Fine Tuning Sail Rig

[Joe Nelson CS#35]

I am interested in fine tuning my sail rig. I think I have too much twist in my sails, because the tell tales and leech tales are not streaming as they should at the top of the sails. On a boat with a boom, I would be tightening the boom vang. So will raising the angle of the sprit on the mast accomplish the same thing? Is there anything else I should look at? Will eliminating or shortening the droppers from the clew and lashing the blocks directly to the clew help to get more down force from the standard sheet rigging? What about the leach cord?

[Charlie Jones]

the sheet rigging shouldn't have any affect on the leech. One of the real beauties about a sprit rig- the sprit acts as a vang which gets rid of that function of the sheets so you can have less parts. There is less sheet loading.

Which is exactly why I switched our cat ketch Sharpie from regular booms to sprit booms.

Moving the snotter attachment point higher on the mast will tighten the leech. Lower will tighten the foot. Hardening the snotter tightens both.

[Gordy Hill]

Charlie,

I found that even with the snotter rather tight the sprit hung a few inches from the snotter attachment point. I tried a 1/4 " line from the sprit to a small block above the snotter attachment on the mast. With just that little line I could adjust the front of the sprit about 5" up or down and it was very easy to fine tune the sail. My 'snotter attachment point' was a 'D' ring lashed to the mast and I had to unload the snotter to move it up or down.

[JeffM]

My snotter attachment to each mast is about a foot-and-a-half of 1/4" line with a loop at each end. Goes twice around the mast (slips down too easily if only once around), then one loop goes through the other (which keeps the thing in place when its time to unrig the boat). Snotter clips to the loop. If snotter is loosened, the thing can be move up or down rather easily. Otherwise, snotter tension keeps it firmly in place. It took a good deal of playing around to get it: (1) short enough to allow the snotter to put full tension on the sail (I actually lengthened my sprits slightly to make sure), (2) easy to adjust up and down, and (3) able to stay put so that I wouldn't need to put it back on the masts every time I rigged the boat.

[Charlie Jones]

we have sail track and slides so can't leave something on. I have an eye strap on the front face of the mast where the snotter clips. Could put several so I could move it up and down.

Another option, on a larger boat of course, would be a track and car. But then you start getting complicated.

[PeterP]

Master Jones is exactly right - the beauty of the rig is in its simplicity. It will never be perfect. Here's what is on my 17' - it will also work for your 20' . Next time you are out put a mark on the mast where you think the sprit should be to give you an ideal sailset. Get two eye straps, small single block and a jam cleat. You will also need enough 1/4 in line to take you from the mark to the bottom of the mast plus 3 ft. Now using temporary attachment of your choice such as hose clamps for example - attach the eye straps on the fore or front side of the mast with about 10 or 12 in between them centered on the mark. The bottom gets the block. Jam cleat sits at the foot of the mast. Now put a stopper knot in the line, thread the line through the upper strap then through the block and down into the cleat. Your sprit notch engages the line between the eye straps. Tension on the line translates directly into tension on the sprit. Two part purchase gives plenty of leverage. Simple and easy to do while under way. Unless you are crosseyed and put the initial mark way off-your rig will now be close enough given the inherent limitations of sprit rig. The beauty is that the spacing between the straps allows the sprit to find its optimal setting where the forces along the leech and foot are approximately ballanced. Of course the temporary nature of hose clamps allows for additional tinkering. Messing with the leech line will usually get you the rest of the way. When you get it just right make it permanent. Good luck Peter

[Charlie Jones]

PeterP - Ya doesn't has ta call me mister, or master.

Just plain Charlie works well here in our house

That's not a bad idea by the way.

[JeffM]

By the bye-- has anyone else had a hard time getting the leach and foot flat with the snotter in tight? mine want to curl a bit, spoiling the sail shape. (I keep my leach and foot lines off, so that isn't it.)

[Designer]

Jeff, that is one of the disadvantages of battenless sails. The sails are cut with a hollow leech to reduce the hook but you will always get some.

You are doing it right with the leech line slack. You only need the leech line in stronger winds when the leech starts to flutter. You should then tighten the leech line just until the leech stops fluttering. A fluttering leech eventually breaks down the fibers in the sail cloth, is annoying to listen to and is slower.

[Gordy Hill]

OK Guys,

I don't think I made myself clear.

If you have your snotter tight and you're all ready to sail you'll notice the sprit hangs a few inches below where the snotter attaches to the mast. If you reach up and lift the front of the sprit you'lll notice you can lift it 5 or 6 inches, changing the angle of the sprite.

When you're sailing and you want to make a small adjustment to the sprit angle you can heave to, run forward, loosen the snotter and adjust the location of the snotter attachment, tighten the snotter, and run back to the helm. OR....you can rig a little line that will move the front of your sprit up or down a few inches.

Just a thought...

[JeffM]

Thanks, Graham. Do you have any thoughts about spray rails? (See topic.) I want a drier boat, but don't want the windage of a dodger. --or maybe you're off to the Old Home Place already! Have fun!

Maybe I'm a little TOO relaxed about this, Gordy, but do you find you often need to adjust the sprit angle "on the fly?" Me, I don't want another line to mess with.

[Designer]

Gordy is the only one to have put spray rails on a CS and I understand that that it helped in the lowest speed range where the boat threw spray. At higher speeds it no longer worked. His boat was one of the earliest Core Sounders and the bow was modified soon after his boat was built. I have recently modified the CS20 design to try to make it dryer but that does not help you much.

I don't think that it is possible to design a fast dry boat. I have a picture of a round the world Volvo 60 sailing fast with the spray 6' - 10' above the deck clear back to the stern but we can tweak the design to minimise it as much as possible.

[Gordy Hill]

Jeff, you're absolutely right.

However, I find that when I'm just enjoying a leasurely sail and I notice another sailboat behind me I kinda check my sails. If the other boat seems to be getting closer I'll take a really close look at the tell tails and tweek the sheets a bit. If the other boat looks like she's actually going to pass, I find myself siting a bit farther forward, obcessed with the tell tails, loosing track of my cold soda, and totally forgetting where I was headed....while trying to look casual and unconcerned.

At this point I'm not a very good conversationist and get absolutely cranky when my girlfriend says something like "Doesn't the rear of that boat look nice?"

Ok, so I was a few miles off Cedar Key and the @##XX!! upper tell tail wouldn't fly unless the lower one was messed up. A little lift on the front of the sprit brought both tell tails flying but I looked a bit stupid standing there holding the front of the mizzen sprit and trying to look casual ...and my girlfriend absolutely refused to do the same with the main.

When I sat back down somehow the weight shift was all that was needed to get us up on a plane! The tell tails could do whatever they wanted... we were flying! We went past that skinny little sharpee like she'd thrown out an anchor! Unfortunately, we were well out in the Gulf heading more or less in the direction of New Orleans and no one else around to see how cool I was.

What was my point?........

[Charlie Jones]

ROFLMAO!! You sound JUST like my wife

Let a sailboat even BEGIN to get close and she's on the tiller, tweaking sails, narrowed eyes, etc

[Brent]

Gordy, I understood what you said the first time I read it, and I think this is a great go fast tweak. I do something similar by adjusting the height of my sails on the sail track. When the boat is totally tuned in, the feeling of acceleration is magnificent. Pulling away from the other boats... priceless.