Re: Advice for rigging a 15' Catamaran
The angle is going to depend on the wind, the type of water you are sailing in, and how much weight is onboard. <br /><br />You may have other spots for mounting trap wires.<br /><br />Generally, the closer the mast angle is to 90 degrees the more power you will have from the sails, but the lower the bow will ride in the water. Kind of like tilt/trim on an outboard. However, you can end up driving the boat into the back of a wave and playing submarine. This is called a pitch pole and it feels kind of like you hit the end of a leash tied to a telephone pole. You stop abruptly and the boat can flip end over end throwing you and everything on the boat forward. In light winds you will want the mast almost straight up, in heavier winds you will want to tilt the mast backward to depower the boat and make the bow ride higher in the water.<br /><br />After you get used to your boat, you will have a very good idea what kind of angle you want on the mast for given conditions. <br /><br />Does your jib line have a pully somewhere along the line and does it have a wire inside the sail itself? On a hobie 16, the jib has a wire inside the sail that becomes the main stay once the sail is up. This allows you to hoist the jib sail tight and take up the slack in the shrouds at the same time.<br /><br />Do you have trap lines that you will also be mounting? If you don't, you should, flying a hull<br />while hanging out on the trap is a blast!<br /><br />You will also need a good righting line installed on the boat before you even think about putting it in the water! Do not skimp on the righting line. You can easily make one from parts at the hardware store. I used to make my own and had it set to be adjustable. It also served as a "sissy" line for the crew to hang on to while out on the trap. Usually only takes a good rope, some heavy bungie cord and a couple of clips and some small rollers if you want to get real fancy. It is also a good tow rope should you need one, and if you sail enough, your probably will eventually.<br /><br />Heres a pic a friend sent me, might inspire you to get that boat in the water this weekend
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