Traditional or Modern Rigging

[Carl Simmons]

Now that I am close to working on the deck and
cockpit of my Lightning I have been looking at rigging options. I can go with a modern approach (basically whats used for racing) or a more traditional rigging. The boat will be finished in a pretty traditional manner with bright work everywhere except the hull(inside/out) and deck.

I like the look of the traditional rigging but think I would also like the benefits of modern rigging for optimizing performance.

I'm looking for feedback that would push me one way or the other.

Carl.

[Ian McColgin]

Not sure what you mean by more traditional - spliced eyes would be pretty out of place on a Lightening. Perhaps you mean swaged as opposed to some extreemly light thing?

G'luck

[Carl Simmons]

I mean more along the lines of just putting in your basic control(sheets/boom vang) lines worked from the center versus having all the control lines brought to each side. I don't plan on racing but I understand that a modern rigging would make daysailing much easier.

Carl.

[Ian McColgin]

Ah, convenience.

The big differences between racing trim and what you may have in mind are:

For racing you want to seperate the functions as much as possible to keep the crew from bumping into each other while for short handing it's nice to have stuff lead conveniently. However, small boat. Not huge diff. ; and

For racing you may want to have more tweeky go-fast stuff - cunningham and vang and barber haulers and on and on.

I'd rig her the way your local fleet does and just not use all the stuff when you're out having fun. It's not hard to solo the boat anyway.

Enjoy.

[Figment]

Carl, I don't really agree with your notion of a more complicated rig making daysailing easier. I suggest that if you don't plan on racing then you should rig the boat as simply as possible.

The main reason I'm selling my current boat is that it just has way too much STUFF on it. 12:1 main, 8:1 downhaul, main and jib sheets, traveler control, spinnaker lines, etc... this is all really entertaining when you're in the mood to tweak every little hundredth of a knot out of the boat, but frankly when I just want to Go Sailing I find that it's really a big bother. Besides... I find that after every maneuver someone ends up sitting on a block or on a line and bedlam results. As a result the boat got used less and less, and now I have an ad in the paper. Grain of salt: maybe I've just outgrown the boat.

[Noah]

My feeling is that modern rigging is great stuff. Take a look at the local fleet and find what works for them.

Even if you have all the stuff you don't have to use it all the time. Set the cunningham in the middle if you really don't care about sail shape and luff tension, etc.

My feeling is that it is great to go sailing, relax and enjoy the boat, but you should also learn how to become a better sailor. If you have a sail that looks like crap you aren't going to figure out how to go fast.

If you take shortcuts in rigging the boat it will be harder to sail not easier. It is kinda like saying you don't want a topping lift on a gaffer because you don't want another line to pull...

I suppose that Barber Haulers can be omitted, but most of the other stuff doesn't get in the way when sailing. If you are sailing a lightning you need a boom-vang. Getting a 4-1 is going to be much easier to use than a 2-1. Especially when sailing alone.

Also a good mainsheet system is imperative. As the wind picks up you don't want to be straining to pull on a 3-1 system. Spend the extra few bucks and get the 4 or 5-1, you will be happy with it.

In the end it comes down to enjoyment. If each system doesn't work well you won't enjoy using the boat. In my experience good hardware makes for a better ride.

Ok, I will stop ranting now.

Noah

[Carl Simmons]

Thanks for all your input, I'm trying to figure out how to install modern rigging without distracting from the traditional look.

Carl.

[Mike Field]

Spectra shrouds made off to dead-eyes, that sort of idea? smile.gif

[tnert]

You guys make sailing sound complicated. I'm still trying to make sense of the computer stuff. Should I scuttle my project Lightning now or after I've done all of the carpentry. I thought sailing might be fun, but then I'm from central Ohio.
Carl, please see my other lightning post from this day.

[ 09-19-2002, 07:57 PM: Message edited by: tnert ]

[Keith Wilson]

Racing rigging is not necessarily the only kind of "modern" rigging, and may not be best for the kind of sailing you do. Remember, particularly in one-design classes, the purpose of racing rigging is to go .001 knot faster than the other guy, and comfort and cost be damned. Also, the rational choice of gear is often distorted by what's legal and what isn't. OTOH, it would be hard to argue that Dacron line and ball-bearing blocks, not to mention cam cleats, make one's sailing a lot more pleasant. I think the best daysailing setup for a Lightning, meaning easiest and most convenient, with an eye to balancing fine sail control and cost, would be a lot different than a winning racing configuation. Fine-tuning isn't critical, but ease of use and easy access to all lines for a singlehander is very important.

For example, barber haulers, cunninghams, elaborate clew outhaul setups, and complex mainsheet traveler arrangements are IMHO just useless frills on a non-racing boat. A vang (or some other arrangement to hold the boom down), OTOH, is really good to have, and you might as well have enough mechanical advantage on the mainsheet - why pull harder than you need to? Racing boats are often set up so that lines are accessible when hiking WAY out; for you, access under more normal conditions may be most important. One area to which you might want to give some serious thought is reefing gear, often neglected on small boats. The topping lift is also important. You might want to consider the way larger cruising boats are rigged; obviously there are things you'll do with muscle power on a small boat which need mechanical advantage on a larger one, but the principle is the same.

[ 09-19-2002, 11:54 PM: Message edited by: Keith Wilson ]