ELLIOTT 5.9 TUNING GUIDE

North Sails expert Derek Scott answers your Elliott 5.9 speed and boat handling questions. Your new North sails are designed with an “all around” philosophy in mind. As we learn more about the Elliott 5.9, or any other One Design Class, new information regarding setup, tuning and trimming techniques will be updated on the class page. Sign up online for our North Sails e-mail updates and receive all Elliott 5.9 news and updates directly by e-mail.

PRE-RACE PREPARATION

TRAILER & BOAT

Make sure when transporting the boat that the keel bulb always sits perfectly in the keel platform of the trailer. If the boat is sitting where she belongs on the trailer, the bulb should rest perfectly in the keel bed and the keel fin should sit free in the keel case. Packing pre-cut foam between the keel edges/sides and the keel box will help prevent any movement of the keel when trailing. Tying the fin forward and back is a good idea to restrict movement and it is also important to ensure that the boat stays forward against the bow guide when trailering.

HULL, KEEL & RUDDER

For travelling to regattas to ensure good general care of your boat, the investment of a trailer skirt is well worth the protection it affords.
Make sure your hull, keel, bulb and rudder are clean and free of major dings and scratchers. Your rudder should be kept in a padded bag for protection.

MAST SETUP & TUNING

Before stepping the mast, check all ropes and halyards for general wear and tear and replace if any halyards are damaged. Check the wire stays for any fried strands or any nasty kinks. Pull the main, jib and spinnaker halyards down and tie off to pole ring. It is always good to have a windex at the top of the mast and now is a good time to attach it before the mast gets lifted.

INITIAL RIG SETUP

Most of the time, it is just the forestay which needs to be wound on as most boats will not need to adjust the side stays and lowers to drop the mast.

To measure mast rake, tie the end of the tape measure onto the main halyard. Pull it right to the top of the mast. Measure to the middle where the deck meets the transom – a good starting mast rake is 9.580m. From here you can see how the boat feels and performs and adjust the mast rake accordingly.

EXAMPLE:

If the rudder feels heavy and the boat is trying to round up into the wind (excessive weather helm), you may need to move the mast forward. On the other hand, if the rudder feels very light or the boat is trying to bear off (excessive lee helm), you might need to rake the mast back.  In the Elliott 5.9, it is important to have a small amount of weather helm as this helps with your height and pointing in the light winds – just be careful it is not too much in the windy conditions.

BASE MAST TUNE SETUP

To set the base rig tune, use a PT-1 Loos Tension Gauge to check tensions on the side stays and lowers.

Firstly, adjust the side stays to 40 on the tension gauge and then set the lower shrouds to 25 (be sure to go back and double check the uppers and then the intermediates in the process because they will both change when you tension or de-tension one of them).

TUNING CHART (New Loos Gauge Pro Model PT-2):

SAIL TRIM

MAINSAIL AND TRAVELLER

In light airs keep the traveler about 200-300mm above the centre line and make sure the mainsheet is eased enough so the telltale on the top batten is flying nearly all the time. This will ensure your boom will stay on the centre line and give the boat good height. Once your crew is sitting on the side, the traveler should be in the middle and you will be able to sheet the mainsheet a bit harder whilst keeping an eye on the top telltale – it should now be flying 50% of the time.

In the windy conditions when the crew is hiking hard, the aim is to keep the boat as flat as possible – remember, flat is fast! Use the traveler when the boat heels over and in the big gusts you might have to ease the mainsheet. If the mainsail starts to back, put the traveler higher, and ease the mainsheet. Twist is your friend – when in doubt, ease it out to get the boat going through the water. Keeping the mainsail trim soft and very twisted to keep the boat sailing flat is often fast.

It is important to experiment with different heel angles and mainsheet tension in different conditions to see what works best for your boat and crew.

OUTHAUL

In light to medium winds, the Elliott 5.9 likes to have some power in the lower section of the mainsail, so the outhaul should be eased 20-30mm in from the black band. In heavy airs, aim to flatten the sail by pulling the outhaul out to the black band, especially in flat water. In rougher seas, it can be fast to keep the outhaul a bit looser to make the main fuller in the lower section.

CUNNINGHAM

The cunningham on the Elliott 5.9 acts as a depowering tool and is thus not used until approximately 12 knots. In this wind, it is used until wrinkles in luff are just removed. Above 15 knots, the cunningham can come on 75%.

VANG

The vang is used upwind as soon as the boat is overpowered. At the early stages of being overpowered, simply snug the vang to help induce mast bend and flatten the mainsail. As the boat becomes increasingly overpowered, pull the vang harder to flatten the mainsail.

When sailing downwind, adjust the vang so the top batten telltale is always flowing; twist is generally good.

When sailing upwind in light airs (0-8 knots), keep the vang loose. In 8-15 knots, pull on to remove all slack (just snug). Above 15 knots, pull on firmly.

REMEMBER to let half of the vang off when you get to the top mark in windy conditions or the boat will struggle to bear away.

JIB TRIM

The jib on the Elliott 5.9 is a high aspect sail (tall and skinny), making it very sensitive to small adjustments in jib sheet tension. Tightening or easing the jib sheet by just 15mm can have a big effect on boat speed and pointing.

Generally, in light to medium breeze, set the jib lead so that when you are luffing slowly into the wind the luff breaks evenly. As the wind builds, move the jib lead up or jib car aft to flatten the foot and twist the head of the jib to depower.

In the windy conditions, if the mainsail is backwinding and flapping, this could be because:

1. The jib sheet is too tight or the jib lead is too low, meaning the jib leech is too closed and thus back winding the main.

2. The main traveler is too low, closing the slot between the main and the jib. We have placed a telltale on the upper leech (near the spreaders) of the jib to help you judge how tight or loose the sheet should be. The general rule of thumb is to trim the sheet hard enough so that the upper leech telltale is just on the edge of stalling, but never stalled. Just as with the mainsail, it will be easy to stall the telltale in light air and very hard to stall in heavy air even with the sheet trimmed.

SPINNAKER TRIM

Always sail your North spinnaker with a 10cm – 20cm curl in the luff making careful concentration necessary! Use short, smooth, in and out motions on the sheet to keep the spinnaker trimmed correctly, trying to not jerk the sheet if the spinnaker begins to collapse.

Set the pole so it is nearly perpendicular to the wind. A telltale on the topping lift a foot up from the pole works great as a reference. Keep the clews even at all times through adjustments to your topping lift (pole). If the top of the spinnaker breaks high first, lower the pole. If the bottom luff breaks first raise the pole slightly. In light, puffy conditions, the pole height will be adjusted nearly as much as the sheet and guy.

IN CONCLUSION

We hope all of the tips we mentioned are helpful to your Elliott 5.9 sailing program. Please get in touch with the North Sails Elliott 5.9 Class Expert, Derek Scott, for further details and help.

KEY POINTS

• Always sail the boat as flat as possible, except in very light air where a slight louward heel is advantageous
• Do not be afraid to change settings if you are slow
• Set up a tuning chart and use it
• Have open and positive communication on board
• Sail fast and have fun!