Skin fittings

[davideso37]

I replaced seven bronze mushroom head skin fittings with flush fittings and after just a few races am very happy with the result.

The changes made this last winter include
Winglets on the keel
Flush skin fittings
300kg of lead glassed in behind the keel
Removing all other excess weight and windage from the hull
New carbon No 1 genoa DP GPL tri radial
60 mm extra luff round in the mainsail

Of all these changes only the skin fittings are a benefit each and every race and every leg of the race and I wonder why the manufacturers don't supply flush fittings as standard.

David

[MartyB]

Cost!

Or at least offer as part of the performance pkg, or extra or ?!?!?!?!

Marty

[MalcolmP]

Apparently the new SF3600 will have flush fittings as standard - see Nigels write up at:
www.sea-ventures.co.uk/userfiles/file/Sun%20Fast%203600%20Review%20by%20NC.pdf

[davideso37]

Malcolm,

I had read and noted that with interest. The local supplier of the flush fittings claims that some of the Beneteau owners are changing the skin fittings before launching.

When I looked around the local boat yard there was not a single racing yacht that had mushroom head fittings.

Our SO37 still has two fittings that are not flush and these are on the Raymarine Speed and temperature transducer and the Depth transducer housings. Call me obsessive but I will be looking for new flush housings for these for the next lift.

If you saw the interview with the C class cat winners on Sailing Anarchy you would have seen how obsessive they were about reducing drag since all that matters is the lift over drag ratio.

Regards

David

[MalcolmP]

Hi David

Raymarine transducers are normally supplied by Airmar who also do some flush fitting options. Worth tracking down an Airmar agent in Oz

eg the P314 has a flush option

www.airmartechnology.com/uploads/catalogPages/cat_132.pdf   

Malcolm