are u using the right mast

Gestalt said..
are u using the right mast

It's a rdm of the right brand but it's a 430cm rather than a 400cm as stated on the tack. My friend wants to only have one board , one sail . When the combo was organised the plan was to have a longer mast so if he wanted he could get a bigger sail later and use it on the same mast...
He weighs less than me . Lately we have been setting it up in bugger all wind on the shore. He really needs 15-18kts to get going with that combo but we have only had patchy 8 - 15kts so he hasn't got going much.

Get the correct mast and a long extension. Some lightweights use a shorter mast than specified and it works well. When he gets a bigger sail all should be good using the 400.

Good question for Stroppo.
Hes been riding them for years. I think he uses RDMs on all his sails

Well said Stretchy!

Maybe it's just that we haven't had enough wind? I have been pulling the outhaul on a cm or so. We set it up for the gusts but there weren't many of them.
re mast..
It's not ideal but it should still work as I think the luff is around 430cm ( haven't got the sail to check). I know it won't twist off as well .
I sailed my 5m with a 430 rather than 400 for years. It did have a turban top though.Now I have the correct mast for it I realise how much better it is but I got many PBs on it with the longer mast. That was a 4 cam sail though..
So how floppy do you set the leech on the 6m GPX? What are the visual cues that you have it right?

Sorry.The turban sail I mentioned was my own prototype 2009 severne overdrive..I've posted on the forum and the dealer is helping out too. He suggested taking a photo to show him next time it's rigged. Dur, why didn't I think of that..

sue it will be interesting to hear what jonathon says about the photo.

when i rig my hot sails freestyle pro the scallops in the sail are smaller. i know its a different sail...
so to me as a guess the sail looks like it is at max downhaul. the leech at the top batten is very loose. something looks off in the bottom of the sail too. maybe batten tension on the 2nd and 3rd bottom batten or reflections in the image but it looks like creases through the draft. mast stiffness could be affecting batten tension and draft.

there is not much draft either. be keen to see the sail with 2cm less downhaul.

am i stating the obvious here. have you tried rigging to the dims on the sail?

Thanks thats the sort of info I was after.
Jeff said -


So that size sails can be rigged on a 430 mast, BUT the pulley will not be able to be as close to the base cleet as the base part usually ads 5-7cm of length to the mast specification.

Other than that, the sail should be ok, and have a bit more pow wind power with the longer, stiffer mast.

It is important to downhaul the sail enough to get some loose leech. With a 430 mast this pressure will be increased a lot due to the stiffer mast. I strongly suggest a crank tool to set the proper downhaul.

Once the outhaul setting, the specificed amount should be fine until sailing in stronger wind, when you should be sure to increase the outhaul tension, even beyond the listed amount for maximum outhaul. This will allow better high wind control on this stiffer mast.

You'll have to expand the section above to read this post.
Sorry I stuffed up where I typed and it won't let me fix it...
I've sent another email asking if he has any visual rigging tips and since I took the pic I've emailed that through to see what he thinks. I'm waiting for a reply.

Gestalt said..
am i stating the obvious here. have you tried rigging to the dims on the sail?

Trying to but the mast is a few cms too long. I took the collar off to make that gap less. Is that a problem? Having the mast sitting directly on top of the extension ?

No experience with this sail, but I have the HSM Firelight 7.5. My rule of thumb for it is if it feels heavy on the front hand, not enough downhaul. If it feels dead then too much downhaul. If the downhaul feels right, but the draft feels like it's moving around, not enough outhaul.

I'm not so sure about rigging to sizes printed on sails , even with correct parts . They can be out and change with time .
Ive had a 2014 NP that was about 14 , yes 14 cm out of whack . An obvious misprint . I use correct mast and always rig to the crease method which is only sometimes perfect to the numbers .
Half of my sails have a my Texta number written next to the printed number , some over , some under . I have it so when max crease I have about one inch gap pulley to pulley , just in case I need a bees dick more . That gives me about two inches gap when underpowered .
Mabee I'm a bit anal but it makes me feel sick inside when I see on other peoples rigs more than two inches gap pulley to pulley
Please tell me I'm not alone or I may seek help .
I need to get out more

Imax1 said..
I'm not so sure about rigging to sizes printed on sails , even with correct parts . They can be out and change with time .
Ive had a 2014 NP that was about 14 , yes 14 cm out of whack . An obvious misprint . I use correct mast and always rig to the crease method which is only sometimes perfect to the numbers .
Half of my sails have a my Texta number written next to the printed number , some over , some under . I have it so when max crease I have about one inch gap pulley to pulley , just in case I need a bees dick more . That gives me about two inches gap when underpowered .
Mabee I'm a bit anal but it makes me feel sick inside when I see on other peoples rigs more than two inches gap pulley to pulley
Please tell me I'm not alone or I may seek help .
I need to get out more

cant say you're alone but i dont fuss so much. i rig and go sailng. sometimes ill tweak outhaul after first run occasionally i tweak downhaul when i get it really wrong.

Gestalt said..

sboardcrazy said..

Here's what Jeff Henderson said about the photo of it rigged.

Great start! Probably a bit too much downhaul for the lighter winds- that is more of a 20knots + setting. Add some batten tension to the #4 and #5 battens too, they seem a little under tensioned.
Thanks, you are very close!

you should report back once you follow jeffs advice.

Yes, & don't expect the sail to have allot of "static" shape. Hotsails in general use a fairly rotational design & appear quite flat until the wind fills in - quite allot different from your cammed Severnes.