SAIL - April 2015

PHOTO BY DANFORTH SMITH SAIL MAGAZINE 77

LOWERING THE GOOSENECK

Q: My boat is a 1974 C&C 30 with a gooseneck fitting that is set very low

on the mast. What would you think of raising the gooseneck 12 inches?

As it is, it isn’t possible to use a conventional boom vang, and fitting a

dodger under the boom is out of the question.

Danforth Smith, Port Wing, WI

WIN FOWLER REPLIES

I would think raising the gooseneck on your boat would be a

worthwhile project. You’ll lose a little sail area, but that area is

probably in the least efficient part of your sailplan, so the performance

loss should be minimal. It seems a small price to pay for a dodger and a

working vang.

There are a couple of ways your sailmaker could recut your mainsail

to accommodate this change: you can cut off the foot and raise it, or cut

a wedge out of the luff and move the head down the leech. The latter

is preferable, as it allows you to retain the full length of the foot, and it

raises the clew slightly relative to the tack, giving you just a little more

clearance for that dodger. Of course, if you build an entirely new main

to fit the higher boom, you may be able to add a little extra roach, which

will more than make up for the lost area in the foot.

SHORT ON SHORTWAVE WEATHER

Q: While in the Bahamas, I tried, with no success, to pick up weather

using the SSB function on my portable Grundig YB400 radio. Can this

little radio effectively hear SSB bands like weather, ham radio, or inter-

national shortwave?

Steve Crane, Bahamas

GORDON WEST REPLIES

For good shortwave reception aboard, you first need to turn off

radio frequency noisemakers, including fluorescent lights, fans

and pumps, and refrigeration. (With a reminder note to turn the fridge

back on!) Best shortwave reception with a portable Grundig and telescopic

whip antenna is achieved near the bow (away from helm electronics). For

your area, enter the following U.S. Coast Guard voice weather broadcast

frequencies: 4426.0 kHz, 6501.0 kHz, 8764.0 kHz, 13089.0 kHz or 17314.0

kHz. You can also log on to navcen.uscg.gov to find the several stations

on your coast to tune into, as well as their voice weather broadcast times.

The U.S. Coast Guard broadcasts on SSB are so strong, you can take your

pick of the best frequency for reception. For ham radios, eavesdrop on the

weather reports at 14.300 MHz. In the Bahamas, you can also try 7.268

MHz in the morning. Both ham and marine signals must be tuned in

with your receiver in the “SSB” mode. That little receiver can also tune in

worldwide shortwave broadcasts in the “AM” mode. Finally, there are still

a handful of English language shortwave broadcasts, located on the radio

dial around 9.5 MHz, 11.8 MHz, and 13.760 MHz.

THE RIGHT PROPELLER

Q: I have a 1974 C&C 39 and am considering a new propeller. The boat

has an unusual configuration, with a Westerbeke 40 and a 1:1 hydraulic

transmission. I currently have a fixed two-blade prop, which I believe is

a 14 x 6 and can motor at 1,500 rpm and hit 6.3 knots. Because of the age

of the system and the 1:1 ratio, I would not run the engine at anything

higher than 1,500 rpm. I would like to find a feathering prop, such as the

Kiwi Prop, that would have the advantages of feathering and more “grip”

on the water. However, I’m concerned about putting too much stress on

WIN FOWLER HAS BUILT SAILS FOR

AMERICA’S CUP BOATS, COASTAL

CRUISERS AND ONE-DESIGN RACERS

DON CASEY HAS WRITTEN MANY

BOOKS AND ARTICLES ON MARINE

MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS

ASK SAIL

BOAT

WORKS

Goosenecks and Diesel Tankage

NIGEL CALDER IS AN AUTHOR AND

EXPERT ON BOAT SYSTEMS AND

DIESEL ENGINES

GORDON WEST IS AN ELECTRONICS

EXPERT WHO SPECIALIZES IN RADIO

COMMUNICATIONS

Got a question for our experts? Send

it to [email protected]

Too tight for a

vang? Moving the

gooseneck is a

viable option