Rigging Tips Here's a great guide from the St. James Town Sailing Club (www.SAILToronto.com) on how to rig an old-style laser - lots of truckers hitches! Sailing Tips Here are some excellent sailing tips in printable guide. Includes info on boat settings (mainsheet, vang, cunningham, outhaul, body placement, steering techniques, heel & centerboard). It's a great primer for geting your basic boat speed up with the fleet. And, to get your boat ready for the racing season, here's a spreadsheet on popular upgrades that you can buy for your boat, where to source them and why you need them. Light Air (Up to 10 knots) Downhaul: Snug, with slight wrinkles from mast joint to clew Outhaul: Loose, foot should be about one-hand's length from the center of the boom Vang: Snug to just over-tight for the mainsheet tension Mainsheet: 1 to 10 Inches between traveler blocks (reverse order from breeze, i.e.: 1 knot = more than 10", 3 knots = 7" 6 knots = 4", 10 = 1"gap etc.) Body weight Upwind: Body weight centered slightly forward of the mainsheet block Reaching: Same, slightly aft Downwind: As far forward as possible without feet leaving the cockpit. Heel the boat as necessary
Medium Air (10 to 18 knots): Downhaul: Enough to smooth out the wrinkles between clew and mast joint. Slightly less in chop, if you're no overpowered Outhaul: Slightly less than one-hand's length from center of boom. Marks on the boom for the becket block help make this setting consistent Vang: Over-tighten the vang in relation to the power in the sail plan: If overpowered, have enough vang on to prevent the mainsheet from going up when you ease the mainsheet. If not overpowered, have it snug to slightly over-tight Mainsheet: Mainsheet is block-to-block. Maximum leech tension, and max mast bend is the most efficient form of the sail. Easing will add more power unless you have sufficient boom vang on Body weight Upwind: Body weight should be straight out from feet in hiking strap, 4" to 6" aft of the mainsheet block Reaching: Body angled back from feet 45 degrees, move further back as you start planing Downwind: Straddle the centerboard until planing, then move aft as necessary
Heavy Air (18 to 30 knots): Downhaul: Grommet all the way to the boom—enough to smooth out the wrinkles Outhaul: Depends on how much you're overpowered. If so, maxing out the outhaul is necessary. However, if not, 3" to 4" at the maximum draft will give some shape Vang: Should be on tight enough so that when the mainsheet is eased, the traveler blocks move away from each other at 45 degrees or less from the deck. The boom should be visibly bent and should not go up at all when easing the sheet. Mainsheet: Depending on control of the boat and precision of driving, the mainsheet can be 6" to 18" between the traveler blocks, almost all the time. Keeping the bow down and the sail powered up reduces stalling and sideways movement; easing the mainsheet helps Body weight Upwind: Body should be centered on the hiking strap, maximum hike Reaching: Body aft of corner of cockpit, angled aft Downwind, aft in the boat, front foot pushing off the front of cockpit
Extra tips Big Sailor in Light Air Downhaul: Downhaul should be slightly looser than others on average for power and height Outhaul: Likewise, outhaul should stay looser longer as the breeze increases across the range, but not much more than one-hand's length Vang: Vang should be snug at most, until hiking is necessary Body weight: Body should be forward all the time. Center of weight should not be much forward of the mainsheet block, but knees at the block all the time, never aft. Looking to keep the bow knuckle in the water Mainsheet: Mainsheet can be looser, and keeping the bow down for pace is best bet to maintaining VMG
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Sailing & Rigging Tips
