NORTH SAILS BLOG

Phantom sailing can be made as simple or as technical as you want to make it, this is one of the main reasons for its success as a class. Onshore Setup Due to the adjustments available in a modern Phantom the onshore setup is really only a base on which to develop your own tuning notes. SPREADER LENGTH This is measured from the outer tip to the side wall of the mast = 420mm. If you are under 85kg you can shorten the spreaders to 412mm, likewise if you are heavier than 99kg then you can lengthen them to 425mm. This adds more support to the middle of the mast, essentially stiffening the mast section. SPREADER ANGLE This is measured with a batten or straight edge across the aft side of the shrouds, the distance from this batten to the back of the mast is the spreader angle, this should be 145mm. MAST FOOT POSITION The mast foot is measured from the aft edge of transom bar to the aft edge of the mast = 3280mm. RIG TENSION Rig tension is actually one of the least important settings due to the fact that the Phantom is such a powerful boat that you are easing forestay to depower in relatively low wind speeds so the rig tension is actually only used for light conditions of under 6kts (dependent on helm weight). One of the main reasons for measuring rig tension is to have a constant measurement for setting up the mast rake. Therefore I set the rig up with 300lbs of rig tension using a rig tension gauge on the shrouds. The rake should then be as follows: Helm Weight < 91kgs – Rake 21’7Helm Weight 92 – 100kgs – Rake 21’10Helm Weight > 100kgs – Rake 22′ Sailing Set-up (Adjustable Lowers)I have added the lowers to sailing setup because they are key factors to setting up the sail shape once afloat. In the light airs (sub hiking) they should be slack, this allows the lower mast to bend with normal mainsheet and kicker tension, in turn this takes out a little of the excess shape from the luff of the sail. This is required because the wind doesn’t have enough energy to flow around deep sail shapes so it’s best to limit it’s effort and flatten the lower part of the sail. As the wind increases and kicker tension is added the lowers are then tightened, this is so it acts as a brace against TOO much lower mast bend due to the kicker. Less lowers tension is needed on flat water where a flatter luff entry helps, than in rough sea conditions where a fuller luff helps to make the boat more forgiving and easier to steer fast. FORESTAY The forestay is the first control to ease once the breeze increases into a ‘hiking’ breeze, this helps to bend the rig and flatten the sail, although you may lose a little pointing ability, however the speed you gain from raking the rig will outweigh this, don’t be afraid to see the leeward shroud swinging wildly in the wind! This is very much an individual preference so find settings you like and use a calibration strip on the deck or the forestay adjusters to make easy reference marks ( IMPORTANT: remember when you are max rake in windy conditions to pull on the forestay downwind and prior to tacks so you can get under the boom!) OUTHAUL The outhaul should be used in conjunction with the lowers, so in very light airs flatten the foot so there is just 50-60mm gap between the sail and the boom at max. depth. Gradually ease this as the wind increases to a maximum of 150mm gap when looking for max. power, and then pull on the outhaul until you have a crease running along the foot when you are looking for max. depower mode. KICKER The key control for most singlehanders it is doubly important in the Phantom due to it’s large roach mainsail, don’t be afraid to keep pulling it on as long as the top tell tail is flying 50% of the time. Sub hiking conditions you should mainly be using mainsheet to control the leech tension with the kicker adjusted to hold this tension whenever you ease the mainsheet, then as the breeze increases the kicker should be tensioned to keep a firm leech and aid pointing. Continue to pull on more and more as the wind builds as its much quicker to sail with the mainsheet eased (boom out beyond the quarter) and a lot of kicker than the reverse of boom near the centreline with an open leech. CENTREBOARD In sub hiking conditions under 5 knots you can have the board right down, but as you rake the mast you will need to raise the centreboard to maintain the balance, as soon as you feel you have too much weather helm raise the board some more, you will be surprised at how little board you need to maintain height once you are flat out hiking especially when needing to steer a lot in choppy conditions. DOWNWIND When reaching pull on the forestay so the leeward shroud is under some tension, this helps to power up the rig, ease the outhaul too , raise the board two-thirds, and as soon as you are close to planing move your weight back and go for it! The same applies on the run where sailing by the lee can be very quick as long as you ease enough kicker to twist the head of the sail, beware this is very twitchy in anything above a moderate breeze! The Phantom rewards hard work downwind so keeping the boat flat and constantly trimming and steering for any waves will pay dividends. Good Sailing! READ MORE

Thank you for choosing North Sails for your Harbor 20. We hope using this tuning guide will help you get the most from your new North Sails. Our goal is to give you a rig set up that is fast in all conditions and easy to adjust. Some relatively minor modifications are necessary to the standard Harbor 20 layout in order to get the most from your boat and sails. General Shroud Adjusters It is important to have the proper shroud set up for effective rig tuning. Notice the picture above, the keeper allows you to make adjustments with the shroud locking mechanism so you can make adjustments to the rig based off the conditions. The keeper and third hands will also prevent the shrouds from spinning off while sailing. These can be purchased in a variety of different rig shops. Adjustable Backstay In order to properly control the shape of the jib and mainsail it is a big help to have a easily adjustable and fairly powerful backstay. Making sure your backstay is running smoothly will allow you to de-power your sail in moderate wind conditions. Mast Tuning Before Sailing First loosen shrouds until they are making 5” circles. From there tension the upper shrouds until they read 20 on the loose gage. From there fill your bucket half full of water and untie your stern from the dock so your boat is head to wind. Attach the bucket to the main halyard and let your boom sit on the cushions in the cockpit. Hang the bucket over the starboard side of the boat, and cleat the main halyard so the bucket handle sits flush with the bottom of the cap shroud. Then, without uncleating the main halyard, take the bucket and hang it over the port side of the boat. If the bucket handle is hitting the same part of the cap shroud on both sides, this means your mast is in the middle of the boat. If the handle is above the mark on the port side that means your mast is to starboard. If it is below the mark then the mast is leaning to port. Adjust the shroud to get the mast in the middle of the boat. **Note: it is important that the boat is faced into the wind. Likewise it is important that just one person is in the boat during this exercise, and that person sits in the same spot on both the port and starboard side. Do the exercise multiple times before making adjustments.** After getting the mast in the middle of the boat, tension the lower shrouds to 10 on the loose gage. Sight the mast to make sure it is straight. Now you should be ready to race! You should also sight the mast on both starboard and port to ensure the mast is symmetric side to side while under sail. Sail Trim Light Air (0-8 knots) MAIN Outhaul should be tensioned so their is about 3.5” between the boom and the foot of the sail. Traveler should be centered. Never let your traveler go to leeward in any situations. There are folks in the fleet who actually screw their traveler to the deck so there is zero chance of it moving. JIB Tension jib halyard so that there is a hint of wrinkles in the luff.  Be careful not to over tension.  Adjust jib lead dependent on the jib.  If top telltales luff first, move the lead up on the clew board.  If bottom telltales luff first, move the lead down on the clew board. Backstay should be adjusted so you have about 1.5” of forestay sag at base setting. Moderate Air MAIN Pull on the outhaul until there is 1.5” between the foot and the boom.  Tension mainsheet so top telltale flies 70% of time; top batten will be parallel to the boom.  This helps to generate power.  Tension main halyard/ cunningham to just remove horizontal wrinkles in luff. Use the main sheet to tension the headstay along with shroud adjustments. If you are easing main sheet, you are loosing headstay tension. Pull on backstay to help with headstay tension and to flatten the sails. JIB Trim sheet so sail is 2-3” from end of spreader.  Tension backstay to medium setting.  This will straighten headstay and slightly flatten sail Ideally you want zero sag in the headstay. Heavy Air MAIN Outhaul out to band – max tight.  Tension halyard or cunningham hard to keep draft forward.  Tension lower shrouds to keep mast from bending too much.  Backstay on very tight.  Top batten should be outside of parallel.  Tension the vang tight enough so that the boom does not go up when the mainsheet is eased. This will allows you to “vang sheet” to keep boat on its feet.  Remember, flat is fast.  Play the mainsheet aggressively in the puffs to keep the boat flat. JIB Tighten halyard quite tight to keep draft forward.  Trim sail so it is 3-4” off end of spreader.  Tighten backstay very tight to make headstay as straight as possible and flatten sail. *Please note that the above trim settings should be taken as starting points only.  These are meant to show the range of settings from light to heavy air.  We have found it useful to keep a logbook every time we go sailing to note fast settings or ideas. Harbor 20 Quick Tuning Chart – California UPPERS LOWERS WIND SPEEDKnots UPPERS(PT1) LOWERS(PT1) Steps Turns from  base* Steps Turns from base* VANG OUTHAUL JIB LEAD < 6 -4 -2 – 2 -4 – 2 -2 0 3” Lower 6-8 -2 -1 – 2 -2 – 1 -1 0 2.5” Lower 8-10 20 10 BASE BASE BASE BASE Snug 2” Neutral 10-13 2 1 2 2 1 1 Snug 2” Neutral 13-16 4 3 2 4 2 3 Tight 1” Neutral 16 – 19 5 4 1 5 1 4 Tight Max Upper 19-22 6 5 1 6 1 5 Tight Max Upper 22+ 6 6 1 6 1 6 Tight Max Upper * The number of turns is an estimate and could be different from boat to boat. It is important to check your settings, and the number of turns between the settings, before going out on the water. Harbor 20 Quick Tuning Chart – Chesapeake Bay UPPERS LOWERS WIND SPEEDKnots UPPERS(PT1) LOWERS(PT1) Steps Turns from  base* Steps Turns from base* VANG OUTHAUL JIB LEAD < 6 -2 -1 – 1 -2 – 1 -1 0 3” Lower 6-8 14 10 BASE BASE BASE BASE Snug 2.5”+ Lower 8-10 2 1 2 2 1 BASE Snug 2” Neutral 10-13 4 2 3 4 2 2 Snug 2” Neutral 13-16 6 4 3 5 3 4 Tight 1” Neutral 16 – 19 7 5 2 6 2 5 Tight Max Upper 19-22 8 6 2 7 2 6 Tight Max Upper 22+ 8 7 2 7 2 7 Tight Max Upper * The number of turns is an estimate and could be different from boat to boat. It is important to check your settings, and the number of turns between the settings, before going out on the water. READ MORE

Mast: C section Mast Foot: 2700mm (From aft transom to aft face of the mast foot)Spreader Length: 395mm (From the outside of the shroud perpendicular to the bearing surface of the mast track)Spreader Deflection: 155mm (From the centre of the straight line drawn from tips of the spreaders to mast) Mast: Kappa section Mast Foot: 2700mm (From aft transom to aft face of the mast foot)Spreader Length: 380mm (From the outside of the shroud perpendicular to the bearing surface of the mast track)Spreader Deflection: 145mm (From the centre of the straight line drawn from tips of the spreaders to mast)   Wind Speed Light 1-8 knots Moderate 9-15 knots 16+ Knots Sea State Flat Choppy Flat Choppy Flat Choppy Mast Rake (Ft/Inches) 21″ 11″ 21′ 9″ 21′ 7″ Rig tension (lbs) 330 297 264 Mast Ram Pull forward to flatten the main Pull back to keep the mast straight as kicker is applied Pull back to ease over bending Cunningham None Take out minor creases Lower the cunningham block further by 30mm Outhaul Hard Ease 20mm Ease 20mm Hard Kicker Take up slack Keep top tell-tale flying 90% Hard Centreboard Leading edge vertically down Raise 1-2’’ Raise 3-4’’   Jib Fairleads The position of the fairleads affects the foot and leech tensions; pulling the fairleads forward is the same as pulling the barber haulers on. Moving them back in the boat increases the foot tension and allows the top half of the jib to twist open (see the top tell-tale break before the lower ones). Moving them forward has theopposite effects of opening the foot slightly, and closes the leech. Light Winds (1-8 knots) The pulley for jib sheeting should be set so if you follow the line of the jib sheet it bisects the clew at roughly 45 degrees. The general rule for light air sailing is to keep the flow of air moving through slot (leech of the jib to the luff of the main). Aim to have the higher tell-tales lifting before the lower ones as this shows the direction of flow is more biased to the top of the leech (twist) Moderate winds (9-15 knots) As the breeze starts to build you should be aiming for max power. Here you will be able to move the fairlead forward to close the slot to help stop losing power at the head of the jib. Again, sheet the jib aiming to get the higher tell-tales lifting before the lower ones. Heavy winds (16 knots+) The jib sheeting should be moved forward again to help close the leech. If the luff of the main starts to turn inside out the slot is being stalled, you may need to ease the sheet and move the fairleads back to help open and keep the flow of air exiting the sails as quick as possible. Spinnaker Trim The spinnaker should be flying so the two clews (two bottom corners) are level, then ease the leeward sheet so the luff (sail edge nearest the wind) just starts to flicker back on itself. A handy tip is the tie the halyard to the head of the kite so there is 2 inch gap from the knot to the edge of the sail, this helps the kite fly freely. This is purely a tuning guide and has been prepared to help you get the most out of your North Sails as quickly as possible. Some of these numbers will differ from boat to boat. Feel free to modify and experiment in small steps to find what suits you best. If you find settings that really work well, mark these clearly and please keep us informed. READ MORE

Get The Most From Your J/24 The 2019 Worlds are just around the corner. Is your team ready? Our J/24 Tool Kit will help. Scroll down for tips about boat speed, tuning, shifting gears, jibing in breeze, and much more. Created just for J/24 sailors, by our team of experts. Get To Know Biscayne Bay To help you prepare for the 2019 Worlds, we asked the local Star and Snipe World Champion Augie Diaz to explain about his home waters of Biscayne Bay in Miami, FL. How The 2018 Worlds Were Won It may not be Lake Garda, but Miami could serve up some similar conditions where tuning and sail selection comes into play. We can expect a little bit of everything at the 2019 Worlds, and you may see some recurring themes from Garda that find their way to Biscayne Bay. Shifting Gears Two-time North American Champion and North Sails expert Mike Ingham explains how to shift gears when pressure is unpredictable. Fine Tune With North Find your groove. Get your numbers. After countless hours of sailing, sail testing, and competing in the J/24, our World Championship winning sails will get you up to speed quickly with our newly updated tuning guide and matrix. Jibing With Authority The key to perfect jibes is practice, practice, practice. Get the play-by-play on how to execute a jibe with success. #NSVictoryList There is no better performance test of a one design sail than the results it produces. In 2019 alone, North Sails J/24 inventories have powered many teams to the number one spot all over the globe. Let us help you achieve your end goal. Building Your Confidence In Breeze Windy day ahead? Here are 10 tips to help you conquer those days at the top end of the genoa’s range. Videos: Get Your Team Up To Speed World-level preparation works for smaller regattas too. Before your next regatta, watch our video tips from Tim Healy and Will Welles. Preparing For A Big Event Will Welles talks us through boat prep, tuning, how to put together a winning team, and regatta logistics. Define Your Speed Pulling all the pieces together can be challenging. Our J/24 Speed Guide will help you leverage our expertise to make the most of your sailing. Common Questions, Answered We respond to 13 of the most frequently asked questions about racing a J/24 well. Trust In Our Expertise We’ve been winning in the J/24 since the class started, and we can help you win too. Contact your local expert, check out our inventory, and join us at the front of the pack. READ MORE

INTRODUKTION Formålet med denne tuning guide er at give vores BB-10 meter kunder nogle retningslinjer i, hvordan man får størst mulig udbytte af sine nye North Sejl. Tuning guiden er udarbejdet af Theis Palm.Følg vejledningen så nøjagtigt som muligt. Det er dog altid en god idé at eksperimentere på sin egen båd, da mandskabets vægt, bådens balance, riggens beskaffenhed samt lokale forhold også kan have indflydelse på det absolut optimale trim. MASTETRIM 1. Salingshornenes længde og vinkel er vigtig for storsejlets facon, da disse er med til at kontrollere mastens krumning og dermed også forstagets spænding. Længden af salingshornene måles fra siden af masten til wiren der er placeret i salingshornet, målet er 86 cm, målet tages i midten af salingshornet. Salingshornenes vinkel måles ved at binde en tynd snor fra det ene overvant til det andet og her efter måles afstanden fra snoren og ned til bagkanten af masten skal være 12 cm. Ved samme lejlighed afsættes et tapemærker på 76 cm målt fra siden af masten. Dette mærker bruges senere til trim af fokken. 2. Herefter holdes forstaget og overvanterne ind langs masten og strækkes så meget som muligt. Der afsættes et mærke på wirerne, ud for overkanten af det sorte ved bomfæste. Dette mærke er nu udgangspunkt for mastens hældning. 3. Forstaget placeres i det forreste af de fem huller i skinnen på fordækket. 4. Kontroller at afstanden fra overkanten af det sorte mærke ved bomfæste til dæk målt på siden af masten er 64 cm. Differencen skal korrigeres på det mål på forstaget som følger. 5. Mastens hældning bestemmes således, afstanden fra det afsatte mærke på forstaget til dækket målt parallelt med forstaget til dækket er 1,39 m. 6. Kontroller nu – når den korrekte mastehældning er konstateret – at masten hviler på hele sin trædeflade på mastens fod. I modsat fald vil rig trykket blive ukonstant og forstaget hermed uroligt. 7. Mærkerne på overvanterne bruges til at kontrollere at masten står lige i båden ved at måle fra mærke til dæk i begge sider. Dette er mere præcist end at måle fra mastetoppen. 8. Riggens spænding er svær at definere, da ikke alle er i besiddelse af den samme rigmåler.Til denne vejledning har vi anvendt en Loose Gauge type PT-2 M, hvor vi har følgende mål. Overvant Undervant Let 0-2 m/sek. 27 23 Mellem 3-9 m/sek. 31 28 Hård 10+ m/sek. 4 34 9. Når undervant spændingen er sat, kontrolleres om masten står lige. Tallene på undervanter er kun en guideline, som er erfaringer fra vores egen båd. Det er vigtigt at masten står lige op til 10 m/sek. Herefter strammes undervanterne til masten falder 5-10 cm til læ ved fokke godset alt eftermandskabets vægt. 10. Strutten sætte meget let, masten skal krumme i en jævn kurve fra mastetop til fod. STORSEJL TRIM AF STORSEJLStorskødet er meget kritisk og små justeringer har stor betydning for højde og fart. Skøder man hårdt, lukker agterliget mere og giver større rorpres, men til gengæld mere højde. Dette trim kan anvendes i mellemluft på fladt vand, så længe man kan hænge båden ned. I let vind slækkes skødet således at ticklers ved den øverste sejlpind flyver ret bagud. I hård vind skødes godt hjem og hækstaget hales indtil båden igen bliver let på roret uden at man mister højde. I forholdsvis store bølger skal sejlet twiste mere, for at få så stort et styreområde til vinden som overhovedet muligt, samtidigt giver det også bedre fart og hermed også højde. Som tommelfingerregel trimmes den bagerste halvdel på den øverste sejlpind parallelt med bommen i stort set alle vindstyrker. UDHAL PÅ BOMUdhalet er en anden vigtig trimfaktor. I let vind (0-2 m/sek.) skal sejlet være 4 cm fra sort mærke. I mellemvind (2-5 m/sek.) 2 cm fra sort mærke og over 5 m/sek. hales helt ud på mærke. CUNNINGHAMUndlad helt at bruge cunningham i let vind. I mellem vind hales kun så meget at rynkerne langs forliget forsvinder. Når vinden er over 7 m/sek. hales der hårdt for at medvirke til at åbne kappen og holde faconen fremme i sejlet. LØJGANGENJustering af løjgangen påvirker rorpresset væsentligt og bruges alt efter mandskabets vægt. Løjgangsvognen justeres således at bommen, så længe som overhovedet muligt, er på centerlinien af båden, altså til luv (dette for at bevare så stor vindkanal mellem storsejl og genua/fok som overhovedet muligt og for, at kunne sejle maximal højde). Når vinden så frisker og hækstaget er halet maximalt køres løjgangen til læ indtil båden er i balance og let på roret. HÆKSTAGETHækstaget har to funktioner: at kontrollere dybden i storsejlet og hvor meget forstaget falder mod læ. Det vil sige, at et strammere hækstag betyder et fladere og mere åbent storsejl, mindre forstags fald og hermed også fladere genua/fok. Vi har mærket vores hækstag op for hver 3 cm, så vi hurtigt kan komme tilbage til et godt trim og have båden veltrimmet lige efter mærke rundningerne. BOMNEDHALBrug aldrig bomnedhalet på kryds. Bomnedhalet bruges på følgende måde: hal til den bagerste halvdel af den øverste sejlpind står parallelt med bommen, både på halv vind og læns, under alle vind forhold. GENUA/FOK SKØDEPUNKTSkødevognens placering er kritisk for forsejlenes trim. Som udgangspunkt måles 4,90 m. fra pinboldt i forstag til centrum af skødeblokken til genuaen og 3,10 m til fokken. Forsejlene skal luffe jævnt langs forliget, det vil sige, at ticklers skal stå ens både i top og bund. SKØDESPÆNDINGGenuaen halse til den står 3 cm fra enden af sallingshornene i alle vindstyrker, underliget er helt inde ved overvant fæste i over 3 m/sek og 1 cm fra under 3 m/sek.Fokken hales til den lige røre salingshornet og akkurat bliver stram langs underlig mærkrt på salingshornet bruges som reference. FALD SPÆNDINGStræk aldrig faldet for hårdt, da faconen ellers kommer for langt frem. Stræk kun lige så folderne ved løjerterne forsvinder. I let vind må der gerne være små folder ved løjerterne, idet faconen i fokken derved flyttes lidt bagud og dybden øges en smule, dette giver det bedste profil. SPILER Spilerstagens fæste på masten bør sidde i en højde af 1,60 m. over ruffet. Stage justeres således, at den står vandret. Derved opnås den størst effektive længde af spilerstagen og det størst mulige projicerede areal til vinden. Vores spiler er designet hertil. I let vind justeres stagehøjden således, at skødebarmene på spileren flyver lige højt, for at få den bedste indfaldsvinkel på det luv sidelig, samtidig med at det læ sidelig er maximalt åbent.På skæring i hård luft må spilerstagen under ingen omstændigheder komme nærmere til forstaget end 50 cm for at forhindre båden kommer ud af kontrol og skærer op. READ MORE

Download – Knarr Trimguide (Danish) The purpose of this tuning-guide is to give our clients in the Knarr class some guidelines on how to get the most out of their North Sails. This tuning-guide was compiled by Henrik Søderlund and Theis Palm. Always experiment and try finding your own trim using these guidelines. The weight of the crew, the balance of the boat together with specific local wind and sea conditions all have influence on the fastest and final trim. MAST TRIM Before stepping the mast in the boat, some very important measurements have to be checked to follow this tuning-guide correctly:  Lead the upper shrouds and forestay along the mast, the upper have to be out of the spreader tips. Pull them as hard as you can and put a mark on all three wires at the top at the black near the gooseneck on the mast. These three marks are now used to check if the mast is centered in the boat, and to check the mast rake. Place the mast foot the following way. First measure 1.21 meter from the bow and place the forestay here. Move the foot of the mast aft, until you measure 2,00 meter from the forestay position (this is the maximum J measure to the class rules) block the mast on the backside. Leave 20 mm free space on the front side of the mast.The mast foot adjusts the following way: In light winds (0-8 Knots) the mast should be relative hard on the aft edge and pressed 10 mm aft along the mast foot rail for the mast to bend smoothly, and make the forestay loos. In winds above 8 knots move the mast foot back to basic position. Set the mast rake. Pull the permanent backstay until the forestay stays straight. Then measure the distance from the black mark on the forestay to the deck (along the forestay) the distance is 1,13 meter. Control the distance from the deck to the upper black band at the gooseneck measured on the backside of the mast, the measurement is 80 cm. If there is a difference it should be adjusted on the forestay measurement. The upper shrouds proper position is located measuring perpendicularly from the center of the mast to the attachment point on the shroud base. The marks on the upper shrouds (from step 1) are now used to verify that the mast is vertical. This is best done by measure from the mark on the upper shrouds to where the turnbuckles enter the deck – the distance should be the same on both sides. It is very important, that the mast is straight from side to side and not being distorted at deck level. The lower shrouds are placed 35 cm behind the upper shrouds according to the class rules. All rig tension measurements we used a Loose Gauge PT-2. The upper shrouds should read 11 as a base setting. In 9 – 15 knots tighten 1½ turn and from 16 knots and up, another 1½ turn. The lower shrouds are tensioned, so that the mast is completely straight in the boat. The lowers is tighten in the same time as the upper shrouds. In general the rig is very slack to get the mast as fare forward as possible on the downwind leg. The jumpers are adjusted by pulling the permanent backstay. Then look up along the sail track and check that the jumpers are equally tight on both sides. If this is not the case, they should be adjusted till the mast is completely straight. When the mast is relaxed it will bend slightly forward. SAIL TRIM Mainsail Trim The mainsheet is critical in setting the shape of the sail and small adjustments can have a big effect on speed and pointing. If the mainsheet is sheeted tight, the leech will close and put more pressure on the rudder – on the other hand pointing ability is improved. This can be used in medium winds and flat water, where the boat can be kept flat by hiking. In light winds the mainsheet is eased so that the top tell-tale flies straight. In heavy winds, sheet tight and pull the backstay until the rudder feels light again (but without losing pointing). In large waves, let the leech twist a little more to have a wider steering angle. This increases speed, and therefore pointing, at the same time. As a thumb rule the top batten is trimmed parallel to the boom in almost all wind strengths. OUTHAULThe outhaul is also an important factor when trimming as it controls the draft in the bottom of the sail. In very light winds (0-5 knots) the sail should be 2 cm from the mark. In medium winds (5-12 knots) about 1 cm from the mark and in more wind than this pull the sail all the way to the mark. CUNNINGHAMDo not set the cunningham in light winds. In medium winds set the cunningham so that the wrinkles along the luff disappear. When the wind exceeds 15 knots pulled it hard to open the leech and keep the draft forward in the sail. TRAVELLERAlways to windward in any condition BACKSTAYThe backstay has two functions: To control draft in the mainsail and to control forestay sag. When the backstay is tightened, the mainsail flattens, the leech opens, and there is less forestay sag and therefore, a jib with less draft. It is a good idea to put marks on the backstay, e.g., every 5 cm, to facilitate finding the right trim after mark roundings, etc. KICKINGSTRAP/BOOM VANGThe kickingstrap is used when sailing upwind in strong wind and also downwind. Upwind, the kickingstrap push on the mast and opens the leech in the bottom part of the mainsail and keeps the boom down when easing in the gusts. Never use the kickingstrap upwind in less than 18 knots and use caution. Remember always to ease the kickingstrap for downwind sailing when bearing off, otherwise the boom might break. Downwind the kickingstrap is trimmed so that the top batten is parallel to the boom – on all sailing angles and in all conditions. Jib Trim North Sails jibs are made for sheeting points both on deck and cabin top. However, we recommend sheeting from the cabin top to make the jib-leech twist more freely and thus allowing the gap between main and jib to be as wide as possible. Furthermore, the control of the jib is improved (particularly in heavy winds) because of the shorter distance from clew to block. The jib-lead track is placed with its center 48 cm (fig2A) from the boat’s centerline. When sheeting from the cabin top, we recommend using a swivel block on the deck, so that the jib sheet does not create an overwrap on the winch. SHEETING POINTThe position of the jib lead is crucial for the jib trim. As a reference point measure 2.68 m from the pin in the forestay to the centre of the block (if the lead is on the cabin top). The jib shall luff evenly, i.e. tell-tales must fly at the same time in top and bottom. JIB SHEETAs a general rule sheet the jib so that the middle batten is parallel to the centerline in most conditions, but in light winds (0-5 knots) leave 2-3 degrees of twist. If the sea is lumpy, move the jib lead 2 – 3 “holes” forward to get more draft and power in the jib (the middle batten shall still be parallel to the boat’s centerline). In heavy winds move the lead 1 – 2 “holes” back without letting the foot of the sail become tight and flutter. HALYARD TENSIONNever pull the halyard too tight. This will cause the draft of the jib to move too far forward. Pull it until the wrinkles in the luff disappear. In light wind the best shape is obtained when leaving small wrinkles in the luff. Good luck on the water! READ MORE

Also available: IC37 Boathandling Manual  Mast Shims The IC37 was designed to have simple tuning adjustments in order to minimize boat-to-boat variation and highlight the sailors’ performance. Therefore, the only allowable rig tune adjustment is the shim height beneath the base of the mast, which affects the shroud tension. This system replaces the traditional process of independently adjusting turnbuckles at the base of each shroud. Each boat is supplied with one shim of each of the following sizes: 20mm, 10mm, 5mm, 3mm, and 2mm. The 20mm shim is removable for the sole purpose of stepping and un-stepping the rig; it should always be in place while sailing in any condition. Beyond that, you may add any individual shim or combination of shims you see fit. The table below shows our suggested shim height for each respective wind range. WIND SPEED (knots) SHIM HEIGHT (mm) 0-6 22 6-10 28 10-14 35 14+ 40 Rigging Tensions (On Full Shims) DESIGNATION LOOS RT11 GAUGE LOOS RT10 GAUGE V1 39 - D1 - 20 D2 - 15 Headstay 20 - Battens Before putting up your IC37 North Sails, it is important to properly tension all battens to get the desired sail shape. For the mainsail, we recommend tensioning the leech battens to only just remove the wrinkles from the batten pocket. The full battens should be slightly tighter, causing the batten pocket cloth to be completely smooth, but not creating wrinkles parallel to the pocket. The jib comes with two top batten options. This allows the trimmer to match the flying characteristics to varying breeze strengths. The light batten is flexible, which allows more shape in the head of the sail when the breeze is light. In comparison, the heavy batten is more rigid to reduce shape in the head and help induce twist in the sail. Crew Weight Crew positioning is very important on the IC 37. Moving weight fore and aft as the wind speed and angle change is crucial to performance. As the breeze picks up, weight should be shifted progressively further aft. This increases righting moment, as more of the crew weight reaches maximum beam. As a result, the sails can be trimmed harder and the boat can be sailed flatter and faster than it would with weight too far forward. As the breeze lightens, be sure that the crew is active with moving forward. When weight is too far aft, the transom will produce a gurgling sound as it displaces too much water. Jib Trim The IC37 is equipped with four main controls to manipulate the jib trim – halyard tension, athwartship lead position, vertical lead position, and sheet tension. Using these four controls together can produce the wide range of shape in the jib required to perform well in all wind conditions. Jib Halyard Tension Halyard tension controls the entry angle, as well as upper leech profile. A good base setting is just enough tension to remove any wrinkles coming off the luff hanks, with the goal of getting the sail to be smooth, but not tight. The amount of tension required to achieve this will change with the breeze. If over tightened, the luff will become flat and unresponsive, and may have vertical wrinkles running from tack to head. We suggest using a number scale with a mark on the deck for consistent tension when hoisting the jib around a turning mark. Athwartship Lead Position A track system oriented athwartship controls the jib’s angle of attack. A tighter angle of attack allows the boat to sail at a closer angle to the wind, but when the car too far inboard, the wind coming off the jib will be negatively interfering with the main shape. For the best relationship between the main and the jib, the area between the two sails, the ‘slot,’ should be as even as possible. The best way to tell if your slot is set up well, is to look at the angle of the leech telltales of the jib. The top telltale should be flying at an angle that matches the entry angle of the mainsail. Vertical Lead Position The jib lead can be raised or lowered to adjust the leech profile. This control replaces the traditional fore/aft lead adjustment. A lower jib lead will result in a tighter overall leech profile and a deeper foot, the equivalent of moving the traditional lead forward. Easing the lead up will flatten the foot and induce more twist in the leech. This is the key control to achieving a vertically even slot. Jib Hobble The jib hobble system is used when sailing downwind with both the spinnaker and jib up. The hobble is meant to caddy the jib from gybe to gybe with no adjustment required. A good base setting is to have the jib trimmed enough that the lowest luff telltales are flowing and the top of the jib not luffing. However, it is better to have the sail slightly under trimmed than over trimmed. If the jib is eased enough that it can wrap around the forestay, it will need to be trimmed just prior to the gybe, then released back to its original setting. The hobble is trimmed using a single line lead through a cleat in the center of the boat. Downwind Modes The IC 37 (as well as many other one design classes) races with only one asymmetric spinnaker, which limits the variability in VMG angles when sailing downwind. However, there are still many different modes of sailing downwind. In light air, we suggest dropping the jib to allow the spinnaker to maintain as much flow as possible. While keeping the jib fully onboard as it drops is always preferable, the luff hanks allow the jib to be dropped quickly without going overboard when the situation requires. While having the jib down does allow a lower mode to be sailed, the boat still does not like to sail directly downwind. When the breeze permits leaving the jib up, you must transition your mode to one with a tighter wind angle. This should only be done in planing conditions. Runner Load Trimming the running backstays, or ‘runners,’ is one of the most important controls for upwind speed. Grinding on more runner tension will make the headstay tighter, flatten the main by bending the mast, and open the main leech. This depowers the sail enough to let the boat stay under control at higher wind speeds. Reefing After all the mast shims have been put in, the next step to depowering the boat is to reef the sails. The first sail to reef is the jib, which usually happens around 18-20 knots of true wind speed. When reefing the jib, the best practice is to drop the sail onto the deck, roll the foot from the bottom up, close the zipper with all excess cloth fully enclosed, then re-hoist the sail. The main reef will be added once the average true wind speed is around 23-25 knots. Having the runners and mainsheet completely eased when putting the reef in the main is important and will avoid undue stress on the main halyard components. Note overbend wrinkles The crew member trimming the runner should be looking for these wrinkles to appear in the main to know when the maximum load is achieved and should not pull more runner on beyond that point. Polar Boat Speed UPWIND TWS VS TWA HEEL 6 6.06 44.6 11.5 8 6.44 38.9 16.0 10 6.71 36.9 18.6 12 6.91 35.9 20.4 14 7.05 35.5 21.3 16 7.14 35.4 23.0 18 7.21 35.6 24.4 20 7.30 36.3 25.0 DOWNWIND TWS VS TWA HEEL 6 6.08 143 -2.1 8 7.21 147 -1.5 10 8.30 146 0.4 12 9.54 144 4.2 14 11.21 141 11.5 16 12.79 143 14.4 18 14.11 145 13.3 20 15.10 147 11.3 READ MORE

Congratulations on the purchase of North Sails for your McConaghy 38 . The MC38 is a new and exciting class which North Sails are proud to be associated with. The following information will allow you to set up your rig to our recommended base settings and allow you to be competitive from the first time you hoist the sails.We recommended you keep an accurate log of all rig changes you do with notes about the conditions on the day. This is the best way to refer your setup to past sailing days and will ultimately allow you to develop your own settings that work with the way you and your team sail your boat and your local conditions.The McConaghy 38 is a new class and developments are happening quickly as more and more sailors experience the boat. Please check with your local North Sails rep representative about the latest tuning developments and tips. In order to complete this guide you will need the following tools; 30 meter tape measure Retractable metal tape Wet notes book Bosuns chair Rig adjustment tools Straight edge Marker pen 6-7 crew 1.  Confirm the “J” measure The mast chocks are factory fitted onto the mast cannot be altered in the mast gate at all however it is worth checking the position to ensure it is correct as this has a big influence on the masts pre bend. Measure from the front face of mast along the deck to the intersection of the forestay and sheer. Put a straight edge across the jib tack trough to get the sheer and measure to the center line of the forestay. This measure should = 4600mm 2. Confirm Mast butt position Using the retractable metal tape measure from the aft face of the mast below deck straight across to the forward most keel bolt. This measure should be = 450 mm 3. Confirm the rake Take a halyard and attach a heavy weight such as a bucket of water to it. Position the halyard so when it is lying against the mast the bucket of water is suspended off the deck. Mark the halyard at the top of the gooseneck band and then swing your halyard with bucket attached out to the forestay marking the forestay equal with your halyard mark. Take your metal tape and measure from this forestay mark down to the intersection of forestay and sheer . Use your straight edge across the jib tack trough to determine the sheer position. This measure should = 2240mm 4. Set the mast jack height Check that the mast is all the way down on the mast jack and resting on the collar at the base. With all shrouds eased off so that they are slack pump the mast jack up so that the mast chocks which are bonded to the mast are flush with the deck. You may have to remove the neoprene cover to see. This is now your max jack up position. Measure from the top of the collar on the ram to the mast base. This is how much travel you have in the ram. Note. Ensure there is wax/lubricant around the mast collar to reduce friction which may influence jack pressure 5. Step the V1 shrouds Ease the jack all the way down then wind the V1 shrouds on 5 turns. Pump the jack up to your max jack height and check the pressure. You are aiming for a measure of 2000 psi. Keep winding on the V1’s evenly until this is achieved. 6. Check the mast is in the center Take your 30m tape and attach it to the jib halyard. Hoist the halyard so it is in the lock and then measure down to the intersection of cap shroud and deck on both sides. If the mast is not in center adjust the X1’s accordingly. 7. Tension the D1 & D2 shrouds Ease the mast down and adjust the D1’s until the jack reads 2350 psi. Once this is achieved adjust the D2’s until the jack reads 2600si. this is your max jack pressure. Sight up the mast to ensure it is straight sideways. If not adjust D1/D2’s accordingly Note. All jack readings are based upon the Enerpac P392 jack   8. Jib leech trim marks Mark the spreaders port and starboard with white tape parallel to the centerline of the boat. From the center of the mast measure along the front edge of the spreader and mark with tape.Upper spreader =540mmLower spreader = 840mm 9. Go sailing Go sailing in about 10kts + . You need enough wind to have a full crew on the rail and hiking. To finish your tune ensure you are max jack pressure with the ram at max up position. Sight the rig looking up the aft face and check on each tack. The mast should be straight side to side. If not adjust D’s accordingly. READ MORE

Thank you for choosing a North Sails P Class Sail. Your North Sails P Class sail has been designed to be easy to use and fast in a full range of conditions. If you look after your sail and set it up correctly, it will give you good boat speed for all conditions. We have done a lot of work to develop a full range of sails to suit all mast types and the size and weight of the skippers. Some of our base designs have the option of two luff curves depending on which type of spar you are using so if you are ordering a sail be sure to specify which type of mast you have. The difference between the curves is small so either luff curve will work well but for optimum performance it is best to have the correct luff curve for your spar. P Class Sail Care Your Sail is made from a fabric called Contender 2.6oz Polykote. This is a very high tech cloth in the way that it has been woven together. Do the best you can to make sure that the sail does not get unnecessarily creased. Creases are sail killers and are the primary reason for sails not lasting as long as they should. The worst time for getting creases is during hoisting and lowering your sail as the sail catches on sidestays and other fittings. – Always roll your sail and keep it in its bag when not in use. – Ideally remove the battens after use. If you don’t want to do this, then release the battens from the pocket elastic and roll the sail parallel to the pockets. If you are rolling onto a tube, tie the clew first and roll the sail a couple of turns before attaching the tack. This will allow you to roll the sail parallel to the batten pockets on the tube. – Wash the salt from the sail every 3-6 weeks depending on how often it gets wet. Do this on a light day by hosing the sail while rigged, and leaving to dry. Setting Up HOIST Make sure the sail is right up to the top black band when hoisted. TACK Sails are fitted with a tack strap and an eyelet so you can have a choice of how you wish to set the tack of your sail up. Remember you aren’t allowed to adjust this while racing. When you have your sail hoisted and fitted along the boom, adjust the strap or whatever method you are using to fix this area in place, so that the tack area is smooth. The idea of this area is that the strap around the mast takes the outhaul load and the cunningham takes any up / down load. You may wish to have a separate piece of rope (or shockcord) tied loosely around the gooseneck area just to prevent the tack riding up the mast when the cunningham is released. FOOT Check that the black band is in exactly the right position on the boom, as you will need every millimeter of outhaul in the breeze. For really heavy conditions when the tack setting up smoothly is less important as you will be using quite a bit of cunningham load, you may want to use the strap to pull the tack forward toward the mast and give you more outhaul travel. BATTENS Your sail will come with a 2 top battens and four shorter battens. The four lower battens are interchangeable and are numbered 1 to 4. 1 is the softest and 4 the stiffest. We suggest using (from bottom to top) 3, 2, 1 for light to moderate airs and 4,3,2 for heavier airs. Use the lighter top batten up to 15-18 knots and then begin using the stiffer one. While these options will give you a full range of performance, we don’t want to discourage you from trying other options. Experiment yourself. To test batten stiffness, use a set of kitchen scales and holding the batten vertically, push down. You will see that after a while the scale doesn’t change any more- even if you push harder. This is the ‘stiffness’ of the batten. You can write this on each batten along with it’s draft position as a reference if you are testing various options. E.g. one batten might have 0.75kg @ 45% on it and another 0.75kg @ 50% Once you are used to looking at the shape of your sail and the feel of it over a range of conditions, try experimenting with different batten options and see what happens. Remember….. The stiff end of the batten is the back. Bendy end forward!!! OUTHAUL Hopefully you will have an outhaul fitted to your boat. Make sure that this works. There is no point having all the fancy bits, if when you let off the outhaul, nothing moves!. We suggest 4:1 purchase inside the boom, so you can make small repeatable adjustments. Make sure you have a system of marks so you can repeat you fast settings from upwind to downwind- or when the breeze changes. Don’t ease the foot too much. If you are getting vertical wrinkles off the boom, then you have gone too far. As a basic rule, easing the outhaul will help you point higher- but may make you a little slower sometimes. Tightening the foot will help the boat go forward easier, but over- tightening may hurt you height or power. Use the other boats around you as a guide as to what you should try. While training, try a few variations so you get the feel for how the outhaul really affects your performance. RAKE The correct rake for your weight and the conditions is one of the primary factors in good performance. Because there is a variation in the hulls, there is no correct rake to suit all boats so we cannot provide a standard rake to work from in this guide. There is a correct rake for your individual boat and you should have a record of this and of the rakes you try. At the back of this tuning guide is a formula for working out the correct mast. Another way to find a starting rake is to level your hull alongside a top boat with a skipper of similar weight. Then sight the masts and set your mast up to the same angle. Measure this from a mark permanently etched on your mast to a mark on the stern. This is your rake. Generally as you get bigger and better you will be able to increase that measurement. ie. rake it further forward. Note: we now measure up the mast 2.8m, and then back to the center of the transom to aft deck join. Remember – you don’t learn if you don’t try so use the rakes suggested as a starting point, and try experimenting with different rakes. Keep a good record of what works and what doesn’t. You may find that you come up with something that works better than what we suggest. Use our suggested rake as a point to start from!!! SAIL SHAPE Your sail comes with 3 camber stripes. It is a good idea to glance up at your sail occasionally especially when you are going fast- (or really slow) to see what your rig looks like and therefore be able to eventually memorise these shapes and settings. The concept of the sail is that it is very easy to trim. To do this it is made with a very open leech. This means that you don’t have to be so careful not to over-sheet in the light, and should be able to sail with a more constant sheet tension through the range. Compared to other sails you have used, you may find you need to use a little more sheet tension with your North sail. RIG TENSION Tight v’s loose. I prefer a firm rig. The tension should be so that by pulling forward on the mast you can just do up a shackle on the forestay. Any tighter than this is unnecessary. My reasoning is purely practical. There are pro’s and con’s for the 2 extremes. If you have a loose rig, it will give you more optimal fore and aft rake upwind and downwind, whereas a tight rig can’t move. However a loose rig also means it falls away sideways which isn’t desirable. I think that this is why the 2 styles ultimately perform equally. Of course what the top skipper is using will always appear fastest!!- but look carefully at what else he/she is doing. My practical reasoning is simple. A loose rig is more susceptible to wear and therefore failure. The movement also makes it more prone to shackles etc working their way loose. If you are a methodical type of person and check your gear often, then by all means go for a loose rig if you believe it to be the way to go. Remember: The class rules say that you can’t change anything on the masts. Don’t drill any  holes, change any fittings or do any painting without contacting the manufacturer to make sure it is allowed. BOOMS A small amount of boom bend is desirable. This should be mostly in the back part of the boom and should be in unison with the mast. As a gust hits, the boom should help the lower leech flick open and flatten just the same way the top of the mast works. For heavier skippers, it may be impractical to find a boom section which is stiff and strong enough for everyday sailing and which also bends as desired. For skippers under 55kg, we recommend the triangular extruded section. For heavier skippers the StarlingF4 section is better. VANG Your vang is there to control leech tension once you run out of width on your traveler. If the breeze is light and you aren’t having to ease the main in gusts, then you don’t need any vang. In these conditions you should have it just eased, so that it isn’t taking any load. However, you don’t really want it too loose or else it will take too long to pull on should the breeze increase. In the lighter breezes you are quite often sheeting quite loosely, so make sure there is no tension on the vang. As soon as you find yourself easing the main in the gusts, you should have vang on. This should mean that as you ease the main in the gust, the boom moves outwards only- not upwards. This is a similar motion as in a keelboat, where the mainsheet is cleated and the traveller is moved in and out in the gusts. Remember vang bends the mast and flattens the sail a lot, so if you are hunting for power, make sure you don’t have too much vang on. Be sure your rig and fittings are strong enough, so that you aren’t afraid to use a lot of vang when the wind increases. Reaching is similar in trim to upwind. In the light you will have to be careful not to close the leech too much, however as the breeze increases, you will need to slowly increase the amount of vang to keep the leech under control and keep powered up. Again too much vang will bend the mast too much and lose power. Downwind you will need less tension than you have had upwind or on the reach. Ease vang as you go around the mark. If you can imagine looking along the boom, the ‘twist’ or amount the leech opens, should be nearly the same on all points of sail, in all conditions. For this reason it is a good idea to get used to looking up at how open the top batten is and try to adjust the vang to keep it looking the same as the wind changes. CUNNINGHAM Cunningham does two things. It moves the shape forward in the sail, and then as you use more, it bends the top of the mast and opens the leech in the head. Use very little cunningham until you are very overpowered. You may want to use up to 25mm or so to remove wrinkles. (the sail is cut about 25mm longer than the mast to add extra depth downwind) When you are over powered start using more and more. When it is really windy, pull on as much as you can. CENTREBOARD Your centerboard is another very important control to how the boat sails. The rake and positioning of the centerboard changes the balance of the boat and makes it easier or harder to sail. Test this in moderate conditions to learn for yourself how important it is. You should feel a big difference in how heavy the helm is if you test the extremes of board forward and then board aft in your case. Basically the further forward and further down the board is, the more power you will have. You may even try raking it forward a little in the light. As the breeze increases you will begin getting overpowered and the helm will start getting heavier. A heavy helm is slow, as you are holding the rudder against the water flow and creating drag just like a big brake. Therefore as it starts getting noticeably heavier, it is time to start moving the board back. Firstly do this by raking the board. Leave the top at the front of the case, and let the bottom move as far aft as possible. You will probably find it faster if you begin doing this a little earlier in choppy conditions. As it gets windier still, you can begin moving the whole board aft in the case, until you are hard up against the back of the case. If you are still overpowered, you can now start lifting the board. Don’t be afraid to sail around with 150mm of board up if it is windy. This will allow the boat to sail flatter, especially through the gusts, and to move faster through the water. Be aware to begin putting it down again if it lightens, or else you will find yourself not pointing. RUDDER The rudder is one of the more important items to get right in the P Class. This is because of the angle it is on and how heavy this makes the helm. A heavy helm is slow, so anything you can do to help this is good. Make sure your rudder is as vertical as possible within the rules. Ask the measurer to check it, and watch carefully to see if there is any way you can rake it further forward- even another 5mm is very important. P Class Mast Rake Formula and Mast Bend Measurement INSTRUCTIONS Mast Rakes We don’t give fixed mast rake numbers in our tuning guide. This is because hulls vary so much that the current way of measuring the rake is only accurate to around 30mm!! We have come up with the following method which will eliminate the hull variable, and hopefully create a standard metric rake system. 1) Measure up 2.8m from the deck and mark the back of the mast -(not the back of the track)- this is the new rake measuring point. 2) Measure up 100mm from the deck on the back face of the mast. Measure from this point to the stern and mark the stern point. The distance is ‘deck’ in the formula. 3) Calculate the correct rake for your hull using the Fctr that corresponds closest to your body weight. Use the table or graph below to get the correct factor (Fctr) for your weight. Use metres in the formula. Formula = The square root of (7.29 + deck + (Fctr x deck)) READ MORE

North Sails On the Water Tuning Guide. READ MORE

Streakers are relatively easy boats to set up. There are 3 dimensions which position the mast for the correct rake and give you a repeatable setting. See the below points to guide you through our Streaker Tuning Guide. 1. This set up is best done on a windless day. 2. Find the ‘Transom datum point’ on your Streaker as shown. 3. Set the boat level. 4. Initially put the mast in the boat, don’t bother attaching shrouds or forestay at this stage. The back of the mast should be touching the aft edge of the deck mast gate. 5. Measure the distance from back of mast at the heel along the hull centreline, over the top of the board- case and aft tank to the Transom datum point. Dimension ‘A’ should be 2885mm +/- 5mm. 6. Adjust the pins/stops on the mast step track as required to get dimension ‘A’. 7. You can now attach the forestay. Do not tension, just enough to take out the slack. The mast should still be touching the aft edge of the mast gate. 8. Hoist your tape measure on the main halyard to the top of the mast. Measure back down the mast to the top of the bottom black sail band. Adjust and cleat the halyard so Dimension ‘B’ is 5095mm and cleat the halyard. 9. With the halyard cleated still as in 8, swing the tape to the transom and measure Dimension ‘C’, top of mast to Transom datum point. 6130mm +/- 20mm. Be careful not to bend the mast when pulling the tape taught. 10. You may have to adjust Dimension ‘A’ to achieve the desired rake of 6130mm but within 40mm of this rake is acceptable. These setting should cover all Streakers, Butler and Beer/Rooster FRP boats and Wood/Composite boats. All Streaker’s will vary slightly with regard to the height of False Floor, height of deck and position of the mast gate. These variables will affect the given rake from one Streaker to another. So you may have to adjust to suit your type of Streaker. The type of mast for these settings, Selden Lambda / Superspar Rigel there is no difference. Streaker Shroud and Forestay Tension We recommend you use the multi-stay adjusters by Allen Bros. for both shrouds and forestay. Once you are happy with the mast rake you can then attach the shrouds. Streaker Superspar Rigel Take the slack out of the Shroud and put the shroud pin into the stay adjuster that you alone can get the pin in easily. (Don’t apply tension or push the mast sideways to get in a certain hole). Streaker Selden Lambda Same as the Rigel but then let the shroud even slacker (up) by one full hole. Assuming that your shrouds are the same length, you may find on some Streakers that the shrouds do not go in the same hole in the shroud adjusters. It is not the rig that is at fault but the hull, which may be as much as 10mm higher on one side to the other. The forestay is set in the same way, pull to take out the slack and put the pin into the hole that is easiest. These shroud and forestay settings are good for most conditions, except you may want to ease the forestay by half a hole in a blow. Check measure the rake Dimension ‘C’ once the shrouds and forestay have been connected. READ MORE

Introduction The purpose of this Platu 25 tuning guide is to give our clients in the Platu 25 class some guidelines on how to get the most out of their North Sails. Follow the guidelines, but always experiment and try finding your own trim. The weight of the crew, the balance of the boat, the stiffness of the mast together with specific local wind and sea conditions all have influence on the fastest and final trim. Rig set-up The North Sails TB-2 Main and LM-4 Jib are “state of the art” sails which did very well throughout the 1999 season. The main is quite powerful and needs some “prebend” (i.e. mastbend in non sailing conditions) in rig set-up. The pre-bend should be something like 50 mm. The best way to check this is tie the main halyard at the gooseneck, pull the halyard very tight and check the distance between the halyard and the back of the mast. This should be 50mm or close to that. The uppershrouds must be very tight and as tight as possible in hvy. air conditions in order to tension the headstay. In lighter air you should slacken the upper shrouds at least 3 360 degree turns in order to get some headstay sag to make the front of the LM-4 jib as full as possible. In heavy air you should use the GH-2 jib (which is a bit smaller and Flatter as the LM-4 and better in a breeze). The lowershrouds should be adjusted according to the pre-bend as described before. The mast should not bend more as 130-150 mm’s. Check the intermediates (shroud from the lower spreader to the upper spreader) in all settings (tight and less tight) so the mast is straight up untill the hounds (this is where the forestay comes into the mast). Some sideways mastbend must be accepted, because this cannot be influenced by any adjustment. Mainsail Trim Never pull the backstay. Sheeting the mainsheet does all you need to flatten the mainsail sufficiently. Adjust the foot of the sail (along the boom) enough the reduce the helm (pressure). Never pull the mainsail very flat on the boom, specially not when the waves are choppy and short. The boat needs enough “drive” to power through the waves, since it is very short and starts “hobby-horsing” i.e. bow up&down quite easy. Traveller should be played all the time in every gust, so the boat is feathered and not heeling, because that is really slow. If the traveller is not enough, ease the mainsheet a bit to keep the boat on its feet. The cunningham should be used with care, never pull too much, it moves the draft (deepest point of the main) too far forward. Pull enough to remove some wrinkles, BUT NOT ALL WRINKLES !!Try to accelerate, and NOT to heel!! The boats are very sensitive, and must be sailed with a lot of concentration and dedication, specially from the mainsail trimmer. Keep the crew on the rail ALL the time. Use 400 Kgs of crew weight which is allowed since 1999. Jib Trim First thing you have to do is make marks at the upper spreader. Make a mark every 5 cmtrs. from the outboard end going towards the mast. The last mark should be at 25 cmtrs. NEVER sheet the sail harder as to this last (most inboard) mark, so this mark should be a bit fatter or another colour, so it’s easy to see through the window in the main. The lead (trackposition of the jib) should be very close to the most forward end of this track. This makes the jib look a bit crazy, but believe me, that’s fast. The barberhauler MUST be pulled INBOARD all the time. In smooth water (no waves) up to 10 cmtrs. In waves no more as 5 cmtrs. Look at your boatspeed, and work the jib barberhauler, just as you must do with the mainsail traveller. More wind -> outboard, less wind ->inboard. The best way to do this is lead the barberhauler across the boat. This means the barberhauler from starboard is led to the port cleat, and vice versa. That way you can adjust the barberhauler without leaving the rail, remember, the crew must hike HARD! Length of Headstay In light air you should use the longest headstay possible in order to create more weather helm.Remember to adjust the shrouds as described above. In heavy air go 1 hole shorter on the adjuster, and again, adjust the shrouds. Tips & Tricks Put a device on the bow of the boat which prevents the spinnaker sheet from falling in the water. You will drive over the spinnaker sheet, and that’s slow, and difficult to get back on the boat as long as the boat moves forward.Put a sailbatten on the top of the mast to prevent the mainsail leech from hooking behind the backstay. This is nasty, especially gybing in light air, which must be done frequently. Crew weight & position Move forward with 3 crew in light air, at least around the mast. This must be done with less boatspeed as 3 knots. Above 3 knots move backwards, but not a lot. Above 6 knots the crew can be in “normal” position.Wind angles downwind (Spinnaker) The Platu 25 is very sensitive to apparent wind speed. Smaller wind angles make the boat go a lot faster. My experience is to keep the wind angles as small as 95 to 100 degrees in light air. Look at the boat speed, and check the win dspeed at all times. More wind, steer deeper (more downwind), less wind, steer higher (closer to the wind). Keep concentrated downwind, you can gain a lot of distance, but you can also loose a lot of distance. Check the truewind angle. If neccesary gybe as soon as the wind shifts in your favour i.e. the app. windangle is getting greater. Talk with the crew trimming the spinnaker, let him decide if there is “pressure” or “less pressure”. He feels most, having the sheet in his hands.Running in more breeze “work” the boat. Point the bow of the boat down the waves at all possible times and “rock” the boat, i.e. pull hard on the mainsheet and pull hard on both spinnakersheets. Your crew must be very tired after this leg. If not, they did not “work” enough! Good luck on the water! READ MORE