Rigging questions before my first time out

S

SteveON

New Member
I finally completed all the hull repairs on my Laser and rigged her for the first time today in the parking lot. Hopefully tomorrow will be her maiden voyage. After everything was assembled I found I had a couple of questions.

1. The connection between my upper and lower masts tubes is pretty loose. No doubt the the plastic sleeves have worn down. I'm thinking wiggiling/play in that particular area would not be a good thing. Can I use some kind of tape on the sleeves to take up the gap until the news parts arrive?

2. I've read the rivet in the lower collar of the upper mast should face the rear of the boat. My collar has two rivets, one on each side. One is high on the collar the other low. Which one should face the rear?

3. I followed the original Laser instructions on how to rig the boat. I've replaced every line with new. Mine is the standard not the race version. Are these original control set ups good enough for recreational sailing or do I need improvements? ( I found another website that showed rigging with longer lines and using trucker hitches to gain some extra purchasing power and it also moved the end of the outhaul line to near the mast).

4. My boat didn't have a hiking strap when I got it so I replaced it with one from Intensity sails. The instructions I downloaded didn't mention a hiking strap. I ordered a new end cover plate and used the screws in original holes for the forward end and used 1/4" bungee cord on the aft end tied to the two eyelets in the rear of the cockpit. Will the bungee be strong enough? How loose should the strap be? (this will be my first time to use a hiking strap like this)

5. My boat had some really nasty looking metal cam cleats installed on either side of the upper edge of the cockpit for the main sheet. I replaced them with Harken 150's. Does anyone else use or have the cam cleats?

6. Should the mast retention line be bungee of regular yacht braid (what size)? I see it ties to the top of the goose neck and then down to the Cunningham fairlead on the deck?

7. In the morning I plan on replacing the down haul on the rudder. Would you use bungee of regular yacht braid?

Sorry for so many questions but I'd rather be safe than sorry. If I rig the boat wrong I stand the chance of breaking something/someone (namely ME!!)
Thanks for taking the time to reply and offer suggestions!
Steve
 
SteveON said:
I finally completed all the hull repairs on my Laser and rigged her for the first time today in the parking lot. Hopefully tomorrow will be her maiden voyage. After everything was assembled I found I had a couple of questions.

1. The connection between my upper and lower masts tubes is pretty loose. No doubt the the plastic sleeves have worn down. I'm thinking wiggiling/play in that particular area would not be a good thing. Can I use some kind of tape on the sleeves to take up the gap until the news parts arrive?

Sure, why not. You're not going to be in any organized races for the next few weeks, so mess with the boat and see what needs to be done and what doesn't. Worry about it being 'legal' when you think someone might ask if you're legal or not.

2. I've read the rivet in the lower collar of the upper mast should face the rear of the boat. My collar has two rivets, one on each side. One is high on the collar the other low. Which one should face the rear?

I'd place the rivet that is closest to the top of the bottom section (when the two sections are joined) toward the back. This answer is only a guess from me, not cast in stone somewhere.

3. I followed the original Laser instructions on how to rig the boat. I've replaced every line with new. Mine is the standard not the race version. Are these original control set ups good enough for recreational sailing or do I need improvements? ( I found another website that showed rigging with longer lines and using trucker hitches to gain some extra purchasing power and it also moved the end of the outhaul line to near the mast).

Set it up like the instructions, and go sail. The race version is great when you wanna race and be at the front. There are those that race the 'classic' rigging and do quite well. All who pleasure sail the classic rigging do well.

4. My boat didn't have a hiking strap when I got it so I replaced it with one from Intensity sails. The instructions I downloaded didn't mention a hiking strap. I ordered a new end cover plate and used the screws in original holes for the forward end and used 1/4" bungee cord on the aft end tied to the two eyelets in the rear of the cockpit. Will the bungee be strong enough? How loose should the strap be? (this will be my first time to use a hiking strap like this)

I'm no expert here, I don't have bungee on my boat's strap. Just regluar braid. I can't imagine that bungee only would be the way to go. Too much stress. I thought the bungee was only to keep the strap ship shape till you needed it. I'd definately have more than just a bungee here.

5. My boat had some really nasty looking metal cam cleats installed on either side of the upper edge of the cockpit for the main sheet. I replaced them with Harken 150's. Does anyone else use or have the cam cleats?

Big discussion about this a few months ago. Answer is yes and no. Depends on who you talk to. See what you like. Periodically I like to cleat the main and just ride, but if I were racing I'd never cleat it. Also never cleat it in high wind, unless you need to go for a dip to cool off.

6. Should the mast retention line be bungee of regular yacht braid (what size)? I see it ties to the top of the goose neck and then down to the Cunningham fairlead on the deck?

I use the cunningham for this. Appropirately located knot in the line and it won't go thru the jam cleat. Serves two purposes. Prolly people will argue it's not legal (?) but that's none of my concern. Separate line should be small but big enough to hold the mast. Bungee is not good here, IMO. It will be 'slack', with a boline loop or such in the fairlead and around the gooseneck. The mast has to be able to rotate thru 180 degrees, as I remember from the rules. Loose to keep from interfering with the cunningham lead in a single fairlead.

7. In the morning I plan on replacing the down haul on the rudder. Would you use bungee of regular yacht braid?

I'd use regular braid.

Sorry for so many questions but I'd rather be safe than sorry. If I rig the boat wrong I stand the chance of breaking something/someone (namely ME!!)
Thanks for taking the time to reply and offer suggestions!
Steve
Click to expand...

The above answers are from a relative newcomer to the ranks of Laser.
 
just a few quick observations.

using clear tape on the lower mast to snug up the connection is OK. just experiment with one layer at at time so you don't make it so tight you can't separate them.

you mentioned replacing screws or fittings. always use caulk on the fitting or the screw bodies to help seal and keep watertight. sometimes its good to go a screw size larger to create a good bite.

your hiking strap should have both a line to attach to the back of the cockpit and a bungee to keep the strap elevated off the cockpit floor. the line will be adjusted on the strap to give you your custom setting when hiking out. not too loose and not too tight.

check out some racing line setups for tips or modifications. some can be done on your own with storebought items that are no more expensive than standard. there are websites from Harken, Laser Performance, or Annapolis Performance Sailing that will show diagrams, pictures, and videos of upgrades.
 
Thanks guys for the replies. I'll be taping the mast joint, making sure the top rivet is facing the rear, using braid on the rudder downhaul and on the hiking strap. I'll be sure to add a knot to the cunningham to keep the mast in when I capsize (pretty sure that will happen). The screw holes were all filled with a mixture of West Systems epoxy and cordia silica then redrilled so they should be strong enough. I used 3M 4200 to rebed the fittings. I'll just use the standard rigging this time out and see how it goes. I just want to keep it simple for now.
I really appreciate your help. I'll post later tonight on how the maiden voyage went. Hope you guys have a great day!
Steve
 
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