one follow up

Question

Mistral Ventura Riggin   QUESTION: Windlover,
thanks for all the info. I was succesful rigging the sail to mast base. More followups..

#1. Still need to know how to rig the boom to mast. Here's a pic of that. Also, I see what you mean about keeping the adjustment pins facing down..so based on this photograph we're looking at the bottom?
#2.What is the second blue sleeve for ? It came around the mast base...but can't see how it functions there.
#3. When/why to move mast forward and back.
#4. Regarding the setup of the mast height. How do I determine proper height?
#5. Thanks for the rigging order..one more question..when do I add the battens?
thank you so much..this is extremely helpful
scott

ANSWER: Hey Scott,

#1 & #4
With sail on mast and some downhaul, stand the mast up and hold it close to you. At the point where it is level with your sternum grab the mast with one hand and line up your thumb with your sternum. Lay the mast down holding onto the marked spot. You will be tying the rope on just above the point where your thumb is.

Slide the clew end of the boom over the top of the mast and slip the boom head down to your marked area. The mast should be parallel with the boom with the boom head on top of the mast and the clew end under the mast.

In your pic the boom top is up. The uphaul rope should always be coming out the bottom just as it is in your pic.  

Take the small rope with the two knots and slip the end down through the bottom hole (as per pic). Go around the mast twice if you have enough rope and then back up through the top hole and then into the cleat. Now grab the mast above the boom with your right hand and the boom with your left. Swing the clew end of the boom down towards the outhaul grommet of the sail. The boom/mast rope should tighten up. Now rig the outhaul and ajdust the downhaul and outhaul to shape the sail.

#2 The second blue sleeve is just an extra mast protector and does not go on the mast base during sailing. It is just a good place to keep the mast protector when storing your rig.

#3 When? Move the mast forward for light winds, middle area for moderate winds, back for high winds. Why? Light winds you want the sail forward to balance the board and help with light wind steering. Moderate winds you and the sail should be back a bit for better board control. High winds the sail needs to be back so you can be in the footstraps and get the board on a plane. What makes the board move is the power of the wind pushing on the sail and the daggerboard and fin cause a resistance to the wind. Being perpendicular to the wind and the hull design combine to cause the board to move forward. Light to moderate winds need the daggerboard for the resistance and the fin for steering. High winds the fin is usually enough resistance because you and sail are further back on the board putting more pressure on the fin.

#5 Battens usually just stay in the sail. If any are cambered battens, loosen them to rig the sail on the mast and then set the cambers after the boom is attached. For any non-camber battens, leave them in and keep them fairly tight at all times. When you roll the sail up, start at the top and line up your rolling with the first few battens. If you get to the bottom and the foot batten is way out of alignment, remove that batten and tuck it into the sail and finish rolling the sail.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: perfect. all the answers I needed. Will try it out ASAP. Two questions: With this side of the boom up (as in picture)which makes total sense to me... the pins for the length adjustment are on top. Maybe the boom was set up wrong and I can pull off the end and turn it over?  so the pins are down and drain better, right?
Secondly, can you answer #4. about setting up the mast height? you addressed the boom height which I'd forgotten to ask about. thanks for everything.

Answer
Hey Scott,

Sorry about missing your ?  Mast height will be adjusted using the mast base/extension. Once you have the sail on the mast, slide the extension/base into the mast. Thread the ropes through the downhaul grommet on the sail and put slight tension. You should have about 6-8" from the grommet to the base pulleys. Release the rope and lengthen or shorten the extension accordingly. When you have full tension/downhaul on the sail, the grommet should be about 1-2" from the pulleys. This allows you to add or release downhaul on the sail if wind conditions change. More downhaul for more wind, less for less wind.

Once you have the extension/mast height set, then set your boom height. When the sail is attached to the board and you are standing upright on the board, the boom should be between pecs and shoulders, maybe just a bit higher in light winds.

As for the boom, the easiest way would be to flip the boom so the pins are down and then change the uphaul rope. Your cleat for the boom/mast tie on will be down. When you have the boom attached, if there is enough excess rope after the cleat, wrap the rope around the boom using a half hitch knot to keep excess rope tucked away and it also prevents the rope from slipping back through the cleat.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover