Loosen screw at bottom of striker roa.
Turn dolphin striker rod clockwise using a wrench
and
the flat spot
on
the rod designed for this purpose
until the bar
is
snug again.
Retighten the nylon ball and screw.
The bolts that connect the striker bar to the front
crossbar should
be
loosened occassionally to check for
cracks
in
the crossbar. If cracks are apparent, the
crossbar should be replaced. There
is
a back- up plate
inside the crossbar"so these bolts can be tightened
easily from the outside. Again,
do
not overtighten,
since the bolts could snap.
BATTENS
Prindle
16
&
18
Catamarans
are
equipped stan-
dard with solid fiberglass battens. These are virtually
unbreakable but
do
require some attention.
Make sure that battens are inserted all the way into
-40-
batten pocket with tapered
end
inside stop at luff of the
sail.
If
it
is
not, the batten may tear the sail. The battens
should extend about 1
W' past the
end
of batten
pocket. You may wish
to
trim them
to
this length.
Loosen
batt~ns
when storing the sail for more
than
a
few
weeks
or
during extreme temperature changes.
This relieves pressure
on
the sail
and
battens
and
will
preserve the
life
of both.
Foam/fiberglass
battens
Race equipped Prindle
16
&
18's
and
all
Prindle
IS's
are equipped with foam/fiberglass battens. These
battens are much softer
and
more fragile requiring
more care.
Occassionally, a delamination may occur at the
tapered
end
where the foam narrows towards the
tip.
To
repair, spread the glass
and
foam apart slightly
and
coat with
5-minute
epoxy, clamp tip together,
and
let
harden. This repair should be stronger than new.
Take care when rolling a sail with foam battens.
If
the sail
is
rolled unevenly
and
battens are allowed
to
twist they
will
hold the twist. This may hamper your sail
shape. You can, however, remove this twist
by
re-
moving the batten from the sail
and
twisting
it
in
the
opposite direction
and
holding
it
for a moment
or
two.
The
batten should spring back to fairly straight.
GENERAL MAINTENANCE TIPS
After your second sail
on
your Prindle Catamaran
and
periodically thereafter:
1.
Tighten
the
8 crossbar bolts. This
is
very
important as most of
the
strain
on
the boat
is
concentrated
on
these bolts.
2. Check all shackles (shrouds, forestay, etc.)
and
other
fasteners (including nuts
and
bolts on
blocks
and
cleats). Tighten where necessary.
3. Check all hardware attached to hulls (bow
tangs, shroud pins, gudgeons) for tightness. Do
not overtighten.
4. Cut off excess length
on
solid fiberglass mainsail
battens leaving 1
W' past aft edge of sail.
Hulls
Check for leaks at
all
hull
fittings by covering these
areas with detergent
and
blowing air (from your lungs)
into drain plug hole. DO NOT USE A VACUUM
CLEANER AS THE EXCESSIVE PRESSURE
CAN
DAMAGE THE HULLS.
If
detergent bubbles, there
is
a
leak. Remove fitting
and
cover area with clear silicone
sealant
and
replace.
Rudders
Rub paraffin
on
the inside of casting where blade
slides
to
ease operation.
To
fine tune: remove
uppermost bolt
on
casting
and
paraffin. If there
is
slack
between sheaves
add
a washer on nut
end
of bolt.
In-
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