McLaughlin International Optimist Owner's Manual

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Congratulations on the purchase of your new McLaughlin International Optimist Dinghy. The Optimist

is your stepping stone into a lifetime of sailing, we hope it brings you as much joy as it has brought to

us. Should you encounter problems rigging your new Optimist, your local dealer and McLaughlin Boat

Works are ready to assist you by phone. (800-784-6478 or 423-875-0740 for international) In addition,

our web page is packed with technical data on rigging and tuning. (www.iod95.com)

The most important part of your new Optimist is it's Measurement and Registration Certificate. This

certificate is issued by the United States Optimist Dinghy Association (USODA, 407-774-7880) and

verifies that your boat is a class legal IOD and has been registered in your name. If you do not receive

your certificate by mail in 4-6 weeks, contact McLaughlin or your local dealer for help.

Getting Started.

These instructions are written specifically for the McLaughlin Club Racer and Trainer. Racing

models, including the Intermediate Racer, Advanced Racer, Elite and Pro have supplemental

rigging instructions included with each racing spar set.

Unpack your new McLaughlin Optimist and spread out the parts on a clean, dry section of grass.

Take a moment to look over the parts list and familiarize yourself with the major parts. (see

illustration (1))

McLaughlin Optimist Owners Manual

(1) Parts of the Optimist

McLaughlin Rigging Instructions

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Summary of Contents for McLaughlin International Optimist

Page 1 Unpack your new McLaughlin Optimist and spread out the parts on a clean, dry section of grass. Take a moment to look over the parts list and familiarize yourself with the major parts. (see...
Page 2 PARTS LIST Owners Manual Sail Hull 3 Air Bags Spar Set with mast, boom and sprit Bailing Bucket with lanyard Bow line: 28 foot 3/16 yellow (Racing Spars include a B-Pack with wind Rudder and Tiller/Hiking Stick pennant, sail ties and sprit halyard, plus pre-rigged vang, bridle and outhaul) Centerboard with Tie in line Boom Block with Becket:...
Page 3 tied. Tie the Head of the sail first. Start by lining up the top sail grommet and the top mast eye. Tie around the entire mast passing through the top sail grommet and the top eye strap. Next, tie from the top sail grommet through the lower eye strap.
Page 4 (4) Outhaul and Bridle Rig your control lines. Locate the Boom Vang Button near the jaw end of the boom. Use the Vang line (3/16, 30 in. Red line) to tie around the boom so that the button prevents the line from sliding toward the mast. Then tread the line through the vang cleat on the mast , from the (5) Boom Vang bottom to the top.
Page 5 Tie the Bow Line (28 foot 3/16 yellow line) around the mast step. Tie the Daggerboard to the eye strap on the forward face of the daggerboard trunk. Before launching your new McLaughlin Optimist, check the launching area for anything that might damage your boat. (rocks, shells or debris) Once the boat has been launched and is in sufficiently deep water, secure the rudder by placing the rudder pintles into the stern gudgeons.
Page 6 Do NOT shrink wrap your Optimist. It is best to store your Optimist upside down, resting on the deck. If you chose to store your boat upright, make sure the bottom is evenly supported and never place anything in or on the boat.
Page 7 Before carrying a luff, you should consider raising your centerboard slightly to depower the boat. Leach Telltales- Because of the limited control the vang offers on an Optimist, the leach telltale is mostly an indicator of mainsheet trim. Generally, it should be steaming straight back with the curvature of the leach. If it is stalling to windward, you are under trimmed.
Page 8 8 cm from the end of boom. Sprit- When rigging, slight wrinkles should appear from the sail's peak to the tack. In light wind these wrinkles should be very small, in heavy wind the sprit should be tightened so that the wrinkles become pronounced. In any wind speed, the sail should be perfectly smooth at the median or predominant wind speed on any leg of the course.