How do you create adjustable outhaul, etc?

C

Carib_Jim

New Member
I am trying to set up an adjustable outhaul and Cunningham on my Sunfish. We have about 12 Sunfish in our sailing club, but none have this type of setup, so I don’t have an easy reference. I’ve been reading Scott Kyle’s “Sunfish Tuning Guide for Racers”, but the written description is beyond comprehension. Apparently he is creating some kind of clever 2 to 1 mechanical advantage system, but there is no picture to show what the written description looks like. Can anybody give me a website where there are pictures?
I am also attaching telltales on the sail. Scott Kyle’s description says, “I like to place two sets of two back-to-back telltales on my sail. I place the first set at the top of the third (middle) panel, approximately 30” from the gaff. The second set of two should be attached to the sail at the bottom of the second panel (the panel with the class insignia), approximately 26” from the gaff.”
My understanding of this is that the top of the third panel and the bottom of the second panel is virtually the same place. So, are we talking about putting a set just above the seam line and another set just below the same seam line?
I am also putting a horn cleat on my mast to allow for a Gen’s rig. I have pictures of a Gen’s rig, so I know how to do this, but does anybody have a recommendation on how high above the deck to place the horn cleat on the mast?
By-the-way, Scott Kyle’s article makes what seems to be a common mistake in saying to use a clove-hitch to tie the halyard to the gaff. A clove-hitch is pretty useless for this purpose. What is needed is a Rolling Hitch which can be found at www.scoutingresources.org.uk
 
Carib_Jim said:
By-the-way, Scott Kyle’s article makes what seems to be a common mistake in saying to use a clove-hitch to tie the halyard to the gaff. A clove-hitch is pretty useless for this purpose. What is needed is a Rolling Hitch which can be found at www.scoutingresources.org.uk
Click to expand...

Times have changed since Scott wrote the article on outhauls and cunninghams. Go to www.starboardpassage.com and click on the sunfish link on the left side, then you can see all of Eduardo Cordero's recommendations, including photos of the cunningham and outhaul setups.

Check the class rules for where the cleat can go on the mast. Most put it at the max height the rules permit.

I have been sailing Sunfish for over 30 years using a clove hitch and it has worked for that entire time, so Scott's method works, altho there are likely better choices.

BB
 
Thank you Boathead for your advice. I'm rather sure that the article on Sunfish outhauls and cunninghams on the Starboard Passage site is just what I'm looking for. There are five articles on that site and I can download and read four of them. Unfortunately, the fifth one (of course, on outhauls and cunninghams) either comes up with a download error -- unreadable, or it says the download is password protected, and asks for the password -- which doesn't work for me. I will keep trying to download it.
On the subject of the clove-hitch for the halyard, I don't know how you got it to work for more than an hour, I couldn't. Some of these knots, including the rolling hitch, have a right-side-up and a wrong-side-up. However, the clove-hitch is symmetrical, so I don't see where that would matter. Oh, well.
 
I just checked again, and the starboard passage info on the outhaul/cunningham works for me. I was going to cut and paste the info for you, but it's a pdf so I could not. I don't think this will help, but just for the heck of it, here is the direct link in case it will work for you this way: http://www.starboardpassage.com/Rigging the Sunfish outhaul and cunningham.pdf

It has an explanation and photos, so hopefully one way or another you can access it. BB
 
Thanks for your help, but the direct link gives me the exact same problem. However, the fact that you can bring up the file and read it means that there is something wrong with the settings on my computer's browser -- I guess. I don't know much about browser settings, so I will try to get on somebody elses computer and see if I do better.
 
Most likely not your browser settings but you lack an Adobe PDF file reader new enough to read the file.
 
To Mike 4947, You were absolutely correct. The problem was not with my browser, but with my outdated Adobe reader program. I was using Adobe 5 which came with my computer and the current version is Adobe 8. After downloading the new version, I had no problem bringing up the "how to rig the outhaul and cunningham" file. Thanks a lot. By the way, that file is "print protected" which means you can't print it. I have no idea why they do that. But now I can study the file on my computer.
 
They do it for "intellectual property" reasons. Adobe has been threatened (and maybe sued) with "promoting piracy" of copyrighted material, so later versions of the commercial packages have the option to make material folks want to allow reading, but not copying, not "copyable" and it's extended to their free reader versions.
The adjustables and mast cleat I found really make the Fish a much nicer (and faster) boat to sail. mainly as they put me a lot closer to the front of the pack...LOL
 
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