Failure of any keel bolt is bad, but most bolts are part of a massively redundant system, where the failure of any one bolt is rarely immediately catastrophic.  For boats that are hoisted, the failure of a bolt holding the lifting gear can be catastrophic and has the potential to lead to the loss of the boat, or much, much worse.

While this article is being distributed to USWatercraft and J/Boats customers, it applies to virtually all production boats, regardless of builder or brand.  If they use Stainless Steel keelboats and most of them do, it applies. Feel free to pass it along to your friends and fellow boat owners.  It’s pretty important.

Since they live in the bilge, keel bolts can fall into the category of “out of sight, out of mind”. It is because they live in the bilge that they need routine care and attention.

J/22 keels are made using 316 Stainless Steel threaded rod, which is cast into the lead. The nuts, washers and lifting bar are made using 304 Stainless and are then electro polished. This has been the industry standard for many years, and has provided many years of service life.

Stainless Steel is corrosion resistant, not corrosion proof

The basic resistance of stainless steel occurs because of its ability to form a protective coating on the metal surface. This coating is a “passive” film, which resists further “oxidation” or rusting. The formation of this film is instantaneous in an oxidizing atmosphere such as air, water, or other fluids that contain oxygen. Once the layer has formed, we say that the metal has become “passivated” and the oxidation or “rusting” rate will slow down to less than 0.002″ per year (0,05 mm. per year).

Unlike aluminum or silver this passive film is invisible in stainless steel. It’s created when oxygen combines with the chrome in the stainless to form chrome oxide, which is more commonly called “ceramic”. This protective oxide or ceramic coating is common to most corrosion resistant materials. Unfortunately Halogen salts, especially chlorides easily penetrate this passive film and will allow corrosive attack to occur.

CONCENTRATED CELL OR CREVICE CORROSION

This corrosion is common between nut and bolt surfaces. Salt water applications are a severe problem because of the salt water’s low PH and its high chloride content. Here is the mechanism:

• Chlorides pit the passivated      stainless steel surface.
• The low PH salt water attacks      the active layer that is exposed.
• The absence of oxygen inhibits      the re-forming of the passive layer.

These three factors work together in a vicious cycle, repeatedly attacking the same small area.  If the metal is under tensile stress- like from an over torqued keel bolt nut, the pit formed can transform itself into a crack.  When a crack forms the process repeats and accelerates as the surface area of the ‘active’ layer is now much larger.

Prevention is the best cure 

The best way to prevent corrosion is to keep salt away from your bolts.  The best way to do that is to keep your bilge clean and dry.  We’ve designed our interiors to be easily washed down. Take advantage of this.  At the end of the day, when you hose off your deck hardware, stick the hose down the companionway and blast out the bilge and bolts. Pump and sponge dry and leave the floorboard off when you leave.  Not only will this protect your keel bolts from corrosion, it will prevent mildew and keep your interior looking and smelling fresh.

Important note! Avoid using any cleaning products containing chlorine.  Chlorides are just what we are avoiding.  Read the label.  Clorox, Comet, and Fantastic are all products that while good for most stuff are bad for this application.  Check the label.

Annual Maintenance

Checking your keel bolts should be part of your annual maintenance plan.  Working one bolt at a time, remove the nut and washer and clean the threads with a small nylon or brass brush or scotch brite.  Do not use a steel wire brush, as this can lead to other corrosion issues not covered here!  Check for signs of rust.  If everything looks good, use a generous coating of anti-galling compound and re-torque the nut. Most J/22 keel bolts are 5/8

Keel Bolt Torque Table

Tip- If you can pull in your mainsheet, you probably don’t need a big breaker bar to torque your nuts.  Over-torqueing is extremely bad.  Particularly on the bolts holding your lifting rig, under-torqueing is equally bad.  If the nut is loose enough to allow movement in the bar, the bolt can be loaded unequally, leading to tension stress on one side of the bolt.

While you are there

Since you are spending some time with your bilge anyway, this is a good time to give the rest of your lifting gear a good look over.  Check your sling for any signs of wear; fraying, cuts, abrasions and the like.  Your sling should look essentially new.

If you use a shackle in your system, check it too.  If it is bent, rusted or shows signs of wear, just replace it.  A new sling costs around 50 bucks and a shackle around 9 bucks.  It is the cheapest peace of mind available.

If you think you find a problem

If you find or suspect you have problems beyond a good cleanup you should contact a marine surveyor who can inspect and report findings. Your surveyor will have the specialized knowledge and tools to give you an informed recommendation.

Additional Resources

Lots of info on Stainless http://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1177#_Background

Recommended Anti-Galling compound

Loctite(R) Marine Grade Anti-Seize  available @ Amazon and a gajillion other places

http://www.amazon.com/16-Oz-Marine-Grade-Anti-seize/dp/B0042T5MS0/ref=pd_sbs_indust_4

The Nationals had 9 races sailed over 4 days, first day we had 3 races and then 2 each day after that. Day 1, our plan was to have very conservative races, not win the race, but also not loose the regatta! First race was great, good start, picked the right way and a top 10 finish. Race 2 was very much the same, good start in clear air and heading in the right direction…then we hear 47 on the VHF. That was our bow number…bugger! We spin around head back to the line to clear ourselves and we were DFL except for sail number 447. In Italy things are different, in the Nationals, the language spoken over the VHF is Italian and the numbers called are the sail numbers…bugger, didn’t know that, as we were not over. File that one away for a later date. Race 3, with clear heads and not knowing about the bugger up, we repeated race 1, good clean start and clear air and we were off! The rest of the Nationals were very much the same. The Gulf of Arzachena is just such a beautiful place to sail, mid 70’s and water temps that you can sail in shorts and tee shirt or a light spay top if you are on the bow.

We had a day off before the Europeans started which was used to haul Furio to clean and Mclude her. However, I found an all girls sailing team from Germany that needed a “Whittemore rig tuning session” so I volunteered him…I mean who wouldn’t, 6 beautiful blue-eyed blondes!!! Then I heard somebody say something about wanting kill me, but it didn’t matter as it was worth it!

The Europeans had the same format, 9 races over 4 days. This time, in the Europeans the official language is English and the bow numbers will be called. Day 1 had 3 races scheduled and having finished the Nationals with a 1,5,1,5 in the last 4 races, we went out too kick butt! We forgot we were sailing in Italy, we forgot about not having too win the pin and we forgot that you can loose a regatta on the first day…bugger! The first day was a disaster, 19, OSC (a real one this time) and 22. Furio was not happy, we all knew what and why it happened and it was a very quiet sail back to the dock. The Germany ladies team on the other hand had a great day, 5,9,10 and invited us out to dinner to say thank you. I mean 6 beautiful blue-eyed blondes wants to have dinner with you, who could say no? After lots of beer and a few bottles of wine we forgot about the day and focused on the next day. Day 2 had 3 races scheduled. We went back to the basics, mid line starts, keep away from the swarms of Italian boats and get clear air going in the right direction, and it worked we had a 4,1,1. For the next 2 days of racing, we followed the same format, only get aggressive when you really need too and sail clean races. We finished the regatta with a 5,2,2.

The conditions were so different compared with 2008 and having sailed 18 races in 8 days, we were all happy not to see the jib! Italy is fabulous, the food, the wine and the people are always friendly, except when you want to win the pin!

To:      Seattle J-24 Fleet

CC:     Chris Snow & Jack Christensen

From: KW

Date:  5/17/2012

On the weekend of May 4^th, 5^th and 6^th The Tundra Rose / Mark Laura and Pat Dore teams did a two (2) boat sail testing and tuning session off Shilshole.  First we all want to thank Jack Christensen and Chris Snow with North Sails for bringing their expertise and test sails to the event.  We also want to thank Harry for the loan of Self Abuse (and his new genoa).

Chris Snow did an excellent presentation Friday night on tuning at CYC and I hope most of you were able to attend. For the weekend testing, we used Self Abuse and Tundra Rose as the test boats, we set the rigs up identical and I am sure either boat is fast enough to win a worlds.

While the sailing conditions are always the variable, we had the rest just right, two fast and identical boats, a tow / coaching boat, a photo boat, good teams including many from the fleet, a bunch of new sails and very smart experts (Chris & Jack) and even the wind pretty much cooperated.

We started by getting the boats even, set up with two new North San Diego Mains and two  new North San Diego paneled Kevlar Genoas.  After getting the boats “even” we tested three (3) other North Genoas, one North Newport Main and a North Newport Kite.

Doing this sort of stuff, line ups, openly discussing everything including the conditions, set up, shifts, puffs and results is absolutely one of the best ways to improve.

After two days of sailing and testing, a ton of line ups, lots of down-loads, here is what I think the TR team learned and believe:

1)      Sails

While we only tested in the 3 to 12 knot range and J-24 sail genoas need to go from 0 to 20 kts, what we believe we learned is as long as the sails are pretty new, in good shape (All tired sails are slow) and you set them up right, things are pretty even.  The small halyard adjustments (Like ½” inch),Genoalead adjustments (Like 1”) traveler adjustments (Pull it up) and main sheet adjustments (Tighter) made a much bigger difference for speed than the actual sail design.

2)      How you sail the boat.

We found that how you sail the boat was huge.  To go fast these boats need to be sailed absolutely flat with a bit of lee helm.  We found that the bow-person sitting forward of the shrouds is fast and also weight below in light air is very fast.  No question the helmsman needs to be forward of the trailer both upwind and down in all but extreme conditions.  It was amazing how much of a difference it made when a “small” puff hit and we moved one body up.  Small things matter!

3)      Steering

I have been driving a J-24 for about 25 years now and I thought after all those years, I was pretty good at it and did not need to work at it.  What we learned is “not so much”, when I concentrated 100%, we were fast, when I did not…..we were not.  The lesson I learned was that I should not assume “fast”…………….”fast” takes focus.

Summary:

Sails need to be in good shape, but once you have that, what you do with them and how you sail your boat is what counts.

Thank you all for your participation, this is what we believe we learned and we hope it helps.

A J24 must be measured any time it’s competing in one design events (rule 2.5.3) and the certificate must be carried aboard (rule 2.5.6). Fleet 26 policy gives you a one year grace period from when you first begin racing with us, although your boat must be measured before you may compete in districts, regionals, nationals or continentals. All boats are measured at worlds.

How do I get a measurement certificate?

Certificates come from the national class. You can get one in one of two ways:

• When you buy a boat that      already has a certificate, you file a change of ownership form with the class.      This needs to be signed by both the previous owner and the new owner, and      a processing fee paid. (currently $15). The class will check and update      its records, and print and mail a new certificate to you.
• If you need to certificate for a boat that hasn’t been      measured, or for which the certificate has been lost or invalidated,      you’ll need to get the boat measured. This must be done by a certified measurer (rule 2.7). Once the measurement is      completed, the measurer will file the form with the class and give you a      photocopy. The class will send you a bill for processing, enter the data      from the form into their database, and print out and mail a form. The      processing fee (currently $15) is waived once per boat.

Here is a description of the full process from the class website http://www.j24class.org.

What parts of the boat do you measure?

• The keel and rudder
• The “basic dry weight”
• The mast, boom and spinnaker pole.
• The sails

What sort of things invalidate a measurement certificate?

Any change may invalidate the certificate. Usually if you replace a sheet or halyard, we’ll presume they’re close enough to the old ones that they don’t invalidate things. However, keel repairs, replacement of any part of the standing rigging, and a whole host of other changes do invalidate the certificate.

Change of Ownership invalidates measurement, but if the measurement is current, you may be able to transfer the certificate.

Occasionally, the International Technical Committee will make a rule change which requires all boats to be remeasured. These are fairly rare, and usually we don’t force everybody to update their certificates immediately. Instead, we’ll just check the new things as boats change hands. However, if you’re going to a big regatta, like Nationals or Continentals (e.g. North Americans), You should probably check with your measurer and get any such updates.

The technical committee is careful that any changes in rules or measurements is done in a way that will not require boats which remain “as built” to make any modifications. All such changes that I’m aware of were done to catch modifications which were done to get an unfair advantage.

If I’ve only made a small change to the boat, do I need to get a full measurement?

Probably not. If you’ve only made a minor change (for example, a new headstay or mast, or keel or hull repair), we should be able to remeasure just what you’ve changed and file an update. Sometimes, however, such a change may require something else to be measured too (most commonly re-weighing).

If you modify the keel or gelcoat in any way, you must get it checked out by a measurer. If the bottom of the boat has been damaged, please contact your measurer before beginning repairs. Some modifications require written documentation from a measurer. (rule 3.1.2)

How do you measure the keel and rudder?

The boat needs to be presented on a trailer or stand, so that we can easily access the keel. Ramp launching guides should be removed if present, as we need to access all parts of the keel, to put a series of templates around it to check its shape. we also check the draft and the thickness of the trailing edge. (rule 3.3)

we’ll mark the keel with a pencil or felt pen to help us place the templates correctly

We also weigh the rudder and measure the rudder’s draft and rake, and several aspects of its shape. the rudder needs to be off the boat for weighing it, and mounted on the transom for measuring draft and rake. (rule 3.4) The process takes 10-15 minutes.

How do you measure the weight?

The main weight we measure is called the “basic dry weight”. There is also an All up weight which is normally calculated.

The boat must be presented dry and empty of everything except the standing and running rigging. All sails, gear, required and optional safety eqipment, must be removed. The measurer will climb through the boat opening all compartments and removing anything that may be there, checking for wetness, and for existing corrector weights. (3.7.1)

Then the boat will be lifted with a crane and a load cell, and the weight recorded. The hoist is preferably done with a lifting strap attached to the keel bolts, although we can use a sling if it’s dry. It needs to be a windless day, or even better, indoors.

The boat needs to be dry, inside and out. water sticks to the skin of the boat and it will continue to drip for several hours. This makes a difference of several kilograms. Depending upon what needs to be removed, complications with the crane and so forth, the process may take as little as 5 minutes or as much as an hour. If the boat is underweight, corrector weights must be installed fore and aft. See the description in the rulebook (rule 3.7.2, and Plan A) for exactly where to put them. Your measurer will help you with this. The correctors must be sealed in place with fiberglass to prevent tampering. (a small source of confusion may be that there are two separate sets of correctors, one that may be supplied by the builder (rule 2.8.2), and one which is installed when the boat is measured. (3.7.2))

How do you measure the spars?

The Mast must be presented down, and on sawhorses or equivalent. We only measure a couple of things on the mast, but they are critical. The most important is the permanent mark, which is 7725 mm below the fixing point of the headstay, and is an indelible scratch or dimple made in the surface of the mast. the lower contrasting band is there to help measurers find it later. We also measure the upper contrasting band, the spreaders, and the spinnaker rings.

Once the rig is up, we measure the tip weight of the boom and the black band there, the position and height of the mast, and the length of the headstay. We use the permanent mark for all of these. Note that we detach the headstay from the bow as part of measuring it. (Rule 3.5)

We also check to make sure the running rigging is legal, the standard fittings are legal and in the right place, the height of the lifelines, etc.

Then we’ll go below and check whether the mast is properly secured and whether the sink’s drain is being collected properly.

Measuring the mast while down only takes a couple of minutes, but taking it down and putting it back up again often takes a long time. Doing the other rig measurements only takes 10-15 minutes.

What restrictions are there in the running rigging?

In addition, there are a number of prohibitions. Elastic cord is disallowed in the running or standing rigging (rule 7.1.19). This includes the backstay adjusters. However, you can use it (for example) to secure the throwable lifesaving device. Titanium is specifically prohibited (rule 7.1.18), as are other exotic materials, unless they’re available on the open market at competitive prices with non-exotics.

How do you measure the sails?

If we’re measuring a lot of sails, we’ll make a set of templates on the floor of a large room, using masking tape or mylar sheets. Measuring sails this way only takes a minute or so each for the genoa or jib, and about 5 minutes each for the main and spinnaker. The sails are held against these template to make sure that they are within specifications. If we’re only measuring one or two sails, it may be more convenient to just measure it directly. We also record the royalty tag number and check to make sure the materials tag is valid. Sails must be measured for any regatta that’s a worlds qualifier, so we tend to do a lot of them at that time. You can help speed up the process by presenting the main with the battens removed (as they are measured separately) and being there to help get sails rolled up and out of the way once they’re done being measured.

What is the Permanent Mark?

The Permanent Mark is a scratch or dimple in the front side of the mast that is exactly 7725 mm below the center of the fixing point of the headstay. (rule 3.5.2 (e). Placing it is a job for a measurer. a 20mm band that’s there to help future measurers find the mark is placed just above it. It’s used to measure the position of the mast in the boat, and to measure the forestay length.

what are the contrasting bands for?

The lower band is there to help measurers find the permanent mark. The other three (at mast head, gooseneck and outer end of boom) are the farthest extent that a sail can extend. No part of the sail can overlap any part of the contrasting band.

The bands are placed by measurers. Please don’t try to put them on your spars without the help of a certified measurer, although feel free to refresh them if for some reason they have been damaged. If you’re not sure, your measurer is here to help.

Class rules are that the contrasting band be at least 20 mm wide (rule 3.5.2(d). 3/4″ electrical tape is 19.1 mm wide. It’s unlikely anyone will protest you for having bands less than a millimeter under width though. If you’re concerned about this, ask your measurer to double up the bands.

For some reason, Sparloft (new zealand) masts come with the contrasting bands and permanent mark already installed. Nearly all of the sparloft-installed bands I have measured have been placed incorrectly. They use a material that’s quite hard to remove. I’ve tried to make them stop, but they keep doing it. I like their masts a lot, with this one exception.

What must I carry aboard while racing?

Part C of the measurement form is called “Inventory of Required and Optional Equipment“. It can be found here along with the rest of the measurement form.

According to rule 3.8 and 4, you must carry:.

• A Bucket of not less than 9 liters (2.4 gallons)      with lanyard attached.
• An Anchor and chain of not less than 6kg (13.25      lb) and at least 40 meters (131.25 ft) of anchor line, attached. Yes,      anchoring in Puget Sound or Lake Washington with a line that short will      probably not work, but that’s what the rule says.
• One Outboard Motor that weighs at least 14kg (31      lbs), securely stowed under one of the main berths or aft of the sill of      the companionway, and 2 liters (.53 gal) of fuel.
• At least one Compass. It must be capable of      instantaneous reading only, and not capable of displaying stored headings.      No GPS compasses, and GPS may not be used while racing.
• A fire extinguisher.
• At least one lifejacket for everybody aboard.
• A throwable lifesaving device with a sea anchor      attached, on deck, ready for use.
• Equipment capable of disconnecting and severing the      standing rigging. A hacksaw is sufficient.
• A first aid kit and manual.
• The measurement certificate
• The completed inventory of required and optional      equipment.

Obviously the papers should be in a waterproof container. The Racing Rules of Sailing and the sailing instructions should probably be in there too. The outboard, anchor and battery (if carried) must be secured against movement in a capsize.

Recent Changes:

• The outboard used to be required to be at least 3.5 hp.      There’s no longer a minimum. The 3.5 horse 2 strokes that many of us use      are now banned for retail sale in most countries, and 4 strokes are      heavier, so they took off the horsepower rule.
• An 8kg battery and working running lights used to be      required. No more. For our evening races, I think it’s a good idea to have      them anyway. The battery may weigh no more than 25 kg.
• a working flashlight is a really good idea, but is no      longer required. I recommend one of the new LED batteryless type.
• a two way radio (e.g. a marine VHF) is a very good idea      but is no longer required.

All together, the boat, rigging and the gear listed on the inventory must weigh no less than 1345 kg (rule 3.7.3). This is called the All Up Weight. Sails are not included in this weight, nor is personal gear like foulies or lunch. In theory, your inventory could be checked on the way in after a race and if it doesn’t match (for example you’ve drunk some of the water listed on the form) you could be DSQed.

How does one become a measurer?

To become a measurer, you need to take a course given by the J24 class International Technical Committee. These classes are given every few years, usually at the world championships. Once you’ve taken the class, you need to measure a few boats under the supervision of an experienced measurer. The worlds are a good place to do this, because all boats must be measured before competing. It’s actually a pretty interesting job, and measuring at worlds, while a lot of work, is also a lot of fun.

Fleet 26 has three measurers:

• Hans Spiller
• Michael Johnson
• Noel Morgan

In addition, Paul Bogataj and Jack Christiansen are certified measurers but they no longer have J24s and aren’t really current. For other fleet 26 contacts, click here

Why do you measure in metric?

The J/24 is an international class, and nearly all countries use the metric system. It’s much easier for an American measurer to use Metric than for a French, or Italian, or Japanese measurer to use the English system. However, the J/24 was designed in the US, so there are a number of measurements that are conspicuously odd in metric, but not if you understand the boat’s heritage.

Converting between English and metric tends to be the source of errors, so we don’t do it. We use metric tape measures and scales.

Where can I get forms, manuals and rulebooks?

All of these are from the J/24 class international web site http://www.j24class.org.

• The measurement form is what we use to create a      certificate.
• The Change of Ownership form is used to transfer      a certificate from one owner to the next when boats are bought and sold.
• The Rule Book is the most important and      reliable. While there are a few errors in it, in most cases it should be      regarded as the final arbiter. If you’re a member of the class, they will      mail you a paper edition every two years.
• The Measurement Manual is a guide for measurers.      It describes the jigs, templates and techniques we use. It’s unfortunately      full of typos, so if you’re not completely sure, contact your measurer      before modify your boat based on anything it says.

What is a Gin Pole and how does one use it?

A Gin Pole is a temporary mast set up next to (usually forward) of the main mast, to help you raise or lower the mast. It’s not a difficult procedure but if you’ve never done it before, I strongly recommend you get help from someone who has. All of our measurers have done it numerous times. The pole needs to be 20 feet long and stiff enough it can support at least 300 lbs. The mast doesn’t weigh that much, but you’ll be leaning on the butt of the mast during the process. a 2:1 or 3:1 block and tackle makes the job easier, and you’ll occcasionally find the need to cleat the tackle, so a horn cleat is a good idea.

Here’s a short list of bad things I personally have seen with gin poles. Don’t let them happen to you! :

• the      pole moving on the deck while under load. this resulted in the mast      falling and being damaged.
• the      pole itself being made of too-thin material and buckling.
• one of      the shrouds coming uncleated. I’ve seen this several times, but it’s      always been caught early enough to avoid dropping the mast.
• a      rachet block failing to let the mast come down once it’s been hoisted.      don’t use rachet blocks.

First to be clear on the absolute basics:

• Mast blocked (“J”) measurement at max (2925 mm from stem fitting)
• Head stay at max length (8670mm)
• Spreaders at minimum length (760mm from mast)
• Mast at minimum height (Band no more than 400mm above sheer)
• Spreaders at 155mm to 165mm sweep from back of mast (we like 165mm as we sail in a lot of light air and if you usually sail in a lot of wind we would suggest 155mm)
• Spreader sweep even by sighting up the shrouds
• Install a mast butt adjuster from Hall Spars. Halls web site is www.hallspars.com. Do not use just a standard turnbuckle as it will “gaul” up and not work after you try and move the Matt Butt under load. We installed a piece of 2mm Nylon sheet under our mast step to get it to be able to slide under higher loads.

Rig set up:

1. With mast installed and free to move side to side, lowers loose and the uppers at 18 on old style Loos gauge we use a wire from the Genoa halyard down to the rails and/or chain plates to see that the mast is straight up in the boat. (Don’t forget to check to see that your spreaders are the same height where they meet the upper shrouds) If you want to get very fancy you can do this out of the water and use a transit to see that the keel, hull and mast all line up correctly.
2. Move the mast side to side in the partner until it is absolutely straight.  Block the mast from side to side movement in this location.  (As you tune the rig do not be afraid to “shake” the mast and rig around a lot to be sure all parts are settled in and not hanging up anywhere)
3. Using your mast butt adjuster move the mast butt for and aft until the mast is absolutely straight for and aft. This is what we call our “neutral” position and it is at zero pre-bend where the mast lines up from the tip, hounds, partner and step exactly. Permanently mark your mast step at this “neutral” position.
4. Using your mast butt adjuster pull the mast 1” aft from the “neutral” position and drill a hole.
5. Then keep moving the mast butt aft and drill additional holes at 1-1/4”, 1-1/2”, 1-3/4” and 2” back from “neutral” (five holes total)
6. With the mast butt in the 1-1/2” aft hole tighten the Uppers to 24 on the Loos gauge.
7. Tighten the lowers to 21 on Loos gauge.
8. Check that the spreaders are at 160 mm to 165mm sweep.
9. Check that the spreaders each have the same sweep.

(This mast step set up is quite a bit different from what North has in their tuning guide but we believe that the J-24’s are all different enough that to get a consistent “neutral” position on a boat-to-boat basis that this is a more accurate way of locating it than just checking head stay sag)

Masts butt settings:

•              Zero to 4 knots of wind – 2” aft of neutral (we rarely use this position)
•              2 to 8 knots of wind –   1-3/4” aft of neutral (this is our default as again me sail in a lot of light air)
•              8 to 15 knots of wind – 1-1/2” aft of neutral
•              15 to 22 knots of wind – 1-1/4” aft of neutral
•              22 plus knots of wind – 1” aft of neutral (We never go forward of the 1” position)

Shroud tension:

We do this exactly the same way for all wind conditions except when it is extremely light where we keep the shrouds very loose and we know that is just plain going to be very windy and then we set the rig at the North tuning guide max wind numbers at the dock and leave it.

What we do is set up the boat going to windward with all sails trimmed and crew weight in the right place and “feel” the leeward shrouds. When set up as above we adjust the shrouds so that there is about 2” of easy flex before you feel any firmness in the shrouds. If they are floppy tighten them and if they feel snug loosen them.  We try to keep the uppers and lowers even. (Note: We always do this setting up in “lulls” as we believe it is critical to be optimized for the light spots on the first beat)

We have spent a lot of time checking our settings against the North tuning guide settings and find them pretty close to the published numbers.  The advantages are you do not need to guess how much wind there is, the adjustments are infinite and exactly tuned to the real wind velocity. (Not to mention not having to take you’re main down between races to check the rig)

Couple of refinements and notes to the strategy:

• In very very light air shrouds need to be floppy.
• In lighter air the lowers should be slightly looser than the uppers to induce pre-bend.
• In heavier air the lowers should be a slightly tighter than the uppers to prevent over-bend.
• In chop go looser
• In flat water you can be a bit tighter
•   Too loose is always faster than too tight

The goal that we are trying to accompolish with this set up is good power for:

• Lulls
• While accelerating
• Chop

But also, as is necessary and then to be able to de-power and go high by going to a very tight mainsheet to tighten up the head stay when the conditions allow.

Genoa Trim:

Unless over powered we set up the Genoa so that when you pull it all the way in the Genoa touches the shrouds at the chain plate and spreader tips at the same time.

We trim the Genoa at 3” to 6” off the spreaders and only go all the way in for a few minutes when we must point and have some speed that can be bled off.

Final note:  Rig tension and sail set up is critical for speed in a J-24 but, Mast Butt location is not.  There are plenty of very fast J’s that never move their Mast Butts.  I would strongly suggest that you set the Butt at 1’1/2” aft and work on getting speed through rig tension before playing with the Butt adjustment. (And if you forget to take the damn thing off it can get you tossed)

Some of the pictures of the process are below.

Our video for reference is here.

The Harken video for comparison is here.

Main

• The back stay was on, take it off.
• The main was out too far and needed to be brought in.
• The top of the main was way too far forward, more vang on would help to control the mains top to be parallel with the boom.

Foredeck and Mast

• The pole was too unstable, more pressure on the foreguy during a gibe only release it 6  inches, keeping it tight allows the foredeck to leverage against.
• Put the windward tweaker down and when the spinnaker starts getting unstable, put the leeward tweaker way down too to keep the spinnaker from oscillating al over tarnation.

Spin

• The pole was too far forward and needed to come back.  In a breeze over square the pole.
• The kite was too far off the pole, pulling it back and adding more tweaker would help
• Rotate the kite to weather so the draft radius runs diagonally from the pole to the upper right holder.
• The trimmer needs to have both the guy and sheet in his hands and needs to fly it, up to 25kts of breeze.
• Out of the jibe it looks like the trimmer is trying to ‘help’ the bowman by keeping the windward sheet eased after the jibe. That is wrong. Instead pull the guy to get the spinnaker out and clear of the main sail and with the added distance the pole will be reasonably easy to click on.

Driver

• Driver was standing too much and needs to move forward.
• The driver needs to perform a S jibe to keep the boat under the kite and keep the main from loading up after the jibe
• The best time to heavy air jibe is when the boat is headed down a wave face. The apparent wind is lower and the main will unload easing the throw across.

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