Help for old timers Rigging

Serpant

Member
11/2 ft pool noodle on tip of boom and yard arm to prevent turtle if capsize
Adjust halyard attach to yard arm and gooseneck position on boom to give comfortable boom height at cockpit as our older bodies don,t duck under to easy. This might cause a bit more weather helm but we need some exercise.
Downhaul cleat on mast gets good clean sail hoist
Tail end of halyard once around gooseneck , down thru deck block and on to deck cleat keeps mast and sail on boat in event of capsize and gives a half hearted boom vang.
Bungee from centerboard to mast ( not to tight) check C.B. can be held at any depth and can be removed when bungee still attached to mast
Install 2 tiewraps spaced between downhaul boom blocks to prevent sheet dangle and prevent interference on hat .clothing ,lifejacket etc when tacking.
Before climbing aboard check tiller under mainsheet bridle and look around that all is in order
I am 83 yrs old and love sailing my sunfish and have learned most of the above the hard way
 
83 years old & still going strong... damn, my hat's off to ya, I'm 56 going on 100 with two permanent injuries (knee & shoulder, the shoulder is worse with half the tendons ripped at the upper end of the bicep, still hurts after I aggravated it a month ago). I like the line about checking to see if the tiller was under the bridle, can't remember how many times I had to yank the tiller at the last moment and make things right when rigging ol' Laser #2069 on the beach prior to a voyage, LOL. I dunno why this was such a common occurrence, I always THOUGHT the tiller had gone under the bridle... some sort of optical illusion, or maybe it was the sun's glare off the gleaming afterdeck. "Yeah, that's it... that's what it was!!!" LOL. :confused:

P.S. I'm thinking that when the time comes, they should take a reciprocating saw to the deck of your Fish, then bury you in it, LOL. Hopefully you'll have the sense of humor required to process this observation... plus it'll save ya the price of an expensive coffin. :rolleyes:

KEEP ON SAILIN', SERPANT, YOU'RE MY NEW NAUTICAL HERO, AND THAT AIN'T NO LIE... CHEERS!!! :cool:
 
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Serpant,
1. Downhaul cleat on mast gets good clean sail hoist
2. Down thru deck block on on to deck cleat keeps mast and sail on boat
3. Tail end of halyard, thru deck block, once around goose neck, thru deck block and to deck cleat.

This allows adjusting the vang to be adjusted and the sail stays attached to the boat.

If you are just day sailing with the sail up high, I would not bother with the vang. The vang is for keeping the boom down when pressure is let off the sheet with your sail high it really is not necessary.
 
Watching my son sail yesterday, on a beam reach, I could see that a a flatter sail might have been better.Not much down pull from main sheet.
To have an effective boom vang we would require a much stiffer boom.
What do you think
 
Actually a race sail is not flat but have a much fuller cut, more draft to add power . You can see in the picture from signal charlies the boom bending on a standard rig.



img_6463-3-jpg.27508


Sunfish booms are all the same so they are the same stiffness.

Rigging Set Up | Starboard Passage

http://www.starboardpassage.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/8212609_orig-1024x768.jpg

Rigging Set Up Photos | Starboard Passage
 
Watching my son sail yesterday, on a beam reach, I could see that a a flatter sail might have been better.

To have an effective boom vang we would require a much stiffer boom.
What do you think

A flatter sail would have been better how? Was he out of control and needing less power?

The vang on a Sunfish is crude but effective - it does a fine job of keeping the boom down. The boom is very bent while just sitting on the beach when a very tight vang is applied.
 
my vang is extra rig survival insurance in a turtle ;-D
Who likes big globs of mud, slinging down the sail? :-O
 
Hey Serpant, I'm 53 and hope I'm sailing for the next 30 years. You are awesome and I'll try to keep up with ya!
 
I realise now I was thinking flat plate to give forward driving component but now
I see the airfoil gives added pressure behind sail.
Performance not to important to me rather staying deck side up.As the prevailing wind is directly on to our beach I can have a great time reaching back and forth all day and if I should capsize I soon am in shallow enough water to walk home.
 

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