Lee's Precision 165 Page


Mai B 1

The Transformation

Updated 4/27/99




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The Transformation 		We purchased the Mai B 1 at a going out of business sale with the agreement that I would set the boat up (perhaps not the best general idea). This meant that all the various components were still in their factory sealed bags waiting to be assembled. Fortunately, the folks at Precision did a very nice job labeling each part, which resulted in a fairly straightforward task.

This shiny new boat was now ready for the transformation into a well-found boat.

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The first task was to lead the halyards to the cockpit. I utilized a method copied directly from a ComPac 16 III. Economical, simple and effective.
The cheek blocks were mounted 7" above the base of the mast at the 2 and 11 o'clock positions. I drilled and tapped the holes and used machine screws for mounting. This location keeps the halyards low, yet still allows them to pass over the jib sheets.
The 4" nylon horn cleats were mounted at the aft edge of the cabin top, 6" outboard of the jib cleats. Exercise care in drilling the holes into the cabin since headliner material tends to get snagged on the drill bit. The first holes drilled are always the most exciting!

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The next modification was a Jib Downhaul ala Burgess and Royce. The Jib Downhaul is used for several purposes.
  1. To provide a means to lower the jib while remaining in the cockpit.
  2. Allow the mast to be easily held in position during the mast raising/lowering procedure.
  3. Additional tensioning of the downhaul can be used to induce of forward bend of the mast, allowing easier connection of the forestay turnbuckle.

One end of the jib downhaul line is secured to the shackle end of the jib halyard using a bowline knot or an eye splice.
The single block is attached to the inboard hole in bow fitting using the twisted shackle.
The cam cleat is installed on port side of the cabin top, approximately 6" port and 10" forward of the existing jib cam cleat.

The jib down haul line is run through the block and cam cleat.
Always Remember and Never Forget to:
  • Cleat off the jib halyard a couple feet above the deck when dropping the jib/lowering the mast. This will make it easier to re-attach the jib next time you head out.
  • Release the jib downhaul when hoisting the jib.
  • Snug up the jib downhaul after the jib is up to prevent tangling in the spreaders.

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I installed a set of Baby Stays to limit sway during raising/lowering of the mast.

Initially they were removed after the mast was raised, but I disliked climbing on top of the cabin to remove/install them. Experience has shown that they do not conflict with the jib while sailing, so now I now leave them in place.

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I installed the upper eye straps on both sides of the mast approximately 7' up from the base. The eye straps mounted on the cabintop were mounted directly outboard from the mast, just beyond the non-skid zone. Due to the geometry of the cabin top, it is important to start out with the stays somewhat slack, as they will tighten as the mast rotates up from horizontal. The snap shackles are installed at the cabin top and allow quick release if needed.

Note: Jib sheets run outside the baby stays and under the Jib/Main halyards.

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Mainsail slides finish off the effort started when the halyards were led back to the cockpit. While the bolt-rope works great if you have a crew, slides will allow you to pre-load the sail onto the mast and raise or lower at will. I installed 1/2" round slides on approximately 18" centers. I chose to sew them on by hand as this had worked well for me previously.

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Mainsail tiedown.

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A good Mast Crutch can greatly improve mast handling. This is my first attempt, fabricated from wood for ease of modification. The critical factors were:
  1. Provide a safe, stable trailering position that will still fit in my 7' high garage door.
  2. Provide an elevated position that will make it easier to start the mast lift.
  3. Must be easy to build out of common material. I am obviously no carpenter.


The crutch is made from a pressure treated 2x4 with hardwood 1x3 used for the 2 sets of standoffs. Make sure the grain of the standoffs run parallel with the stern of the boat. The gudgeons accept the 5/16" L-pins fabricated from bronze all thread. A 3" bow roller simplifies rolling the mast back into the raising position.

The two sets of standoffs are approximately 30 inches apart, making getting under the mast to begin the lift much easier. This spacing is limited by the maximum desired trailering height and the minimum desired road clearance.

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A Depthfinder is very handy to have in the thin Florida waters. We chose the Hummingbird Wide 128 since it used a nice large font to display the depth. I epoxied the transducer in place under the cabin step in the aft port corner.


The display head was mounted on the compression post in the cabin. We found it possible to read the display from most positions in the cockpit. It is out of the way and does not need to be removed for storage or traveling! I tapped into the cabin dome light circuit as a convenient power source.

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We chose the Speedtech Speedmate Knotmeter. This unit uses inductive coupling to eliminate the need for a through hull fitting and is well suited to a trailer sailed boat.
The small plastic impeller/transmitter adheres to the hull using industrial strength double stick tape.
The hockey puck sized receiver mounts with Velcro to the inside of the hull.

The display head is self-powered with a lithium button cell and has large easy to read numbers. Both the transmitter and receiver were mounted about 30" aft of the keel on the centerline. This location is protected and easy to access inside the boat.
We chose to mount the display just below the depthfinder on the cabin compression post.

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In my opinion the TillerStay is best tiller control device around. The TillerStay can be left engaged at all times, ready to take over the helm whenever needed.

The spring loaded tension lines can easily be adjusted to provide more resistance or quickly disconnected all together. It is a nice simple system that works well. I chatted with Mr. Tiesler at the St. Petersburg Boat Show and he was very friendly and helpful.

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A new Mainsail? Don't get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with the stock sail, but JSI had a brand new multicolor sail cut for a Precision 15 in their discount bin. Since the P15 and P165 sails are very similar in size we decided to give it a try.

It turned out to be a little (inches) longer in the foot, shorter in the luff and have a bit less roach than the stock sail. The minimal loss of sail area didn't concern us and the shorter battens made storage quite a bit easier.

We loved the new color, reduced glare and the softer material of the new sail. JSI tossed in some scrap insignia cloth and I converted the sail logo from P15 to P165.

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A few weeks later we decided to get a new jib to match the mainsail. I had just been reading "A Sailmaker's Apprentice" and decided to take a swing at sewing my own sail. I contacted SailRite and they quoted a kit including precut material and hardware for about $200. I placed the order and took the family Pfaff sewing machine down for a tune up (3 generations and still going strong).
I sewed the panels together over a leisurely weekend, with a few more days needed for the handwork on the luff rope and chaff patches. Instructions were very complete. Construction utilized adhesive basting tap and 2 rows of zigzag stitches per seam. Needle and thread size is fine for home sewing machines. I added an inexpensive walking foot ($15) since my feed dogs were at least 40 years old. The project was very satisfactory and I would not hesitate to do it again (maybe a drifter for those light wind summer days...). For those hesitant to undertake such a task, SailRite offers to assembly this kit for about $80 for this kit.

The new jib flies very well and we are quite happy with its performance and construction.

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I have had a few questions about Boom Storage. I found it to be quite simple on the P165, I just tie the mainsail onto the boom, and slide the whole thing into the cabin. It is a tight squeeze and you need to slide the end of the boom all the way forward and up toward the deck before you can pivot the mast around and let the end rest on the berth cushion. You may notice the boom on the port side of this picture:

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