Boat Blind Plans
Dry sailing -set up.
Place the model in a stand. Head the model into them wind.
Things that can be moved, and adjusted: Mast step. Mast rake. Boom vangs. Shrouds. stays. Jumper stays. Head stay/jib stay. Sail shape - loose foot. out-hauls.
Attach the sails to the mast.
Set the sail winches in fully trimmed position while allowing sheets to be slack.
Stand the mast with standing rigging attached in the center step position.
Hook the jib swivel into the middle slot of the jib rack. {The jib boom needs to clear the mast.}
Connect the side stays to the chain plates and adjust so the mast is straight and vertical.
Connect the back stay to the back stay fitting.
The jib stay and back stay will need adjusting to set the mast in vertical position.
Move the out-haul of the sails along the boom to give the sails to have some "belly". Pulling the sails out along the boom flattens their shape. The belly (or shape) of the sails will be determined later and the sail shape will be determined by how windy it is.
Where you attach the sheets to the booms will take into account the type and adjustments available for the sail control. The booms should be full out (90 degrees to the center line of the hull) when the SCU is full out and then the booms should be just about over the center line when fully trimmed in. ( I see 10 degrees as suggested angle to center line). The length of jib sheet trimmed and the length of main sheet trimmed is a factor in setting up the sail control so the sails are coordinated properly when sailing. The SCU handles a much longer main sheet than the jib sheet. The use of jib traveler and mainsheet traveler can help position the sails when fully trimmed in. Unless two servos (SCUs) are used a single SCU has the task of coordinating the positioning of the jib and main.
Turn on the R/C and run the SCU.
Test out SCU setting with the sails full out and fully trimmed.
With the mast set up and sails adjusted roughly in position it time to launch and sail.
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Setting Sail on the water.
Before launching TURN on the radio on the boat. I have seen many models set loose to sail with the on board receiver and sail controls not tuned on and very unhappy skippers watching as their model sails away towards the horizon.
The initial rigging and sail settings are based in getting the model to sail a strait line while close hauled (sails trimmed in) and sailing up-wind.
Properly trimmed the rig will allow the model to sail it self in a straight line with just a minor tendency to "round-up" (i.e. sail itself dead into the wind). If or example you find you are constantly pulling the tiller (i.e. rudder) hard over to pull the model back on course to keep from heading in to the wind your model has weather helm which means your mast and jib must be re-positioned. When tacking if your model stalls into the wind and wont tack? Try different rig setting.
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Setting Sails
The art of tuning the rig on a sail boat is detailed in books written for racing yachts and boats.
"DINGHY SAILS"
by Jeremy. Howard-Williams
"The Best of Sail Trim:
A Selection of Articles from Sail Magazine"
"Sail Trim: Theory And Practice"
by Peter Hahne
My observations and commentary on tuning are from an amateur and are at best suggestions not professional advice.
Observation Number One!!
Model sails that are single panel loose footed sails rely on the shape of the sail established by the gap between the boom and the foot of the sail. Model sails with "shape" sewn into the sail fabric still are loose footed. Also the lift of the boom also factors in determining the shape and performance of the sails.
Hauling a sail into the center line and at the same time pulling down on the sail can flatten the fabric and kill the sail shape. I like to use travelers to position the sail to the desired point near the center line. Then you can set the point of maximum driving force and not wreck the sail shape.
On a big boat the skipper can changer the suit of sails to match the cut of the sail with the wind conditions. In the case of a model a skipper can change where the out-haul is along the boom, light air adding belly to increase the drive, heavy air pulling the sail out further changing the sails airfoil.
The jib and mainsail work as a system. A skipper has all manner of combinations that may be set relating the two sails. If the models did not have jib clubs they could overlap the mainsail. So model sailors have to adjust the "slot" between the jib and the main to get the maximum driving combined air foil.
In heavy air you may want to close the slot and ease the main so that the jib slightly back-winds the main to help the model sail flatter (less heeling).
Dont forget on a model it is easy to rake the mast fore and aft to trim the sailing characteristics to match wind conditions.
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A digital camera can be a terrific diagnostic tool for seeing what is happening on your model. You can look at pictures and spot misadjustments. Bends in mast, wrinkles in sails etc. Does you models mast rake forward down wind? Is the back stay bending the top of the mast. How are the jumper/jenny stays adjusted do they balance the tensions between the jib and the back stay?
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The late Manny Costa of RI always stressed, change one thing at a time to see what changes. He also stressed sailing a pair of models. One model being tuned and sailing against the second to see if the single adjustment improved performance.
Round-Robin racing in pairs is an excellent way to evaluate how your model performs.
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