing and a sliding hatch on the pop top is used for cabin access.

There is good cabin ventilation provided by a motor boat style fore hatch. When open air can flow freely through the cabin. The hatch even acts as a partial shelter for rain. 

The Investigator for sale was an old boat probably mid 1970's and needed some maintenance work, nothing too major seemed apparent.  It had recently replaced standing rigging, good sails which could be reefed in a blow, and a serviceable 10 HP outboard.  The trailer had bearing buddies to keep the grease packed in, was only 30 km from home and the asking price was good. So Teria soon became "The next boat". 

Investigator 563 - #9 "Teria". Shoal draft keel, single axle trailer and forward sloping fore-hatch for good ventilation

The mast support arch and open plan cabin space with centercase below floorboards. The center-plates lifting wire-rope runs in the stainless tube going through the companionway step.

There is no built-in galley area below on Teria. (This would be good for longer trips). The study plans show that slide-out stove and washbasin could be installed under the cockpit decks.  I prefer to keep the foot space over the bunks so use a vintage Trangia alcohol fuel camping stove in the cockpit, a box of cooking stuff and a green plastic bucket function as a simple inexpensive galley. Some investigators have a homemade removable galley module with one burner spirit stove and a basin, an aft railing mounted gas stove-barbeque is also possible.

A single 26 litre esky and plastic box packed with food and cold drink supply keeps a small crew fed for 1-3 days. It stows on the forward cabins floor.

Outboard design power is just 3.5 - 4 HP long-shaft which should push the boat up to hull speed of 5.3 knots in flat calm waters. In Queensland 4HP or less means no annual boat registration to pay, around $200 p.a. saved. This size motor best suits harbour or estuary based sailing conditions though and is easy to lift on and off for trailering. 

 Teria came with a 1970's 9.8 HP long shaft 2 stroke Johnson. It weighed a hefty 37 kg, had more power than needed, was dirty and guzzled fuel. However it had nostalgic value from my Pacific Islands days where we used them but eventually a repair bill quote was it's retirement day.

Replaced the Johnson with a Tohatsu Sailpro 6 HP ultralong shaft. It's a clean 4 stroke but lighter weight at 28kg. It reaches flat calm cruise speed of 5 knots with half throttle and is very economic to run. However if strong wind and waves are on the bow, then the extra horsepower can drive the boat upwind when it's often most needed. It suits coastal cruising conditions.

More specs - Beam (hull width) is 2.1m (7 ft) which makes it only slightly wider than the ute tray, good for getting through a house gate, down the driveway past the house, any more than this would be problems i reckon. The 7ft beam also means that when towing the driver can see past the boat with standard rear view side mirrors. Any more beam than 7ft, say 8ft, would probably mean getting extended side mirrors fitted.

Design Sail area is 178 square feet (16.54m2) The mainsail is 9.4m2 and jib 6.8m2..but i think my working and strong wind jibs are smaller than this..Teria also has a large "drifter" (Gennaker = a cross between a genoa and spinnaker made of lightweight cloth) for use off the wind in light winds. Teria has a modern fully battened mainsail and an old standard main as a spare.

There is a good review by Jeff Toghill at johncrawfordmarine.com.au/advice/trailer-sailer/investigator-563

"The next boat" - Some trailer sailers considered , Princess 18

I was soon thinking of a boat with more capabilities than the Fatty knees 8.

Every boats a compromise they say, there are just so many different types of boats out there that to the uninitiated it could be very confusing. The main thing is to ask yourself, what and where will i be using the boat for?? I prefer to go slow, (a displacement hull) so that criteria alone cuts a huge number of boats and costs out. We like sightseeing, shallow and sheltered waters, beaches, tropical nights and snorkelling but still want to cross the rough stretches to get there. There have been allot of  "the next boat" conversations over the years, so this time the "next boat" was to be

• Trailer sailer
• Sloop rig (Jib and mainsail, nearly all sail boats in the 12-24 ft range are anyway)
• Big enough for a family of 3
• Not too expensive, economical to run, minimal maintenance (fiberglass)
• Have overnighting capability, ie bunks, cabin and basic amenities
• Shoal draft enough with swing-back centre-board to get a second chance with underwater rocks and groundings, plus access shallow creeks and anchorages
• Good cabin ventilation, cool in the tropics
• Stable, self righting
• Tow-able behind a 2.7 liter tray-back ute (pickup truck)
• About 18-20 foot long

It had to be big enough  but light enough to tow.

From online boat adds, It seems like the epicentre of present day trailer sailing in Australia is around the Gippsland lakes in Victoria, there's always more boats ( and everything else) in major cities like Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane

There are a number of trailer sailers that are a bit too heavy for my tow car and or too far away, they are noted for future reference.

• Sunmaid 20s, shoal draft swing centerboard keeled sloops. But all these were interstate and the cost was about twice that of the 18 footers below.
• Jedda 22 twin keelers online, they are designed for cold southern tidal conditions.They have nice clinker style fibreglass hulls and raised deck cabins. Some have internal diesel engines and look very seaworthy. 
• Boomerang 20s are another popular TS down south

Two small trailer sailers

1. Hartley TS18 but these nice boats are for the wooden boat fraternity. I often dream of going there again but the present reality is where is all the spare time gone?? So it had to be fiberglass in order to be of a yacht-like shape and reduce maintenance time.
2. Compass Careel 18 was a contender but most were far away, the older and cheaper Mark 1 versions had no sliding hatch, they had a mast support post and center-case in the cabin too. There are later mark II and III versions and the price went up for these popular boats.

3 trailer sailers for sale in Townsville

After much investigation and research, in mid 2013 i spotted several trailer sailers for sale locally.

1. A Comet 20  (aka Nomad 20) , 
2. Princess 18
3. Investigator 563. 

The Comet 20 was a bigger heavier boat than the other 2. It had a center case right in the middle of the cabin, it got in the way when you went below. i suspected the mast was a bit heavy as the owner had never raised it and used the boat as a cramped motor launch. 20 foot does give room for an internal cooking stove such as the maxi 2-burner meth-spirit one aboard.

PRINCESS 18

The Princess 18  is a very good lightweight design weighing in at around 500 kg. It won an Australian design award. Its a raised deck design with flush deck, very shallow draft under 12" and flat bottom for upright beaching. The cabin is roomy for such a small boat, because of the raised deck and the fact that there are twin centerboards each hidden in a bunk side casing. This feature along with a mast support arch opened up the interior greatly. The transom is narrow but somehow there's a huge storage lazarette in there. Three hatches   a main hatch, fore hatch and lazarette hatch opened into the interior creating almost unheard of cross ventilation - i think very important for the tropics. There was also room for a  portable-loo and small cook stove in the cabin, in the space between 2 fore-peak berths and 2 quarter berths.

The very shallow draft with boards up is a strong feature. It can be easily launched in very shallow water and dries out upright when cruising.

On a raised decker, the cabin sides extend out to the gunwales. This may make it look a bit too boxy for some tastes but the cabin is great for lounging around and the wide deck would be easy to walk forward on.
One feature commented on in a boating mag article was the lack of an anchor well on the fore-deck, the main anchor is stored aft in the Lazarette and carried forward with chain and rope. The Princess 18 magazine article is located on John Crawford Marines online boat library which is a great research resource. I'm not sure about the self-righting stability of the Princess 18, the hull and under water shape is based on the Finn dinghy. These are pics of a very good condition princess 18, not the one that was for sale in my area.

A Princess 18 takes to the ground nicely and the shallow hull would be easier to launch on any tide.

.

Princess 18 roomy interior. Large fore peak berth and cooking area.

Prncess 18 layout - the quarter berths have about 1/4 in the the cabin, 3/4 under the cockpit seats. Large Lazarette has a small center-line hatch.

Princess 18 seemed like a good design would have gone for it but the boat for sale in my area had de-laminated foam core fore-decking over a sizable area, how hard or expensive foam core de-lamination is to fix i don't know. Also overweight homemade davits loomed large on the small transom and the standing rigging was in poor shape and would have needed replacement. The mainsail luff was on a bolt rope and i preferred luff sliders (to keep the sail on mast when lowered in strong winds).

Townsville climate and weather conditions

A good thing about sailing in North Queensland is the great barrier reef. In the Townsville area the reef is about 40 nautical miles offshore is generally too far for a slow displacement vessel to day visit. The outer reef off Townsville is patchwork type  it does reduce the south pacific oceans swells to about 1-2m wave height in normal conditions.  It can get to around 3 m inside the reef in a 30 knot S Easter. Checking the marine weather forecast and tides before going is most important.

Usually 5-15 knot forecasts meant a good day out, 

The Climate of the tropical Townsville coastal area is wet and dry seasons. The wet - cyclone season runs from December to March. 

The wet season is ok for sailing as sunburn is less of a problem. Its often cloudy with rain showers, extra runoff makes waters near river mouths murky.  Stinger jellyfish also breed and take to the waters so protective clothing's worn (stinger suits) and vinegar is aboard. The vinegar prevents stinging cells in a tentacle from firing into the skin. Haven't witnessed a stinger attack yet, its relatively rare but they usually happen to unwary swimmers outside the lifesavers stinger nets at the beach. 

Winds tend to be light from the northerly sector NE, N maybe NW but can still come from the E and SE. It a good time for keel yachts to head south on these favorable winds and get clear of the cyclone belt, from Gladstone south is safe. Cylones do hit any one place on the coast every few years. The main thing is to have a trailer boat ashore above predicted storm surge height. At home in a garage, away from trees and tied down if outside is best. 

The dry season from March to November is what its all about.  Little to no rain and E to SE trade winds. Cruisers and tour boats are out there to explore the reef waters. The water is clearer and better for diving.

A good local weather forecast site is willyweather. Managed to add their weather widget (with site link) to the side bar for quick reference.

I'm also a fan of Windy animated weather maps . Winds and rain for 5 days ahead ,  1 hour rain radar and satellite image animations are free. (Premium sub for longer or more detail, but you can see the info still if needed) There are many maps to checkout from rain, sea currents, sea temperatures etc. It's easy to see predicted future cyclones forming up on windy.

The rain radar and forecast wind maps and weather warnings from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) are good. Rainfall and flood maps information too.

Also like "Seabreeze" forecasts, Townsville (and places beyond). They have good forecast charts for wind, tides, rain and real time wind and tide charts for last 12 hours.

Wind chart

Tides and temp charts

The weather forecasts are checked before each planned trip, and fair weather can be chosen, rather than fight the bad stuff.

Hartley 16 boat handling and navigation

If it gets too windy sail needs to be reduced on yachts. However, sail reduction ability on "Jakarri" was basic. The mainsail couldn't be reefed down to reduce sail area, no reef points or roller boom reefing. The jib had a great roller-furler, a highly recommended feature. If it got too windy the main had to come down and the jib could be rolled up to reduce sail area. Alternatively, all sail can come down and the motor used to reach port, especially if its upwind. The mainsail luff had a bolt rope attachment to the mast as is common with most off the beach dinghies. This means that when the mains dropped the the sails luff must detaches itself from the mast just above the boom, which allows more chance of the main blowing over the side before its tied up on the boom. Luff track sliders are preferable when off shore, they keep the mains luff always attached to the mast.

Navigation

I carried nautical charts, hand-bearing compass, dividers and parallel rulers for navigating. (and a coastal navigation book) The washboard laid on a bunk doubled as a chart table. (No affordable GPS in the 90's). Landmarks and navigation beacons were reference points to take a hand bearing and get a position on the chart. The steering compass helped stay on course or when to change tack if a wind shift was unfavorable. It was very useful at night with its 12v red light lit compass card.

For night sailing, Jakkari had  port-starboard lights and a stern light. These had 10 amp filament bulbs powered an old 12v car battery.  Sunsets were a nice time of day to still be out there so often returned to the ramp after dark.  A single 10 w cabin light and a few torches ("maglights", "Dolphin" floating torch with square 6v battery, head torch) provided night lighting. 

The anchor light was a car's dash-board bulb on the end of a double 12v wire. Used when anchored with sails stowed, the anchor light could be hooked under the boom, it gave some cockpit lighting and also a 360 degree warning to other boats.

Jakkari's cabin layout

 The cabin has 2 bunks one each side of the centerboard-case and mast support post. There is about 2 foot of floor space aft of the bunks and the bunks are only about 4" above the floor. Stowed gear goes on top of the bunks (Ice box "esky"), so it need to be pulled out in the cockpit each night to use the bunks, similar to camping out. The cabin had sitting headroom, was a good shelter from the elements and kept all the camping gear dry. 

Cock-pit lockers under the seats had sizable stowage space. Tool box, food supplies, snorkel gear, mooring ropes, water and fuel were stowed here. A storage box/locker inside the main hatch was used for nav gear, torches, first aid etc. The area under the foredeck was good for sails, lifejackets and anchor.

Deck and cockpit layout

Hartley 16s are beamy, the hull form is descended from the NZ "mullety" a commercial fishing boat in the engine-less era. This gives the cabin and cockpit considerable useful space. I found the flat aft deck to starboard ideal for a diving seat/platform, freeboard aft is reasonable, but not too high to prevent climbing back aboard from the water. A self draining well for the outboard is in the port quarter.

I didn't try it, but the TS16 should be light enough to paddle in a calm harbor. It looks like oars could be fitted but would be difficult to stow unless they're two-part type like fatty knees oars.

The shallow minimum draft (23 cm = 9") and 360 kg hull weight made the boat very easy to launch and retrieve with a small winch. Also it was easy to navigate into shallow tidal areas. The kick-up galvanized steel center plate increased depth for sailing upwind and it also acted as a type of depth sounder in shallow waters, if it touched bottom it was time to turn, and the boat certainly did spin about quickly.

Jakkari was powered by a 6 horse-power Johnson short shaft outboard which was mostly used to clear port, or to go upwind in light airs. A 3-4 horse would likely easily move it too and certainly reduce weight and cost.

There is an active TS16 association in Australia the website has TS16 specifications and other info.

There is also allot of TS16 information in Duckworks website.

The Hartley TS16

 I had the good fortune to own a Hartley TS16 in the 1990's and it is one of the great small sailboats of all time. It was one of the original plywood home built  trailer sailers designed by Richard Hartley of NZ in the 1950s. They are very popular  in Australia and NZ. The boat was light weight (400kg?) easy to launch beamy and form stable. Seaworthy enough if you knew what you were doing but it was possible to capsize and swamp (tho this never even looked like happening). She ran a 6 hp Johnston 2-stroke outboard, there were 2 bunks in a small forward cabin. The center case came up between the bunks but the wide sliding cruising hatch gave plenty of room into the broad cockpit area. The free board wasn't too high so it was possible for a fit person to re-board from the water over the transom.

The TS16 hull is very shallow with swing up center plate and rudder so beaching was easy. She could nose in to the beach, riverbank or lake edge so it was easy to get ashore. I would usually anchor out, but it wasn't too far. Knowing what the tide was doing and picking a safe stretch of sand without rocks etc, you could also dry out on a falling tide, the hull wouldn't lean over too far, i once propped it upright with a couple of bits of wood.

Proper care and maintenance is needed with a plywood boat - keep freshwater out of the bilges while stored and have adequate air ventilation. So when stored ashore, a dry cover, either a tarpaulin or shed and leave hatches and lockers open if possible.  Fiberglass TS16 were also professionally built - these can take allot more neglect but still a good idea to do the basics above.

Jakkari drying out at home, before covering with tarpaulin

Destinations visited with Jakkari were Cleveland Bay off Townsville, Magnetic Island, Palm Islands, Hinchinbrook Island, WhitSunday Islands and Lake Eungella near Mackay.

Hartley TS16 "Jakkari" at Magnetic Island, Townsville, Queensland.

Townsville and Magnetic Island

"Jakkari" was great for sailing trips out of Townsville. It made a good day-sailer - as it was light, shallow and quick and easy to launch/retrieve. (compared to my 18 ft Investigator - much heavier and deeper which is generally an overnight/weekend trip boat due to the more difficult handling at the ramp) A TS16 can be easily launched and sailed solo for those days that crew aren't around.

The TS16 was a big step up in cruising comfort from the Caper Cat 14 catamaran i previously owned, which was a spray-drenched fast beach camping cat. The drop in speed from 8-12 knots to 3-5 knots was noticeable. But the reliability with engine and huge increase in buoyancy/ storage volume made the TS16 better suited / safer for longer multi-day trips.

The other safety factor was this TS16 was fitted with a large volume hand operated bilge pump and a good steering compass. Caper Cats rely on being beached and draining from transom bungs, a simple hiking compass sufficed. Both boats shared an old style EPIRB,  which didn't need to be registered to any one boat in those simpler days. An AM/FM transistor receiver, for weather and music was aboard. No 2-way communications as standard nowadays, i'd never had it before then and it never seemed to be a problem or worry, just prepare well and mostly sailed with crew for longer trips.

Townsville was my home ramp  (Ross Creek, near Magnetic Island ferries, inside the Shipping Port) Magnetic Island is an hours sail away. The Island has many nice bays and beaches to visit.  Picnic Bay is the closest bay and beach and is generally good for day trips, weather permitting. The other east coast bays and beaches are more dependent on favorable weather, not easy when the prevailing NE - SE winds are blowing making them a bit hazardous for boating then (Alma Bay great for surf swimming though) Horseshoe Bay is a longer, all-day sail dependent on winds - a favorite cruising yacht anchorage. It takes about 2 hours to get there in a trailer sailer.  In the 1990's Arcadia and Picnic bay both had passenger ferry wharves and were yacht anchorages. (Now Arcadia is the only Island Ferry Terminal and a break wall / marina / resort development exists - no anchoring in there anymore.)

Jakarri heading toward Magnetic Island

Jakkari at Florence Bay, Magnetic Island

Jakarri circumnavigated Magnetic Island once.  The wind was up to 15  knots North Easterly, we sailed around anti-clock wise which is usually the easiest way. Early morning land breezes make it an easy downwind run to visit the tourist bays on the eastern shores.   Low rise buildings virtually disappear into the natural landscape.  The Challenge is to get around the NE cape/ Orchid rocks before a stronger NE -E  sea breeze kicks in about 10 am. Horseshoe bay provides great protection in most winds and is a popular stop over anchorage for cruisers. A sheltered  beach, beach-side hotel playing nice music, hire cats and kayaks, and eateries provide a small link to a civilized world. Crew can come or go on the local bus which goes to the ferry to Townsville at Nelly Bay. 

The next leg is an easy run downwind along the uninhabited  north coast (National Park west of Horseshoe Bay) to West Point. There are deserted fairly calm bays with nice beaches, which sit below backdrops of forested steep granite hills. In an E to SE wind the seas are slight. After rounding the western cape, Jakkari was faced with a headwind, which needed tacking-up outside the fringing reef flats against slight seas and on back to Townsville.

Townsville and Magnetic Island (from Sunmap fishing guide)

Orpheus Island trip

A 2 day  overnight trip was out to Orpheus Island in the Palm Islands group, about 40 nm north of Townsville. We launched at Dungeness, near the town of Ingham. The Island was about 2 hours from there. We accompanied a larger half-cabin power boat as part of a trip organised by a group of uni friends.  Jakkaris cabin was heavily laden, packed to the roof beams with camping equipment and supplies, plus we had 4 people aboard. She was a bit slower and more sluggish than usual but she could carry allot for a 16 footer. The sea was calm so motored past the Lucinda sugar jetty (very long, can see curvature of earth along it) and across the passage to Orpheus Island, National park camping ground in Pioneer Bay, where many tents were set up. By day we did some hiking to the seaward hill tops, plus some snorkeling on the fringing coral reef. A campfire evening barbeque and a few stories in great company.  For the return trip, one crew went with the much larger power boat, so Jakkari was within safe carrying capacity for a relaxing downwind run under sail to Dungeness harbour.

Hinchinbrook Island trip

Jakarri took 3 of us on an overnight trip to Hinchinbrook Island.  The South and east sides of the Island is exposed to the SE trades, and was mostly a rough  lee shore with beach breakers as we approached mid afternoon. However from seaward the entrance to Mulligan's creek appeared to be sheltered and relatively calm. But it was a deceptive illusion, even tho it was glassy calm 1-2 foot waves came from nowhere, (bending around the headland) they broke on the boat and quickly pushed Jakkari onto the sand bar, to be thumped mercilessly on the sand bottom by other waves. A sailboat-owners worst nightmare began to unfold, in alarm we went over the side, one crew abandoned ship and sought safety ashore. This left two of us to push her off with great effort/adrenaline into the deeper channel. This was only possible because of the dinghy-like 12" draft and light 500 kg cruising displacement, a heavier boat would've stayed there longer (until tide/calms and kedge or coast-guard tow). Being close to man-eating crocodile habitat doesn't help either.

 The TS tied up nicely in the flat calm creek on the side of a sand bar, a tent was pitched ashore. It was a surreal scene as the sun rose, a primordial forested mountain formed an unforgettable back drop similar to scenes in "Jurassic Park" with a dawn-chorus sound track. Mt Straloch towered spectacularly above the upper reaches of the creek.  We exited the creek safely at high tide during the early morning calm hours.

In retrospect it gave me a far greater respect towards sailing near lee shores, and especially river entrances on such shores and the time of day/tide to do so.  These situations are more suited to light surf cats with outboard (like the Capercat 14), sea kayaks or powered planning dinghy's ("tinnies" or inflatables). Trailer-sailers should stay clear and find more sheltered anchorages unless absolutely familiar with the local conditions.

We visited only one small spot on this huge island, plenty more to explore here.

My first sail to Hinchinbrook Island - Jakkari late 1990's

WhitSunday Islands trip

The final 3 day trip was to WhitSunday Islands. I was lucky to have a local friend as crew who knew local conditions well.  The first day was cancelled due to a strong wind warning, so we took Jakkari up through rain-forested mountains to Eungela Dam for a day trip. Nice cool air at the higher altitude.

Launching at Lake Eungella

Ashore at Lake Eungella 

(Sorry, the photo margins are not a photoshop special effect, the old photos nearly got water destroyed by a cylone) The dam was a safe place with little wind, though had to look out for the cut stumps of dead trees just below the surface near some of the shores.

Once the weather settled down again, we towed Jakkari to Shute harbor boat ramp which is closest to the WhitSunday Islands. A stiff SE wind was blowing straight into the harbor, but a small island helped shelter the ramp a bit.

There was a strong tidal current getting across to the Islands, so we motor-sailed to hull-speed, and even then we were crabbing across at 45 degrees to the course line!. (An introduction to large tidal ranges of 3-4 m, about twice that of Townsville).  The WhitSundays is a cruising yacht sailing paradise for Queensland, if not the world,  but  the big tides and sometimes strong SE trades can create challenges too. Still there are plenty of safe sheltered bays and harbors to choose from and familiarity of winds and tides could be used to advantage if timed right, rather than fought against.

We didn't get much wind but the tides were big and currents strong, some of the passes between Islands had a good tide race - our 5 knots with engine on full throttle was just enough to inch through one pass. In the WhitSundays good auxiliary motors which get you to hull speed are just about mandatory for the average yacht or novice to the area.

Motoring through an Island pass with 4 knot head current towing a surf ski tender.

We stayed overnight at two bays with beaches, cooking in the cockpit with my old Trangia 27. The first night the 2 bunk cabin was OK but the hull had allot of noisy wave slap , very hard to get some sleep. So the second night we beached on a falling tide and set a tent ashore. I stayed aboard but there was no sleep around the hours the boat touches down or re-floats though! Some lessons learnt, for me at least it's best and safest to have a "quiet" boat anchored off the beach (hence the Investigator 563) . In retrospect, The Hartley TS16 is in the category of semi-open beach cruiser - It would be better to have carried beach rollers to pull her above high tide mark and coral reef level to avoid any damage/wave action and always setup a tent ashore when beach cruising. Otherwise an enclosed calm anchorage should be sought for camping aboard (eg Nara inlet).

White Sands beach on Whitsunday Island is about the whitest beach i have ever set foot on, it's spectacular and extremely popular with tourist charter vessels.  Still there are many quiet corners around the island group. An easy light breeze Spinnaker run back to Shute harbour and favorable tide was very relaxing.

Sunset in the WhitSundays - Hartley's very shallow draft handy for going ashore. 

We just scratched the surface of this incredible cruising ground, hope there will be further adventures.

Dinghy Sailing - Fatty Knees

Its a good idea to have a small sailboat while building a Wylo 2 yacht,  just so the sights smells and sounds of the marine don't fade from memory. Visits to the beach with the family are always great but its always nice to haul in the sheet feel the wind heel the boat and you have actually crossed over from the land to the water.

The Fatty Knees 8' dinghy is a great sail and row boat. At 2.4 m overall length it's primary purpose is to be a safe, seaworthy and nice classical looking yacht tender. The first ones were designed and built in Long Beach California by Lyle Hess just after world war II. They are built in fiberglass and traditionally fitted out. Cruising authors Lin and Larry Pardey have built and owned two engineless Hess designed wooden yachts then cruised the world in them. The Pardeys tender of choice for their voyages was the Fatty Knees. The Fatty knees moulds were bought by boat building firm Eddy and Duff who produced most of the Fatty knees in existence, Eddy and Duff closed shop in 2009, but the design was revived in the form of the  Fatty Knees boat co, Sagmore beach, Massachusetts. The company also has a social site with much info about the dinghy.

I saw a Fatty Knees 8 for sale on gumtree, a local internet sales site, it took me a few weeks to get to see the dinghy but it wasn't long after that we were towing her home.

 We named her "Jai Dee", The dinghy had traveled the south Pacific Islands and NZ on a yacht, finally the yacht owner decided an inflatable tender was easier to lift on deck so he sold it to a young South Townsville sailor who moved away, so we were lucky to be there at the time he sold her.

Fatty Knees off  Palleranda beach, Townsville, North Queensland.

The clinker style fibreglass hull is strong and unstayed cat boat rig gives more room inside.

A few things needed fixing first. The trailer had to have rust removed, converted and primed. Also the trailer lights needed a new connection fitting to match the cars one. Then the trailer needed Queensland registration to complete the legalities. On the dinghy, anchoring gear was added - a 4 kg folding anchor, light chain, 18m of light warp and a 6" cleat.  Some gear like V-sheet and life jackets increased safety and a small fold down compass helps if the wind shifts when tacking upwind.

We first launched at Barnacle st public boat ramp in Ross River. There are 4 ramp lanes and floating pontoons to tie up on. Its a nice and calm stretch of water. About 2 kms of sheltered esturine riverway. Along the north side of Ross river are marine installations and the south side has mangroves and some pile moorings for boats less than 6 m height. It's a great place to get the feel for it, though we were always keeping and eye and ear out for potential crocodiles, none were reported.

Old Barnicle st boat ramp, Railway Estate, Townsville

Palleranda beach  is good for dinghy sailing, kiteboarding and seakayaking. It's about 5km north of the strand beach in Townsville. It's a national park area so there is only a small urban area surrounded by alot of nature.

The is a 4WD trailer ramp at Palleranda. It suits lightweight small craft up to about 4m (16ft). Its a gently sloping concrete block ramp, but the area is exposed and can get a rough shore break if the wind is fresh. There is no break-wall and beach sand often accumulates on the ramp , the concrete part also extends down 1/2 tide, at low tide a very gentle sand flat continues out about 30m past the end of ramp.

Small lightweight dinghys and catamarans with 2 wheel drive tow cars can still use the ramp, but if the tides out and the if sand cover is up, the trailer needs to be uncoupled from the car and rolled out over the sand. The sand is moderately soft over the ramp but quite firm further down. Small beach craft are usually slid off their trailers onto the sand near the waters edge then the trailer rolled back up above the high tide mark.

Its a fair weather and fair tide ramp, both need to be checked. (If its not good then i go back to the sheltered ramps in Townsville or give boating a miss that weekend). The council sometimes scrapes the sand off with a bob-cat, but it soon returns.

Palleranda is good for a Fatty knees 8 sailing solo. The boat is small and light enough to launch alone. One retrieval its a bit more effort to go back uphill and easy if people are about.

 Sailing up to 1-2km off shore and 3-4 km along the beach feels pretty safe. The fatty knees is remarkably buoyant dinghy , it bobs over virtually any chop combination with just the occasional windward bow spray. It is very stable, never looked like putting the gunwale under. 

Love the un-stayed Cat boat rig. The mast is stepped right in the bow and the main-sheet is at the transom, so nearly the entire 8 ft hull effectively becomes the cockpit area (an amazing use of available space) It is a simple rig, far more common in North America than Australia where they are quite a rarity. (Read that during the US war of Independence with Great Britain, the US supply of rigging wire was cut off by the Brits, so they soon developed unstayed masts and rigs in response. Necessity is often the mother of invention.)

I've kept increasing the range of each sailing trip slowly in different conditions. It's safe up to about 15 knots and can handle 20 knot as wind is easily spilled from the sail. 

I gave the boat a  capsize test, in good conditions at least the dinghy can be easily righted and bailed out.

In general "JaiDee" with the present rig is great in partially sheltered waters and along the beach. It's ease and short time to launch and rig up often make it a first choice when the weather/location is right. The winds have to be light to moderate (0 -15 knots).

The main-sail on my early version rig can't be lowered by halyard. It also can't be reefed-down for 20 knots plus. So this is a limitation of the design and rig.

 9/10/20 update: I've not capsized once in 49 sails, but on one trip the wind blew up over 25 knots.  To handle this I pulled the mast/sail out of its step, laid it flat, furled it and rowed back (downwind)

Sailing JaiDee at Cape Palleranda

Later more modern versions of the Fatty knees rig have addressed the strong winds issue. They have tracked mast with a halyard. so the sail can be lowered (or reefed down) in a blow.

For more details of our Fatty knees dinghy check out these posts,

Dinghy for wylo (Fatty Knees) ,
Fatty Knees sail on Ross River
Rigging Fatty knees 8

Welcome

Welcome to waterways. It's about trailer sailing cruising on a budget in tropical North Queensland which is home to the great barrier reef. The cruising grounds here have bays, beaches, continental islands,  mangrove forest estuaries and coral reefs. 

 I've liked sailing from an early age, started with dinghys in the 1970's, trailer sailing in the 90's, a hiatus in the noughties,  but back into it since.   Also have a cruising boat building project, see  wylo 2 yacht.

 A good book to read  is "Sensible cruising - The Thoreau Approach" by Don Casey and Lew Hackler. It's got the philosophy that small  is better in many ways. So that's one reason i restarted sailing with a Fatty knees 8, as a later bonus this dinghy could be used as a good yacht tender.

Why a trailer sailer for cruising? No mooring or slipping fees, there's no anti-fouling paint required so is cheaper to maintain. It's easier to work on the boat at home in the back yard. Because trailer sailer's are generally lighter than a keel yachts the fittings, ropes, sails etc are also lighter and hence more economical.

Hartley TS16 Jakarri at Lake Eungella, North Qld.

The trailer sailer usually has a retractable centerplate or keel in lieu of a deep keel. This allows access into shallow waters that deep draft keelboat can't reach. The tides are less of a problem for a shoal draft vessel. Beach landings, exploring shallow rivers, estuary's and bays are possible.

When not in use the mast and rig come down so storage is ashore, away from the higher maintenance salty environment. After a fresh water hose-down the boat can be covered. This reduces degradation from ultraviolet light and salt water. Its more likely maintenance will be carried out ashore.

I enjoy sailing whenever the wind is favourable.  Sailing reduces the carbon footprint and lets us tune-in with  mother nature. However there are times when a good motor is required, in flat calms, approaching a dock etc. Nearly all TS's have small auxiliary outboards.

A TS18 on a glassy lake. The plywood Hartley's were among the first trailer sailer designs.

Most  trailer sailers have no external keel, so usually require a combination of internal ballast, hull form-stability and crew weight to keep them upright. (eg Hartley 16,18 and 21's, Boteril Explorer 16, Ultimate 18, Compass Careel 18)  These types can nose in on a beach and usually sit upright on the sand when dried out. However, the centrecase takes up some cabin space.

Another type of trailer sailer has lead keel below the hull with or without a centreboard. These behave more like a small keel yacht, having a strong self-righting tendency. They're better for going offshore, but may need a small tender - a dinghy, kayak or inflatable to get ashore. They tilt over at an angle when stranded by a low tide and are harder to get on and off a trailer (eg Investigator 563, Savage Nautilus)

A few trailer sailers have bilge keels (eg Jedda 22), some are fixed and other versions retract or swing up (eg Princess 18) They can be beached and stay upright when tides out.

A few specialised trailer sailers use water ballast tanks. (eg Paradox, S.C.A.M.P, McGregor 26) This allows the boat to be trailed light but gain great shoal draft stability in the water. Some can have flat bottoms so have very shallow draft and can dry out upright. 

The Trailer-sailer's towing weight must be well matched to it's tow vehicle. Small TS's can be towed by a cheaper 4 cylinder 2 wheel drive car. At the other end of the spectrum large TS's need a heavy duty and far more expensive vehicle. 

  

It goes without saying that a safe and suitable place to store the boat on trailer is a high priority. A good sized driveway, shed or backyard. Alternatively a secured dry boat storage area for hire.  I often see trailer sailers outside on a back street, it seems to work for some but i wouldn't want to try it.