Rigging ideas from Maimi

[Henry]

A thanks to everyone who said it was ok to take these photos of your boats. i did wait until after the regatta to make sure no one felt threatened....

There was some interesting trends in the rigging world. they include:

less 1:2 pump systems which have been all but standard in the class for a long, long time. There were a lot of 1:2 straight pull systems, and a couple of 1:3 straight pull systems. Even a couple of good old fashioned 1:1 pull it up...

less traveler systems, more bridle systems. The bridle systems have gotten better, using a gross tune for general height and then a 2:1 "traveler" gear to pull the boom to windward.

there were exactly ZERO ball compassess in the lot. Everyone went Tactic.

Continuous systems have become the norm, not the exception. While there were still many simple boats nearly 2/3 of the 68 boats in the lot had at least one continuous system. the most popular systems were vang and rig.

nearly 80% of the boats were using jib tracks, most with inboard outboard gate systems and crew killers. hence, a lot of bruised claves. Looked like Sigfreed and Roy tryouts after the first two days. Props to Cara and Lara from St. Pete for actually covering the crew killers in foam. if your not an expert in FIREWALKING then WEAR SHOES!!!

The totalplant mast made a splash. Nice looking spars, GREAT details and fittings. Most teams using them reported they rarely change spreaders and play mast base instead. Same church, different pew. The gooseneck fitting it far superior.

Superspar kool-aid seems to be tastier than Proctor Kool-aid. For those of you who have Cumulous masts- hold on to them. the next cook kid to win with a Proctor mast and everyone will switch back. north Sails has a bend deflection test in PDF format on thier site. Don't listen to those who say one is bendier then the other, not true. A stiff M7+ is stiffer than a soft Cumulous, but it may take you 6 M7+'s to find one. Don't follow the sheep, do your homework.

if you have a Simon Cooke foil you are definately cool. If you don't you can still be cool if you sand all the paint off your rudder or CB.

We need a reliable source for pre-cut gaskets. Venture tape is the preferred method for sticking and seems to work well, cover with packing tape for a finished job... Gone are the days of heavy mylar gaskets and getting the contact cement to take on the first try. Thank god.

The N10 family north mainsail was the most popular, as well as as the S5B4 jib. Don't bother trying to go to north one design to find out what else is out there, the links don't work. Try www.northsails.co.jp (http://www.northsails.co.jp) thats north japan, they do all the sails. Kai is awesome and answers emails, all the tuning guides are there (and up to date) as well as some really cool information on thier process.'
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Quantums are still cool, they were never not cool. Toni Tio is top notch, don't count them out. didn't see many olympic sails, but there were a few out there.

mcKay dollies work NOT SO GOOD launching from a dock, props to Zieg. The McKay dollies work awesome from a ramp when you can splash the wheels.

Starlocks outnumbered 2:1 main halyards about 2:1. Go figure. 10 years ago you couldn't find one. Either of these systems work great, but 1 boat in the medal race had 1:1 halyards. hmmmm. perhaps he doesn't believe in compression, or is good enough to tune around it.

If you don't have trim marks on the deck of your boat for your jib you are NOT COOL. Everyone else does so get yourself a sharpie. There were as many different places and measurements for the marks as thier were marks, so don't stress too much about them.

Spinnaker sheet keepers are in- little folded tabs of grip tape. They are definately COOL.

Bow doinkers are far less prevalent than they were, but more than one team ran over sheets and installed one as the regatta progressed. Go figure- it used to work, it still does work, and you only have to run over your sheets once to kick yourself for not having one.

Over 80% of the boats had some sort of a masthead fly. if you are good enough you don't need one then so be it. i can not imagine life without one.

Dyform shrouds and luff wires outnumbered 1x19 2:1. the really cool kids had a toggle jaw arrangement on the luff wire so you don't crack the swage stuffing your jib.

2;1 jib halyards outnumbered 1:1 halyards 4:1. Those who had the 1:1 were usually turning straight through the mast base instead of exiting under the gooseneck. For a straight(er) mast tuning program makes sense. not so good if your prebend is 65mm+.

just about everyone had a spinnaker halyard crane. it's allowed, so why owuldn't you?

Pictures to follow...

Henry

[Graham Walker]

Henry,

Any luck with the pictures? I'm all gung ho to learn about how these boats are setup, but having absolutely no 470 experience, a picture is a wonderful complement to the descriptions you have thrown down.

Thanks for the writeup, by the way. I certainly do appreciate your report.

Graham

[Henry]

I'll do more bits at a time, the site or my knowledge of file transfers limit what i can do. i'll attach some more here.

The basic theme is this- the rig- tension, spreader length and angle, and chain plate setting are crucial. The boats require very tight rigs to compress the mast into the proper bend characteristics and keep the jib luff straight. So most boats have a very adjustible jib halyard with a lot of purchase. Most are 2:1 at the hounds, and a 2:1 gross tune at the mast base. One side of the 2:1 goes through a block to a clam cleat (not mounted, just floating) and the other side through a block to the fine tune purchase system. Most are in the range of 20:1-32:1. A chainplate hole is selected and then rig tension is pulled on to the desired number- usually 24-27 on a loose pt-1. Most teams set up at the higher number, allowing them to ease the mast aft several inches without changing pins. Say 27. Then you measure your prebend. Most sails set up between 45mm and 85mm depending on the cut and conditions. Lets say 65mm is the target. If you have more, then open the spreaders until the prebend is achieved with no puller. Then check your rake for your given chainplate hole. Lets say you are in the middle at 5 forward and the rake falls in at 21'10". Record your setting. 5f, 27, 65. Knowing the initial "base" or light air rake setting is 22'2" then you are raked four inches back with the proper bend. Each hole in the chainplate will effect the rake roughly 1-2" depnding on the chainplates. Therefore to get to your base you would lengthen the shrouds by pins up lets say 3 (half) holes to 7 back. Retension the rig to 27. The mast will be too flat, so you will need to close the spreaders to get to your desired 65mm prebend. Do so counting the turns so you can return to the 5f setting without remeasuring! Retension and confirm rake. then record your "base' setting- 7b, 27, 65. Then you go down the chainplate holes one by one recording as you go. You will find a correlation that so many turns on the spreaders per hole, and that as you go down hole by hole and retension to 27 that the marks on the mast for your headstay will be semetrically higher on the mast. If you are careful recording your results you now have your basic grid. The range of rake should be from 22'2" to 21'2".

You will find the forestay makes it REAL hard to get the pins back in when trying to get more than about 5 (half) holes below base. Don't fret. These positions are really only attainable on the water with the sails up! When changing pins on the water you ease jib from full trim about 5", board up to 1/2, main out to the quarter, and ease the rig fully off (the forestay will keep the mast in the partners.) Use some vang to keep the boat headed up and incude some bend. The load on the sails and the bend form the vang will make the leeward pin very easy to change, but do so quickly as the boat in 20+ doesn't love to sit still! Then rig back on some, tack, ease rig, and repeat. A quick scurry to move your spreaders and off you go! When practiced the act of changing pins from any setting TO any setting should take less than 60 seconds. meaning if you start at the warning signal you are repinned and set before P goes up!

A couple of pictures are attached. you will see there is no set way to rig the boat. there are some similarities between all competitive boats.

rig tension is highly adjustible and in the reach of the skipper
vang is powerful and at fingertip length for the skipper
travelers or bridles to bing the main to centerline
jib leads to adjust to changing conditions/rig settings
centerboard easy to get to- especially board up!
cunningham purchased to 6 or 8:1 and easy to get to.
topping lift 2:1 on CB case so skipper or crew can get to it
downhaul has a "negative pole" so it can't sky when it's breezy
mast pullers have incrimental adjustment for different rig settings
forward pullers are on all boats for windy reaches and light air
twings rule the kiteSome boats use fully continuous systems. This means it is lead to both sides, and the control line itself is spliced into a loop so you can pull and ease infinately from either side at any time. Tough to rig, GREAT to sail with if it's right.

Other boats lead controls to the tanks for fingertip control. This is key. Easy to rig, easy to use. Lots less parts than continuous.

A few boats only lead critical systems to the sides and use the CB cap for other controls. Fine for taller skippers who can reach in from the rail. Remember- it is even more important to be able to get a control OFF when conditions change or a wipeout is imminent than getting it on. With that said though a hard timely pull on the cunningham or vang could save a wipeout!