Chairwoman's Notes
Iroquois Owners' Association
Computers at Sea
The Right Way with Catamarans
Iroquois, the Magic of a Name
Self-righting for Catamarans
Iroquois Guide
Annual Iroquois Owners’ Rally
Survey Results
Iroquois Sovereign
Vortex Generators
Letters
What a rally should look like. 1983 Iroquois Owners' Association at NEWTOWN, Isle of Wight. 2 Comanches and 10 Iroquois, all different. Photo by Derek Morris.
Chairwoman - Haidy Blake
Editor - S D Fisher
Once again we are nearly at the end of the sailing season, with the exception of those hardy winter sailors amongst you. I hope you have had a good season, it has certainly been a bonus year as far as the weather was concerned.
We have had a very good season aboard Katiki. We spent all of our summer holiday, 5 weeks, on board. The trip started with the Newtown rally, a very successful meet. Thirteen boats in all, the best ever. I don’t think anyone had a camera that could photograph so many Iroquois in one line, too expensive to take an aerial view. Comanche Crystal did a grant host job against all odds as many of us did not send in our reply slips. I think next year we must try to do this.
The next morning we set sail westwards with the aim of reaching the Scilly Isles. Our style of sailing has changed over the last few years with the arrival of our son, now 2. We have to sail from beach to beach to accommodate his needs. The South West coast of England is ideal and the Iroquois the best boat for this purpose.
We had several high points in the trip. The first was arriving at Plymouth for the start of the Vilamore race, very exciting to see the big names together, Livery Dole, Sea Falcon, Longdale and Colt Cars. The next day we saw the end of the Fastnet race, an equally impressive sight.
We had one big disaster on the trip, one we do not wish to repeat. We moored alongside the harbour wall at Polperro. The harbourmaster assured us that the bottom was soft. We were awoken at 5 am by our son, who sleeps on the floor, trying to climb on to our berth. We then found we had about 4 inches of water slopping about on the cabin floor. A very sick feeling. The pumps were put into action arid about an hour later the hole was found. It was about 10 inches long, under the head of the double berth on the port side. The boat must have settled on something large and sharp enough to split the fibreglass and when the boat rose with the tide it formed an overlap giving a slow seepage of water into the boat. A temporary repair was made and with the electric and manual pumps in operation, we motored on to Fowey. At Polruan we found a very busy but friendly, boat yard who helped us to repair the damage. One day lost, but fortunately with a happy ending.
The rest of our journey to the Scilly Isles and back was uneventful in comparison. A thoroughly enjoyable trip and one I would recommend to those who have not already done it.
I am sorry to have to tell you that I will not be able to attend the AGM this year. I am very disappointed not to be there, especially as it would have been my first official meeting. I will be travelling back from America, having spent a holiday sailing round the Florida Keys. Stuart Fisher assures me he can manage without me, and I know you will enjoy the evening.
I know you will enjoy the meeting so do try to make it. I look forward to meeting you all next year.
PS Please if there are any Iroquois owners who have their boats in the Florida Keys, I would be delighted to hear from you. Perhaps it may be possible to arrange a meeting.
Haidy Blake.
Should the question of a new title be considered now that Iroquois & Comanches are being built by different companies. What about other Sail Craft built craft, Apache and Cherokee owners are in fact welcomed by the Association, but this isn’t clear from our title. Views to the Secretary please for discussion at the AGM.
Dear Members, one and all, near and far, ladies and gentlemen, lads and lassies, children and babies, cats and dogs, budgies and boatgnomes.
Haidy Blake, your new Chairwoman (who, with husband Rod, claims "only" to ever had had eleven "at most" sleeping on KATIKI at one time) and I, Stuart ‘Fisher your new editor (and so, perforce, according to Elise, Secretary, "you just do that as well") welcome you to
"THE NEW IROQUOIS OWNERS’ ERA"
I’m making a fuss about our taking over because after Harry Faulkner and Elise and Rony Buque, we’re bound to come as a bit of a let down.
The ]ournai is the lifeblood of the Association, without regular transfusions from members the body will fade gently away, so please keep them coming rough and ready, in pencil on butter paper, it doesn’t matter, just let us, and therefore the other owners, hear from you.
When Rony & Elise had the publishing problems we received a "special service" and £2 per year covered costs. This cheap printing source is no longer available, we have therefore to re-type all letters and contributions onto stencils and duplicate the newsletter onto paper which (sob sob) we must pay for. £2 per year will not support this. It has in any case been the same for years; for the next year, 1984, it will have to be increased to £4.00 per year; end of bad news!
COMANCHES are in production again, improved in length (but not in beam). IROQUOIS are in production again, improved generally (but not in beam), even DARTS are in production again. Finally, if you want a hooper-sooper-dooper Iroquois, the BRITISH OXYGEN mould is intact, owned and available for use, now there’s a thought!
Haidy and I look forward to seeing as many members as possible at the AGM and supper. in January and remind our overseas members to let us know when you’re coming to the UK. There’s nearly always someone who would be delighted to give you a busman’s holiday and take you for a sail.
Finally, last but no means least, thanks from all members go to Harry Faulkner and Rony and Elise Buque for their patient and enthusiastic work on behalf of us all, however ...... as they’re now ordinary members they can no doubt find time to let us have a written contribution for the newsletter just like any other member!
Stuart Fisher
Thanks a lot for the issue of Spring 83. I like very much the idea of Roes, 1.8.25th. It was asked of me, at the meeting in January, to write something about the crossing of Med. Here it is! I apologize, about my bad English, but you know something about it. It is the same than in January, nearly.
Mostly, our navigation in Europe does not need a sextants’ help, but when you are cruising in the Med, sometimes you can be pleased to have one.
Some years ago, we were crossing from the Strait of Gibraltar to Greece, the legs had been calculated so as to be the shortest possible with the best weather available and for the prevailing wind direction, using the Pilot charts and the books of Alan Watts for the local weather predictions. But, that year, the high pressure areas were over Western Europe and, you know, when the sky is bright and sunny over the France, there are east winds below, they were blowing on our nose. After wintering in Algeciras, across from Gibraltar, we had sailed, at Easter, to Motril, on the South coast of Spain.
Thence, in July, we resumed sailing. The first stop was in Adra, a small and pleasant city in a wide bay, we were the only yacht there, and the only strangers in the restaurant where we had a good dinner. Afterwards, along the coast from Cabo de Gata to Alicante, we had some problems with the wind, dead on our nose, or the engine when there was no wind at all. One day, we had a good swimmers’ operation. The anchor was dragging under the strength of a sudden squall from offshore, and the engine failed to start. The only thing to do was to put another anchor out to sea and haul in on the warp. For that purpose, the two best swimmers aboard took an anchor, some fathoms of chain and a long warp on two big fences tied altogether and pushed everything up wind, as far as possible, against a short and steep sea. They then had only to let go and be pushed back by the wind and the swell to the boat. Once everybody was on board, warmed up and relaxed, we took in the other anchor, hoisted sails and put to sea.
It is a problem often spoken of in the sailing circles but rarely decided, why do anchors drag? In our case, it seems that the sea-bed was mostly rocky and that the CQR could not dig in. When possible, we dive, one or other of us, to look at the anchor when we are in a new place where the bottom is not known by any of the crew.
We then had a mostly north-east or easterly wind, along the coast to Cartagena and Alicante, two good places with a safe mooring, good club- houses and all the facilities of a great town. We also had north-east winds between the Spanish coast and the Balearic islands.
We first reached Ibiza and visited the beautiful sand beach between it, and the small island of Formentera. The town of Ibiza itself is worth the visit. I think it’s better to go before the summer, because it is then too crowded, unless perhaps you do like crowds! The place is beautiful, an old town with small streets circling a large hill, surrounding a great bay, naturally protected and now well-equipped for yachts. From there we sailed to Majorca. Andraixt first, and then Majorca city itself, an old city with beautiful houses and a splendid club-house, with moorings reserved for the visiting yachts. Next stop Sardinia.
The start, between Majorca and the small island to its South, was great; westerlies, spinnaker and the log up to date, but it lasted only one night. At dawn we had no wind. It came in weak, from the east and we began tacking. One day, One night, any other day; we had plenty of time to spend! The sextant was taken from its box. and I had a small computer, the Tamaya NC 77, as well as a watch, and a lot of sheets of paper! It is an easy job with the computer. You have almost nothing else to do but look at the altitude on the sextant, take note of the time when you shoot the sun, the moon or the star and enter everything in the computer. It tells you what to enter, one item of data after another and, within seconds, you have the information needed to draw a line on your Mercator chart, or on some other paper to scale.
I was reminded of the old system with all the books and the procedures to follow without error. The calculations, simple on your desk during the Winter, but more complicated on board at sea. It was night and day, but the crew had different things in mind, sights were not his problem. The table of corrections made with the aid of bearing, at dawn, the comparisons between reckoning, radio fixes and sextant work were of no interest to him, he wanted to land somewhere; we were nearing mutiny!
A meeting took place and it was decided that, within two hours, we would sail back to the Balearic islands if the wind didn’t change. It did, so we sailed, faster and faster, toward Sardinia, reaching with a good force 6 south wind. Two members of the crew disembarked here, James and his wife, and another English sailor, Iffic, was waiting for us, and was glad to put his bag aboard.
We had a good stay in Cala di Setta, a small harbour on the South West coast of Sardinia, then we sailed to Cagliari, along a beautiful rocky coast, with an old city of the Carthaginian and Roman times, before which we anchored almost in a house, now submerged by the moving of the coastline. It was interesting to visit, at ‘sunrise,’ after rowing to the shore, between two sunken houses, and walk alone along the empty street of what was once an active city. Cagliari however is still there, and we enjoyed the contrast on the same day. The Port Authorities filled in a transit log, but it was too late to pay for it and, as we intended to leave at night, we have never paid for it.
We sailed south to Sicily and it was another long leg, with weak winds. Again I took to the sextant, the watch, the Tamaya computer, and some sheets of paper. As a matter of fact, I was really playing and again I took a lot of sights, with verifications. But the crew was different, everybody was happy to be at sea with good friends, we had time enough for the trip and as a result it was a very good leg to Trapani, reached at night, It is not a good place to first enter at night, as the entrance to the harbour is not easy.
Near the town is the old city of Eryx, on a tall rocky hill. When the sky is clear, this rock is very conspicuous, and can be seen from a long distance. In the old times, it was a good seamark for sailormen, but in hot weather there is a mist close to sea-level and many high points cannot be seen from the deck of a yacht, low in the water.
Off Trapani are the Egadi islands. Some hydrofoils run there from Trapani, in Summer and you have to beware of them as they are very fast. Some islands are almost uninhabited and there are many pleasant anchorages. One of the biggest islands had quarries in the old days, the stones cut from the cliffs are now like huge sketches by a modern artist, it is worth the visit. Just offshore the bottom of the sea is covered with a sand so white that it looks like a painting too. I have only seen another sand so white, in the Ionian islands, in Antipaxos.
We then sailed to Marsala. The harbour is very well protected and nearly empty. Everybody knows the name of the wine from Marsala, but may not be aware that it is an aperitive. Some ships were loading barrels and bottles of it in the eastern part of the harbour, while some fishermen and our catamaran were alongside the western jetty. Ashore we found many shops selling wine, not the usual Marsala, but a good red wine to drink with meals.
Incidentally, about Sicily in general, when you speak of the island with some people, you often hear about the care needed to be taken with your papers and money. We had many stops in the island, travelled by taxi, walked, and we have never had any problems with the people there, neither for us nor for the boat.
From Marsala we intended to sail to Selinunte, the ruins of which are very near to the coast, and anchor off where the city harbour was in Greek times But the place was uncomfortable in westerlies and we sailed to Sciacca, not far away. Sciacca fishermens’ harbour is small and completely crowded with boats, but we found the new commercial harbour absolutely empty and anchored in the northern corner, alone. The town is upstairs! very long stairs indeed! From it you can visit to the west, the city of Selinunte where major works are rebuilding the temples. Eastward, you can go and see an older city, Eraclea Minoa, the name of which speaks to us of the Cretan civilization, older than the Greek. The view from Eraclea Minoa is wonderful.
The next leg was to Porto Empedocle, a small harbour at the foot of the old town of Agrigente. It is well protected, and the fishermen were very friendly. Up the hill, near the modern city, is the old Agrigente. It is lit at night and is worth the visit. At Porto Empedocle there are some small but good restaurants; trattoria, restaurante, albergo, pizzeria, you have to note their name, they do not serve the same type of meal.
At the very end of the southern coast we had a short stop at Porto Palo. It is rather open to south-west and we experienced some problems from the wind and the resulting swell at the end of the night, and preferred to leave and sail to Syracuse. It was better from every point of view. The protection is excellent, the yacht moorings are close to the centre of the old part of the town, on the island. There are a lot of good restaurants and many ruins to see nearby. A tap with fresh water is on the quay, in front of the yacht station.
We intended to sail from here straight to Crotone, on the south coast of Italy. It is quite a long way and we had light winds so the engine had to show to us what it can do in such a case. It did! We were short of gasoline. No yachts, as usual, were in sight so we anchored near the beach, off a petrol pump and refilled the tanks. At night we entered Crotone, a very large harbour, but not for yachts, as we were told the next morning, but it did not matter as we were leaving for Corfu.
With all the light winds in the previous weeks, we thought we would need plenty of gas to be able to motor all the way. Naturally, we didn't need the engine at all. We had a fair wind, first from the east, then south-east, then south allowing us to reach Corfu easily with the sheets nearly untouched, but with more and more reefs in the main and a flying jib in place of genoa as headsail.
No time to play with the sextant here, the only clear signal available was from Corfu airfield, across the island, but nevertheless very correct on bearing. Rain was heavy and flattening the sea. Ormos Liapades was a good anchorage on the north west coast of the island, near Paleokastritza. The boat had reached its goal, the country from which he had got its name: Eros.
In Greece..... ah, thereby hangs another tale, longer, for another time.
Jean Segalen, Paris
It is about time I had a word about the virtues of catamarans as family cruising boats. Our own 30 ft. Iroquois Mk II cat has been in the family for four years and has been a continual pleasure because of her pretty ways. When yachtsmen discuss catamarans and trimarans, they always seem to become entangled in a maze of technicalities. Only one matter deserves passing comment. Yes, a catamaran will capsize if she is sailed too hard, just as a motor car will turn over if driven too hard. But if you sail with your family as sensibly as you drive with them, you can be confident of staying the right way up.
I did a betters sales job than I realised when I arranged a week’s charter of a catamaran so that we could see what it was like. After that my wife dismissed with scorn every other boat within our means on the grounds that it was ‘poky’ down below compared with the cat.
An Iroquois Mk II has accommodation equal to that of a conventional yacht nearly 10 feet longer and probably 2 times dearer. The cockpit is nine feet across with seating round three sides. Six or seven people can enjoy the sailing while actually in the cockpit without getting in one another’s way.
Step into the saloon which is on the bridge-deck between the two hulls, but mind your head because you cannot stand upright in this part of the boat. It really doesn’t matter because there is plenty of space for sitting around. Six can sit round the table and there is also an upholstered bench settee and an individual seat. From the saloon there are three steps down into the hulls either side. Now you can stretch because there is almost 7 feet headroom in each hull.. The after portions of the two hulls are given over to cabins with the privacy of their own doors, wide bunks and lockers and wardrobes. I can’t think of any conventional yacht of 30 ft. with two private cabins in addition to the usual sleeping berths.
Amidships in one hull is the galley with a sink with double draining board, and a cooker with its own full-sized oven. As a catamaran hardly heels at all when at sea, an oven is practical. During many a cross-Channel trip we have had a leg of lamb roasting gently ready for a fine dinner when we made port. In the centre of the other hull is a separate toilet compartment with wash-basin which is not so very much smaller than a British Railways train toilet. At the forward end of each hull is another wide bunk. Of all the catamaran virtues, I would put space and comfort at the top of the list.
Another tremendous quality is the catamaran’s ability to sail in shallows. When the centre-boards and the pivoting rudder blades are released, the boat is still afloat in only 2 ft. of water. Navigation becomes infinitely less embarrassing. Sandy beaches can be explored and used in preference to crowded harbours because the cat dries out without heeling over. When the Channel Islands were being lashed by gales last summer, we walked across the sands from our chosen mooring on St. Aubins’ Beach and caught a bus to the ‘pictures’.
Cats are fast, of course. The racing men have recorded phenomenal speeds by sailing boat standards - 15 knots, 17 knots, perhaps even faster, but when a cat is loaded with cruising equipment and children and is being sailed with care, a more reasonable assessment of speed is, simply, that she is roughly as fast under power or sail as a conventional yacht 10 feet longer. For a 30 ft. catamaran passages at an average of seven knots under engine or sail are quite usual. With that sort of speed at your command you can cruise further afield during limited holidays. That is an important bonus. Nothing is more frustrating than having to sail the same stretch of waters year in end year out because exciting new cruising grounds are too far away.
Since multihull yachts did so well in the last Transatlantic Race, traditionalists on the yachting scene have been kind enough to acknowledge that well designed cats and tris can sail offshore both fast and safely. I believe that trimarans are more for the racing man because it is difficult to arrange good accommodation in them, but the catamaran can be the answer to many a man’s cruising needs.
Roy Hodson
The Iroquois, in her various versions, has a number of quirks of character; some charming, some infuriating, some puzzling and some not even very pleasant, but the boat as a whole has only one major fault, she spoils her owners for all other craft. Whilst a number of our members have moved on to other yacht types for one reason or another; Roy Hodson is one, Reg Crampton another, they invariably look back on their time with an Iroquois as halcyon days. She is one of those rare creations, a balanced compromise. Like the Dakota or Tiger Moth; the Mini or (in my view a very apt comparison) the D type Jaguar, she exactly fills an opening in human needs and like the Dakota or the D type, it is not the gap for which she was designed.
Number zero, the timber prototype is still about and if she was to be kept ashore for a couple of years in order to dry out and then returned to original specification, would still be a "hairy" flyer. Designed as a fast inshore cruiser/day boat, the Iroquois was seized on by the racing fraternity. That well known-citizens’ runabout; the Austin Mini was greeted in exactly the same way and with similar results. It has even been rumoured that George Tinsley used to issue racing clothing to his crews specially fitted with aluminium buttons, rivets and zips!
However, the layout was found to be perfectly adequate for extended cruising, ideal for family use, and capable of being handled in a perfectly safe and seamanlike manner. As with all Multihulls, the secret of performance lies ultimately in one factor, weight. The old adage "simplicate; add lightness" still holds good. A light boat is a boat with plenty of power in reserve and a boat which will therefore ultimately sail in a weatherly manner, under the merest scraps of sail; the less sail you need to move to windward the smaller are the forces exerted on your boat and her rig.
The Iroquois hull forms have a speed hump at between 8 and 8½ knots, more sail will not drive your boat to windward faster; if your speedo reads more, either it is wrong or your helmsman is bearing away. The secret of getting the Iroquois to windward in strong winds is to reef early. One or even two reefs in the main and one third of the genoa rolled up (or equivalent jib set) and not only is the slot improved in some mysterious way, but in gusts you can luff up into the wind (and safety) whilst keeping way on and at the same time gain yards to windward. If both plates are only partly down, say with top side plate arms pulled back 30o aft of vertical and then adjusted to give slight weather helm, our dear old (design of!) boats fly. Old is the word, I’ve still got the reply to my first enquiry about Iroquois which I received from Sail Craft in 1966.
There are a few infuriating flaws, my list, in order of pestilence, is as follows:
I should be fascinated to hear of other members and owners lists; now that Groucho Marx has gone we can’t expect to receive his list, but there is no doubt what would be at the head of his plus list, after all, with the addition of a moustache and cigar, it became his stock in trade! At the head of the general owners’ list must be the fact that Iroquois are, after twenty years, still proudfully fast. They are also weatherly, handy and beautiful. It is quite unreasonable to expect more of any boat, but in addition, in a 30’0" boat we have:
There is no other production boat in the world with a 20 year manufacturing span which can offer all that and which will also offer a safe 16 knots under double reefed main and a goose winged third of a rolled up genoa as did David Smith’s CHIQUITA V on our way back from the MOCRA weekend at Seaview. At least Yvonne Smith, who was steering at the time, told me afterwards that we reached that speed, I was actually asleep in the port side double bedroom at the time. The whole trip from Seaview to Brighton took just 5 hours. Whilst this is the fastest I’ve ever (unwittingly) been in a sailing boat, I’m sure many members can match or better this (how about it? Ed.) and that is the whole point, it is almost commonplace. The only other way to. equal this is to spend between a quarter and one million pounds and buy an enormous yacht that will stand up to the roaring forties and take her there. Our boats are small coastal cruising craft!
It always seems to me that boat tests, reports and reviews do less than justice to Iroquois; the first requirement of a sailing boat is that it shall sail well and there is still no competition on that score at the length and with the accommodation. Yet the boat testers tend to cavil and damn with faint praise; could it be that the manufacturers were less than effusive and effulgent towards the press at some time? On the other hand, now and again a multi man like Patrick Boyd or Bill Howell was involved, in which case they took a properly balanced and even view of the boat and came to the restrained conclusion that the Iroquois was superbly designed and quite incomparable.
The boats are substantially built, if you ever have to cut out and lift the floors in either hull you will find that they are (probably!) thick hardwood veneer marine ply on hardwood bearers, all painted underneath with bituminous protective paint. The hardwood bearers are cut properly short and bolted to fibreglass brackets clear of the hull, in the approved manner. This year I decided that the interior of the living room and kitchen were too faded stained and the varnish too milky and flaking to be borne any longer. I have therefore rubbed down all the exposed hardwood veneered ply panelling and hardwood edging with the coarsest grade of "wet and dry" (60) taking off varnish, stains, marks and oxidized and faded wood and re-varnished, rubbing down with finer and finer "wet and dry" between coats. The result is that the battens, ply and hardwood facings have "come up" as good as new (or would have done had I completed the work to a proper standard!). This is entirely due to the high quality of the ply used, it being made of sufficiently thick veneers of hardwood to stand this treatment. Throughout, the joinery is usually of a very good standard and even where it isn’t, it was obviously meant to be.
Did you know that the standard WC can be converted from plunger to pump operation without difficulty. This seems to be an improvement and with the addition of an air bleed inlet valve on the flushing water inlet pipe placed up stream of the pump, transforms the WC; it becomes possible to pump the pan empty without using force to override the suction caused by closing the water supply valve, but what about the connection at the back of the pan for the water inlet? Surely that must have caused a few wet bottoms.
Water inside the boat seems to arrive both via leaks and condensation and I believe that condensation plays a much larger part than generally accepted. Richard Collier lifted the forward bunk baseboards from Cherokee and removed all the foam which he said was sodden and very heavy. I wondered about this myself when I first bought my boat arid drilled holes in the bottom of the bunk bulkhead, but when no water ever trickled out into the leeboard pin lockers (sorry, wine lockers) I assumed that the compartments were dry. I have now cut a hole in each of the forward bunk bottom boards and removed the foam down to the bottom of the hull and found that there was no water in the foam at all beyond the merest dampening. This water, I believe, is present due largely to condensation, not penetration; further, most of the water in the window channels is also condensation, as is that collecting in the lockers below the bench seats on either side of the table and in the bilges and also in the water tank lockers.
The answer is both drainage and ventilation. One effective drainage system is formed from small diameter pipes let into holes drilled in the bottoms of the collection channels on the side windows. These then discharge directly through the sides of the coach roof on to the side decks where the ends may be protected by small streamlined resin covers. The front window channels must have pipes at both ends, the central pipes discharging into the anchor locker and the side pipes discharging into the leeboard cases. Vents can be cut into the internal lockers and into the bilges, but the question of through ventilation is difficult. Ideally one should have permanent ventilators on the foredeck just in front of (or on) the locker hatches, through vents in the forward bunk bulkheads, the WC partitions and the cabin partitions, culminating in vents on the box cross beam at the rear of the cockpit. However these destroy watertight integrity.
Leaks are a different matter and can occur through:
It seems that the only answer to these problems is to undo the fixings, rebed in modern mastic and refix with proper backing strips if necessary; it can be a tedious two-man job!
Finally, if your lavatory is getting smelly, gird your loins, remove, dismantle, scrape and scrub clean; remove and replace the outlet pipe and consider lifting and replacing the floor panel and the WC base block. Even Sail Craft hardwood is absorbative to some extent over the years and the only answer is replacement. When I bought my Iroquois the vendor told me that he and his family never used a toilet anyway, preferring a bucket in the cockpit for one and all! The real reason, I eventually discovered, was that the outlet pipe had been attached to the WC outlet spigot with a jubilee clip in such a way that effluent, far from being pumped out of the boat, was pumped in! The clip had been screwed up really, really tight, but unfortunately it had missed the spigot!
It is essential to keep the ends of the boat as light as possible and consequently water logged forward or aft buoyancy compartments would be disadvantageous and are to be deplored! In fact trim is quite critical on the Iroquois. All of us overload the stern, usually three people in the cockpit, often five; outboard, fuel, gas cylinders, batteries, plus two lockers full of the "port only" stores and all over full sterns. The bows on the other hand are notably fine and the forward lockers contain fenders, a few warps, sails and perhaps the rubber dinghy, all high-bulk, low-weight items. It is hardly surprising that the bows pitch relentlessly in certain circumstances, the whole boat is acting like the hinge on a swing door, the hinge pin being at the heavy sterns.
When running in light or medium light weather there is a registerable speed increase gained by moving weight forward so as to raise the sterns. If the transoms can be raised two or three inches clear of the surface there is a definite reduction in resistance notwithstanding the fact that wetted hull surface should theoretically be increased when a large amount of narrow Vee bow is immersed, in compensation for lifting out the rounded sterns. Maybe it’s merely dynamic drag from the transom being reduced. Another amusing gesture when running is not only to lift both leeboards fully, but to ostentatiously haul up one rudder blade. The gain is probably minimal, but provided the weather is light enough it does demonstrate commitment.
As, for engines, David Smith has a 28 horsepower Yamaha with an Oakley Marine extra long shaft. It is connected to the rudders with light lines and steers with the rudders. David can park the boat like a Mini Minor and certainly the engine never seems to give trouble, charges adequately and at just below 4500 rpm gives about 6½ knots for about ¾ gallon of petrol an hour. It does seem possible that the outboard problem is at last solveable, although of course the SAS haven’t cracked it yet. The engines they used on their inflatable assault craft continually let them down in the Falklands and if they can’t get it right who are we to complain. An alternative is Dennis Marrian’s answer (see letter) aboard CAT O’ LAFITE.
All of which brings me to my final question, where does one go from here, Iroquois-wise? I illustrate my answer with views of my "dream ship". This will be known as the Iromanche or Coquois. None of the proposals are original, mostly it has been a question of tracing from various Sail Craft brochures, but as a whole it combines the best (in my view) of the Iroquois features, the best of the intentions of the Comanche and specifically attempts to sidestep the few faults in either (note that the beam is 19’0"!). The only feature which is wholely mine own is the aggressive line of the spray chine, all else is, in one way or another, plagiarism.
What I now want is 6 or 7 other members to form a consortium to have moulds made up and 6 or 7 boats built. We would then be able to pass on the moulds to a builder on a fee and royalty basis, whilst forming the basis of the next class in the Iroquois saga, any takers?
Stuart Fisher
It is to be assumed that no multihull ventures offshore without making preparation for capsize and has hand grips and safety lines already fitted below the bridge deck; means of access from inside the boat to the underside of the bridge deck; flares, emergency water and food supplies, emergency medical equipment and survival suits, safety harnesses and life jackets accessible and in position when necessary. Finally, the life raft or dinghy and inflation equipment must also be accessible from the inverted boat. Having taken these precautions I shall continue to do my utmost to avoid a capsize BUT
Should the unthinkable occur, I and my crew will be able to exist and live on the underside of the upturned hull until the storm abates. I shall then be able to right the boat as follows:
In my judgement this would work for my Iroquois and for many conventional Catamarans, however it does depend to some extent on the length of the mast lever. Whilst I will equip my boat in line with these proposals, I’m not prepared to carry out a trial to prove out the method, but will continue to do my utmost to avoid a capsize.
Doug Mackay
A new Iroquois Guide has been called for. I have written this draft and would be grateful for views and comments and additions from members, nearly all of whom are more experienced than I. - The "FINAL VERSION" will be presented for approval at the AGM and issued as requested thereafter. So get your pens out, your expert views are needed for your very own OWNERS’ GUIDE.
This guide is offered in an advisory capacity only; no responsibility for the safety or successful navigation of any boat is accepted, intended or implied. In all circumstances, at all times, in all seas, in all conditions, the safety and control of any vessel is the sole charge and responsibility of the master of that vessel.
Rod Macalpine-Downie, who designed the Iroquois, stated that the boat was a quart in an admitted pint pot when she was designed nearly twenty years ago. This was as true of almost all yachts then as it is now, the art of design is in the choice of compromises. The Iroquois is still the most attractive production catamaran of her class ever produced and in terms of sailing, handling and living, is still the aristocrat of the type. Her only serious inherent fault is that she spoils her owners for other vessels. Many craft have been owned for years by the same owner; many owners only sell reluctantly when they are forced to buy a different type of boat for one reason or another, or even only to buy another Iroquois.
In practical terms the boat is not faultless, but conversely one of her best features is the main cabin, which although it doesn’t have standing headroom, is splendidly light and spacious and is complimented by the full standing headroom in the galley and other working parts of the boat. She is simply built, robustly designed and truly unsinkable as the foam buoyancy beneath the lockers and bunks fore and aft, will carry the full weight of a laden boat and crew. One or two which have been unlucky enough to get holed at sea or lose a sea cock have reached port perfectly safely under sail, although rather wet inside.
On the question of performance there is no doubt that the Iroquois is fast, weatherly and unbeatable at her length and in her class. In the last 5 years a number of monohull designs have been produced which will beat her when she is properly equipped for cruising and they are properly equipped for racing! Nevertheless the overwhelming and effortless superiority over everything else afloat up to 38’0" has been lost, and now has to be worked for! The secret of performance lies in the sailing weight of the boat; the two Iroquois maxims are:
The boat will carry enormous weights and the cruising man may feel inclined to accept the weight on the basis that the odd half knot is unimportant. This is an unhealthy philosophy as, apart from anything else, the boat lies lower in the water and the bridge deck starts slamming. More weight to be driven through the water needs more sail area, this increases the stresses and strains on the boat in a geometric fashion. More importantly a light, fast boat is a great joy to drive, so keep the equipment to a minimum and the carried weight as low as possible.
The splendid performance is obtained by having adequate sail area for light wind conditions; it follows therefore that in heavy wind conditions sail area must be reduced, failure to do this has lead to capsizes. Heavy handed mono persons can sail about on their ears, multihullers cannot, so don’t try it!
The secret of successful Iroquois sailing for the novice and master alike is:
REEF EARLY AND WELL
If you find you’ve taken off too much sail you can always put it back, and as time goes by you’ll grow more expert and judge things more exactly. With the wind over the deck at 30 knots in reasonably sheltered waters, the Iroquois will go to windward at 8½ knots with a genoa so rolled away that the foot is halved (or equivalent jib set) and the mainsail reefed down to the crosstrees. This is her top speed to windward, more sail will do no good at all so there is no point in carrying it. Off the wind of course it’s a different matter, once over the 8½ knot hull-speed hump the boat will accelerate away and on a close reach at high speed may start to lift a hull. Don’t let it, reduce the power by easing the mainsheet. The rules in gusts when capsize seems possible are:
Never sail with sheets belayed or jammed in strong wind (force 5 and over conditions). From the Iroquois handbook the following is quoted:
For winds speeds across sails
Sailing the Iroquois is the same as sailing any boat; the essence of sail control, sail shape and sail handling differ in no way from those on any other fore-and-aft rigged craft; very broadly this means:
Of specific interest to Iroquois are:
Monohulls and some multihulls have a hull weight which keeps them going in light airs; monohulls can be heeled by placing the crew along the lee deck. In the first instance the boats provide wind over their sails in calm moments by their passage through the air, in the second the sails tend to fall into aerodynamic shapes which help to take advantage of every breath.
In very light airs catamarans suffer by comparison with monos and tris because the surface of hull, which is able to stick to the water (wetted surface area) is greatest in a catamaran. Further, the boat stays upright so the sails will not fall to leeward into shape. In addition; an Iroquois pitches in small short seas in very light conditions and shakes the wind out of its sails (and the brains out of their demented owners). There is one easy answer, motor! If you feel you must keep sailing or racing, try to make sure that:
(perfect cruising sail conditions, say 15 knots wind over the deck).
REMEMBER NO IROQUOIS IS KNOWN TO HAVE CAPSIZED WHEN SAILING ON THE WEATHER BOARD AND REEFED DOWN.
Under these conditions and with this rig your Iroquois will sail off a lee shore better than most cruising monohulls.
REMEMBER, NEVER VOLUNTARILY ALLOW YOUR BOAT TO BEACH IN SEVERE WEATHER, IT IS ALMOST INVARIABLY FAR MORE DANGEROUS THAN STAYING AT SEA
REMEMBER; although your Iroquois is a handy and lively boat with a delicate response to her helm, there are two long narrow hulls to push across the water when tacking AND she is light. Unlike a mono with several tons of ballast, she will not therefore carry her way on without sailpower. She will not flip over onto a new tack like a J24, but needs time for a comparatively stately manoeuvre so:
When at anchor, with both boards and rudders up you will generally be wind-rode whilst monos around you may be tide-rode. As the boards are progressively lowered the boat can be made to veer across the tide, this can be very useful when easing out of a tight anchorage.
If you intend to anchor for along period it is worth doing so via a special rope yoke which is attached to the anchor warp at a point between the hulls and is belayed to both bow cleats over both bow rollers. This yoke can be permanently made up with heavy polythene protective tubes to go over the bow fairleads which are sharp edged. For overnight anchoring the well padded anchor warp over one bow is satisfactory. It is handy to have a light tripping line lightly seized to the chain and warp so that if the anchor fouls some obstacle or merely beds into good holding ground too well to be broken out easily, it can be pulled out backwards.
For well bedded anchors or very long warps the jib winch will work wonders, a snatch block on the mast will keep the warp from grinding across the coach roof.
If you’re thinking of leaving the boat anchored for a long period, use two anchors, one laid each way along the prevailing tide. This will prevent the boat from swinging around one anchor and twisting it out of the ground.
As a general rule on an Iroquois it is easiest to set the mainsail first because you will usually be wind-rode. Put the rudders fully down next, never sail with the rudders partly down as this makes steering very inefficient and heavy because when fully down they are partially balanced. As you cast off put both leeboards down about halfway. The boat will sail satisfactorily in close conditions with both boards partly down and under mainsail only. No. 2 jib will tack more easily under short tacking circumstances.
Always reef first if conditions seem likely to require it, it is easy on the mooring and if not required unreefing is easy at sea.
The Iroquois Owners Association has been established for a long time and are delighted to welcome new owners and provide off the cuff guidance and advice wherever two boats meet together.
Chairwoman -Haidy Blake
Secretary -Stuart D Fisher
Boats attending:
|
Name |
Home Port |
|
THELKEN |
Shoreham |
|
COMANCHE KRYSTAL |
Christchurch |
|
KATIKI |
Fareham |
|
MELODY OF WIGHT |
Beaulieu River |
|
GANISA |
Poole |
|
EL BUQUE V |
Hamble |
|
CLAUDIA |
Hamble |
|
LOS NINOS |
Falmouth |
|
CHIQUITA V |
Brighton |
|
SITTING BULL |
Portsmouth |
|
ELLICAT |
Beaulieu |
|
CHEROKEE |
Poole |
|
ZOSTERA |
Hamble |
The Annual Iroquois Summer Meet was again held on the Isle of Wight at Newtown Creek. The weather was absolutely perfect, with blue skies, calm warm sea and sunshine.
By mid-day on Saturday, five Iroquois and two Comanches were rafted together, and for those who were not eagerly exchanging holiday snaps or boat snooping, others were taking the rare opportunity to swim in the glorious warm waters.
By late afternoon, a grand total of eleven Iroquois and two Comanches were rafted together, making it the largest South Coast gathering to date. As ‘mine host’, I was slightly overawed by the spectacle, as only five boats had answered the invitations. Nevertheless, it was fantastic to see so many Sailcraft catamarans ‘in company’ and with such a perfect setting, the s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g of the hospitality was not blatantly obvious and served a total of fifty-one rnariners! (Reg’s trampoline stood up magnificently - it held a dozen bodies at any one time!).
Later in the evening, a barbecue was enjoyed on the beach and around midnight we all retired after a happy sun soaked day. All in all, a successful and very enjoyable rally and well worth everyones effort in attending. Let’s endeavour to keep the numbers up and have even more boats in attendance next year. See you then.
Pauline & Roy Butler
COMANCHE KRYSTAL
As you recall we sent out a survey to Iroquois owners last spring. Well, the replies trickled in over many months, some even chasing us back to the US where we live, for a total of’ 69 replies. We have spent some time trying to put the information into a form that others might find interesting. Some of the letters we received were long and full of interesting stories and ideas and we are sending them onto you directly for inclusion, at your discretion of course, in the Spring Newsletter. First here is the summary of the motor information:
About 85% of the owners have outboard engines with many of them wishing there was just some easier way of installing an inboard engine. The following table summarizes the most popular engines used by Iroquois owners.
|
Name |
% of total |
Most popular sizes and relative % |
|
Yamaha |
27 |
20HP (44%) 25 HP (33%), 15.28 HP |
|
Johnson |
24 |
25HP (25%) 20, 33, 35, 40 HP (about 19% each) |
|
Chrysler |
10 |
10 HP (43%) 15, 25, 35 HP (57%) |
|
Mercury |
6 |
40 HP (50%) 25, 35 HP (50%) |
|
Evenrude |
6 |
25 HP (50%) 20, 35 HP (50%) |
|
Suzuki |
4 |
25 HP (66%) 28 HP (34%) |
|
Honda |
1 |
10 HP (100%) |
|
Others |
12 |
Includes inboards |
The Yamaha engines are the most popular in the ROW (Rest of World, excluding US and Canada) and in Eng1and. The Johnsons are most popular in England, while the Chryslers are the most popular in the US and Canada. The Suzuki engines were found only in England, while the Evenrudes and Mercurys were scattered here and there.
The horsepower ratings ranged from 10 to 40 with the most popular size being 25 HP as shown in the table below which indicates the number of engines in each HP category.
|
Boats in each HP category |
|||||||||
|
No.of boats (63) |
5 |
5 |
10 |
17 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
6 |
5 |
|
HP |
10 |
15 |
20 |
25 |
28 |
30 |
33 |
35 |
40 |
Nearly all the owners had electric starting engines. The maximum speeds reported ranged from 6 knots to over 9 k, while most reported cruising speeds of 5 to 7 kt. One boat had 2 45 hp. engines in it and reported a maximum speed of 15 k, but is one-of-a-kind. It must be an awesome sight to see at full speed. Fuel consumption ranged from about ½ gal/hr on the small engines up to 2 gal/hr on the largest. The average seemed to be about 1 gal/hr. A lot of owners did not report their fuel consumption, either they don’t use their engines or don’t keep track of it. Most owners felt their engines were powerful enough and most said they would replace them with the same. There were the usual comments about reverse not working well on most of the engines and having trouble with the props coming out of the water in rough seas, even on the engines with the extra long shafts. These are problems we all have learned to live with.
Now about ANCHORS! On the average every boat carries two anchors with the plow being the most popular. I have summarized the anchor information below in a table.
|
Anchor type |
% of total |
% by weight(presumably in lbs - Webmaster) |
|
Plough |
40 |
35 (55%), 25 (16%), rest (10-40, 28%) |
|
Danforth |
29 |
35 (19%), rest (12-45, 81%) |
|
Fisherman |
8 |
30-35 (40%), rest (15-50, 60%) |
|
Sailcraft issue |
6 |
|
|
Others |
17 |
Bruces (33%), Northill, folding types etc.(77%) |
Most people replied that they sleep well at anchor, especially when anchors are put out both fore and aft. However some don’t always and the replies were varied:
The question on SELF-STEERERS brought forth lots of replies. We were surprised at how many owners have these devices, including ourselves (new this winter, haven’t tried it yet). The percentage of boats with self- steerers is as follows:
|
England |
80% (includes 2 DIY types) |
|
US Canada |
81% (includes 1 DIY type) |
|
ROW |
78% (includes 0 DIY types) |
It looks like about 80% of the owners have some sort of self-steering capability. The Autohelm models are the most popular as shown in the table on the next page.
|
Self-steerer name or model |
% of the total |
|
Autohelm (all models |
70 |
|
Early models |
36 |
|
Model 1000 |
23 |
|
Model 2000 |
13 |
|
Seafarer Seacourse |
11 |
|
Tillermaster |
8 |
|
Sharp Tillermate |
6 |
|
QME |
2 |
|
DIY (homemade) |
6 |
The comments about the different steerers are listed below under each type. Most owners felt their models were satisfactory.
Autohelm (Earlier models)
Autohelm - Model 1000
Autohelm - Model 2000
Author’s note: Mine’s still in the box and it looks beautiful! Sure hope it works as well as it looks!
Seafarer Seacourse
Tillermaster
Sharp Tillermate
Homemade DIY
QME
The owner’s replies to the question concerning which electronic they found a pleasure to use were rather straightforward. Nearly everyone had some electronic thing they liked, but there were some surprises. We would have expected everyone to carry a radio of some sort, but only 14% said they had a radio receiver. Either the rest don’t carry one, don’t get any pleasure from it, or feel it is so obvious that they didn’t mention it. We’ll ask the question differently next time.
Some of the answers were also misleading since different people define things differently. For example, 54% said they had a sumlog or just a log while 30% reported they had a speedometer, yet some mentioned their logs did both, so these results are a bit misleading. The actual comments about electronics were few and generally not complimentary, such as "None! Compass, sextant and log are enough" and "I used to have a direction finder which did not give me much fun". The results are as follows:
|
Electronic Item |
Boats with Item (%) |
|
Log or sumlog |
54 |
|
Echosounder (depth finder) |
45 |
|
RDF (radio direct finder) |
35 |
|
Speedometer |
30 |
|
Radio telephone (VHF, other) |
26 |
|
Windspeed indicator |
23 |
|
Radio receivers |
14 |
|
Solar panels |
3 |
|
Propane or gas detectors |
3 |
|
Whistler Radar |
1 |
|
Generator (Honda) |
1 |
Theodore & Suzanne Loder
In this year’s Island Sailing Club Round the Island Race a new record was set. Of the more than 1000 entrants for the 60 or so mile race more than threequarters retired.
Among the Multihullers there were 29 registered starters including the lowest number of Iroquois for years instead of the usual 8 or 10. In the event it was a gorgeous and memorable day, flat calm, crowded with drifting boats in the blazing sunshine and all good humoured. Even the class one Admirals cuppers as they slid relentlessly and remorselessly through the fleet like somnolent sharks displayed no outward irritation when a helplessly immobile multi forced them to point higher than they liked in order to keep to windward.
Only Seven multihulls completed the course; David Smiths’ CHIQUITA V was the only Iroquois and the only multi with a Portsmouth Yardstick of less than (or higher than at 107) 100 to finish on the day albeit 32 minutes after time, in the pitch dark. No wonder they have a time limit; to be racing in close quarters in the dark among the glittering and variegated lights of Cowes Roads would have been too exciting.
David Smith therefore is awarded the IROQUOIS SOVEREIGN for 1983, had his time counted in the results he would have been second boat home on handicap. A notable achievement.
Richard Collier and David Smith were the only two owners to campaign their boats’ consistently during 1985. At the MOCRA Seaview weekend David just pipped Richard in CHEROKEE by 1½ minutes over 3½ hours of racing, some of it in 30 knot winds. However at the MOCRA Seahorse week at Cowes Richard gained second prize in his class.
In all three instances the boat which just pipped both of them at the post was the 37 ft. Prout Snowgoose CAVALIER driven very hard by the redoubtable Briggs family.
The Americas Cup was won by Australia. The most remarkable thing about the winner was not necessarily the famous wings which are not Vortex Generators but Vortex Spoilers. The wings formed an endplate to the keel and was useful for the following reasons:
This feature is a Vortex Spoiler or Preventer and is a well known feature in aerodynamics. The really revolutionary item was the lateral plane or leeway resisting equipment. This was designed as a VORTEX GENERATOR and operates in the same radically different manner as does Concorde’s wing formation. In traditional wing and keel design the object is to generate lift from a form having a leading edge at right angles to the direction of motion. Aspect ratios are much talked of (i.e. the proportion of the length to the width of the. keel or wing) and lift is produced by speeding up the passage of the air or water across one face of the form compared to the other.
Not so with Concord, she generates great swirling vortices of air over the whole of upper wing surface by slicing a sharply cutting leading edge of a thin wing through the air.
IROQUOIS ARE UNIQUELY SUITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS PHENOMENA. All we have to do is:
I’m going to try it, David Smith sails with his leeboards permanently half lowered and doesn’t seem to go to windward any less well for it. If I reach the speed of sound I will of course let members know.
Stuart Fisher
From "Chinchilla", #76
Enlarging head to include all of port forward area - no one has used bunk in 14 years.
Building in proper fridge on portion of starboard forebunk - also never used.
Bracing aluminum beam to correct for forestay fitting corrosion.
Ellery P Snyder
Dear Ted and Susie Loder,
Enclosed is a cheque for membership in the Iroquois Owners’ Assoc. I have recently purchased an Iroquois Mk II, #163. I am in the process of doing a lot of cosmetic work and other repair work on her as she was treated very badly by the previous owner. One thing I am doing is having all the gudgeon fittings drilled out and putting bronze bolts as pintle fittings so that the bronze bolts will wear first and be relatively easily replaced.
Al Krech
Dear Mr Fisher,
Thanks for yours, and I will put -down a few thoughts, as you asked, in the form of a "valedictory note" as I leave the august ranks of MOCRA, and the IROQUOIS ASSOCIATION.
As I have cruised for 35 years now - and raced a bit as well - in boats with one, two, and sometimes three, hulls I’m inclined not to recognise a division between multi-hull and single-hull sailing, If you like the sea its really all sailing in one way or another and I am certain that no configuration of boat has an absolute superiority over the rest. Indeed I would challenge a number of the rebellious spirits in the multi-hull movement that their cause will have come of age when it sees itself, and others see it, as no different from other aspects of sailing.
My Iroquois gave me 10 years delightful cruising and racing with a growing family. It was an excellent boat for its task - maximum accommodation for the money, seven knots under power or sail, and the drying capability for Brittany harbours.
I have even enjoyed the special virtues of lightweight "tris" for offshore racing when scorching down-channel in the ‘teens of knots with spinnaker set in my paper’s FT, or one of the late Richard Pendred’s fast boats.
Now my Southerly 105 gives me only 6 knots average under power or sail - but I find that sufficient, and we like the standing headroom in contrast to the well-known catamaran crouch. Best of all we like the big economical reliable diesel instead of a small, unreliable and thirsty outboard (and I have tried most well-known makes with equal pain). Our single-hulled boat is bouncier than the cat in a sea-way but more forgiving to a short-handed crew (usually just two of us) when we wish to make passages with the minimum of attention to the helm or sail-changing.
The supreme cruising virtue of the multi-hulled yacht is its ability to dry out. Well, my boat draws 7 feet with the keel down, but lift it up by its reliable, hand-hydraulics and it draws only 2 ft and will sit happily upright on any rocky harbour bottom.
To keep my deepest feelings to the last - there is one overwhelming advantage posed by the single-hulled yacht over its sisters with two, three, or more hulls. There is less footage of waterline to mask and paint. Hell would be to paint an everlasting waterline …
So cheerio you people of the many hulls and give Adah Rachel a wave as you scorch past.
Yours, Roy Hodson.
Dear Editors,
I too would like to make a contribution to the Newsletter. I wish I had something interesting or useful to write about after two years of IROQUO I S ownership. No adventures, but I am delighted with the performance of my Iroquois and the whole family satisfied with the roomy accommodation. (We used to sail 4 persons and a cat - animal that is - in a 22 feet keel boat).
Ours is the only catamaran in Halmstad and we have seen very few cats during our sailing in the Swedish archipelagos. I can however report the following boats that were unmarked on the 1974 (!) Owner’s List, which I inherited with my boat.
|
Sail Number |
Name of Boat |
Home Port |
Name of Owner |
|
8 |
Dryad |
Vikhog |
Torsten Krakau |
|
28 |
Carl-Anna |
?? |
Gosta Montelius |
|
174 |
Tom o Tej |
Sodertalje |
Allan Svard |
|
176 |
Cat Ballou II |
Stockholm |
Dan Ewert |
|
186 |
Scilla Maritima |
Harnosand |
Olof Nybacka |
I have entered six races with JEN-JEN, with very poor results. The winds have just been too weak all these six times and I also think Jen-Jen’s rating is a little too high, but in one of the races we had the pleasure to pass 35 keel boats in one hour. Then the wind died again and the next hour they had overtaken us again.
I have also had one exhilarating day sailing alone. There was a steady 20 - 25 kt wind and I averaged 10 knots during a 3 hour period.
Happy sailing!
Douglas Falk, JEN-JEN, Sail Nr. 24.
Dear Harry,
Following our phone conversations I have now heard from my friendly broker and generally savings in premiums obtained by a number of people patronising one Company is very small. I now think our initial idea is wrong and that everyone should play the market for the following reasons:
My own insurance is with the Sun Alliance Co. and this years premium was £116.02. I read Barry Bucknell’s article on this problem in this months Practical Boat Owner and whilst I found it very enlightening for anyone in a similar situation I was left with a deep desire to improve my poor performance, pull my 180% genoa down earlier and avoid claims like the plague!
Yours sincerely,
Ken Pack.
Dear Stuart,
Further to your note and details of Newport meet, the diversity of boat fittings displayed emphasises the impracticability of a technical editor compiling details of a standard boat. I think anyone wanting information will need to let me have their query and I will look through the vast quantities of bumpf I have acquired in the hope I can help.
For your information, at the request of a member I looked into the practicality of obtaining an insurance quote for members wishing to form a group on a joint policy. It surprised me to find that a broker’s advice was for the Association to ‘play the field’. The saving involved was minimal as against the limitations which would have had to be excessed from.
Some years ago Chairman Reg Frampton asked Reg White why he got water in the after berths. The suggestion was that he needed his cockpit drains tightened up with a. special tool. (Could be painful). I have since acquired the device and anyone wishing to borrow it is very welcome. I too had water in my berth and looked at the possibility of doing this job, but whilst looking around I noticed the three mini nacelles in the underside of the bridge deck, all sealed and inaccessible, sandwiched as they are between the deck and hull mouldings. Being a dab hand with a drill, I put a ¼" hole in the outside two, which let out about ½ gallon of salt water and from each. Next edition I will tell you whether I still have water in my berths. Would anyone care to say whether there is any point in resealing the holes I have drilled?
Yours sincerely,
Ken Pack
Dear Stuart,
Each time the newsletter arrives I make a vow to send something in for the next one but never do.
Since, buying CAT O’ LAFITE (183) in January 1975, Bid and I have made several changes in the direction of making life easier for the aged. The first was a furling jib (Coney) which has been a great relief - no gore sending an apprehensive crew on to a bouncing trampoline to dowse the genoa.
Next we got rid of the outboard and installed, a Watermota "Sea-Panther" with hydraulic drive to twin propellers, independently controlled. We can now perform any manoeuvre under any conditions of wind and tide. It cost a lot and we have lost a bit of space in the cockpit but it was well worth it. The boxed in engine now serves as a helmsman’s seat and a table for meals, and a tank of diesel would get us to Ostend and back I reckon.
Lastly we installed a mainsail furling spar so that we reduce sail by pulling on a couple of lines in the cockpit, again a great comfort. Consequently I have, for SALE, a perfectly usable mainsail and a boom with a new roller reefing gear on it. Any offers?
Sincerely,
Denis Marrian
Dear Mr & Mrs Buque,
I see from the date of your letter to us that it has taken me almost a year to reply. That has to be a record even for me! Out of that year - it took us three and a half months to sail from Hamble to Tel Aviv - but more of that later. First of all, enclosed is a cheque which I hope will be sufficient for the subscription and enable us to continue receiving the newsletter, which we thoroughly enjoyed.
As I told you in our original letter, we bought our Iroquois - now renamed PAT ICHE - from Ron Spells (SPELIAN - Ed), who luckily for us spent a lot of time putting her through her paces for us and teaching us how to handle her - our yachting experience until we left Hamble was, to say the least, minimal. However we rapidly made up for lost time. I think it would be fair to say we must have experienced every type of weather going during our return journey. I think our strangest feeling about the Iroquois is that she is a most "forgiving" boat - despite all our faults and failings she behaved superbly. We went through the canaux du midi to reach the Med - delighting everybody with the ease with which we lowered the mast - and then continued along the French & Italian coasts - crossed to Corfu - round the outside islands to Crete - across to Rarpathos (an extremely hairy crossing with 40 knots on the beam!) then Cyprus (Paphos) and on to Israel. Back in Israel we met another couple who had made more or less the same journey - starting from Normandy - taking a month longer, in a monohull - as their skipper put it "there were some days I enjoyed" - Summer 1982 was not the best of sailing summers! 4 mistrals in under a month and a meltemi that didn’t drop under Force 8 for 6 days is not, we gather, typical.
However - we made it - we learned all the way - we met some marvellous people, saw some fascinating places and are already planning our next long trip.
Meanwhile Patiche is moored in Tel Aviv, where Oded is busy improving/repairing, refurbishing everything: The one major change we are hoping to make is to add an extension to the engine leg to help avoid the cavitation problems we had in heavy seas. Anyway - I’ve rambled on! Once I get the photos organized I will try and senda slightly more coherent account of our trip for the newsletter. That too, however, may be slightly delayed. Despite any impressions to the contrary - we must have had some calm days sailing and I can’t have been as seasick as I thought at the time - Hammer Junior is due any day now and presumably will come into the world already a proud supporter of catamarans in general and Iroquois in particular:
Look forward to hearing from you - and of course any Iroquois owner thinking of heading this way.
Shelagh & Oded Hammer, PAT ICHE
Dear Stuart,
Thank you for your letter enclosing results of the Seaview weekend. You enquired about one or two things I have done to my Iroquois. Two or three years ago I took the masthead float off and weighed it - it weighed about 95 lbs. I assumed it was waterlogged and tried drilling some holes in it and I reduced the weight by no more than 2lbs. So I then cut it round the perimeter and took the top off. I removed the waterlogged foam, re-assembled the casing and introduced some more foam. This resulted in a weight of about 451bs.
I would really like to make a new masthead float and I have in mind using plywood or aluminium. As I see it a float needs a positive buoyancy of about 500lbs and it should be possible to get down to a weight of 25lbs or less. I don’t really think it needs foam in it, but it must be strong enough to stay intact while everyone gets out of the boat.
I have also removed the foam from under the starboard side forward bunk. This was also waterlogged. The reason was that the bulkhead between the forward sail-locker and the bunk was not really watertight. I realised I had a problem because the starboard hull was lower in the water than the port one. I have of course replaced the foam.
I would point out to anyone with this problem that trying to dry out the foam by drilling holes in it is unlikely to work (one has to remove literally gallons of water!).
Another modification that I am most pleased with is to shorten the rudders. In my case I took six inches off the bottom. My reason for doing it was that in Poole harbour I was always touching the bottom and then sailing on with the rudders partly up. The boat seems to sail just as well with six inches less rudder, I don’t touch the bottom so often and they look a bit less fragile when in a congested mooring.
Yours,
Richard Collier, No. 77 CHEROKEE
Dear Ted & Suzy,
First, THANK YOU for your efforts, it can only be a labour of love. Enclosed the requested contribution and please excuse the delay in answering.
FLEDERMAU.S, commissioned in 1967, we purchased her in 1977 from J J Owens Jr. We and Suzy (daughter) enjoy her very much and would not change for anything. We would entertain swapping for holidays, not simultaneously, with other Iroquois owner. We have canals, great lakes, river, islands, good anchorages, charts, marina for overnight or quiet bays.
Next project is to use an old extended shaft O,/B, remove pistons and connecting rods, install a car alternator with built in voltage regulator, purchase a large propeller, approx. 8 by 13 facing the wrong way because it is more efficient. This will provide a generator that is inexpensive, quiet, and can be raised out of the water when not required. Any suggestions? Our rudder boxes are not symmetrical. Which is left, which is right?
Has anyone changed the rigging on a Mk 1 to run the shrouds to the hulls inboard with a running backstay? To beat I use #1 jib and pass it between the shrouds. Tack to tack I have 70 degrees at best on the compass. If anyone ever builds Mk l’s, again, this change in rigging and shaped dagger boards would give you an outstanding craft. The flat aluminium C/B start humming at about 10 kts.
Elfi & Guy Juneau, Canada.
Fledermaus, #34, Mk.1
Dear Fellow Members
As you can see, we have finally broke the elastic holding us to the UK. We left Burnham-on-Crouch in June and coast hopped around the South Coast and made a point of stopping off at Christchurch to see Roy and Pauline Butler. From these two hardened travellers we were able to extract some very useful information about getting from the Atlantic to the Med via Bordeaux, Toulouse and Narbonne, as they had done it previously. From there we continued our trek along the South Coast. We had planned to visit some relatives in Ireland before heading south, so we rounded Lands End and headed up the North Cornwall and Devon coast.
Since starting off we didn’t have much in the way of wind, what there was was short and sweet, consequently we found we had to depend on our outboard a lot. I’m sure everybody will remember the good weather this summer, but unfortunately when we rounded Lands End we not only had no wind, but fog to go with it. It was fortunate that the weather was settled enough for us to take advantage of anchoring outside a lot of these harbours that dry out, as drying out harbours are no good for passage making. We were quite surprised that there are no deep water refuges along this coast and we found our next harbour with deep water was Milford Haven.
Finally we got to Dublin after leaving from a little bay near Ramsey Island and sailing to Rosslare. This harbour is not to be recommended as it provides very little in the way of shelter. After clearing Customs we sailed up to Dublin where we were treated to a mooring by the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dunlaoghaire Harbour. After spending a week in Dublin we decided to head south and try and get away from the rain and fog, which seemed to persist during our stay.
We crossed back over from Wicklow to Fishguard, where the weather improved greatly. We then back tracked to Penzance, there to wait for the right conditions for the crossing to Ushant. We left Penzance with a good forecast and hoped to make Ushant by midday the next day. As it was, we got more wind than we bargained for and got to Ushant before daylight and had to wait around for daylight before going through the Chanel du Four. We found the tide very strong through here, but we finally found a little anchorage near Camaret, where we cleared Customs. From there it was day hops down the Brittany coast, stopping at as many places as possible. The weather was beautiful and we managed to carry a spinnaker most days.
We finally got to Royan, where we purchased a booklet chart for the Canal Lateral and Midi. From there we sailed to Bordeaux, where we got our mast down ready for the long trek through the ditch. We found the canal very restful and easy going. The lock keepers are all very helpful and commercial craft very courteous. Frankie and I managed the boat quite well on our own through the locks up to Toulouse as they are all automatic. But we were glad to be joined by four other sailing friends for a week. We certainly used them on the way down to Narbonne as all the locks are manually operated.
From Narbonne it was out at La Nouvelle and into the Med. From there we sailed up to the peninsular of Gems where we spent two weeks with our daughter who was on holiday at an English camp site. We found the South of France beautiful to sail, by this time it was the beginning of October and we felt we should make haste further south before the weather got too bad as we hoped to spend the winter at Palma, Majorca.
We carried on coast hopping down the French and Spanish coasts until we got to Cambrils, just south of Tarragona. From here we made our last passage to Palma, Majorca. The English seem well catered for here, having an English newspaper, an English cinema, plus lots of English yachts. Imagine, our surprise one day, two weeks ago, to be hailed from the quayside by none other than our good friends Roy and Pauline Butler, who happened to be down here on two weeks holiday (without Comanche Krystal). We had a lovely time with them, having meals out and plenty of chats and I would like to thank Roy again, who kindly drove me up to the north of the island in his hired car, to get my Calor gas bottle filled. The weather here is still good, but getting a bit chilly in the evenings. In the spring we hope to do a bit of sailing down the Greek Islands and Turkey.
Fred & Frankie Boyd’,
‘BUSTER’, Comanche No. 22
Dear Mr Fisher,
I have a Comanche boat, the last one to be built by, Sail Craft Ltd. of Brightlingsea, Essex. It was a kit, all structural bulkheads fitted, bunks and floors fitted, all fibre-glass mouldings, incl. rudder. Hatch in teak fitted several fittings etc. included. If any of your members are interested, my asking price is £9,000. I am in a position to complete it if needed, to Sail Craft standards, being ex general foreman of Sail Craft.
Yours sincerely,
C White
Dear Mr Fisher,
We enjoy receiving your newsletter even though we spend most of the year in Muscat, Oman. ‘Teepee’ summers in Manningtree and winters in Ipswich.
Cynthia Hughes Clarke,
TEEPEE, No. 155
Dear Mr Fisher,
Thank you for your reminder on dues for the Iroquois owners bulletin. Unfortunately I have sold my boat and do not have a Catamaran anymore. I gave all the old issues to the new buyer and I believe he will be ordering the bulletin. Please take me off your list. I certainly enjoyed the bulletin, while it lasted.
Sincerely yours,
Dirk Van Zyverden
Dear Mr Fisher,
I would appreciate the addresses of recommended sailmakers for purchase of Iroquois Mark II jibs, especially 150 and 180.
Thank you very much,
William J Atkinson Jr., MD
Dear Mr Fisher
I want to join up as a member of the association. Since last autumn I am co-owner of No. 188 ‘Gun-Gun’. I find her to be a wonderfu1 boat. This summer we made a trip of some 1000 nautical miles, going through the Gota canal and sailing back around the southern part of Sweden. We had a really wonderful, time. Last autumn I broke the port leeboard. After having studied the remains I can say that the main reason for the leeboard breaking was that the glass-sheathing was worn through where the board had been rubbing against the edges of the slot in the hull. When I rebuilt it, I sheathed it completely with fibreglass and plastic, adding some extra layers where the board passes through the hull. .
I have run copies of my partners old Newsletters and I really enjoy reading them.
With the kindest regards,
Gunnar Enberg, Sweden
