Tweaks & Tips

RS200 Tweaks and Tips

Ian Pickard gives the benefits of his experience, on the water, and in the boat park.

Tweaks:

ESSENTIAL

• Kite halyard – in my opinion, the following changes to the kite halyard offer the greatest improvement to the standard RS200 specification, in terms of sailability.
• Adding a floating block behind the cleat (see photo) makes a huge difference. It enables the kite to be hoisted or dropped from anywhere in the boat, ensuring the halyard cleats during hoists, if pulled from behind the block, and stays uncleated during drops, if pulled between the block and cleat. The block should be positioned in line with and slightly below the cleat. The block is held on thin rope tied between either two or (my preference) three points: the forward toestrap mounts and the control line block at the front of the centreboard case. The block is supported on elastic tied between the eyes at the back of the jib fairlead tracks.
• Adding a airlead to the top of the cleat helps the halyard cleat during hoists and will prevent the halyard from jamming under the cleat. I prefer the plain alloy fairlead (HAxxxx) to the plastic “prolead”, as they lead the halyard right across the cleat jaws and last longer. When fitting a fairlead, take the opportunity to replace the screws attaching the cleat with bolts and lock-nuts.
• However, far better than adding a fairlead to the standard cleat is to replace it with a Spinlock PX cleat. In conjunction with a floating block, the Spinlock will stay cleated all the way through a hoist and uncleated all the way through a drop. Faster hoists and drops, less snags and knots, etc. – fantastic!
• Lastly, the system can be improved by simplifying the halyard route around the boat. Unless you are one of the few teams where the helm hoists and drops the kite, the halyard can run straight from the floating block to the block at the rear of the sock (twin-patch system). With the older single patch system, a block should be tied to the port forward toestrap mount to lead the halyard under the thwart to the block at the back of the sock. Some owners fit this block with the twinpatch system, but I feel it is unnecessary and adds friction in the system. The block on the rear of the centreboard case can be removed and you no longer “cheese-wire” the thwart with the kite halyard. With this set-up, the halyard can be significantly shortened, reducing the chances of it going under the bow or around the pole.
• Gybing strop – essential for stress-free gybing in heavier winds. At present the rules only permit “thin line” (max. 5mm diameter) and preclude any fittings. Hence the best you can do is to plait some 5mm line, tie it to the forward mainsheet block eye on the boom and tie a loop at the bottom end around the mainsheet. The length should be just less than that between the boom and the ratchet block when going upwind – otherwise the gybing strop gets pulled through the ratchet with the mainsheet, probably jamming solid and resulting in a capsize. A rules change is currently being considered to permit thicker line and a ring or block on the end to weight it down – watch this space.
• Tweaker line – it is critical to correctly adjust the length of the tweaker line (i.e. the elasticated line emerging from inside the kite pole, attaching with inglefield clips to the line running up the mast). When adjusted correctly, the line becomes tight when the pole is at maximum extension. If it is too slack, the kite head will not be held against the mast and the tweaker line will chafe and break; if it is too tight, the pole will not extend to it’s maximum, reducing off-wind performance. To adjust it, lock the pole out at maximum extension by tying a rope to the launch-line block and cleating it in the halyard cleat. Then untie one of the inglefield clips. Pull the tweaker line through the inglefield clip until tight and tie off. It’s worth checking this fairly regularly.