Doyle UPS

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Doyle UPS

Postby jdoorly » Wed Jun 29, 2011 7:52 pm

I've had some experience with my UPS now and can report that I really like it and it adds a lot of speed and fun. It comes into its' own from footing a beat through close and beam reaching and up to a broad reach, but after 135 degrees it wallows around like a genoa, maybe lowering the main would keep it filled. If you had an articulating sprit/pole that could be moved to weather it would probably do great, or you can wing and wing it. I have been constantly impressed by the speeds attained in light air, like 4kn in 5kn of wind!

I had some problems with how I installed it: I use a Harken furler out on a sprit about 18 inches forward of the forestay, and the spinnaker halyard block was about a foot higher than the forestay tang. I had problems when furling (I furl when tacking) the sail would get wrapped up around the forestay (I don't set the jib on the forestay, its' on a furler a few inches aft of the forestay- the forestay is used only to pull the mast up/down and set the mast rake). So, I moved the spinnaker block almost up to the masthead, which should separate the furled spinnaker (UPS) from the forestay, we'll see next sail... Also, the harken furler specs a 3/16" line but the UPS has a 9 foot foot and the 3/16 line fills the spool and jams. I replaced it with 9/64" line but that was able to 'fall thru' the bottom of the furler and jam when under high load. Guess i'll have to try 4mm line.
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Postby K.C. Walker » Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:36 am

Thanks for your report and progress working out the controls for the sail. I continue to find it interesting. I look forward to hearing as you sort things out.
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Postby jdoorly » Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:13 pm

I got a new West Marine extending boat hook and tried using it to pole out the UPS dead downwind and it worked great for wing and wing. Didn't get a chance to try it yet but it looks like I might be able to fly it backwards on a broad reach using the pole.
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Postby K.C. Walker » Thu Feb 09, 2012 5:34 pm

jdoorly,

I know you are probably busy with robots! However, I was wondering if you might comment on your thoughts of how the UPS balances out on your 18 inch bowsprit? I can imagine that it would be good for off wind sailing but I was wondering about how it balances on close reaching.
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Postby jdoorly » Sun Feb 12, 2012 4:24 pm

Hi KC, in anticipation of snow this weekend they closed the school where we work on the 'bot so I got the weekend off.

The 18" sprit length was chosen as the longest distance I could reach comfortably and the shortest seperation (from jib) distance advised by the sailmaker, and it has worked out well. I use the furler when tacking.

I really like the sail and use it whenever the wind isn't gusting too much. The sail is almost twice the size of the jib so it's center of effort is still about the same as the jib's and balances well, maybe better than the jib- I go to weather with it in 1 to 10 kn ap. wind. Not sure what the actual incidence angle is but it seems closer than close reach. Doyle says 33 degrees, seems right. The jib starts back-winding around 26 degrees, without barber haulers.
DS2 #6408 "Desperado"
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Postby K.C. Walker » Sun Feb 12, 2012 4:52 pm

Hi jdoorly, the snowstorm was a bit of an "underperformer" here and I expect it was the same for you. Thanks for your reply, I really appreciated!
KC Walker, DS 1 #7002
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Postby K.C. Walker » Sun Feb 12, 2012 7:08 pm

jdoorly,

I hate to impose with more questions, however, I was wondering if you might comment on a few more. Are you getting enough halyard tension to use your small boat Harken furler satisfactorily? Do you have a whisker stay or whatever those are called to hold the bowsprit down?
KC Walker, DS 1 #7002
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Postby jdoorly » Sun Feb 12, 2012 8:57 pm

No imposition at all KC, glad to help.

Originally I used the existing spinnaker halyard, which was about a foot higher than the fore-stay tang but there were problems with the UPS getting hung-up on the fore-stay and not furling cleanly. I raised the spinnaker halyard block a few feet higher up and that worked fine (I also later replaced the 'sticky' 3/32 wire rope with slick 1/8" easy to splice dyneema.

I had some jib halyard tensioning challenges until I reduced the halyard routing and straightened the pulling angle. The UPS doesn't need as much halyard tension.

Late this autumn I installed a dyneema bob-stay to hold the sprit down after I started worrying about the hull and deck parting (the turnbuckle end is connected to the pulling ring). Now I feel a bit warmer and fuzzier.
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