Calling all Chico 30 Owners

[Toltec 7]

Check out Sailing Monanaroa YouTube a really well set up Chico

[Terry B 73]

Hi Toltec, be up your way next week so we'll hopefully catch up.

 

Searched for Sailing Monanaroa but no success - spelt correctly?

[ex Elly 267]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdeD4M9QBJc

 

also https://www.youtube.com/user/queenlynnee1

 

 

[Terry B 73]

Thanks ex Elly, just watch the videos. Awesome down to earth stuff.

[Sail Rock 32]

I’ve also watched a couple of their videos. They’ve done a fabulous job refurbishing Moanaroa. I’m intrigued  by the large cut out in the trailing edge of the rudder though. Presumably to accommodate the swing of the Aries  self steering paddle.
 

It is inspiring seeing people are still doing “no frills” offshore cruising in small boats. Must get off my bum and do it myself!

[Black Panther 1,776]

Hurry before it's too late.

[Gentle Touch 1]

I've just realised that my Chico 30 does not have the mast support going back to the cabin top . I believe it's called a panting rod ? Does anyone know if it is supposed to be there or have they been designed without ? cheers

[Sail Rock 32]

Yes, the panting rod (or inner forestry) is required to provide fore-aft support in the middle of the mast and prevent it “panting” (flexing) in a seaway. It is a bit of a pain on the Chico because it effectively eliminates any space to store a dinghy on the foredeck.

I noticed on another Chico that pairs of lower shrouds were arranged each side, rather than the usual singles, which presumably restrains the mast fore-aft at the spreaders and does away with need for the panting rod.

[John B 116]

Are you guys talking about a baby stay? I've only been sailing about 40 years and I've never heard of panting rod before. ( is it an Americanism perhaps?)

If its a baby stay that is meant , it is common to see on these generation boats either 2 aft lower shrouds and a baby stay going a short distance forward of the mast to stop  mast pump in a seaway, or  2 aft lowers and two forward lowers to do the same. 

[Gentle Touch 1]

I'm sorry , I should have been more clear , the 'panting rod' goes from the base of the mast inside the cabin back up to the cabin top. I've been sailing about 40 years as well and just learned about it due to now having a keel stepped yacht as a cabin stepped mast will not have them.

 

[Jon 412]

Opposes the lifting force of the turning bocks at the deck collar 

[John B 116]

Thats the tie rod at the mast partners which opposes the lifting force on a cambered deck as the mast bears against it . and as Jon says  opposes other deck lifting forces in more modern boats. If there is a bulkhead there as there often is , that may be structured to do the same job, it is on my 1975 boat.

[Sail Rock 32]

On 5/09/2022 at 8:45 AM, John B said:

Are you guys talking about a baby stay? I've only been sailing about 40 years and I've never heard of panting rod before. ( is it an Americanism perhaps?)

If its a baby stay that is meant , it is common to see on these generation boats either 2 aft lower shrouds and a baby stay going a short distance forward of the mast to stop  mast pump in a seaway, or  2 aft lowers and two forward lowers to do the same. 

Yep, I was talking about “baby stay” apparently a “panting rod” is something else. You learn something new every day!

[lebleaux 13]

Well ... its been 4-5 months since I started this thread and it would be fair to say I have been somewhat absent since day 1. It has been a tough winter. However, a lot has happened to Auriga in the interim and we are close to leaving the marina. We will be taking part in a Friday rum race before the end of September, we should be in the fleet for the Squadron opening day and we have decided to enter the boat in the Coastal Classic. It is the 40th anniversary and we think we should be a part of it. So ... who is keen. I think 5 boats and we can have a division of our own. We will not be taking it too seriously, nostalgia and fun will be the order of the day. For those of us that sailed on the boat originally it will be 45 years since we ventured out overnight on a Chico 30 ... gonna be interesting

[Gentle Touch 1]

I will have to give this some serious thought. I did my one and only Coastal Classic on Chubasco , a famous double diagonal Kauri Chico 30,  that also did the Solo Trans Tasman , and I think the boat that the mold was made off , for all the glass Chico's that followed. Before buying Gentle Touch last year , I was also looking at Lotus 920's , until remembering the  Chubasco Skipper , Mike Callaghars comment about " all the Lotus's being beaten up at the back of the fleet " in the 35 to 40kn Westerlies . There were a number of flipped multi hulls as well. 

[Black Panther 1,776]

Wonder what's happened to Chubasco? Last time I  saw her she was looking quite unloved on a mooring in Matiatia. I sailed back from moolooolaba with Pat after the trans Tasman 

[Gentle Touch 1]

That would have been probably when still owned by Mike Callaghar who live on Waiheke and raced her hard for many years . He headed out into the Gulf once,  into a 75kn North Easterlie just for the experience. He sold Chubasco for about 15K in a rundown state , when  she went to Westhaven for 5 years or so , then changed hands a couple of times a few years ago for around the 12k mark and last heard about,  moored in the Mahurangi. I thought about buying when last for sale but chickened out as too much work to do. Hopefully someone properly does her up.

[Black Panther 1,776]

That's sad, she was a sweet little boat. The self steering  directly to a trim tab on the stern hung rudder the best I've ever used.

[Toltec 7]

The mould was taken off the 5th one built I think they built about 65 glass ones Toltec was number 4

[Gentle Touch 1]

That sounds about right . The earliest ones had very small cabins as primarily designed as an ocean racing boat. Chubasco had a longer cruising cabin . The longer cruising cabins were initially stepped with two levels in the cabin roof, then some later ones had the main cabin roof carrying right through.