Weigh and check measure the boat
Weigh the boat with the A rig with all fittings as if to go sailing with deck patches laid loosely on the boat. It should weigh 4kg
Go through the class rules and check measure the boat.
Setting the boat to float on its lines
What you need to know
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Bring your fully rigged boat up to weight with correctors
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Float the boat on a calm day on a fish pond, pond, or deep bath and set correctors to put boat on its lines
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Check measure against class rules
The process
Weigh and check measure
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Weight the fully rigged boat dry. Add two equal weight correctors on either side of the fin box at its centre to make up the weight of the boat to 4 kg .
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Float the boat and check to see it sits on its lines. You may have to adjust the position of the correctors. Once the boat is on its lines, mark and bond the lead corrector in with silicon sealer. I have heard that some people put a small amount of lead in the radio pot so they can make adjustments to the corrector weight if they change a fitting.
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Pull a copy of the class rules from the HERE
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Check measure as much as you can. The one measurement you may have difficulty is with the overall length and depth from water line to bottom of fin. This is done in a special tank.
Click here for Measurement and Certification Procedure
Thought for the day - Getting the most out of correctors
Given that we spend a lot of effort getting grams of weight off the foredeck and the mast to reduce pitching moment in a chop, I started thinking about how best to build the correctors. I am looking at roughly 400 gms of lead which I want as close to the centre of the boat fore and aft, but also as low down as possible. I looked at buying lumps of lead but ended up buying lead shot which I could fashion into shape with epoxy. My goal is to make correctors as flat as possible so they sit in the bottom of the boat.
The picture shows crudely the difference flat correctors might make. Small I grant but a difference none the less.
The top image shows the impact of square lumps of lead at the fin box when the boat is heeled over. The bottom picture show a flattened corrector. The arrows represent the centre of mass for each corrector. The flattened version has a centre of mass lower than the square corrector and in theory when the boat is at an angle the flattened corrector provides more righting moment.
All these weight changes I have made, are small. 11gms out of the jib boom, 30gms out of the mast and main boom, 200gms out of the hull of the boat, bigger and lower correctors. It all adds up to more righting moment and less pitching moment.
There is easy access to the base of the fin box if you take the winch down. It was easy to lay in two strips of velcro on each side of the hull and place the correctors on this. So now they are fixed but moveable. Once you identify the correct balance point you can fix the correctors in permanently.
Moulding the correctors using epoxy and lead shot which you can get off eBay. Means you can shape your correctors anyway you like
Of course later on I discovered wheel balancing weights are the ideal corrector but I stick them in permanently with silicon now as I know the balance point for my boat. The glue on the balance weights does not stick very well to the hull.
Last jobs before launch
The boat is fully fitted, all three rigs are set up using the rig measuring stick and starting settings noted on my check list. The radio control transmitter has been checked internally to ensure there are no wires touching the gimbals for the sheets and rudder sticks. Any contact can create very strange random behaviour on the gimbals. The radio setting on the transmitter are as the checklist.
The weight of the boat was checked for all 3 rigs and correctors installed on the B and C rigs. These were the 10gm mast inserts I bought from Sailsetc. Because I saved 20 gms on the A rig I can use 20gm less of correctors on the B and C rig.
I also taped around the mast at lower deck level to stop any sideways movement as well as add a modified heel shape to stop the mast rotating so the spreaders do not come out of alignment when launching using the mast. See bottom picture.
The all up weight of the boat with each rig is between 4004-6 gm .
The 3 deck patches are in place so she is ready to go for her first outing on Monday which happens to be my birthday. Great timing for splashing the boat.
Next steps are to put together a training and sailing program to build up for the Nationals and any indicator events.
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