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Rigging an old Northwave

 
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rhorton1



Joined: 19 Aug 2010
Posts: 88

PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 11:07 am    Post subject: Rigging an old Northwave Reply with quote

I recently acquired a mini-quiver of 1999 Northwave Superlights (4.2, 4.7, 5.2), and am seeking some help with the amount of downhaul tension needed to rig them right. On these old sails, am I downhauling for a floppy leech like a newer sails? In order to get that floppy leech, I have to downhaul way past the suggested rigging setting, and to me, the sail just doesn't "look right" when rigged up like that. Do sails this old have a different rigging philosophy than newer sails (i.e. they are designed to rig with a righter leech?)? With some backyard experimentation, the sails seem to rotate best when downhauled so the 2nd batten from the top is pulled to almost directly behind the mast.... however, at this setting, the leech is still pretty tight.

I'm also not the expert with small sails/high wind/gusty conditions that I use these sails in, so I really don't know how to rig them by on-the-water feel. Any help would be appreciated.

I'm rigging all 3 sails on an older 400cm Fiberspar Tidal Wave SDM mast, and am a ~200lb sailor.



Loose leach.jpeg
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Loose Leech
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Loose leach.jpeg



Tight Leech.jpeg
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Tight Leech
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kmf



Joined: 02 Apr 2001
Posts: 503

PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 11:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

call the source....

http://northwavesails.com/about_us/hours.html

KMF
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cgoudie1



Joined: 10 Apr 2006
Posts: 2597
Location: Killer Sturgeon Cove

PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 11:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I do not have experience with those Northwaves, but Northwaves
in general do not rig with much flop. If you are an Ezzy user, and you
and rig a NW similarly, you will distort the sail far away from it's intended
usage. On my Surf Lites (Circa 2001-2011), the best rig is some flop
on the 1st and 2nd battons, to where the leech is rotated (falls away)
in the upper 1/3 of the sail in a progressive mammer without any
wrinkling.

-Craig
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rswabsin



Joined: 14 May 2000
Posts: 444
Location: New Jersey

PostPosted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 11:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The superlights from that time frame required a ton of down haul to get the leech to loosen up a bit so don't be afraid to down haul them past the indicated setting. Note that the sail will look essentially flat at this point but will take shape on the water under wind loads. These are really nice handiling sails that are extremely light during transitions. I found that I liked mine best with the leech loosened up part way down to the 2nd batten when sailing in strong winds. These also have great lower end if you rig them with a tighter leech and slightly less outhaul. Experiment with these and you'll be surprised with their range. Plus they are indestructable.

Rob
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rhorton1



Joined: 19 Aug 2010
Posts: 88

PostPosted: Tue Apr 02, 2013 9:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice. Thanks all for the tips!
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morwind4me



Joined: 30 Apr 2002
Posts: 270

PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 9:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

don't want to hi-jack this thread, but I have some 2000 surflites, and the 4.7 has two downhaul grommets...hadn't seen that. I think there are instructions on how to use them, but I haven't used this sail in a year or so. Anyone have experience with that set up?

I too, rhorton1, was having trouble with the leach on my surflites. As soon as I sailed them, they felt twitchy and tuned terribly. Indeed they take more downhaul than one would expect. I think they were ahead of their time in that sense, I downhaul it like I would a modern freeride sail.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 10:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Surflites are not inherently twitchy. I don't know what from here, but change something (mast, tuning, etc.).

The last 75-100 sails I've owned had two tack (bottom) grommets. I use both just to distribute the load on the tack. No "instructions" needed; ya just laces the downhaul as required to avoid crossed lines the same way we do ANY setup, by starting at one of the fixed ends (the cleat or the molded/cast "knothole" and going from there. The resulting path will vary with the extension used, but the objective and result is consistent: no crossed lines. Experiment when it's not windy, and memorize A (there are usually multiple ones) successful result.
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dhmark



Joined: 04 Sep 2007
Posts: 376

PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 12:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Go through the lower hole, then upper hole, then lower hole again. Depending on the orientation of the holes to the pulleys and the particular extension, you can figure out which side of the pulleys to use, and which way to orient the line that goes through the grommet twice. Don't cross the lines, as stated before. It's a nice low friction setup because the lines that go through the grommet twice, although they rub against each other, move in the same direction. dhmark
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 2:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

the way dhmark described it worked wonderful for me on this even older one


this 3.7 may be perfect for my 10YO newbie learner

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4Boards....May the fours be with you

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johnl



Joined: 05 Jun 1994
Posts: 1330
Location: Hood River OR

PostPosted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 2:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

All I use is North waves and have only used them since 2000. I go through the bottom grommet twice then the upper once with standard Chinook bases. Never had a problem in 13 years...
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