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I see 1312 is for sale. Does this mean there were at least 1312 of them? Or were their numbers included in the Sprint run of numbers? Was there ever a standard Dart 15 with sail number 1312?
Or did Stings have a batch of numbers allocated to them?
Only curious!
I have Sting 1256. From what I gather they were only made for a year or two around 1990-91, so the numbering doesn't tie up with the standard 15. I would be interested to be put in touch with other owners if anyone knows any - apart from having to work on my capsize technique I love my Sting!
Peter Cullum wrote:
I have Sting 1256. From what I gather they were only made for a year or two around 1990-91, so the numbering doesn't tie up with the standard 15.
I'm sorry Peter, I don't fully understand your reply.
I saw a Sting at Essex. It was in a frightful mess, with a bridle chain plate fallen off.
Fading star of the Thorpe Bay fleet
Former rugby player in the extra-B
Struggling musician
Second best cabbage in the village show...
Sorry Andrew - from memory you were asking how many were built - and I don't know. However I do know that they weren't built for very long and that the sail numbers run separately to the normal Dart 15's. 1256 may well exist as a normal 15 as well as a sting.
So basicaly I haven't answered any of your questions...
The righting line from the mast ball goes up and over the upper hull and at least back down as far as the mast ball again (preferably a bit further) - after you have put the knots in.
I put double knots in to give something to grip with gloves on and each one takes a fair amount of rope. I started off with 2 widths of the boat before knotting - more if you put in a toe loop.
Be careful where you put the knots in.
It is worth laying the rope out on the ground ashore with it attached to the mast foot and then take it over and back under one hull.
For righting - when the rope it over the hull make sure that none of the knots are in a position where they will be pressing against the hull, otherwise all your force on the rope may crack the hull where the knot is. I.e. no knots in about the first 8 feet
The small 'satchel' at the front of the trampoline on the Sprint is fixed but on the Dart 18 it is a much larger and complete bag held on by englefield clips and it incorporates a shoulder strap.
This is for helping to right the boat. With the boat on its side you reach up and unattach the bag, fill it with water and sling it over your shoulder.
This gives you extra righting weight when you need it - but you don't have to carry it around with you. It might be worth you looking at something along those lines (the Dart 18 bag is about £50 - plus englefield clips on the tramp. But something like the heavy duty fabric 'bags for life' that some supermarkets are doing may suit. The key is to get a strap long enough to go over your shoulder with all your kit on and to be able to hang behind you as you pull.
I am sure you have heard this before in here somewhere - but I thought I would reiterate. The Sting mast is a cut down Dart 18 section, which means it `s heavier than a 15 section but it has more bouyancy which means it is unlikely to allow the boat to turn turtle. Saying that though nothing is impossible.
I found when I dropped this in when testing on Lake Como the first thing I noticed was how cold the water was, but also what a "bugger it was to right" but determined to solve the problem, I did the following;
1. Release the travellor and all the sheets.
2. Undo the downhaul
3. Point the tip of the mast in to the wind
4. Take the mainhalyard over the top of the flying hull.
5. Lean back on the line as far as you can, with as much leverage as you get.
The object is to slacken everything off so the accumulated water in the sail can run off. With the mast pointing into the wind, the pressure will be on the tramp as well as soon as you have unstuck the mast from the water the wind and wave will assist in righting it.
It appears this is a gradual process - it is once the water is out of the sail,
life becomes a little easier. I once righted a Dart 20 on my own using this technique, so it either works or I`m just a fat b*****d.
If it is of interest to you, I've just trawled thro' my Dart file re my old Sting. Laser told me at the Jan 1991 Boat Show when I ordered Sting 1235 that they had been made and distributed during 1989/90 for use primarily in inland European waters, but were now being sold in the UK.
The numbering is certainly independent from the Dart 15 and there will be Stings and Dart 15s with the same numbers. Bob may be mistaken about the numbering started at 1200. I think it was 1000. Laser told me that 222 had been sold in Europe and 12 in UK. Mine was the third to be sold at the show and I was the first to pick it up. Thus 1222 plus 12 =1234 and mine was 1235! That would make sense, but Laser may have been fibbing, as Bob is usually right!
The bridle chain plates are 6/7in further aft than the 15 and the mast is a Dart 18 section but with length between the 15 and 18. It is raked back more than the 15. Otherwise all is the same, apart from the Mylar sail.
The rear beam clips that year for the Sting and 15, were the first to dispense with fixed holes for the bolts and pins in the flexible fibre strips holding the clips. (Money saving on production) I had trouble with mine as the elongated holes allowed the hulls to pull apart, which distorted the rudders.
Darts and Sprints ever since have been supplied that way. I solve it by setting the clips in position snug to the hulls and then put gelcoat in the elongated slots, to stop movement. Otherwise you are relying entirely on the tramp to hold the hulls in position.
Bob - I assume Collins do it that way as well? If so, any chance of reverting to the fixed holes for the fibre strip bolt and pin or am I the only one to have had that trouble?
I sold Sting 1235 to Peter Bracher ?Grafham in April 2000. Don't think he has it now. Anyone out there still sailing her?
Just to cap off this string, the info I had on Sting numbers was clearly wrong. Bob resurrected the "Sting Conversion" string, which I missed earlier this year, and Peter (Ewing) obviously is right on the numbers as he was in charge at the time!
The info I had came from one of his salesmen. Glad I didn't know as I may not have bought it and would have missed a great boat!
Just to let you know - I had every intention of giving your suggestions a go this last Sunday - a reasonable blow and flat water looked perfect for a start. I used an old main sheet as the righting line with a series of knots along it's length as Steve suggested - mine with loops to possibly hook in to with trapeze as also mentioned above. For good measure I also consumed vast quantities of curry during the week-end - known for it's body mass increasing properties.
However, I noticed only seconds before removing the main from it's bag that some kind soul had whacked the front Stbd nose and the front 20mm needed reuniting with the hull properly instead of being just a push fit. The air was blue for a few minutes...
A slightly rushed trip to the shop got me something which I thought was gelcoat, but turned out to be slow cure epoxy resin. 2 hours later with the pot still at the gloopy stage, I gave up the wait, got out of the steamer and went home to have a cold beer and some icecream. If my fiancee complains of me putting on weight, I'll blame it on the boat!
Hopefully this week-end... Thanks very much for the advice.
Hi, We have just completed a numebrt of test with various cats in nil wind righting (the hardest time) . These would be the suggestions from here at Windsport if you are below minium weight , without any outside assitance and you have been doing everything else right.
1) Carry a dry bag that you can fill and turn into a wet bag by filling with water and sealing when the boat is on oits side.
2) Have a righting line with a small purchase system similar to the trapeze adjuster system, allowing you to start hooked onto the line when just above the water and able to hoist yourself up as the boat rights and you potentially entre the water.
3) Having lowered yourself (via a trapeze harness) on the adjuster line place the water bag on your chest and as the boat rights raise yourself on the adjuster until gravity takes over.
4) Once the boat is righted, release the clip on the bag and the water is easily emptied and the bag thrown back onto the tramp.
We have tested this pretty much to distruction and it works, the amount of water you need to put in the bag will depend on how much extra weight you need.
The bag on your chest / shoulder is important, it moulds around your shape so not so hard to keep in position.
All a bit of a fag and you will not win races but it saves the RNLI coming out. The target time to complete the process is 10mins and it was being done in 7mins , longer than 10mins and people start reporting a catamaran in difficulty.
Hope that helps.
Brian Windsport Cat Clinic
