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Weather Helm and Holding Tank

A

akopac

Andy Kopac
<div>I have two questions about my 383 that I just got. 1) I was sailing west in a 15kt south wind and the boat wanted to round up into the wind. Quite a lot of right rudder had to be cranked in to counteract this. I was sailing under a main and 140% genoa with a 20 degree heel. Does anyone have suggestions on how to correct this? 2) Where is the sewerage holding tank located and how do you divert sewerage to it. When I close off the seacock to the out side the toilet doesn't want to flush. Is there another valve some where?Eric Peterson
"SPARROW"
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Eric, Re: Weather Helm.
The Morgan hull should sail with desired weather helm of 4% to windward and 10% on a beam reach. That would be about 1/2 a spoke and a spoke and a half of your wheel off center, in a 15knt breeze.
I would guess that the center of effort (on your sail) is further aft of what it should be from the center of lateral resistance. What this means is that you must move the pocket of the main sail forward.
As the wind increases you tighten your halyard, and move the main clew aft, tightening the foot. The pocket in the sail will decrease and move foward towards the mast. You can also pull the cunningham foward for additional trim. Before you do what I described above, I assume you have already adjusted your traveler to ease the weather helm?
On a well designed boat with sails that are not distorted, tuning and trim should cure weather helm. THE MORGAN IS A VERY WELL DESIGNED BOAT.
Good luck,
Larry
 
<div>Re: Holding tank question. I have a 384 that originally had a gate valve installed as part of the head discharge system. Discharging to the holding tank required closing the seacock and opening the gate valve. The problem with gate valves is that even though you turn the handle you don't know for sure that you have moved the gate (and actually opened or closed the valve). I replaced the gate valve with a "Y" diverter valve. Re: Weather helm. Reefing the main will also move the center of effort forward, but I have had to do this only when the wind was greater than 20 kt. or so.
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Our 382 has a Y-valve under the sink in the head. In one position it sends a flush overboard, in the other position it sends it to the holding tank. The through-hull seacock is not what determines the direction the flush takes.
The holding tank itself is located in the bilge. If you have an access panel in the cabin sole next to the galley sink, you should be able to look in there and see some large hoses running down to the tank. Further down on this board (12/31/98) there's a discussion of the wires that attach to the sender in the tank.
 
If the boat wants to round up, you have too much sail up. You can ease the main, change to a smaller jib or reduce, and probably the best is to reef the main.
 
So far all suggestions seen reasonable but one thing you might want to do if these remedies do not work is to check the rig tuning. Specifically the rake on the mast. The telephone pole that the 382 has for a mask will not bend, but by adjusting the forestay length ( making the fore stay shorter and re adjusting the back stays to keep proper headstay tension ) you can change the boats balance and reduce weather helm.
 
Re: Weather helm. Reefing is the cure, assuming your sails are in good shape. I often reef the main at least once in 17 knots of wind, or thereabouts, depending on what jib is up. The boat heels less and goes as fast or faster. And it is easier to control, in general. But, if your sail is old or blown out or poorly designed, that can also be a problem. An old main can cause real problems, because the draft moves so far aft.
 
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The valve for the holding tank on my 382 is under the vanity. To get to it you have to take out the trash container, stand on your head and have an arm like an ape to operate the gate valve. Not a very good design. I changed mine around last year and installed a "Y" diverter on the bulkhead just above the head discharge with the two hoses going through the bulkhead with 90 degree elbows just above the Y valve. The Y has a lockable lever on it so that it can be locked in the "holding tank" position, that makes you legal. If you are off shore you can unlock the Y and discharge over the side....Parts are about$100 and three hours of sweating off the old parts. Pick a day with a nice breeze.Good luck
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<div>I have just spent a great deal of time tuning and re-tuning the rig attempting to minimize a weather helm problem similar to what you describe. I do not have an adjustable backstay so I have had to pick a compromise tension for the back stay. I have come to the conclusion that 1977 sails are the bigest part of my problem and age and draft can not be totally compensated for. Oh for a new main and 130.Fairwinds and Rum Drinks,Vic C.
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Sinequanon, my 383, hull #055 has a ridgid, 2 inch PVC discharge line extending from the below the vanity through the bulkhead and through the port storage locker below the settee. A plastic valve is located in the storage locker about 2' aft of the bulkhead. The valve turns 90 degrees similiar to a sea cock to open and close. It's hard to find since it is located beneath the grey 1/2" fresh water supply lines going to vanity sink and shower. My boat is not equipped with a Y-valve. The head discharge line runs to a PVC "T" with one branch connected to the 2" PVC line leading to the holding tank and the other branch to an anti-siphon discharge loop and sea cock. With the sea cock closed and the and the valve in the storage locker open, sewage is pumped to the holding tank. When the seacock is open and the valve in the storage locker is closed the sewage is pumped directly overboard. There is also a gate valve located between the head and PVC "T". I think the only purpose of the gate valve is to close off the line when the head is removed or being repaired.I thought this was the original design but after reading everyone comments, I'm beginning to wonder.
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<div>1. Weather helm problem. If your main is not in bad shape(ie baggy from age) you should be able to correct by tightening both halyard and outhaul. Make sure you are not over trimmed (ie trim to just eliminate luffing), and ease your traveler. 2. I have hull 77 (since new in '78) & my holding tank is below my bilge and aft of the lead.
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Amen to all answers that said (1) old baggy main get rid of (2) reef the main first if you can't get the draft forward(3) ease off on the traveler (4) go to a smaller headsail.
 
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