Start on the Rigging

I dragged the boat out of the shed, put the masts up and jury rigged the gaffs and booms in place. I did this so that I could measure the actual length of halyards, sheets. Another reason was to get a better idea of what additional hardware I need to buy. Here are a couple of photos of the boat with masts etc in approximate positions (tricky without the sails). You can click (maybe double click) on the photo to get a larger version.

My first impression on seeing the above was that this boat has a lot of sail, 14.2 square metres or 152 square feet according to the plan. This is more than I am used to on my Navigator, 12.6 sqare metres or 136 square feet. The new boat is a bit bigger than the Navigator but, even so, I am going to have to put in a reef sooner!

A photo of the bowsprit shows how I have tensioned the forestay. Also visible here is the red line that I am using to assist with raising the mast. This clip hooks onto the forestay and, as I raise the mast, I take in the slack in the red line. Once the mast is vertical I can either (or both) put a locking pin through the hinges and tie off the red line. Once the mast is secured I tighten the lacing between the forestay and the eye on the bowsprit. Once this is tight the hook (red line) can be unclipped and the locking pin taken out of the hinge.

Here is the main sheet system. I am not 100% happy about the rope horse but will start out with it because it is the simplest and quickest way to get going! The mainsheet has a 3:1 purchase from the horse to the end of the boom then leads forward through a block mid-boom and down to a (very expensive) swivelling block and jam cleat on the top of the centreboard case.

The sheet for the mizzen will be as per plan; tied to the end of the mizzen boom, then through a block at the end of the boomkin, back to a block in the middle of the boom and through a couple of turning blocks to a cleat on the aft deck. There will be a downhaul for the mizzen boom with its lower end fixed to a saddle on the transom. This downhaul will also prevent the mizzen mast falling out of the boat in the event of a capsize.

Also visible in this photo is the hinged bracket for the outboard. This allows the outboard to be lifted completely out of the water when not in use.