Greg, Christian and all,
As usual, I responded to Christian without hitting the "reply to all" icon.
And even at that I've not answered one of his questions yet so here goes.
I have a very nice template for rigging the lower part of the mast that you
simply use double stick tape to hold on to the tube and start drilling. I've
sent this template to Christian and to VMG and will send it to anyone who
asks, however, you absolutely must check to make sure that the hole patterns of
your parts line up with the hole patterns on the template before you start
drilling. On most parts it is best to drill only one of the holes and to use
the actual part to drill the others. Another words, you must use a large
dose of common sense when using the template.
The hole for the vang bolt on the boom is exactly 24 inches aft and 1 inch
up from the bottom of the boom. I like to wrap the boom with a piece of 2
inch carbon tape and epoxy (from 23 to 25 inches aft) and drill the hole right
in the center of the wrap. Never drill the hole on the lower end of the vang
arm where it attaches to the lever until you have the sails up, the caps
shrouds and cunningham applied to the stage where the main is very flat, and
the
mainsheet applied max with the bridle at its' shortest height. The vang
lever should then be placed tight against the mast (max on position) and the
hole
position determined by lining it up with the hole in the lever.
The front edge of the cleat platform is 24 1/4 inches aft (always hook you
tape measure on the top front end of the boom).
Unfortunately, I took my Swift back to Seattle yesterday and can't answer
the tiller question entirely accurately except for the following. I used a
full length 49er tiller and centered the extensions back 6 inches. I cut the
end off and reattached it on an upward angle of about 30 degrees in order to
get a more upward pull on the shockcord. The tiller itself should just clear
the toe rails--no higher--since raising it lowers the outer ends of the
extensions. The shock cord arrangement is a bit fickle since it needs to hold
the
extensions with a good deal of tension just about a foot aft of the spinnaker
sheet blocks. The tubing keeps it from going further forward, and the
tension keeps them from trailing aft. I use a bit of bend in the tillers
about 18
inches from the inner end to help raise the outer end further above the
water (if I sailed the boat flat like I should, this would not be necessary).
Resist any temptation to buy expensive carbon tillers. If you cut the wad of
crap off the end on the Ronstans that came with your kit and wrap them to
within 18 inches of the inward end with bicycle grip tape, they will be just
as
light as the carbon extensions. In addition, they will bend instead of
breaking and you can straighen them many times if you use patience and care.
All of this information will be added to the rigging manual in the next few
days along with some more definitive answers on the tiller and extensions.
As always, I appreciate the questions as they make the manuals better for
everyone.
Best regards,
Bram
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