Racing upgrades

SmprFidels

SmprFidels

Member
I am a middle of the pack club racer with an older (77') boat that is mostly rigged as recreational. I am curious what order the experts would recommend I make racing upgrades in if time and money are an issue. Most of my focus at this point is on becoming a better sailor, but anything I can do cheaply and easily to upgrade my boat can't hurt.

Thanks,
Matt
 
SmprFidels said:
I am a middle of the pack club racer with an older (77') boat that is mostly rigged as recreational. I am curious what order the experts would recommend I make racing upgrades in if time and money are an issue. Most of my focus at this point is on becoming a better sailor, but anything I can do cheaply and easily to upgrade my boat can't hurt.

Thanks,
Matt
Click to expand...

there are three big factors in a racing boat that make it what it is:
-Racing sail
-Racing daggerboard
-hiking strap
everything else like:
-outhaul
-cunningham
-modern rudder
...
just give you little up-grades that won't make a difference if you are just a "middle of the pack" sailor.

Sail Fast/Live Slow

Matias J.
 
If your legs are long enough to reach the cockpit 'overhang', then a strap isn't necessary either. Just some toe protection....
 
If you are a club-only racer, you might consider these options from Intensity Sails. They aren't Sunfish Class-legal if you're doing any class racing, but are much cheaper options if you only do the club racing.

Replica FRP Daggerboard - $159.99

Race Style Practice Sail - $139.99 (includes numbers and tell-tales)
** the sail does not have a Sunfish logo - I think that APS is now selling a practice race sail with a logo for about $150

cheers,
tag
 
Thanks,
I already have an older racing sail and a racing dagger board. My club requires that i follow class association rules. I thought most clubs did?

I will have to look into the outhaul and cunningham. The modern rudders are post 72, right?

Matt

tag said:
If you are a club-only racer, you might consider these options from Intensity Sails. They aren't Sunfish Class-legal if you're doing any class racing, but are much cheaper options if you only do the club racing.

Replica FRP Daggerboard - $159.99

Race Style Practice Sail - $139.99 (includes numbers and tell-tales)
** the sail does not have a Sunfish logo - I think that APS is now selling a practice race sail with a logo for about $150

cheers,
tag
Click to expand...
 
SmprFidels said:
Thanks,
I already have an older racing sail and a racing dagger board. My club requires that i follow class association rules. I thought most clubs did?

I will have to look into the outhaul and cunningham. The modern rudders are post 72, right?

Matt
Click to expand...

I have never run into a fleet that lets you sail with illegal equipment, but some could. But to get you going faster, here are some thoughts:
1) talk to the better sailors at your club for advice and pointers - I think this is the most important and useful piece of advice.
2) weigh your hull. If it is more than 130, strongly consider getting a lighter one
3) how old is that racing sail? they do wear out!
4) is your centerboard dinged up? If so, get some Marine Tex or epoxy filler, fill in the divots and repaint with Krylon.
5) adjustable cunningham and outhaul are cheap upgrades. But having them will not move you from mid fleet to front of the fleet
6) Are your gooseneck and halyard in the same spots as the top sailors? If not, move them. Do you know how to adjust your gooseneck for the breeze (maybe 15 inches from the tack in light air, as far back as 18 or so when it is windy - and these adjustments vary based on your weight.)

Regarding rudders, a fiberglass blade, the same shape as a post-72 wood one, came out a few years ago, but there are plenty of fast sailors using wood ones, so if your wood one is in good shape, no need to upgrade.

Hope this helps. BB
 
SF, I'd check around the club with some other skippers about the use of the practice sail and dagger board. I'm betting they would rather have another boat on the line than keep another sailor away because of a North Sails monopoly. And the Organizing Authority for the regatta or series makes the decision on what class rules are necessary and which are not. It may be the club has just never been asked to consider an alternative, they may not even know alternative equipment providing the same performance is now being offered. And at such a significant reduction in investment to get on the line. Never hurts to ask.

But beyond those two items (sail and dagger board), yeah you need to follow class rules on any changes to the boat.

Beldar has a good list there, you might want to up grade the gooseneck fitting to the quick adjustable one, that's fairly cheap too.

Good on ya for wanting to improve your game, it's a never ending learning curve.

Cheers, Winever.
 
Wavedancer said:
If your legs are long enough to reach the cockpit 'overhang', then a strap isn't necessary either. Just some toe protection....
Click to expand...

i don't agree, a hiking strap is not only used sailing upwund it is also used when you sail downwind to heel the boat so you get les contact between the boat and the water and it runs a lot faster
 
matias said:
i don't agree, a hiking strap is not only used sailing upwund it is also used when you sail downwind to heel the boat so you get les contact between the boat and the water and it runs a lot faster
Click to expand...

We all agree that a strap is a nice addition for racers. But for heeling the boat to windward in light winds, I just use my body and stabilize myself by hanging onto the board with my hand. In strong winds (15 mph +) reaching or running, I move backwards and use the strap to hike and keep the boat flat (and the bow up to prevent it from submarining in waves).

 
Like Wave Dancer I balance to windward DW in light air. It helps to have a bungee thru the dagger board handle, around the mast, outside the vee of the spars and back to the board. This keeps the boom from gybing across the cockpit when the boat heels to weather. But hey, Sem Fi, you have probably already seen this.....

Cheers Winever
 
Thanks for all the tips. I am a big enough guy that the hiking strap wouldn't make much of a difference in my ability to heel the boat upwind or downwind. We are also on a smaller lake, surrounded by trees, with usually light and variable winds, so I think my ability to follow lifts and headers is paramount. I finished 3rd in two races last weekend.

We are pretty relaxed about the rules until you start placing or winning races. By that time we figure most people are willing to do what it takes to become class legal.
 
Sem Fi, the guy that's slowly making me faster by kicking my b_tt each week shared his wind indicator technology with me. He's a lake sailor from Vermont with similar conditions to yours. It's a wire wrapped around the upper spar, split into a Vee with telltales hung off the ends. Sounds standard but the trick is to tie the telltales to the wire with about four inches of fishing line. They are EXTREMELY sensitive to the slightest breeze. He has his mounted higher than mine, I'm about 2.5 feet off the deck. I also added the same tie arrangement to a single telltale off the mast tip, good for DW. I think this is the single most important improvement I've made to my Sunfish sailing.

Cheers, Winever.
 
Wavedancer said:
We all agree that a strap is a nice addition for racers. But for heeling the boat to windward in light winds, I just use my body and stabilize myself by hanging onto the board with my hand. In strong winds (15 mph +) reaching or running, I move backwards and use the strap to hike and keep the boat flat (and the bow up to prevent it from submarining in waves).
Click to expand...

that is a good technique if you don't have a daggerboard retaining bungee cord but if you do you may want to try my technique, you just leave your daggerboard alona and you place the ancle of yourback foot under the hiking strap (by back foot i mean the foot more to stern) and using your body to balance the boat. By doing this you have your normal grip on the mainsheet so you are able to surf a little bit.

Matias J.
 
winever said:
Sem Fi, the guy that's slowly making me faster by kicking my b_tt each week shared his wind indicator technology with me. He's a lake sailor from Vermont with similar conditions to yours. It's a wire wrapped around the upper spar, split into a Vee with telltales hung off the ends. Sounds standard but the trick is to tie the telltales to the wire with about four inches of fishing line. They are EXTREMELY sensitive to the slightest breeze. He has his mounted higher than mine, I'm about 2.5 feet off the deck. I also added the same tie arrangement to a single telltale off the mast tip, good for DW. I think this is the single most important improvement I've made to my Sunfish sailing.

Cheers, Winever.
Click to expand...

search for the feathermate it is much better than the tell tales o the wire
http://shop.torresen.com/shipsstore/utility/images/Vanguard/items/43216.jpg
a bit expensive though i believe it's retail price is 30 bucks
 
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