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ALTERNATE METHOD OF TENSIONING THE
WIRES.
With all the rigging in place, grip the upper wire about 4
feet above the deck and pull inboard toward the center of
the boat. The lower wire will go slack and allow another
hole to be taken up in the adjuster channel. To adjust the
upper wires, pull inboard on the lower wire. This method
takes 2 people, and can get the rigging far tighter than is
desirable.
You can also loosen the forward turnbuckle, make the nec-
essary adjustment in the side wires, and then retighten the
turnbuckle. The final tightening of the forward wire pro-
vides the final tightening of the entire rig.
MAST APPEARANCE AFTER PROPER TUNING:
In general, the mast should be reasonably straight when no
sails are up. When sailing in heavy winds, the masthead
should curve gently back and downwind. The downwind
wires will be slack when sailing hard. The rear support wire
will be somewhat slack when sailing into the wind, since
the mainsail takes over the task of supporting the mast.
SECURE ALL COTTER PINS AND RINGS:
Make sure all the cotter pins and rings are in place and the
cotter pins are opened and secured.
INSPECTION OF THE RIGGING:
It is a good idea to periodically inspect the mast and rig-
ging. Look for broken strands in the wire bundles, signs of
wear, and for kinks in the wire. Inspect the nicopress
swagings to make sure the wire hasn't slipped thru the fit-
tings. Replace any wire with problems.
12. RAMP LAUNCHING
Remove the trailer lights. Attach a line to the nose of the
boat. Back the trailer into the water until the boat floats free.
Do not untie the nose of the boat from the trailer winch until
the boat is in the water. On a reasonably steep ramp, the
boat could slide off the trailer before it gets near the water.
If you leave the car for any reason, make sure the brake is
set, or the whole works may end up under water.
After the boat is launched, go inside and look to make sure
there are no leaks. If you raise the mast after the boat is in
the water, first fill the water ballast tank to give yourself a
more stable platform.
13. THE WATER BALLAST SYSTEM: FILLING AND
EMPTYING THE BALLAST TANK
WATER VALVE AND AIR VENT:
Just below the cabin access ladder, there is a small access
door that contains the water tank valve and air vent. (Photo
22)
Photo 22. Water Valve and air vent.
The entire assembly is shown on the cross section drawings
on the following page.
FILLING THE TANK:
To fill the tank, open the air vent by removing the lever plug
(A). Then turn the wing nut (B) counterclockwise until it
touches the cotter pin (C) at the upper end of the valve shaft.
(Do not remove the cotter pin. If it is off the shaft, and if you
turn the wing nut too far, the valve may fall out of the bot-
tom of the boat.) Push the valve downward as far as it will
go. This moves plate (D) and seal (E) away from the hull,
allowing water to flow thru the water access holes (G) into
the tank.
CHECKING THE LEVEL OF THE TANK:
When the tank is full, with the boat level, the water level is
approximately 3" below the vent hole. It takes about 6 min-
utes to fill. Stick your finger in the vent hole. If you feel
water, the tank is full. If you can't feel water don't sail the
boat.
WARNING:
The tank must be full before sailing the boat. Without a com-
pletely full tank the boat will not be self-righting.
CLOSING THE WATER VALVE AND AIR VENT:
Reinstall the lever plug in the vent hole. Make sure it is
tight, or the water ballast will spill into the boat when the
boat leans over. There is an adjustment nut at the bottom of
the lever plug. If the plug is too loose, hold the metal parts
at the top and turn the rubber. The rubber portion of the plug
will become fatter or skinnier as the rubber is rotated. Ad-
just it so that it must be forced into the hole. Then, when the
lever is pressed to the horizontal position, it will really grip
the hole and stay put.
To close the valve, turn the wingnut (B) clockwise until it is
tight. Get it as tight as you can with your fingers. It is not
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