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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781909911819 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Fernhurst Books Limited |
| Publication date: | 09/13/2016 |
| Series: | Sail to Win , #3 |
| Sold by: | Bookwire |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 112 |
| File size: | 28 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Tim Davison is a highly experienced sailor. He has been Laser (Masters) European and National Champion and British Moth National Champion. He is the author of over 10 sailing books, including the best-selling Laser Book and Racing: A Beginner’s Guide.
Read an Excerpt
Part 1: Getting Ready
Assembling The Gear
Your first decision is whether to buy new or second-hand. Provided you buy from an expert builder, a new boat should have systems that work, are calibrated and are less likely to fail. The sails are new and the boat should be fast right out of the box. If not, the builder will give you advice and support. Of course, this all comes at a cost – it is very time consuming to fit out a new boat. (For example, it takes our team at P&B 55 hours to set up a 505, and an amateur would probably take twice as long.)
A second-hand boat will be cheaper, and may be fast if you buy a proven boat or can re-tune an unsuccessful one. If you aren’t in a hurry then a cheap boat will give you an introduction to the class and a better idea of what you want when you do move on to a new boat.
Buying A New Boat
Unless the manufacturer supplies a complete boat, you will need to buy the hull, foils, spars and sails.
The Hull
You must buy the hull from someone who is an expert in the class, particularly if you want them to fit it out. Look for:
• Championship results
• Build quality
• Quality of finish
• Under weight
Foils
The rudder wants to be as small as you can handle, to give less drag. It must be stiff.
The centreboard should be stiff in light / medium winds but have enough flex to depower in a gust. How much it needs to flex depends on your crew weight – the lighter you are the more it should flex. Check this by clamping the board, hanging a 15 kg weight on the tip and comparing it with others (right). The spec of the laminate alters the board’s stiffness. If yours turns out to be the wrong stiffness for your weight, you may need a new board.
Think long and hard about the slot gasket, which is vital for speed. It must be in good condition and tensioned properly (which also improves the seal around the board).
Mast
The first decision is carbon or aluminium. If the class rules allow, go for carbon every time. These masts have a smaller section, are lighter and recover from big loadings (e.g. hitting the bottom in a capsize) better than their metal counterparts.
Unfortunately, carbon spars cost 2-3 times more and don’t like having holes drilled in them.
Next choose your mast manufacturer, if necessary in conjunction with your sailmaker. There may be a number of sections to choose from: go for the one that best suits your crew weight by asking the mast supplier.
Sails
Choose a sailmaker who has good results in your class, has good tuning data and offers a good service.
He will cut the sail to fit your mast, crew weight and the expected conditions.
Heavier cloth lasts longer but, of course, gives weight aloft. Lighter cloth gives more speed initially, but wears out quicker. And remember, Dacron stretches with use whereas Mylar shrinks, so don’t mix them!
Crosscut sails are simple to make. Radial sails are more complex, but each panel has the warp lined up with the direction of stress so the sails are more stable. As a result they can be made in lighter cloth, but they are more expensive.
If you’re unhappy with a sail, your sailmaker can re-cut the luff. One or two centimetres here makes a big difference, and he will seldom need to adjust the panels.
Since the key variations are so small, I’m afraid you won’t learn much by laying the sail out yourself on a flat surface. Leave the analysis to your friendly sailmaker.
Buying A Second-Hand Boat
If you can afford it, buy a proven boat. You’ll know it’s fast, and the seller will give you the settings. If you get on well he might even help you at regattas.
If you can’t find a boat with a winning record, you will have to look at whatever is on the market. Go back to the manufacturer for the boat’s history, then check the boat’s condition yourself. Pay particular attention to:
• The finish of the hull and foils, and the fit of the slot gasket.
• The weight of the hull: check this yourself to the best of your ability. Be suspicious if there are no correctors, indeed you should really only buy a boat with correctors.
• The rig set-up (see Part 2). For example, check that the spreaders are symmetrical and that the mast isn’t bent sideways but does bend evenly fore and aft.
• The sails.
Spread the main and jib on the floor and look for signs of the cloth breaking down. Creases are suspicious, as is marbling (white crazing lines, below). Examine the clew area of the jib and area around the inboard ends of the main’s batten pockets.
Hold the spinnaker out horizontally by the corners and check the cloth. Do the leeches look tighter than the rest of the sail? The sail will stretch with age but the leeches won’t. If you have a sail like this you’ll probably need a new one.
Hopefully though, everything will be ok, in which case you’re in business!