[C320-list] NOT Frustrated with the Dutchman system & NOT frustrated with GFO packing

[Robert E. Sloat]

Bill-Good seeing you on the new 320 at Chicago Strictly Sail and chatting 
about the great T cockpit change to the new model.

I have hull 894 (2002) with the Dutchman system C.  Read the Dutchman manual 
that came with the boat and as others have done in this string, marked the 
topping lift line at the clutch for tight and loose settings, marked the 
line at the cam cleat block at the end of the boom for locating the 
monofilament lines for sailing and sail cover modes, and make sure the main 
sheet lines tighten the boom down when lowering the sail.  No real problems 
over 5 seasons, but, everything must be adjusted correctly for the sail to 
act like the one Dutchman demonstrates at the boat shows.

I note someone in the string said that Dutchman says to keep the aft 
monofilament block on the topping lift a little forward of aft tab on the 
sail.  This helps keep the aft monofilament line tight if the boom is not 
low enough.  The aft monofilament seems to be the critical one to stack the 
sail on the boom.  If you make sure the boom is tightened down enough to 
keep the aft monofilament line tight when dropping the sail, there should be 
no problems.  I have a dodger and when it is up it is very easy to bring the 
boom to the same position above the dodger.  When this happens the aft 
monofilament is tight.

The only time I get mad at the Dutchman is when the topping lift lines get 
caught on the backstay when raising the sail which very seldom happens. This 
is operator error as the topping lift is either too loose (did not have the 
topping lift line between the above 2 marks at the clutch) or after removing 
the sail cover the monofilaments were not run up to their proper settings 
which are marked at the line near the cam cleat.

If everything is set right, flaking is always the same and the sail sits 
beautifully on the boom.

The GFO packing is the BEST $15 I every spent on my boat.  And it took 30 
minutes to install when on the tarmac a few seasons ago.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Culbertson" <billculb_a2 at yahoo.com>
To: "C320-List" <c320-list at catalina320.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 12:32 PM
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Frustrated with the Dutchman system


FWIW, my view is that just because a system takes a long time to learn to 
use correctly doesn't mean to me that it is an inferior system.  Or just 
because a system takes a significant effort to adjust correctly doesn't mean 
it is flawed.  Take engine alignment for example.  Takes a long time to get 
it right.  Is something wrong because of that, no.

All systems have trade offs.  If my choice were between something which took 
a good long while to get initially set up or to learn but worked like a 
champ each and every time I needed after I'd spent that effort, I'd pick 
that system over one which was easy to set up and had problems each time I 
used it. But others could easily see the same trade offs and make the 
different choice.  That's fine with me - their choice.  I kept my 
traditional packing gland and use GFO packing with great success.  Others 
have said, "forget that nonsense" and switched to the PSI dripless shaft 
seal.  Both seem like fine approaches to me.

 -bill culbertson
 Harmony #859

----- Original Message ----
From: K L <sfca33 at hotmail.com>
To: c320-list at catalina320.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 12:17:53 PM
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Frustrated with the Dutchman system


It has been interesting to read the varied opinions on the Dutchman. People
seem to love it or hate it.

Darrell said that a switch to a swivel block made it worse (or at least not
better) while Warren  reports that the swivel block solved the problem. I'm
going to swap the block I have for a swivel block and give that a try.

Lots of people said that they scrapped the system or are about to while Jeff
said that after a year he figured out how to use it efficiently. Someone
else suggested a video.

What is clear to me is that a hell of a lot of man hours have been spent in
trying to get the system to work the way it should. If a system takes a year
to figure out and/or requires special training with a video, then I wonder
if it's a good system. It seems to me that it should be easier.

One can't help but wonder if all those man hours spend trying to get the
Dutchman to work is more or fewer than the hours that would have been spent
flaking the sail with lazy jacks.

I have had both systems. For me, the total time working with the sail seems
to be about the same. But the difference is that with the Dutchman the time
is spent in frustration.

Ken Danko
#802, Grace

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