Useful Data

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Anchor Selection	Rigging Data	Tanzer Data
J-24 Data	Mast Vibration	PAINT
Mirage Data	Marine Toilets	Blister Treatment

Rigging Data

Stainless Steel Wire Data

1) - 1x19 302/304 S/S - Used for Standing Rigging

Diameter          Approx  Break            Weight 
                      Strength            (per 100ft)
in.        mm      Lbs         Kg.        Lbs      Kg

1/16      1.6       500       227         8.5     3.9
3/32      2.4      1200       500        20.0     9.1
1/8       3.2      2100       953        35.0    15.9
5/32      4.0      3300      1497        55.0    24.9
3/16      4.8      4700      2132        77.0    34.9
7/32      5.6      6300      2858       102.0    46.3
1/4       6.3      8200      3720       135.0    61.2
9/32      7.1     10300      4672       170.0    77.1
5/16      7.9     12500      5670       210.0    95.3
3/8       9.5     17100      7757       317.0   143.8

2) - 1x19 316 S/S - Does not Tarnish in salt water

Break strength is approximately 10 to 15% less than 302/304 strength.

3) - 7x19 302/304 S/S - Flexible - used for halyards, etc.

3/32      2.4      1050       476        16.0     7.3
1/8       3.2      1760       798        29.0    13.2
5/32      4.0      2400      1088        45.0    20.4
3/16      4.8      3700      1678        65.0    29.5
1/4       6.3      6400      2902       110.0    49.9
5/16      7.9      9000      4082       173.0    78.5
3/8       9.5     12000      5443       243.0   110.2

Rope Data

1) Dacron (Polyester) Braid

2) Nylon Braid

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Mast Vibration

Sleepless Nights!

Anyone who has a vibrating mast knows how much of a nuisance this can be when trying to sleep or otherwise spend time down below. Mast vibration causes a great deal of noise below decks since the hull acts like a sounding board and amplifies the vibration noise.

Vibration is more likely to occur on poorly stayed deck stepped masts, usually with single lower stays which do not provide fore/aft support.

Technical Explanation

The technical explanation of mast vibration is something called Karman vortex shedding. Basically, air flowing over the mast does not re-attach as it would over an airfoil and this causes regions of low pressure on the leeward side. These regions are unstable and tend to move up and down as the vortex shedding occurs. The rate at which the low pressure regions move is a function of windspeed, mast diameter and shape. When the natural frequency of the mast section coincides with the frequency of the vortex shedding, a resonance can occur which results in an marked increase in amplitude and severe vibration can occur. This phenomenon often occurs at quite low windspeeds (4-12) knots.

Vortex shedding is common on tall slender chimneys - If you look at any industrial plant, you will likely see a chimney with spirals welded on. These spirals are intended to move the low pressure regions from the leeward side to the windward side and thus overcome the vertical movement of the eddies. Quite a lot is known about Karman vortices, but this has not always been useful in yacht design.

Solutions?

At the design stage, the designer should consider the following:

Mast Support - Keel vs Deck or at least ensure the mast step is well supported.
Mast staying - Use fore/aft lowers or swept back spreaders to better provide fore/aft staying
Mast Section - Analyse the mast natural frequency vs Karman vortex shedding.
Mast Shape - It could be that some mast shapes are better than others.

Once you have this problem, there are a few things that could be tried:

Mast Step 1 - Ensure that the mast base is fully supported on the mast step and not bearing on a point.
Mast Step 2 - Ensure that there is adequate support under the mast step - there is sometimes a gap.
Rig Tension 1 - If you have fore/aft lowers or a baby stay, try varying the tension.
Rig Tension 2 - Try adjusting upper shroud tension - This affects the natural frequency of the mast.
Temporary support - Tie a line from the Jib tack to the spinnaker eye or simply around the mast.
New Stays - add fore/aft support by adding baby stay or additional lowers.
Add a Vortex Fence - A narrow stiff (2 to 4") strip raised to say 2/3 of the mast height in the mast slot.
Try using your mainsheet to tension the topping lift and provide some forward boom force to stiffen the lower mast.
Try inducing some mast bend with the backstay adjuster - this will stiffen the mast.

Summary

This an annoying and difficult problem to solve - There is no simple answer. The only way is to keep trying ideas until something works for you. Good Luck!

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J-24 Rigging Data

Main Halyard - mast cleated - 62' - led aft - 70' Std wire- rope or all Spectra Blend with short wire tail. Shackle Wichard 81432 or equivelent.
Jib Halyard - mast cleated - 55' - Std wire-rope or all Spectra Blend with wire tail. Snapshackle Nicro NF 12000S or equivelent
Spinnaker Halyard - mast cleated 55' - led aft 65' 1/4" Dacron.
Topping Lift - 45' of 1/4" Dacron with Wichard 2313 hook
Foreguy - 25' of 1/4" Dacron with Wichard 2313 hook
Mainsheet - 60' of 3/8" Dacron
Genoa/Jib sheets - 2x 25' - 3/8" or 7/16" - length approx. - depends on method of jibing and if Windward Sheeting
Spinnaker Sheets - 55' each od 5/16" Kevlar or Spectra recommended.
Continuous Twing - 22' of 1/4" Dacron - Harken 125 each end

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Tanzer 22 Rigging Data & Prices

Standing Rigging - All 1x19 S/S type 302

Forestay (5/32"), T/B 2/3 open +toggle = 28'-6 3/8"
Backstay (5/32"), T/B 1/3 open + toggle = 30'-7 1/4"
Uppers (5/32"), T/B 2/3 open + toggle = 27'-1 7/8"
Lowers (5/32"), T/B 1/2 open + toggle = 13'-8 1/8"
Closed body turnbuckle with one fixed and one toggle fork

Running Rigging

Main Halyard - 25'-9" of 3/32" 7x19 (or 7x7) wire from shackle to thimble plus 28'-0" of 5/16" Dacron tail
Jib Halyard - 25'-9" of 1/8" 7x19 wire from shackle to thimble plus 28'-0" of 5/16" Dacron tail
Topping Lift - 25'-0" of 3/32" 1x19 (or 7x19) wire (Thimble to Thimble length)
Spinnaker Halyard - 68'-0" of 5/16" Dacron.
Spinnaker Pole topping (Uphaul) - 35'-0" of 5/16" Dacron.
Foreguy (Pole downhaul) - 25'-0" of 5/16" Dacron.
Spinnaker sheets - 2x 45'-0" of 5/16" Dacron braid.
Mainsheet - 60'-0" of 3/8" Dacron braid
Genoa sheets - 2x 35'-0" or 1x 68'-0" of 7/16" Dacron
Jib Sheets - 2x 26'-0" or 1x 50'-0" of 3/8" Dacron
Boom Vang - 21'-0" of 5/16" Dacron

Note: All Sheets to be Dacron double braid - Halyards can be double braid or 3-strand Dacron.

Rig Dimensions

I = 27.5', J = 8.56', P = 23.0', E = 9.0'

Spinnaker Pole length = 8'-9", Diameter = 2"

Tanzer Models

Tanzer 16
Tanzer 22
Tanzer 7.5
Tanzer 25 (Euro Style)
Tanzer 26
Tanzer 27
Tanzer 28
Tanzer 8.5
Tanzer 29 (Early model)
Tanzer 29 (Euro Style)
Tanzer 31
Tanzer 10.4

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Selection Guide

Choosing the Right Size of Anchor

The following table gives the approximate size of anchor to use. See in descriptions of anchor types to determine which anchor is best suited for your intended use.

Boat Length    Anchors to Use                                 
20  to 26ft    20lb Kingston Plough, 15lb or 20lb CQR, 14lb Delta,
               12lb Kingston Lightweight or Danforth Hi-Tensile,
               25lb Yachtsman, Bruce 5kg or 7.5kg or Super Hooker 13lb
26 to 33ft     27lb Kingston Plough, 20lb or 25lb CQR, 22lb Delta,
               20lb Kingston Lightweight or Hi-Tensile Danforth,
               38lb Yachtsman, 7.5kg or 10kg Bruce.
34 to 39ft     35lb Kingston Plough, 35lb CQR, 22lb Delta, 
               35lb Kingston Lightweight or 35lb Danforth Hi-Tensile,
               54lb Yachtsman, 10kg Bruce.
40 to 45ft     45lb Kingston Plough, 45lb CQR, 35lb Delta, 15Kg Bruce,
               75lb Yachtsman
46ft +         Please call or E-Mail us.

Anchor Chain and Anchor Rodes

Anchor Chain

Every anchor needs a length of chain attached to ensure proper setting and holding. The following are the minimum requirements:

Up to 25ft with anchors of 20lb or less - 6' of 1/4" or 5/16" chain.
Larger boats up to about 35ft. with 20 to 35lb anchors - 10 to 12 ft of 5/16" or 3/8" chain
For 35 to 45 footers with 35 to 45lb anchors, 12 to 16ft of 3/8" chain

The following are typical maximum working loads for common chain sizes - These may vary from different manufacturers:

Std Long Link

Size   Diameter   Inside Length   Inside Width   Working Load   Weight/ft
1/4"   0.276"       1.19"           0.50"           1250lb       0.638
5/16"  0.334"       1.12"           0.50"           1900lb       1.006
3/8"   0.394"       1.23"           0.62"           2650lb       1.456
1/2"   0.519"       1.50"           0.81"           4500lb       2.637

BBB Short Link

Size   Diameter   Inside Length   Inside Width   Working Load   Weight/ft
1/4"   0.276"       0.87"           0.43"           1250lb       0.72
5/16"  0.343"       1.00"           0.50"           1900lb       1.108
3/8"   0.406"       1.10"           0.62"           2650lb       1.639

BBB short link or "calibrated" chain is required for use with anchor windlasses with chain gypsies. It is important to match the chain and gypsy. We generally suggest using BBB chain for all anchoring applications as it costs only slightly more and allows future conversion to a windlass.

Anchor Rode

Nylon Double Braid is the material of choice for anchor rodes - It has high strength combined with elasticity - Just the properties needed. Braid is more susceptible to chafe than 3-strand, but coils better in the anchor locker.

The following table will help in choosing the correct size for your boat:

                       BRAID                           3-STRAND
Size           Breaking      Allowable       Breaking        Allowable                
               Strength (lb) Working (lb)    Strength (lb)   Working (lb)
3/8"           4,800        1,200            3,850             965
7/16"          6,400        1,600                 
1/2"           8,400        2,100            5,265            1,315
9/16"         11,400        2,850 
5/8"          15,400        3,850            9,100            2,275

Selecting Ground Tackle - Ground Tackle Loads

The following can be used as a rough guide to establish ground tackle loads and to allow you to choose the appropriate size of chain and rode.

Boat Size         Load at 20 knots          Load at 60 knots
20 to 26 ft        600lb                          1100lb
26 to 30 ft        900lb                          1600lb
30 to 34 ft       1285lb                          2300lb
34 to 38 ft       1575lb                          2850lb
39 to 45 ft       1975lb                          3600lb

Based on the above, we usually used 3/8" nylon rode on boats to about 24ft, 1/2" up to 35ft and 5/8" on larger vessels with corresponding chain sizes.

When choosing ground tackle, it is important to match the sizes of the components. The safe working load should be 20 to 25% of the breaking strength. For example, if you choose a 1/2" Nylon rode with breaking strength of 8400lb (Allowable 2100lb), use 3/8" chain and a 3/8" Galvanized shackle (SWL 2000lb). This combination could be used on a 45 footer in 20 knots or a 32 footer in up to 60 knots.

The minimum "Scope" (length) of an anchor rode should be 5xdepth for chain/rope combinations and 3xdepth for all-chain rodes - If possible increase these to 7x and 4x respectively. In our area, we usually anchor in relatively shallow coves, so a 200ft rode will often do - This should also suffice for those heading south to the Bahamas or the Florida Keys. In other areas, it may be necessary to double this length.

For those heading to the tropics, make the length of chain a minimum of 30 to 50ft so as to avoid abrasion of the nylon rode on coral.

Remember that these are only guides based on our experience and reading - Skippers must ultimately make their own decisions regarding the safety of their "ships".

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P AINT

We were at one time, an Interlux Paint Centre and stocked primarily Interlux and VC products - We sold Interlux marine paints for over 20 years. We also sold several other brands including Awlgrip, Pettit as well as ARMADA and CETOL teak treatments - If you have not used these products, you should give them a try - definitely the easiest way to keep your teak looking good.

If you have a question regarding application of Interlux products, please contact Interlux directly by calling 1-800-INTRLUX or by calling their InterFAX faxback service at 1-800-685-7151 which provides a painting specification for YOUR boat. However, if you want immediate information just click on INTERLUX - be sure to use your browsers back arrow to get back to us when you are done!

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Marine Toilets

One of the most common problems on boats is the Smelly Toilet - What can be done about it? Well, there is help available. For a start, go to this link and read Peggy Hall's very good analysis of the problem - It is US based, so the legal stuff does not apply here in Canada:

Peggy Hall's info on Marine Toilets

Basically, Peggy is saying:

Dont Use a Bladder Tank

Make sure there are no downward loops in pipes to trap waste

Provide good venting to your tank - Increase size of vent, add another vent or at least make sure the vent is not blocked

Use a good Polyethylene holding tank

Use a smooth walled PVC hose

Most Toilet chemicals used to be Formaldehyde based - It was hard to say which odour was worse. A new type of odourless chemical has recently become popular - One of the products of this type is a Canadian made product called Cannadure Odour Check - Many have switched to this and other similar products.

When things get out of control and desperate action is required, try Shock Treatment - this is not a chlorine product and the manufacturer says it will not harm the system - Worth a try before you start replacing everything. This is made by the Head-o-Matic people who also have a non-formaldehyde treatment chemical but which is scented.

Getting rid of head odour is never a pleasant job - However, using Peggie's guidelines and doing it right may make things a bit more pleasant on board!

MIRAGE YACHTS DATA

When Mirage were in business, we were their dealer in Kingston, Ontario. We sold quite a number of their boats and are frequently asked questions about them. As time permits, we will try to add some of this data here.

Sailplans and Layouts of Mirage models
(Click on links for brochure data -sorry about the poor quality)

Mirage 24 ------   Layout
Mirage 25 ------   Layout -------- Brochure
Mirage 26 ------    More
Mirage 27 ------    More
Mirage 27/28 (Schmidt Design) Layout
Mirage 275 ------    More
Mirage 29   ------    Equipment List
Mirage 30/32 ----- More
Mirage33 --------- More   More
Mirage35 ---------   More
Mirage 39 --------- More

Recommended Upgrades

Bow Plate Modification - This is IMPORTANT!

Rudder Post Retaining Pin Modification(coming soon!)

Isomat Furling System Recall(Anyone have any info on this? ) These units replaced the forestay - They had a troublesome halyard lock, but Beneteau recalled them on their boats - Due perhaps to failure, but I do not have details. Most
of these units have been replaced by owners.

Isomat Model NG-1 masthead - Used on M25/M275/M29/M30/M33/M35 (From memory!)
Click on the above for a drawing of the NG-1 masthead - It explains (Hopefully) how the 6 possible halyards are supposed to be led.

Motor shaft coupling - Many of the Mirages had a single set screw opposite the keyway in the shaft coupling and this just pressed against the shaft - Several boats had the shaft pull out of the coupling when in reverse - Fix was to redrill and tap the coupling for 2 set screws on opposite side of coupling each 45 deg (I think!) off centre - These new set screws were "nosed" and the shaft "dimpled' so that the "nose" went into the "dimple" thus retaining the shaft while still providing clamping force against the keyway - The set screws heads were drilled to take a locking wire which prevented the screws from vibrating loose.

Please pass ony any more information you may have