# Siren 17



## jimshipsky (Jun 16, 2011)

Greetings!
I just bought a Siren 17.
The former owner didn't understand much about how she ought to be rigged.
I can't make much sense of how to rig the mainsheet.
It appears the line from the boom would lead to a small block on the port side of the stern, then to a block on starboard with a cam cleat.
Thus it appears the boom will always have a port bias.
Doesn't seem right.

Secondly, the two bolts at the forward end of the "swing keel" confuse me.
Why are there two?

Finally, I'm not familiar with roller furling jibs.
The seller told me the roller furling jib luff takes the place of the forestay.
Can this be true?

Best,
jim


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Jim,
Congrats on the new boat.
Yes the furler does take the place of the forestay. As far as the mainsail, it seems there are a couple of different setups. Here is what I have seen on our dock:
Mid boom sheeting, with the mainsheet led to a swivel block on the cockpit sole...


















and boom-end sheeting:


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## Sail The World (Sep 25, 2011)

this helped me thank you!


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## arlothedog (Oct 12, 2011)

I have been sailing my siren for the first summer and towards the end my father and I feel that we have figured out some nice features. First The swing keel upper bolt is a lock pin, on ours I had to drag a rope under the boat and pull to get it to lock in place. (That may not be you need to do with yours.) Second the cushions inside come out to sit on while sailing, these are great on long days. Also I feel that the boom end sheeting is the best because it makes the boat feel a little bigger but if your flying solo rock it out on the sole. The boom on ours was too low on the mast and we moved it up so that the sail almost touched the top of the mast and it made a ton more head room. 

There is not a ton of info out there for these so I hope this helps. It is everything that I have learned over the course of a summer. Most importantly lock the keel in place and if it is your first time learning to sail buy a heel gauge for about 10 bucks and learn that the boat heels really nice and if your new it feels like a lot more that it is. I run mine in high winds about 20 degrees although before I found out that I had the keel only half way down I nearly capsized it a few times. 

Have fun and enjoy your new boat


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## Joelle (Apr 19, 2015)

Hi everyone! My apologies in resurrecting this old post, but I am also new to sailing and purchased a Siren 17 in unfortunate condition. Most pieces were broken / missing, including portals, main hardware that attaches the boom to the mast, and the rudder. A friend of ours had a Siren that was destroyed in hurricane Sandy, and we benefited through his donation of a rudder and some hardware. After purchasing a Nautos swivel block to attach the boom to the deck, and buying a new fixed gooseneck from Dwyer, we are almost ready to sail! My question is that we have the halyard currently attached to the boom, holding it horizontally against the mast. Obviously this needs to be attached to the head to raise the mainsheet, but does there also need to be another line to hold up the clew end up the boom, or will the mainsheet be enough to support it? I've been looking at pictures in books and online, and some appear to have a secondary line going to the end of the boom, but others don't have one at all. Thank you in advance for your help!


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## !Chick1217 (Jan 14, 2017)

I know this is an old thread, but I suspect there are still some folks out there (like me) who have recently become a Siren owner and are trying to figure things out. Luckily, mine came with some old paperwork that provided some answers. I have attached a diagram showing three different rigging arrangements for the main sheet. When I bought the boat, it had the "single block" arrangement, which didn't seem very efficient. I figured the other options were progressive improvements, so I used the specs for the "boom-end" arrangement to re-rig the main sheet, and it works pretty well. The "secondary line" you refer to is called a topping lift. It supports the end of the boom, but should be detached and secured when the mainsail has been raised. On the Siren, it consists of a 3/16" by 27 foot line.


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## theghostjesus (Jul 21, 2017)

Sorry to jump in here, but
I'm on the verge of buying a 1987 siren. The owner tells me that it has some different setups from other years.. Particularly the rudder assembly. Wondering what I should be looking to pay for this including the trailer. I haven't heard him mention the boom tent which totally entices me for some small lake getaways in my area. Can anyone point me in the right direction for specs etc on this model. Many thanks. 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


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## Goatman24 (Jul 4, 2013)

Hello, I first purchased a Siren in the mid 1990's and sailed Lake Erie and some inland lakes for years. A couple years ago I purchased my current Siren to teach my grand daughter how to sail. I purchased a Siren again because I was familiar with the previous one. When I purchased mine I bought it from someone in Canada and met him at the border and was able to get a better price because of the exchange rate. It saved me several hundred dollars. I think I paid about $2500 for mine but it wasn't in the best of shape and I ended up using another trailer I had instead of the one it came with. I enjoy adding a lot of improvements to it though I'd probably cringe if I kept track of all I've spent over the past few years. Came with the original main and jib sail which I still use. 

It cleaned up nicely and I've added a lot to it since then. It's a great boat to sail for me. I do have the manual etc. that came with mine. I believe mine was built in 1979 though. I'm guessing there isn't too much different about it. 

I don't think most come with the boom tent though that is something you could have made easy enough. Two can sleep in the cabin as is. 

Some of the things I've added include:
All new cushions both for inside the cabin and out in the cockpit.
New 6hp Mercury motor.
New semi-spinnaker sail. 
Replaced all teak wood hand rails and door trim with Corian. I think it looks better and doesn't need to be re-finished ever. 
Corian table inside the cabin with Sony stereo system mounted underneath and two speakers on both sides of the cabin entrance. 
We decided to make it look like a pirate ship so we added canon ports to the sides, anchor and other graphics for the fun of it. When your boat looks like a pirate ship it makes it so you don't have to worry about every little scratch or dirt mark because it kind of goes with the what we're trying to make it look like. 
I added some 1/8" wooden plywood port covers and had a company laser engrave a pirate looking out of both sides. On the inside I have other cool graphics added which I think looks cool. I also added some hardware so they can easily be removed if needed and then put back on. 
Purchased to anchors and chain along with all new lines for the sails, anchor lines etc.. 
Purchased 4 black dock bumpers. 
Replaced wooden piece over the keel wench with a nice piece of mahogany along with the piece of wood that the motor attaches to. 
Black cup holders all around the cockpit. 
Added wiring complete with fuse block for battery use including battery switch for using two batteries. 
Purchased 3 black mesh sail bags for the 3 sails which works nice because it allows them to dry if any of the lines are wet. 
Interior plank looking wallpaper for cabin. 
I replaced the shear pin for the keel with some brass 10-24 threaded rod and purchased two large 10-24 threaded handles to make it easier to remove and replace the keel shear pin. Home-center items. Works great. 

Sorry for the long post. I won't even get into what I've done with the trailer which is from about 1960 but looks brand new. (Mostly is but the frame)

Any questions feel free to contact me. It's been a pleasure to sail as well as work on it. 
Mitch


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## theghostjesus (Jul 21, 2017)

Goatman24 said:


> Hello, I first purchased a Siren in the mid 1990's and sailed Lake Erie and some inland lakes for years. A couple years ago I purchased my current Siren to teach my grand daughter how to sail. I purchased a Siren again because I was familiar with the previous one. When I purchased mine I bought it from someone in Canada and met him at the border and was able to get a better price because of the exchange rate. It saved me several hundred dollars. I think I paid about $2500 for mine but it wasn't in the best of shape and I ended up using another trailer I had instead of the one it came with. I enjoy adding a lot of improvements to it though I'd probably cringe if I kept track of all I've spent over the past few years. Came with the original main and jib sail which I still use.
> 
> It cleaned up nicely and I've added a lot to it since then. It's a great boat to sail for me. I do have the manual etc. that came with mine. I believe mine was built in 1979 though. I'm guessing there isn't too much different about it.
> 
> ...


Wow. That's unreal what you've done with it. Many thanks for the input.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


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## theghostjesus (Jul 21, 2017)

Goatman24 said:


> Hello, I first purchased a Siren in the mid 1990's and sailed Lake Erie and some inland lakes for years. A couple years ago I purchased my current Siren to teach my grand daughter how to sail. I purchased a Siren again because I was familiar with the previous one. When I purchased mine I bought it from someone in Canada and met him at the border and was able to get a better price because of the exchange rate. It saved me several hundred dollars. I think I paid about $2500 for mine but it wasn't in the best of shape and I ended up using another trailer I had instead of the one it came with. I enjoy adding a lot of improvements to it though I'd probably cringe if I kept track of all I've spent over the past few years. Came with the original main and jib sail which I still use.
> 
> It cleaned up nicely and I've added a lot to it since then. It's a great boat to sail for me. I do have the manual etc. that came with mine. I believe mine was built in 1979 though. I'm guessing there isn't too much different about it.
> 
> ...


Well the '87 boat sold so I'm looking at the' 83. Even closer for me to get to. Teak looks a little worn. Nothing some elbow grease won't help.

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## boley (Jul 22, 2017)

It looks like this is the Siren Q&A thread so here is my question. 

How does one secure the Tack to the gooseneck? 

I have attached a few photos to show what my Siren looks like around the tack. I suspect the solution involves that hook shaped thing on the gooseneck, but I don't see how. I also don't know what the loop of string holding the cotter pin is for. I am also curious about whether or not these boats use a cunningham, as I don't see a grommet for one or anywhere to secure one on the mast. 

Thank you


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## eblounsb (Sep 12, 2017)

Mitch, 

I'm currently trying to get new cushions for my siren. Where did you get yours? Did you just make new ones or buy them somewhere?


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## boley (Jul 22, 2017)

Your best best is to ask over at the Siren Owners Group. You will have to ask for permission to join the group, but it only take a day or so to get in. Very good info there although the site is a bit antiquated.

I cannot post a link yet, but I can post a photo with the url in it.


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## Hudsonian (Apr 3, 2008)

Boleu:You can adjust tension on the mainsail luff by moving the gooseneck up or down on the track attached to the mast. This obviates the need for a cunningham.


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## Hlathe (Jul 5, 2020)

I have had a Siren 17 for years. The swing keel has a hinge bolt and a bolt that holds the keel all the way down. I use the winch regularly to adjust the position of the keel. Upwind, I let it all the way down. Downwin, I wind it up most of the way. I never bolt the keel down because we are in a shallow lake. I dont know what would happen if I hit bottom with the keel bolted down but it wouldn't be pretty. I use a boat hoist so usually drop the swing keel a few inches once I'm on the lift to provide a bit of extra security if a big wave comes along
I take the mainsail off when I am not sailing so use the topping lift to keep the boom up. That way, I can tighten up the main sheet and the boom doesn't swing in the wind. 
The furler on the job works good but you have to put a few turns after the sail is furled and tie everything tightly or you will have to buy a new job sail like I did a few years back.
I put a kick up on the rudder down line so that if I hit bottom with the rudder, it releases and doesn't tear the corner off the rudder.
Since I usually single hand, I was concerned about getting back onto the boat if I fell off or if the kids wanted to dive and swim back. The only place I could find for a flip down ladder was in the starboard, just aft of the pulpit. I put a rope that hangs a foot off the water to allow me to pull the ladder down if I'm in the water. I also tie the painter to my life jacket back loop when I get caught out in rough weather. It should swing the boat, bow to the wind if I fell overboard and give me a chance to catch her.
This is all probably common sense but it's just things I discovered. Hope it helps.


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