Get it right! Five rigging tips to save your session before you hit the water!
- When inserting your mast, make sure the 2 pieces are together before down hauling. You can check this by running your hand over where the joint should be. Always check at the top of the sail to be sure the mast/sail connection is secure and where it should be.
- Understand how your downhaul lines likes to be threaded. Most extensions have different ways of doing it- this helps ease the strain of down hauling to the proper setting.
- If your boom is difficult to put on, apply only 60% downhaul, then put the boom on- the boom cutout of your sail is more open like this and you can dinker with ropes and settings without struggling to get your hands in there. If you have no problem with this, pull the sail to desired downhaul setting so you only have to sit down/get up once- Save that energy for the water!
- Outhaul settings- don’t believe everything you read for settings….. especially if you are not using the recommended mast! A good trick to get you close is to put your elbow at the clew of the sail and extend your arm towards the center of the sail. If your hand is easily able to push the sail down onto the boom it is a sign that you need more outhaul.
- Make sure your battens have proper tension. What is proper tension? You want as many wrinkles taken out of the batten pockets to create a smooth foil. With your tensioning tool, feel the pressure and watch what happens as you increase or decrease tension.… you don’t want to go too tight or else you risk punching your battens through their stopper at the mast. Feel it out and get them snug.
A well set up rig will get you planing more quickly, prevent those unwanted catapults and give you better control in gusty winds.