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My season runs from 15 June to 15 September each year, but my channel content is about a year behind. My lake is frozen 7 months of the year, so there’s no way for me to sail and put out a video every Tuesday in real time. 😁

@@ColoradoSailing Got it! I'm just thinking about getting into sailing here and the timing of your video had me worried.

@@JoelGlidden43 Sailing in CO is great and some lakes (like Pueblo Reservoir) have much longer seasons than mine.

Yup! Each has its pros and cons. I exclusively trailer sailed during my first season, but I made every outing an overnighter. Now I can go out to the boat and do a quick 2-hour sail. But it comes at a cost: slip fees, hull cleaning, UV damage to everything on deck and general wear and tear of bobbing in a slip 24/7 for the season…

@@ColoradoSailing Thanks,

Many thanks! I’m enjoying them so far! ⛵️

Awesome! I’ve always figured there’s probably a lot of pics being snapped whenever I’m on the water. It’s a beautiful lake, but it looks even better with a sailboat on it! 😂

I thought about permanently mounting either a small horn cleat or an eye strap to my mast that I could then tie the mast gate to. Having it tied off would keep it from going in the water if it slipped out…I’ve already lost one while trying to reef in a squall. The Velcro I use has to be replaced every year. But…for me I just didn’t want anything else added to the mast for things to get snagged on or to cut up my hands while moving or stepping the mast. Whatever you do, I do recommend tying off with a bungee line to help keep some tension on it and keep it centered and well seated in the slot.

I put a thin bungee cord through the hole and folded a piece of velcro on a loop tied on the other end. The Velcro attaches to a velcro strip on the mast. The bungee keeps tension on the mast gate so it doesn’t fall out. There are also two different sizes they sell for the DM-375 mast (3.5” and 3.75”) based on your gate opening. So make sure you got the right one.

I really liked my Rolly Tasker sails. As far as furlers…I often sail in severe winds that come up without warning. The furlers are generally not as durable as the hanked-on sails and the extra lines are easily tangled in a sudden squall. When you furl it in, the sail shape is not as efficient as a dedicated hanked on sail of the same size (I carry a 100% jib and an 80% jib). But, if I sailed in calmer winds and did a more relaxed type of sailing, yes, I’d definitely get a roller furler. ⛵️

Chip Buck at Point Sails knows the Precision line of boats very well. He’s done P-165, P-16, P-18 and P-27 sails for owners that I know personally. And being able to customize colors, cloth weight, reefing points, etc is great!

Precision switched from wood to starboard in the newer boats (mine is a 2010). Bill at Precision still sells a lot of the parts. Some owners have also had custom work done by a company called PlasTEAK Inc. which makes HDPE in wood color tones.

It depends on what you’re looking for. If you want restaurants and facilities: Grand Lake or Dillion Reservoir. Lots of space and boat camping: Blue Mesa Reservoir or Granby Lake. Close to Denver: Carter, Chatfield, Horsetooth. Warmer water: Pueblo Reservoir. There’s something for everyone!

@@ColoradoSailing thanks!

Many thanks for the kind words! It was my best sail of the season!

The topping lift is a thin 1/8” white line at the end of the boom (can be seen in several parts of the video). As far as outhaul tension when reefed, the cheek blocks on the boom are set a few inches aft of the leech reef grommets…so outhaul tension is provided by pulling tightly on the jiffy reef line. Obviously limited in the amount of tension that can be applied since it’s 1:1…but also less canvas to try to stretch flat since the foot gets shorter. Here’s a video that covers the features and standard sail controls of the P-18: ruclips.net/video/UzoO7BU2344/видео.htmlsi=L76B1gT4Slz6MAGb

@@ColoradoSailing Hi! Ah, I guess I was expecting it to be mentioned since I usually raise mine to add some slack to the main. Maybe that's not necessary? Mine's a 24ft and otherwise the sail seems to take over the cockpit. But I'm a noob and maybe I'm not flaking it well. OK, the blocks are aft of the clew? Didn't notice that either. I bought an old boat from the 1960s that's missing quite a few parts (or maybe never had them) and I'm trying to figure this part out. Literally all ll I have on the boom is one horn cleat aft and an eye for the topping lift. I just untie the clew and manually retie at the new reefed clew. Likewise I just tie the new tack down with a scrap of line around the gooseneck. Awkward but doable. How are the reefing hooks attached? On the boom directly, or the goosneck or the mast? Great video and a lovely boat, thanks, I learned something.

@@JohnCornellier On the P-18, if you set the topping lift just right, it will have just a slight bit of slack when the mainsail is fully hoisted. So when the main is down, the weight of the boom transfers to the topping lift, but when you hoist the main then the topping lift has some slack and the thin line blows away from the leech. In this way, the topping lift never needs any adjustment. It helps that the OEM sails on the P-18 have a straight cut with no roach in the leech, so the topping lift does not get snagged. For the reefing hook, there are several ways to attach them. Mine is pinned to the side of the gooseneck with the same pin that holds the boom. There are others that sit on top of the gooseneck and also are pinned. And then others are bolted or riveted to the starboard side of the boom. If you use a pin, you may need to order one a bit longer than the one in the gooseneck as it will not fit with the reefing hook added. Pins on your boat should never be replaced with bolts--as they are not as strong. You can also use a "dog bone" which is a strap with hooks on it. Might wanna think about adding separate jiffy reef lines wiht cheek blocks or at least integrating a quick release snap shackle instead of retying knots.

I’ve been keeping pretty busy sailing CO, WY, UT and NM. This year I’m heading to South Dakota to meet up with a group of fellow Precision 18 owners.

Yup…out on our 2010 Precision 18. ⛵️

Wow!! That’s awesome! Congrats on the slip. That’s a nice long season as well. Enjoy!

My marina opens 15 June…can’t wait. Obviously, I’m about 9 months behind on my videos!! 😆

Congrats on the new boat! Please be sure to join the “Precision Sailboat Owners” Facebook group. You can compare notes, share adventures, and pick the brains of over 800 very helpful Precision owners.

Many thanks!! 😁

I’ve heard Taco Marine offers one that is pretty close. I was lucky to salvage a spare from a 2013 P-18 that got totaled.

The only time I’ve had water coming up the tube for the CB line is when moving really fast. I have not had water coming into the cockpit drains except maybe when three people are all standing at the stern. Was the boat really loaded up with gear? I’ve heard of someone who sailed a P-18 in the Florida panhandle with 7 people aboard…but I try to keep mine light. For the mast gate, take a look at mastgates.com. Tom Loque will fabricate something to fit your boat.

Wow!! Looks like you were really moving!! Nice vid!

@@ColoradoSailing Thank you Dave. Yes, loaded up quite a bit. Two big coolers, gear, and in the stern 3 batteries, an outboard, a trolling motor, and a couple gallons of fuel.

@@saabtech3510 that will do it. Probably made her a bit more mannerly in the winds, but be careful that your gear is secured and doesn’t all shift to the low side when heeling. It could keep her from righting herself.

@@ColoradoSailing Thank you Dave. Yes, I'm conscious of any potential shifts of gear etc. I did also just remember that I was told one of the past owners put some extra ballast in the bilge. I'll have to investigate and see if I can pull it out of there. (supposed to be lead in bottles connected by line or something) Since we will be doing overnight sails at times, with more provisions etc, or day sailing with family, we really don't want extra weight I don't think. And I think I remember you asking the designer about extra ballast, and he did not like the idea.

The rear wheels of the tow vehicle were in the water right up to the bottom of the rim. That’s pretty standard for any place I’ve launched the boat. The tow vehicle is an F-150 with 33” tires.

It does swing in. You definitely need to use some arm strength pulling up on the bow pulpit. But before, I had no foothold at all and I was swinging one leg on the deck and wrestling my way up. Having a place to put your foot makes a huge difference. If you want something that won’t swing…you’ll need a rigid ladder that has supports that press on the bow.

I’m gonna try a Ronstan Battlestick tiller extension this year. Hoping it will let me sit a bit more forward (for weight distribution and also easier handling of jib sheets) and let me lean out toward the rail more (to counter heel). But generally, after 4 seasons on the boat, I’ve been really happy with how the boat is set up for solo sailing. The addition last year of a backstay tensioner was a major upgrade.

Thank you!! Going on my 5th season with the boat…and just falling in love with her even more! 😍

I usually try snagging it with the boat hook while underway first, but did not work in this case. It has to be trailing pretty far behind the boat to grab it. I ended up tilting the boat by attaching a utility line to the main halyard, pulling the boat over, and securing the line to the dock. Then snagging the millfoil with the boat hook. Here’s a video of the removal technique from an earlier fouling: ruclips.net/video/KTmYX66X2Do/видео.htmlsi=eFA7OPVodH10B2Qm

Snow devil!? I’d love to see one of those!!

Sailing in the mountains is always an adventure!! 😆

I believe dust devils and waterspouts are the same phenomenon…one over land and one over water. But it’s a lot easier to stir up some dust than to lift up water from the surface of a lake or ocean. So I’m *guessing* only the most powerful dust devils would become waterspouts. A bit of Google searching says dust devils range from 45-60 mph winds and waterspouts need at least 50 mph. 🤷🏻‍♂️

The foot of the OEM Rolly Tasker sail on the P-18 has a bolt rope that is inserted in a track along the boom. So there’s no gap between the sail and the boom. On a bolt rope sail, the only way to tie the reefing ties is to go around the boom. On a loose footed sail, you could just tie around the flaked sail if that was your preference, but the reefing tie points are reinforced and pretty durable. As long as the jiffy reef line at the leech is pulled tight to tighten the foot, similar to an outhaul line (albeit with much less purchase since it’s a 1:1 arrangement) there should be no worries of damaging the sails with loosely tied reef ties.

It definitely throws me off when the winds and wave directions are not synched. Since my lake is small, I usually head downwind when the winds pick up and then turn around and have fun beating into the wind and built up waves! 🌊 ⛵️

Sometimes we get good steady winds…but normally its light wind in the morning, dead calm from noon to 2pm and then it’s “hold on tight” until sunset!! 😂😂😂

What can I say…it’s super relaxing! 😎😂

Many thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. 😁

It’s Elevenmile Canyon Reservoir. 😁⛵️

Thank you!! Had been saving that little clip since September and finally got my inspiration after seeing the new Bob Marley movie! 😂🍿

I’m jealous. Our season doesn’t start until June 15th when the marina opens…

@@ColoradoSailingmight be for the best in order to avoid those Colorado hurricanes :) It hit 90MPH at Carter a few weeks ago from what I understand.

@@chuey855 Spring along the front range!

I’ve sailed 6 lakes in Colorado, but have not been to Carter Lake yet. I tend to sail the more remote lakes…further away from the population centers. With a very high sail area to displacement ratio (SA/disp) of 21.81, the 100% working jib I have has been plenty. The Precision 18 is an excellent light air performer, but is quickly overpowered as the winds pick up. I also fly a smaller 80% jib for heavy air.

It was foam core inside. Very brittle foam though. I put some epoxy in the void hoping it would stiffen the foam a bit and give it more structure. Not sure how well that worked, but the socket has been solid

Correct. The lift is to windward and creates lateral resistance below the waterline. The lift and lateral resistance counteract and reduce (but cannot fully eliminate) the leeway (sideward slippage downwind). Basically the keel’s lift helps prevent the boat from being blown downwind. If you’re thinking “wouldn’t it contribute to heeling?” It does just a bit. But luckily, as the heel increases the foil generates less lift (because the angle of the foil changes, but the direction of the water flow stays the same, making the foil less and less efficient as the boat heels more and more). That’s also one of the reasons people say “flatter is faster”-because a flat boat will have less leeway and can tack to its upwind destination more efficiently.

Dank je wel, mijn moeder is van Amersfoort! 😄 🇳🇱

@@ColoradoSailing Fell in love with a Wolfhound at Soesterberg once upon a time? ;-) I lived nearby

@@jopieavier7825 Yup. That’s where my Dad was stationed in the late 60s! 😀

@@ColoradoSailing Small world!

The Capri 18 is a very highly regarded and sought after boat. It’ll be a bit stiffer than the P-18 having both more ballast and a slightly lower SA/disp ratio. The 10” deeper draft may keep you a bit further from shore, but that may not matter depending on your sailing waters. An excellent choice!! Happy sailing. ⛵️

@@ColoradoSailing Thanks

I can’t take any credit…I’ve learned nearly all I know about sailing from other more experienced sailors!