View Poll Results: Should Surprise! keep her mizzen?

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11. You may not vote on this poll
  • Yes!

    9 81.82%
  • Put lawn chairs back there.

    2 18.18%
Results 1 to 10 of 22

Thread: Surprise!'s Mizzen Poll

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    3,688

    Default Surprise!'s Mizzen Poll

    Sailing gurus say that Surprise!'s mizzen is pretty useless. Upwind it lives in the bad air from the main, especially when the traveler is pulled up a bit, and when it's full it's only adding to the weather helm. There are non-racing benefits, the major one being that it adds to the boat's coolness.

    But a couple friends have suggested I pull it out and put lawn chairs back there. (For this poll we'll assume that option is figurative.)

    Here's your chance to weigh in on the decision.
    .
    Last edited by BobJ; 01-25-2019 at 09:52 AM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Posts
    3,485

    Default

    No option for coolness?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    3,688

    Default

    That would be under "Yes!"

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    224

    Default

    How hard is it to pull to test it out? If you still want the cool look for future formal events just put it back.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    3,688

    Default

    It's unstayed so it *should* be pretty easy. But there's some corrosion under there, stainless bolts going through aluminum castings, etc. I have a hunch that once I get it out I'll be slow to put it back.

    So I'm doing the easier thing first - I'm taking a poll!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    380

    Default

    I’d suggest that you really haven’t had enough experience with the mizzen yet to decide. I’ve never owned a yawl (or ketch), but I’ve had boats that had features that were new to me or that I didn’t fully understand. I’ve learned to live with them until they reveal more about themselves. Carl designed that boat to be a yawl. I think you just need more time to get to know her.

    Tom

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    371

    Default

    Bob, not sure about the original building intent on sail balance, but it seems like a larger main (maybe more roach or square top) could makeup the lost sail area with less hassle. Not sure how it would effect weather/lee helm. Also if you are more inclined to cruising great place for dinghy, and if you are really wild how about a hot tub?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    3,688

    Default

    They built eight of this version and two of them were sloops. The boom was a bit longer on the sloops but everything else was the same.

    The hot tub would be flash - but I'm thinking about how to do an e-rudder with all that back there.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    371

    Default

    You mean like an internal fold down or push down erudder? That would be really cool and keep the stern clean. I guess you could make some kind of a water trunk like some of the small sailboat outboard boxes. How much room do you have back there?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Posts
    3,485

    Default

    I say don’t make a decision until you’ve sailed solo offshore w that mizzen.

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