2.4mR Tuning Guide

The tuning guide is written to give you the best performance from your North sails. The preparations and settings are those we have found to give the best VMG on a Norlin MKIII. However, there is a lot of useful information even for those sailing another design.

There is an infinite variety of sailing conditions and a tuning guide like this can help you to a good base tuning, which will make it easier for you to find the optimal tuning in the actual situation. We hope this will give you successful and fun sailing.

Preparations

OUR PHILOSOPHY

A 2.4 has the same tuning possibilities as a large keelboat. The difference is that everything including steering and tactical decisions has to be done by one person. The sailor can not waist attention on controls that don’t make a significant difference on speed or ability to point. We have systematically tested which controls do make a difference and removed those that do not. This makes it easier to focus. We have also designed the sails to be forgiving in the sense that a slight mistune or a wiggle by the helmsman will not give a drastic change of boat speed.

TOOLS

Tuning scales (stickers) are used in several places to make a good tuning repeatable. (One unit on the tuning scale is 12,5 mm).

Shroud tension is measured with a “Tension Gauge” from Loos & Co. It comes in two base models and for different shroud dimensions. Note that the gauges are individual and the readings differ +/- 2 units between them.

MAST

The masts from Vene Bjorndahl are excellent. A softer mast does not work as well and indications are that an even stiffer mast would be an advantage.

HEADSTAY

The headstay shall have the same length regardless of weather conditions. That gives a number of advantages and we have not found any disadvantage. We have systematically tested mast rake in the interval 5500-5600 cm without noting any difference in VMG.

The largest advantage with a permanent mast rake is that a mark on the mainsheet will make tuning of the main exact. This is important as an adjustment of 1 cm on the mainsheet will make a significant difference on speed and ability to point. The permanent headstay also makes the marks on the backstay more meaningful and it makes it easier to move the headstay forward on the bow.

RIG POSITION

The headstay shall be mounted as much forward as possible. The mast is thereafter placed to use maximal J (1560 mm).

It is necessary to move the shrouds forward on older boats when the mast is moved forward. It will otherwise be difficult to push the mast forward on downwind legs. Moving the shrouds forward often requires some work.

We do not think that it is a good idea to move the mast forward without moving the headstay. That will narrow the slot between main and jib and make it difficult to make the main work correctly in strong winds.

Use lower and upper shrouds and spreaders from Vene Bjorndahl. They will make the distance from the mast to the center of the shroud 295 mm. Lower and upper shrouds shall go through deck at the same point. A straight line drawn between the port and starboard deck through point will cross the mast 10 mm forward from the aft edge of the mast. The distance between the port and starboard deck through points for the shrouds are 490 mm.

As a stiff mast is an advantage we do not recommend sailing without lower shrouds. In strong winds the pressure on the mast in the mast hole at deck level will increase substantially and several masts has actually snap there.

MAST RAKE

The mast rake should be 5570 mm.

We measure mast rake from the lower edge of the upper measurement mark on the mast to the aft most point of the hull . To make the measurement band stay close to the mast when hoisted, a traveler is introduced in the mast track and tied to the measurement band. The backstay shall be tightened only to prevent it from sagging. Tighten it hard and then ease it again before measurement to make sure that the headstay is stretched. The length of the headstay is fixed to make the rake 5570 mm.

SHROUD TENSION

The upper and lower shrouds are tightened such that the reading with tension gauge model A is 21 and 9 respectively and 15 and 9 respectively with gauge model PT-1. Observe that these readings are valid for rod. Other types of shrouds will give different readings.

BACKSTAY

A 4:1 purchase for the backstay is fine and we use 3 marks on the trimline. Take the slack out of the backstay in same manner as when you measure mast rake. Put the first mark on the 55 mm from the centre of the cleat (Figure 4). The third mark is placed 490 mm from the first and the second half way between the first and third mark. When we further on write that the backstay shall be on 1,25 or 1,75, we mean positions between mark 1 and 2. If you follow the recommendation for distance between the deck trough positions for the shrouds is that the same as the distance between mark 1 and 3 on the backstay trim line.

MAST BEND INDUCER AND RESTRICTOR

These are not used for trimming but the mast bend inducer is used to hold the mast forward downwind.

MAIN SHEET

As mentioned earlier, 1 cm adjustment of the main sheet gives a significant change in speed and ability to point. Hence, tying the mainsheet with a knot is not accurate enough. Sew an eye on the permanent end of the mainsheet and fasten it in a permanently mounted shakle behind the hatch on aftdeck. Make a hole through deck and mount the shackle in the support for the rudder shaft. A traveller is not used and observe that they normally flex substantially on the standard boat.

The mainsheet should be 1:1 without purchase. That reduces the sheet that has to be taken in to half when rounding the leeward mark.

Put a trimscale on the aft side of the mast above deck. Put 1 at the top and mark the main sheet such that the mark is at 3 when the main is trimmed in 3-5m/s. This means that the upper batten is parallel with the boom and that the top tell tail flies 60-70% of the time.

MAIN TACK

The mainsail tack should be fixed in a way to make sure it stays in the same position with different outhaul tension. At the same time it is an advantage if the tack can move an inch or so along the mast. The best way to achieve this is to have a slug slide sewn to the tack of the sail. If the opening in the mast track is extended all the way down to the boom, you can’t use a slide. Instead a thin rope with low friction is tied through the tack grommet and around the mast. Make sure the tack of the sail is close to the mast to prevent the clew to go beyond the black band when the outhaul is pulled tight.

OUTHAUL

Make a mark on the trimline for the outhaul and stick a trim scale such that the mark is on 1 when the clew is at the measurement band on the boom. Let the reading increase as the outhaul is eased. We use 1:1 purchase for the outhaul.

MAIN HALYARD

To make the sheeting of the main exact it is equally important to hoist the main to the same point each time as is the permanent length of the headstay and avoiding tying the main sheet with a knot. This is simple to arrange either with a halyard lock in the top of the mast (best solution) or a hook at the mast foot where an eye on the halyard can be fastened. It is impossible to hoist to the same height with an ordinary cleat.

SPREADER REFERENCE FOR JIB LEECH

The sheeting of the jib is described as the distance between the spreader tip and the leech of the jib. A small trim scale on the spreader helps to judge the distance. The measurements later described is valid for the standard 295 mm spreaders. If you have different length spreaders you have to compensate for the difference.

FOOT CAMBER JIB

The depth of the jib at deck level is described as the distance between the point where the jib meets the rail. The distance is measured 850 mm back from the headstay.

SHEETING ANGLE JIB

The holes in deck for the jib barberhaulers shall be 120 mm behind the aft edge of the mast and the distance between them shall be 465 mm.

WHISKER POLE HEIGHT

The eyestrap holding a 100 mm long rope and a block for the whisker pole line shall be mounted 210 mm above the lower measurement band. Check that the line pulling the whisker pole to the boom is long enough to allow the whisker pole to come all the way up to the block.

Sail Trim

Observe that the trim given below is valid for “normal” sea conditions. In choppy sea controls shall be eased and in flat water tighter/flatter trimming is possible

SAIL FAST AND POINT

Most important for good speed and height upwind is to find the right balance through good trimming and concentrated steering. Right balance is equivalent to the right rudder pressure. You achieve this by trimming main and backstay and in stronger winds by pointing to reduce the pressure on the sailplane. I often sail with the jib slightly luffing. In flat water a stronger rudder pressure can be allowed as choppy seas require an almost neutral rudder to facilitate easy steering. The rudder easily turns into a brake.

Start by sheeting your main to the proper mark then trim the backstay for right balance. If extra power is needed the jib may be trimmed fuller.

MAINSAIL

Sheeting

In 3-5 m/s the mark on the main sheet is on 3. The top batten is then parallel to the boom and the top tell tail flies 60-70% of the time. This is the reference trim for the main and the starting point for the readings below.

In very light wind the top tell tail shall be visible as much as possible. The top batten will then point leeward. This can be difficult to achieve with an older main which batten row may tend to fall in. The mark on the main sheet is in very light conditions above the scale and in 2 m/s on 2. 3-5 m/s is the reference wind. In 7-9 m/s breeze the mark shall be on 5 and in 10-12 m/s on 6. The whole leech shall always fill.

If you have an old and soft mast the main may get overbend wrinkles from the clew to the mast when the backstay is pulled very hard. These can be reduced by tightening the cunningham. However, it is better to have a well balanced boat then a good looking main.

Backstay

The backstay is only used to stabilize the headstay in 0-2 m/s wind and is not even pulled to the first mark. In 3-5 m/s it will be trimmed between 1,25 and 1,75. In 6-8 it will be on 2-2,5 and it will be trimmed to 3,25 as a maximum when the wind increases above 10 m/s. If you manage to steer more into the wind without loosing speed less backstay tension is needed. Consequently, the backstay has to be pulled harder in choppy conditions as more active steering is required then.

Cunningham

Cunningham affects the camber position. In light winds the mast is relatively straight and therefore the main has enough draft forward without using cunningham tension. The camber position is moved backwards as soon as the backstay bends the mast and short horizontal wrinkles is seen at the luff. Pull Cunningham until the wrinkles disappear.

Outhaul

The outhaul is on 7-8 in 0-2 m/s and on 3 in 4-6 m/s. It is on 1 in stronger winds, which means that the clew is at the measurement band on the boom.

JIB

Marks are not used on the lines used for trimming the jib. Instead trim scales are in two places that give a well defined shape of the sail. That is at the spreader and at on the rail.

The jib Cunningham is pulled harder when the wind increases. To avoid that the foot is resting too much on deck in strong winds and to make sure that there is no gap between deck and skirt in light winds the jib is hoisted to different heights.

Sheet and barberhauler effects the shape of the jib in a way that it is often nessecary to adjust both at the same time.

Spreader Reference

The jib is sheeted to 5 units outside the spreader in 0-2 m/s and it is sheeted to 2-3 units outside in 3-5 m/s. It is then gradually opened to be 9-10 units outside in winds above 10 m/s. The main sails from North have a window allowing you to see the distance between the jib and the spreader having your head on the windward side of the sail. It is always better to sail with a too open jib than a too closed one, which can be very slow.

Foot Camber

The jib is sheeted 2 units outside the rail in 0-2 m/s wind (let us call that -2 units). The foot is sheeted to 3 in 3-6 m/s and in 7 m/s and above it is sheeted to 5. A fuller jib is needed in choppy conditions a flatter one is better on a flat sea.

Jib Cunningham

The jib Cunningham is always pulled just enough to remove the sag between the luff buttons.

Headstay sag

Hedstay sag is set by the backstay and is hard to control without changing the balance of the boat. However, a very flat jib (too little sag) is often an indication that the backstay should be eased.

DOWNWIND TRIM

Mast Rake

The mast shall be pushed as much forward as possible downwind. Let the backstay out and pull the mastbend inducer to keep the mast forward. The headstay will be loos and allow the jib to be spinnaker like. When the apparent wind is 70 degrees from behind or more the backstay is tightened to give 10-15 cm sag.

Mainsail

The main shall have much draft and the chamber position should be close to the centre of the cord. This is achieved by letting cunningham and outhaul loose. The vang is adjusted such that the top batten is parallel to the boom. Let the boom out to 90 degrees with the wind from the stern. With a wind angle sheet such that the top tell tail flies but is slightly irritated.

Jib

The full length of the whisker pole shall be used and cunningham shall be loose to create clear bows between the luff buttons.

Sailing angles

In very light conditions a shy wind angle is necessary to make the jib fly. In other conditions angles between 0-20 degrees form a dead run give the same VMG and you can let tactical decisions decide the angle. If you have options chose the one closest to the mark.

Melges 20 Tuning Guide

The following tuning guide is meant to be a good starting point when setting up your Melges 20. Depending on total crew weight, wind and sea condition and sailing style you may have to alter your set up slightly from what is given here. As you read this tuning guide, write down any questions you might have and we will be happy to discuss them in detail with you. The goal of this tuning guide is to achieve a rig set up that is fast in all conditions upwind and down. Your new North sails are designed with this “all around” philosophy in mind.

PRE-RACE PREPARATION

One of the most important items you and your team can do in preparing for high performance racing is to have your Melges 20 ready to race. Listed in this section are just a few items we feel are critical for success on the racecourse.

TRAILER AND BOAT

Make sure when transporting your Melges 20 that the keel bulb always sits perfectly in the keel bed of the trailer. If the boat is sitting where she belongs on the trailer you will find the bulb resting perfectly in the keel bed with space in the keel box both in front and in back of the keel. Also packing pre-cut foam between the keel edges / sides and the keel box will help prevent any movement of the keel when trailing. It is important to ensure that the keel fin is not touching the hull fairing plate prior to trailing. It is also important to ensure that the boat stays forward against the bow guide when trailering.

HULL, RUDDER AND KEEL

Class rules do not allow re-shaping of these items.

HULL – For traveling to regattas and general care of your new boat the investment of our bottom trailing cover and 1 piece top cover is well worth the protection it affords.

RUDDER – The rudder should always be removed when not in use and kept in its padded rudder bag. Remember to always put away dry.

KEEL – We just talked about taking care of your keel when the boat is on the trailer. When lowering the keel with the keel crane make sure you have rinsed out the keel box along with the keel guides. Make sure the keel box is free of any lines or padding. Also, make sure you keep the boat level when raising or lowering the keel to ensure the keel fin does not get damaged.

LAUNCHING AND RETRIEVING

Believe it or not this is when most damage occurs to Melges 20s. When trailer launching make sure the keel box is well packed with padding, as the keel wants to shift as soon as the transom starts floating. To ramp launch you will need to use the keel retractor crane and just lift the keel about ½” to ensure you do not damage the hull fairing plate. Make sure you pad the keel well on the leading and trailing edges and make sure you take great care when using the keel retraction crane.

When using an electric hoist be sure to keep the boat level or maybe a few inches down in the bow. Again we are trying to protect the keel. Also by holding the bow down just a few inches we are protecting the spreaders from possibly hanging up on the hoist arm as the spreaders pass the arm. Keep in mind when you lower the bow the keel fin is vulnerable so care must be taken not to damage the keel fin. Make sure you use the aft leg of the lifting bridle attaching it to the transom to help keep the boat in a slight bow down attitude when lifting.

When launching on a hoist it is best to use the keel retractor crane. Hook the keel retractor to the lifting ring on the keel, make sure the lift ring is screwed all the way in the top of the keel. Take tension on the keel lift winch and securely tie off the winch handle to the horn cleat. Install the lifting straps to the lifting pins alongside of the keel utilizing a luggage tag type install. Also, install the longer aft lifting strap through the top rudder gudgeon at the transom using a rudder pin. When hooking up the hoist, put one of the lifting straps over the hook, then the aft leg, then the last lifting strap. Now when you lift the boat take care not to hit the spreaders on the hoist arm. It is best to have the boat at 90 degrees or more to the hoist arm and hold the bow slightly down to keep the rig off the hoist. Keep the keel padding in place until the keel is ready to be lowered and be sure to always hold onto the winch handle, keep all body parts away from keel and take great care when lifting the keel or lowering the keel.

It is a good idea to put some soap and water on the keel guide blocks and in the keel box to allow the keel to seat more easily. If the keel guide blocks do not line up fore and aft perfectly, put a body on the bow or the stern to help tilt the boat to line up the keel guides.

DECK PREPARATION

• The factory Melges 20 comes ready to race. There are a few small class legal modifications that really help with sailing the boat.
• With your spinnaker up at maximum hoist mark the halyard with a black permanent marker.
• With your bow sprit fully extended also mark the tack line/bow sprit extender line. Make sure that you have the proper knot tied in the end of the line to account for it being tied to the tack of the spinnaker. It is best to tie the loop with about a 65mm or 2.5” loop to prevent the tack of the kite from binding on the bow sprit end plug.
• The bow sprit is shock corded to retract. Ensure that the shock cord is adjusted so that it is just enough to retract the bow sprit and not retract with too much force.
• Attach shockcord from the top of the forward stanchion to the upper shroud above the turnbuckle to prevent the spinnaker sheet from dropping in and catching on the shroud car.
• Apply some number scales to the jib track adjustment locations. Place these above where the jib sheet lead comes aft and above the spinnaker bag sock on the port side. Number 1 should align with the traveler car pin when the car is all the way forward on the track. (front of car even with front of track)

Practice – Practice – Practice!

It has been said that each mark rounding can be worth a minute on the course. Now that is a reference between the first group and the last group of boats. That is a lot of time and a majority of it comes at the corners and the first few minutes of a race. Knowing how your Melges 20 accelerates off the starting line is something you need to practice. Sets at the windward mark are critical, especially if you want to gybe right away. Having the ability to pass between two leeward gate marks absolutely requires that you and your crew understand all three spinnaker takedowns, the Mexican, the windward and the leeward. You do not have to have rock star crews in the Melges 20 class to be successful; you do need to have a regular steady crew who are willing to practice. If we had “Time On The Boat Meters” you would find the top finishing boats in our class had the most accumulated time together sailing the Melges 20.

We highly recommend the spinnaker launch system with the retrieval line and spinnaker storage sock in the cockpit. The spinnaker take downs become quick, safe and easy.

RIG SETUP

MAST DOWN

As the Melges 20 comes almost completely ready to race straight from the factory there is very little to do to prepare your boat and mast to be competitive. With the mast down, pull all the halyards down and tie off at the bottom, also make sure the turnbuckles are set evenly with similar amount of threads showing at the top and bottom of the open body. Another thing we like to do is tie some light weight shock cord between the two lower shrouds around the front of the mast 6”- 8” down from their attachment points, also above the lower spreader between the intermediates and the diamond stays, and below the port spreader, also between the Intermediates and around the front side of the forestay about 12” below their attachment points. This keeps the head of the spinnaker from getting jammed between the shrouds and mast on hoists and keeps the kite from getting caught above the lower spreader on a take down.

Double check the spreader angle and symmetry: The following process is performed at the factory when doing the final rigging on every mast. Every mast is laser straightened so when adjusting the diamond statys make sure to keep them symmetrical. We are providing the process for future field checks. Using an angle finder, level the mast using the mast base, check the spreader sweep by placing a straight edge from tip to tip on the diamond shroud or use a string pulled tight.

For masts built prior do July 2013: The upper spreader should measure from the string to the aft side of the mast track 9.2cm and the lower spreader should measure 31cm.

DO NOT ADJUST SPREADER ANGLE FORWARD OF 9 cm AT TOP AND 30 cm AT THE LOWER SPREADERS OR THIS WILL VOID THE MAST WARRANTY.

Spreader angles too far forward makes the mast less forgiving and more prone to inversion with the spinnaker up in heavy wind.

For masts built after July 1st, 2013 utilizing dyform rigging we use the following spreader angles: The upper spreader should be set to 115 mm, the lower spreader set to 320 mm.

To make sure the spreaders are symmetrical, use an angle finder and find zero or level at the mast base, then check the angle on the port spreader and then the starboard spreader. Adjust as needed to make symmetrical and at the same time maintaining the correct sweep. Make sure that the turnbuckle adjuster has at least 4 turns onto the threaded stud. After setting the spreader angle adjust the diamond stays so that you have approximately 75mm (3”) of prebend in the mast and sight up the tunnel and adjust the diamonds to make sure the mast is straight side to side.

Once the rig is ready to step you can slide the mast aft, place the diamond stay over the keel and lock in the mast base to the mast step deck plate. Rest the mast in the mast support on the rear mast hold down bunk. Now, attach the Intermediate shrouds to the outer shroud cars, make sure the shroud cars are all the way forward on the tracks. Also, attach the lower shrouds to the inner sidestay cars and insure that they are all the way forward on the tracks. You will want to ease both intermediates and lowers out at least ¾ of the way on the turnbuckles to ease in attaching the forestay for the very first mast stepping.

Set the diamond stays so that there is approximately 75mm (3”) of prebend in the mast. By tensioning the diamond stays you put more prebend in the rig. The diamonds accomplish two important tuning tasks. First, they put prebend in the mast to better fit the luff curve in the mainsail and set the rig up to sail in a wide variety of conditions without needing a backstay. The other important aspect of the diamond stays is that they support the top of the mast when you are flying the Asymmetrical spinnaker. So, it is important to have enough tension on the diamonds to support the mast with the gennaker is flying. Refer to tuning matrix chart in PDF.

Before stepping the mast it is best to pre furl the jib furler so it is ready to go before stepping the mast. When furling the jib it should furl counter clockwise, so, to wind up the drum turn it clockwise until the drum has filled up with the furling line.

It is possible to step the mast alone but will be easier if you have some one pull forward on the forestay as you walk up the mast. Ensure that the mast base stays securely locked in the deck plate and does not come out as you are walking the mast up. Also, place a sail bag, or the provided keel fin cover over the keel to protect the mast and keel from scratching when raising and lowering the mast. The spinnaker sail bag also works well for this or the factory supplied keel fin cover.

Once the mast is up, attach the Forestay to the furling tang.

MAST UP

With mast stepped attach a 15M or 50’ tape measure to the main halyard and hoist to the top and lock off on the halyard latch.

Check to see that the mast is close to centered by measuring to the top of the outer shroud track at the same position on both sides of the boat. Tighten/loosen the upper shrouds on each side so that the mast is centered side to side.

With the main halyard locked in the up position, measure to the intersection of the transom and the bottom of the hull. The measurement should be 9310mm or 30’6-1/2”. Tighten or loosen the turnbuckle on the forestay to achieve this measurement.

Use the follwing setting for masts built prior to July 2013 with 1X19 shrouds.: You will have to adjust the upper tension when adjusting the forestay to maintain a constant tension on the uppers of 250Kg (550lbs) when checking the mast rake. The upper shroud cars should be in the max forward position for tuning at base. The diamonds should read a tension of approximately 95Kg (210lbs) when the uppers are set at 250Kg tension. Now, move the lower shroud car two holes aft and measure the lower shroud tension at 130Kg (285lbs) and sight up the mast on the aft tunnel side to insure that it is straight side to side. Dial in the settings to achieve the desired tensions with the shroud cars in the base positions.

Be sure to adjust the diamond stays to this setting with the tension gauge and to set the uppers and the diamonds to this tension to check the final mast rake.

Finally, recheck to be sure the mast tip is centered side to side and that the mast rake is 9310mm or 30’6-1/2”.

For masts built after July 2013 with dyform shrouds we use the following base settings using the Loos PT-1 gauge to check the tensions. Note that dyform will produce a higher tension reading for the same tension compared to 1X19. Set the uppers at 275kg (#39), lowers at 135kg (#28), diamonds at 175kg (#28).

RIG TENSION

he tension on the upper shrouds is critical to the upwind shape of primarily the jib and to a smaller degree the mainsail. For maximum speed it is important to adjust the shroud car position on the upper and lower shrouds depending on wind and sea conditions. The Melges 20 is designed with shroud tracks on ramps to facilitate ease of rig tune with minimal turnbuckle adjusting. As the wind increases you can move the upper shroud cars aft to increase rig tension and headstay tension. This in turn helps flatten the jib and depower the rig. So as you start to get overpowered start to move the upper shroud cars aft on the tracks. You will want to be all the way aft by approximately 16knots of wind. The class rules allow for purchase on the sidestay cars to allow the cars to be adjusted more easily. Visit www.melges.com for the latest shroud adjustment system set up.

The lower shrouds control the side-to-side sag or bend of the mast, how much the mast can bend forward in the middle, and the headstay sag. We set the lowers so that when both cars are all the way forward in approximately 7 knots of wind there is approximately 10mm of sag in the mast at the lower spreader.

After you have set up the uppers to the correct wind speed, sail the boat on both tacks checking the mast sag side to side and adjusting the lowers according to the wind speed. Also, check the mainsail depth. If the main is overbending or showing a wrinkle into the mast below the bottom spreader you either need to ease off the diamond tension a bit if the breeze is lighter or pull the lowers aft on the tracks if it is breezier. This will straighten the lower mast section and increase headstay tension flattening the jib. Generally we like to set up the rig so that the main sets up fairly flat with the lower cars at base when we are sitting on the windward side of the boat. With this set up we can pull the lower cars aft to power up the main when needed and not have to pull too much vang on to flatten the mainsail. Generally, if the mainsail is backwinding with the jib in max trim position,(top leach telltale just on the verge of stalling at times but flowing 100% of the time) then you need to bend the mast more to flatten the sail. You can do this either by tightening the diamonds or moving the lower shroud car forward. You will want to just take out the backwinding in the main and not go too far unless you are overpowered and are looking to depower the mainsail further.

Using the North tuning chart in the PDF as a guideline for shroud tensions in the given wind conditions, we then play the cars to fine tune the power in the boat. Generally, if you are all the way aft on the shroud cars and still need to depower the rig further it is time to tighten to the next step in the tuning chart. If you are never moving the cars aft on a beat then generally, you are too tight and should loosen to the next step down on the chart.

Note that in heavy wind it is important to move the lower shroud cars forward 2 holes from your upwind setting prior to going downwind to allow the mast to bend forward down low and reduce the tendancy for the mast to inverse bend with the gennaker up.

SPEED TARGETS

Speed targets are important on any keelboat. If you dial in a good feel for a target speed in all the different conditions you will find that your performance gains will be significant.

Upwind targets are more important than downwind but both will be helpful. Upwind we have developed the following target range that we have found to be fast. An important note is that you need to use an accurate through the water speedo and that a GPS based system will not be accurate enough.

5 to 7 knots of wind = 4.7 to 4.9 knots of boat speed

7 to 10 knots of wind = 4.9 to 5.1 knots of boat speed

10 to 13 knots of wind = 5.1 to 5.3 knots of boat speed

13 to 18 knots of wind = 5.3 to 5.7 knots of boat speed

15+ = > 5.7 knots of boat speed

Downwind the condition where targets pay off the most is in the low soak mode. This speed changes a lot depending on wave and wind conditions and is best called by the tactician for each given condition based on boat to boat performance.

SAIL TRIM

MAINSAIL TRIM

Because the Melges 20 does not have a backstay or main traveler it is relatively simple to trim the main and steer requiring very little movement by the helmsperson. Like other boats main trim on the Melges 20 is keyed off the end of the top horizontal batten. In light to moderate air we trim the main so that the telltale on the top batten is stalled about 25% of the time (the second telltale from the top -at the second batten, is flying 100% of the time). As the wind increases both telltales will fly all the time. In light to moderate air the back end of the top batten should be parallel to the centerline on the boat, in heavy air it will be pointed out as much as 30 degrees. With the square top mainsail on the Melges 20 it is important to not over trim the mainsail. Twist is your friend, when it doubt, ease it out to get the boat going through the water. Also, keeping the mainsail trim soft and very twisted sometimes in order to sail the boat very flat can be very fast. It is important to experiment with given heel angles and main sheet tension in different conditions to see what is working the best.

Following is an overview of each main control and how it should be adjusted.

Outhaul

The Melges 20 likes to have some power down low in the mainsail so we like to keep the outhaul eased about 10-25mm in from the band In most conditions. In the heavy air setting we tend to pull the outhaul out to the band to flatten the sail, especially in flat water. In rougher seas it may be fast to keep the outhaul a bit looser to make the main fuller down low.

Vang

We use the vang upwind as soon as the boat is overpowered. At the early stages of being overpowered we simply snug the vang to help induce mast bend and flatten the mainsail. As you become more overpowered we pull the vang harder to flatten the mainsail and vang sheet. Downwind adjust the vang so the top batten telltale is always flowing, twist is generally good. Generally the vang with the slack taken out of it upwind will be too tight for downwind sailing. It is a good idea to put a number scale on the boom next to the vang track to keep track of fast settings and for an approximate downwind setting. A medium vang setting for the offset reach leg and then a loose setting for the run provides the best performance.

Cunnigham

We use the Cunningham on the Melges 20 as another one of the depowering tools. We pull on just enough to remove any horizontal wrinkles in the sail as soon as we start to get overpowered. As you become overpowered experiment with a very hard Cunningham to flatten the main, pull the draft forward and twist open the head. Again, different wave conditions warrant different settings so you must experiment to find the fast setting. Downwind the Cunningham should be off.

JIB TRIM

Because the jib on the Melges 20 is a high aspect sail (tall and skinny) it is very sensitive to small adjustments in jib sheet tension. Tightening or easing the jib sheet 1/2” can have a big effect on boat speed and pointing.

The Melges 20 jib halyard is set up on a halyard lock system similar to the mainsail. Some adjustment of jib height may be required using an extra shackle on the head of the jib. The standard setting sets the jib so the foot is just off the deck in light air and just touching in more breeze as the shrouds are tightened and is generally a good setting.

Generally in light to medium breeze set the jib lead so that when luffing slowly into the wind the luff breaks evenly. As the wind builds you will want to move the lead aft to flatten the foot and twist the head of the jib to depower.

It is a good idea to put some numbers and dashes corresponding to the different jib car positions on the track. We like to have a dash and number at each hole that the pull pin plunger will seat into. The first dash and #1 will start at the 4th hole back from the front end of the track, at this position the front of the car will be flush with the front of the track.

The Base setting for the jib car is #3. This puts the car in a position where the aft end of the car splits the second bolt from the front of the track.

In winds below about 15 knots it is legal to inhaul the windward jib sheet to narrow the sheeting angle on the jib. This is legal to do and is sometimes fast. It only requires a slight tension on the windward sheet to make a noticeable difference. Take care not to over inhaul as this will be slow. In light to medium conditions we inhaul as much as 25mm on the clew of the jib. It is best to mark the jib sheets in a way that you can easily replicate settings from tack to tack. When in doubt, ease it out! Note: On the newer jibs we’re finding that inhauling is rarely required so take care when inhauling.

We have placed a telltale on the upper leech (near the spreaders) of the jib to help you judge how tight or loose the sheet should be. The general rule of thumb is to trim the sheet hard enough so that the upper leech telltale is just on the edge of stalling, but never stalled. Just as with the mainsail it will be easy to stall the telltale in light air and very hard to stall in heavy air even with the sheet trimmed very hard.

Jib Cloth Tension

Adjust the small line at the tack of the jib so the luff of the sail has some slight wrinkles coming off it. It will be necessary to change the tension depending on the wind speed to keep the wrinkles the same in most conditions. In very heavy air, tension the luff so that the sail is smooth. In flat water it will sometimes be fast to carry some horizontal wrinkles off the luff.

Leechcord

Be sure that your leech cord is not too tight. It is very easy to put a lot of tension on the cord in heavy air and have it too tight in light air. The key is to just stop the flutter in the leach if there is any.

SPINNAKER TRIM

Spinnaker trim on the Melges 20 is much easier than that of a conventional poled boat. There are a few tricks that can make you faster downwind and make your sail handling easier.

You will want to set up the spinnaker sheets to always gybe inside the luff of the kite. So the tack line would be over the top of the spinnaker sheet as it comes aft to the kite. When rigging – “tack over sheet” is your reminder.

Always trim the kite so it is on the edge of collapsing on the luff, it is not fast to over trim the kite.

Gybing the Asymmetric

On the gybe, the fastest method is to have the trimmer ease the kite as the boat heads down, then the forward crew starts to trim the new sheet as quickly as possible to fill the kite on the new gybe. This is called the pre gybe and requires the driver to bear away to almost dead down wind and wait for the clew of the kite to be about half way from the headstay to the side shrouds before turning onto the new gybe.

Mexican Gybe

In heavier wind the Mexican style gybe works the best. It is also best to sail with the jiboutdownwindinplaningconditions. So, the trimmer will want to trim the jib in so that it is snug, the driver goes into the gybe straight away, the trimmer trims the kite in as the boat heads down, the kite fills and backs into the tight jib once the wind hits the kite and jib on the other tack, trimmer blows off the sheet and trims the new sheet as quickly as possible and releasing the jib sheet as soon as possible. When performed properly the kite will blow across the headstay and fill with a pop on the leeward side.

Spinnaker Sets

Forward crew pulls the spinnaker halyard up and the second crew pulls the tack/ pole out. Or, vice/verse, either way works well.

Spinnaker Douse

There are three types of takedowns: the windward, the leeward, and the “Mexican”.

The windward douse is used when doing a port rounding and you are approaching the mark on port tack. The “Mexican” is for rounding a mark to port but your approach is relatively shallow on a starboard tack. The leeward douse is for rounding a mark to starboard while on starboard tack or when you approach the mark at a very sharp angle while on starboard tack and you will have to gybe quickly around a mark leaving it to port.

For the leeward douse, you can either grab the lazy sheet off of the clew, or grab the sheet just above the anti hiking pad to strap the foot. The helmsperson then must bear off slightly, the clew should be pulled in under the mainsail to prevent the kite from blowing over the leech of the mainsail, and then the tack line must be blown off completely. The halyard should then be fed down as the crew gather the spinnaker. The key here is to maintain the tack and foot of the kite and keep it out of the water, also watch for the kite blowing behind the leach of the mainsail.

For the windward douse, the skipper can sail low, while the crew start to trim the windward sheet to pull the kite around to the windward side the forward crew should blow off the tack to unload the pressure off the kite. The clew should be grabbed inside the shrouds and start to stuff the kite in the bag gathering leach first for about 1/3 and then grab both. Steer under the foot to keep the kite on the deck.

For the “Mexican”, as you approach the leeward mark on starboard, the helmsperson should bear off into a slow gybe, the trimmer will over-trim the sheet as the boat gybes to port. Just as the boat is headed directly down wind and the mainsail begins to gybe, blow off the halyard. The spinnaker will blow against the rig and fall on the deck. When the sail is 2/3rds the way down release the tack and stuff the spinnaker in its bag. Practice of these three douses is vital to success on the racecourse.

Spinnaker Douse with Take Down Line

We highly recommend using the take down system on the Melges 20. This system adds greatly to the ease and simplicity of taking the gennaker down. With this system the entire process is simplified. The middle crew typically starts to inhaul the takedown line while counting down 3-2-1 and at zero the forward crew release the gennaker halyard and the tack line guiding the lines out so they do not snag. We always ease the halyard first, even on leeward drops. On a leeward drop after the halyard is eased and the tack released the forward crew should tend to the foot and tack of the kite to keep it out of the water. The driver needs to bear away to flatten the boat. The forward crew can help to stuff the last part of the kite into the sock.

On the set, it is helpful to pull the kite forward to the front of the sock to help it come out easier. Also, tending the kite halyard so it runs out freely helps insure a clean set.

Crew Positioning

Generally in light wind, you want to sit as far forward as possible between the stanchions. Keep in mind that you are not allowed to be in front of the mast. Downwind, you will want to also sit forward and heel the boat to windward as soon as you have enough pressure to sail deep. As the wind builds you want to move the weight aft upwind so the middle crew is centered on the mainsheet swivel. Downwind when planing everyone slide aft as far as possible unless you are in marginal planing conditions. Then it is best to keep the weight more centered and move the weight fore and aft to get the best feel in the boat and keep her planing as long as possible.

IMPORTANT TIPS FOR SAILING DOWNWIND IN HEAVY AIR CONDITIONS

• Make sure the rig is set up for the wind and see conditions
• Keep the outer shroud cars max aft
• Big ease on the kite or blow off the sheet in extreme puffs and waves with bow bury
• Mainsail sheeted in with vang off or if main is eased have some vang on

CONCLUSION

The Melges 20 is one of the most exciting new boats available today with rapidly growing fleets and excellent one design racing. We hope all of the tips we mentioned are helpful to your Melges 20 sailing program. Let us remind you that these are the most important and obvious helpful hints that we have provided. Our experts will be happy to go further in detail with you anytime.

Rev R12

Melges 17 Tuning Guide

IMPORTANT NOTES

• We recommend not exceeding 350 lbs total crew weight as this puts excess stress on the mast and the boat.
• When sailing, the boat performs best with the board all the way down in all conditions upwind. Downwind it is best to pull the board up 8” to 10” on the control line except in light air it will be best to leave the board all the way down.
• It is important to always keep the ends of the spinnaker halyard tied off. It is difficult to re-lead through the backbone to the transom, so it is important to maintain control of both ends of the spinnaker halyard at all times.
• The Roller Furler should furl counter clock wise when furling up the jib. So, it is important to roll it up clockwise before putting up the jib.
• The Spectra outhaul line coming out of the thru-deck pulley on the end of the boom is meant to go through the clew of the sail and through the hole in the side of the boom and then tie a slip knot to make a 2:1 purchase.
• The bow eye is suitable for tying the boat to the dock or towing the boat itself, but not suitable for towing multiple boats. When towing multiple boats tie off the tow line to the base of the mast, and tie off boats behind off the base of the mast as well.
• McLube the mast track and the mainsail bolt rope to allow the mainsail to go up and down more easily.
• You can also Mclube the spinnaker to make it easier to pull in and out of the chute launcher. Keep in mind that the standard spinnaker is made from silicone impregnated material so it is already very slippery.
• When stepping the mast, tie off the bow sprit so that when tension is pulled on the spinnaker halyard, the bow sprit does not extend.
• The red boomvang line comes up through the deck in the aft fairlead hole, the Cunningham comes up in the next forward hole in the center of the mast step, and the spinnaker halyard comes up the starboard hole on the side of the mast step.
• After leading the chute retraction end of the spinnaker halyard through the lower grommet in the spinnaker tie a doubled up knot in the halyard about 12”-18” from the end before putting the end thru the top grommet belly patch and knotting off. This allows the spinnaker to go into the chute tube without a large bunch up of spinnaker cloth at the end of the line. Make sure you tie big enough knots so they don’t pull thru the grommets. If the kite will not pull all the way into the chute launcher the knots are too far apart.
• When tying the tack line to the tack of the kite, tie a very short loop and keep the knot tight to the sail to prevent the knot from jamming in the block at the end of the pole.
• Open tank drain plugs after sailing to check for water. Also, open forward inspection ports to check for water and air out when not sailing. Even condensation can add up to a considerable amount of water over time.
• The diamond shrouds are pre set with 4” of pre bend in the spar. Be sure to keep the turnbuckles tied off.
• Do not sail the boat with less than 3” of prebend in the mast and sufficient tension on the diamond shrouds. These shrouds support the mast head spinnaker and prebend the mast to fit the mainsail in light air.
• Make sure that the ties remain on the sidestay turnbuckles as well to prevent the turnbuckles from changing settings or losing turnbuckle parts.
• Check the spreader angle on the lower spreaders by running a straight edge across the tips resting on the shroud and measuring to the aft side of the mast tunnel. The measurement should be 10”. Also, make sure the tips are extended so there are 3 holes showing in the spreader tips.
• When launching on a hoist, pay special attention to the mast and spreaders to prevent damage on the hoist. Also, make sure that the lifting bridle is secure and not caught under any deck fittings.
• Do not walk on the foredeck while on the trailer unless the transom is secured to the trailer. The MELGES 17 is very light and it takes very little weight to have the bow go down and hit the trailer. The trailer bunks are set up to support the boat under the mast bulk.

RIG SET UP

1. Untie the mast, untie the upper shrouds off the base of the mast and attach to the aft most hole in the chainplates. Be sure to tighten the shackle with a wrench and it is a good idea to use a plastic wire tie through the shackle hole and around the shackle to prevent the shackle pin from coming loose. The lifting bridle then attaches to the shackle on the upper shroud turnbuckle. Attach the lower shrouds to the forward most hole in the chainplate.
2. Keep the rear hold down secured to prevent it from tipping over when rigging the mast, and keep the trailer latched to the vehicle.
3. Slide the mast aft so that you can latch in the mast base to the deck plate, be sure to push the mast forward to hold the base in place and take care not to knock the base out by moving the mast aft or bumping the mast as this could damage the mast and boat if the mast drops to the ground. Be sure the boat is positioned to avoid any electrical wires or trees or other boats when stepping the mast. Also, be sure the boomvang lines (RED) and the Cunningham line (YELLOW) are pulled straight aft to prevent pinching under the mast base. And, the spinnaker halyard goes on the starboard side and you should place the line in the cutout on the starboard side of the mast base before stepping the mast.
4. Run the spinnaker halyard (yellow/ white fleck, or gray) starting at the deck, go inside the boomvang bail at the base of the mast, up the aft starboard side of the diamond shroud turnbuckles, lead it on the starboard aft side of the starboard spreader, but in front of the spreader turnbuckle adjuster, lead it aft of starboard upper spreader, lead it thru the pivoting eye along side the main halyard cleat, thru the swivel block at the mast head and back down to the base.
5. Run the Jib halyard, start by attaching the 1/8” spectra line to the becket block at the hounds. Slide the spectra loop thru the block and then the other end of the spectra thru the loop and pull tight. Attach the small 3mm blue jib halyard puller line to the lower end of the spectra line, run the small spectra line thru the becket block from front to back. This forms a 2:1 purchase with the jib halyard, secure both the tail and the loop of the spectra where the blue line is tied to the shock cord or gooseneck area.
6. Run the main halyard from front to back on the mast head, keeping the snap hook on the front side, pull the halyard thru so the snap hook is at the top, the other end is tied off at the shock cord and the main halyard puller is attached to the snap hook and pulled down and tied off at the base.
7. Attach any mast head Windex fittings.
8. Make sure that all halyards and shrouds are run clean and free of tangles and twists. Make sure the turnbuckles are lined up and not kinked.
9. Making sure the trailer is properly latched to the vehicle, stand in the cockpit just forward of the rear mast hold down and start walking up the mast, be sure to always push forward on the mast and keep the mast centered to make sure the base does not pop out of the mast step deck plate. The mast only weighs 22lbs so it is very easy to step. Once up, take the spinnaker halyard and tie off on the top of the trailer mast stand, make sure the bow sprit is tied in, make sure the other end of the spinnaker halyard is tied off, then cleat the spinnaker halyard and put a safety knot in it to hold up the mast.
10. Putting up the jib; take the jib out of the bag, pull thru the jib forestay wire if it is not already installed, attach the top furling swivel to the top of the wire, shackle the head of the jib to the shackle on the top furling swivel, install the two jib battens, make sure the roller furling drum on the boat is furled up clockwise enough turns to completely furl the jib when up. Attach the tack of the jib to the roller furling drum, lead the tack line through the pulley on the shackle and up to the cleat on the jib, lead at least one side of the jib sheet system, attach the top swivel to the spectra line above the loop in the bottom end. Note: The Spectra goes right over the pin in the furler, there is no other fitting. Now, raise the jib with the small blue jib halyard puller line, ease the jib halyard adjuster purchase all the way out, snap the end of the jib halyard to the becket block and snug up the jib halyard purchase system. Pull on the jib luff so that it is snug and the jib will furl properly. Furl the jib. Finish leading the continuous jib sheet. Jib sheet starts in the cockpit, lead thru each ratchet, lead down through each pulley on jib clew, lead back to eye strap on jib car and tie a figure 8 knot.
11. Mast rake and shroud tension; Set up the mast rake at 26’10”.When the shroud tension is set at #25 on the Model A Loos tension gauge. This equates to 210lbs and this is the base setting. Put a mark on the mast rake adjuster line at this setting. This is your reference point.
12. Once you have the rig tuned at base, you can put the boom on the mast. Slide the boom onto the gooseneck pin, shackle the vang becket to the vang bracket at the base of the mast and shackle the other end to the boomvang bail on the boom. Careful, the boom can slide off the gooseneck pin. If you put the mainsail on, hook up the tack and the outhaul this will help keep the boom on, or, snug the boomvang slightly.
13. Shackle the 40mm double pulley to the forward mainsheet eye strap; use the locking plate on the top of the pulley to keep the block from spinning, position the block fore and aft.
14. Shackle the 40mm single on the aft eye strap and let it swivel.
15. Lead the mainsheet, tie off on the 40mm double becket on the mainsheet bridle and lead thru the blocks appropriately.
16. Now it is time to set up the asymmetrical spinnaker. Start by gathering the spinnaker on the port side of the port along side the chute launcher opening.
17. Tie off the spinnaker halyard, look up and ensure there are no bad leads.
18. Then tie off the tack line to the tack of the kite, make sure the tack is tied to the bow eye, goes up through the bow sprit pulley around the outside of the jib headstay and aft to the tack of the kite.
19. Next you should lead the end of the spinnaker halyard that comes out of the chute launcher under the foot of the kite up through the lower belly patch grommet, then tie a large knot about 12”-18” from the end of the line. Then lead the line from the inside out on the top grommet and knot off with a large knot.
20. Then lead the continuous spinnaker sheets starting in the cockpit, going through the 57mm Harken auto-ratchets shackled onto the eye straps just behind the chainplates, make sure that you look at the arrows so the ratchets will ratchet when the sheet is pulled in. Take the port sheet out around the port sidestay and tie off on the clew of the spinnaker. Take the starboard sheet out around the starboard shroud, around the outside of the headstay, stay inside the tack line, and go over the top of the spinnaker retraction line, then tie off on the clew of the spinnaker. Using the spinnaker retraction line, pull the kite into the sock helping it in at the same time, make sure the lines stay free and untangled.
21. Launch the boat
22. Pull up the mainsail; it is best to tie a bowline to the head of the mainsail to pull evenly off the top of the sail, keep the loop short and leave a bit of tail on the knot to make sure it does not come untied. Pull the main all the way up until the sail stops at the top of the tunnel, cleat the main in the mast head cleat and pull down on the luff to seat the line in the cleat.
23. Lead the Cunningham up to and thru the mainsail grommet and back down to the eyestrap at the tack and tie off making a 2:1
24. Make sure the outhaul is lead with a 2:1 purchase at the end of the boom.

 

RIG CHART

WIND SPEED	0-10 knots	6-12 knts	10-18 knts	15-25 knts
SHROUD TENSION	Loosen 2 full turns from Base	Base	Base	Tighten 6 full turns from base
MAST RAKE	Base	Base	Base mark	Base mark
LOWER SHROUDS	Loosen 3 full turns 1/2” of sag at spreader	No sag, lowers will be snug	No Sag	Tighten lowers 4 turns
JIB LEAD	4 holes showing behind car	4 holes showing	3-4 holes showing	3-4 holes showing

 

SAILING TIPS

• Angle of heel; heel the boat to reduce wetted surface in light air, keep the leeward board vertical in medium breeze and heavy air, work to keep the boat flat.
• Only snug the boomvang unless you need to depower the rig, the vang will blade out the mainsail.
• Only pull on the Cunningham when you are overpowered.
• Trim the mainsail with more twist than a lower roached mainsail, the larger roach mainsail likes a bit more twist, watch the leech telltales, keep them flowing.
• Going fast upwind requires only trimming the mainsail properly and trimming the jib properly with the correct lead. Do not over-tension the boomvang or the Cunningham.
• If possible the helmperson should help either drop the board or raise the board.
• If the waves are big, keep the boat flat, keep the jib leads forward and try a soft jib sheet tension.
• Always pull the wrinkles out of the jib luff.
• Downwind, sail with pressure, but don’t sail too high in the medium stuff. In light air, sail with weight to leeward, and the apparent wind forward. In medium breeze sail with pressure and weight in and try to get low on the course. In the bigger breeze hike hard and sail with pressure and the mainsail in.
• Raise the leeward board 8”-10” on the control line downwind in a breeze over 8 knots. Keep it all the way down in light air.
• Furl the jib after the kite is up.
• Unfurl the jib before you take the kite down, the headstay will have more sag in it when you are unfurling the jib, uncleat the furler line and pull on the jib sheet a bit to get the jib to unfurl, do not force it, let the wind blow the jib out if possible so as not to damage the jib while unfurling.
• Take out all of the slack of the kite retraction line before you uncleat the halyard.
• On a windward take down, trim the windward sheet and clew around to the port side of the boat and strap the foot, hand the sheet to the skipper and retract the kite.
• On a leeward drop, which is the hardest drop to do safely, you need to head straight down wind, strap the foot of the kite on the port side of the boat, heel the boat to windward(skipper and crew) and retract the kite while keeping the boat heeled to windward.
• The Mexican takedown is the same as the other take downs, you simply trim the kite tight on the port side and gybe into it and retract it.
• Skipper may have to tail the halyard down to help prevent the kite from dropping in the water. Speed on the retraction line is key.
• When gybing, get the board down and go right into it, trimming the kite thru on the gybe as quickly as possible.
• Practice all take downs, leeward and windward. Both take downs will require bearing away to unload the kite to more easily pull it in.
• In very heavy air, keep the main trimmed in to help support the rig and to go really fast.
• If you ever have rudder stalling problems in heavy air, at very high speeds, raise the board slightly.
• Keeping the front of the boat organized: Try leading the spinnaker halyard over the top of the boom or through a caribbeaner attached to the boom vang bail on the boom. Also, leading the board up line through a caribbeaner on the forward mainsheet bail works well to keep the board line clean and easy to grab.

The MELGES 17 is a brand new, fast, exciting boat to sail. The above information is what we have learned so far about the boat. These are generalizations and will be a good starting point. It is good to experiment outside the range of these numbers slightly to see what works best for your team.

Be sure to take good notes so you can refer back to fast settings.

Sail fast and have a blast!

Melges 24 Tuning Guide

The following tuning guide is meant to be a good starting point when setting up your Melges 24. Depending on total crew weight, wind and sea condition and sailing style you may have to alter your set up slightly from what is given here. As you read this tuning guide, write down any questions you might have and we will be happy to discuss them in detail with you. The goal of this tuning guide is to achieve a rig set up that is fast in all conditions upwind and down. Your new North sails are designed with this “all around” philosophy in mind.

CLASS RULES

We have a great set of rules that many of the Melges 24 owners along with the International Sailing Federation have developed over the years since the introduction of the Melges 24.  The current class rules can be downloaded from melges24.com.  If you have any specific questions about class rules please feel free to ask any of our Melges 24 class experts to help you with clarification.

PRE-RACE PREPARATION

One of the most important items you and your team can do in preparing for high performance racing is to have your Melges 24 ready to race.  Listed in this section are just a few items we feel are critical for success on the racecourse.

TRAILER AND BOAT

Make sure when transporting your Melges 24 that the keel bulb always sits perfectly in the keel bed of the trailer.  If the boat is sitting where she belongs on the trailer you will find the bulb resting perfectly in the keel bed with space in the keel box both in front and in back of the keel.  Also packing pre-cut foam between the keel edges / sides and the keel box will help prevent any movement of the keel when trailing.  Many teams seal the top of the keel bulb and the top of the keel box with plastic so that dirt and other debris cannot scratch or damage any part of the keel when traveling.

Hull, Rudder and Keel

Class rules do not allow re-shaping of these items.

Hull

For trailing the investment of our 3-piece bottom cover and 1 piece top cover is well worth the protection it affords.

Rudder

The rudder should always be removed when not in use and kept in its padded rudder bag.

Keel 

We just talked about taking care of your keel when the boat is on the trailer.  When lowering the keel either with the keel crane or by picking the boat up with an electric hoist make sure you have rinsed out the keel box along with the delrins.  Because of the tight fit between keel and the delrins even small bits of debris can harm the finish of the keel.

Launching and Retrieving The Boat

Believe it or not this is when most damage occurs to Melges 24s.  When trailer launching make sure keel box is well packed, as the keel wants to shift as soon as the transom starts floating.   When using an electric hoist be sure to keep the boat level or maybe a few inches down in the bow.  Again we are trying to protect the keel.   Also by holding the bow down just a few inches we are protecting the spreaders from possibly hanging up on the hoist arm as the spreaders pass the arm.

Deck Preparation

The factory Melges 24 comes ready to race.  There are a few small class legal modifications that really help with sailing the boat.

• With your spinnaker up at maximum hoist mark the halyard with a black permanent marker.
• With your bow sprit fully extended also mark the bow sprit extender line.
• With the bow sprit retracted (to class maximum extension when sailing upwind) we want to put a knot on the bow sprit retraction line.  By having the pole extended that few extra inches we prevent water from coming in the gasket area of the pole when sailing upwind in larger waves.  Also, add an additional rubber gasket to the pole so that when the pole is retracted the second gasket retracts over the one on the hull.  Most now do not use the retraction line at all and use the tack line to pull in the bow sprit.
• Lubricate your bow sprit with a Teflon based jelly like compound.  Super Lube, Vaseline are some examples.  Do not use a dry Teflon spray because this will not lubricate and protect your gasket seal.
• The addition of a small batten (soft 6”) to the end of your bow sprit will help prevent the tack line from dropping over the end of the pole on a take down
• Mount a Wichard hook or Carabiner on the bottom of the boom at the outhaul turning block.  We will place the spinnaker halyard tail in this hook for spinnaker douses.  You will find that by placing the tail through this hook that the halyard will not re-cleat itself when the spinnaker is on the way down.

On older boats it is only necessary to drill extra holes in the jib track next to the third bolt head (from the back of the track). Drill one of these holes just in front of the third bolt head, between the factory hole and the bolt head.  Also, drill the third bolt head out a little for extra lead adjustment position and drill three extra holes aft of the third bolt head in between the factory holes for finer adjustment.

PRACTICE – PRACTICE – PRACTICE!

It has been said that each mark rounding can be worth a minute on the course.  Now that is a reference between the first group and the last group of boats.  That is a lot of time and a majority of it comes at the corners and the first few minutes of a race.  Knowing how your Melges 24 accelerates off the starting line is something you need to practice.  Sets at the windward mark are critical, especially if you want to gybe right away.  Having the ability to pass between two leeward gate marks absolutely requires that you and your crew understand all three spinnaker takedowns, the Mexican, the windward and the leeward.  You do not have to have rock star crews in the Melges 24 class to be successful; you do need to have a regular steady crew who are willing to practice.   If we had “Time On The Boat Meters” you would find the top finishing boats in our class had the most accumulated time together sailing the Melges 24.

RIG SETUP

MAST DOWN

As the Melges 24 comes almost completely ready to race straight from the factory there is very little to do to prepare your boat and mast to be competitive.   With the mast down, be sure to mount your masthead backstay batten and wind indicator to the top of the mast. We like to put a dark colored piece of tape around each spreader 12” in from each tip.  Our jibs are designed with relatively straight leeches and tighter sheeting angles, thus the 12”(305mm) mark.  This will be used later for judging how tight or loose the jib is trimmed.   Another thing we like to do is tie some light weight shock cord between the two lower shrouds around the front of the mast 6”- 8” down from their attachment points. This keeps the head of the spinnaker from getting jammed between the shrouds and mast on hoists.    

MAST UP

With mast stepped and the jib halyard hyfield lever locked down attach a 50’ tape measure to the main halyard and hoist to the top (two blocked). Be sure to remove the factory main halyard shackle and run the halyard straight through the end of the tape, tie a overhand or figure eight knot in the end of the tape.

Check to see that the mast is close to centered by measuring to the chainplates on both sides of the boat. At this point the upper shrouds should be snug (16 on a Loos Model B tension gauge) and the lowers should be loose. Tighten/loosen the upper shrouds on each side so that the mast is centered side to side.

Now measure from the top of the mast to the intersection of the transom and the bottom of the hull. This measurement should be 36’6+1/2”(11.140). Tighten or loosen the turnbuckle above the hyfield lever to achieve this measurement.  Make sure that you achieve this measurement with 16 on the uppers.

Tension the lower shrouds so when using the Model B Loos gauge and pulled to the line, you measure 68mm from the the shroud to the end of the gauge.

Now tighten the uppers 18 turns and the lowers 15 turns to load up the rig.   Measure the side to side as per below and check for the mast column to be straight at this point.

Finally, with the upper shrouds back at 16 on the Loos tension gauge, recheck to be sure the mast tip is centered side to side and that the mast rake is 36’6+1/2”. To check the rake it is best to use the tape measure on the main halyard by taking a 3/16”(5mm) short piece of line and tying a knot in each end maybe 4” (100mm) apart.   Put one knot in the mast tunnel  and put the other end of the line through the end of the tape measure or the knot in the halyard then put the other knot in the mast tunnel and raise the halyard to where the upper sidestays intersect the mast.   Measure down to the deck on each side of the boat at the upper sidestay position and center the mast side to side.

RIG TENSION

The tension on the upper shrouds is critical to the upwind shape of primarily the jib and to a smaller degree the mainsail. For maximum speed it is important to adjust the tension on the upper and lower shrouds depending on wind and sea conditions. For the uppers, which get quite tight, we use a Loos Model B tension gauge to measure shroud tension and adjust the tension depending on the wind strength using the following chart.

The lower shrouds control the side-to-side sag or bend of the mast and to a smaller degree how much the mast can bend forward in the middle. The lowers have a lot of control over the shape of the main because of this and it is very important to be sure they are adjusted correctly. Because the tension on the lowers is so light, we prefer to set their tension by sighting up the backside of the mast to see how much sag the mast has to set the lower tension.  It is not fast except in very windy conditions to have the middle of the mast bending to windward. When it becomes so windy that the mainsail turns inside out and begins to luff or flog in the puffs, then it is fast to tighten the lowers so that the mast falls off to leeward above the spreaders.  This keeps the bottom section of the mast from over bending fore and aft and thus keeps the bottom section of the mainsail working while twisting open the top half to depower.

SPECIAL NOTE

When sailing with lowers this tight it is extremely important to keep some backstay on going downwind.  If the backstay is not on, the mast will invert and most likely break!!  Always have the forward crew sight up the mast to insure that there is enough backstay on!

Below is a chart of the settings on the upper and lower shrouds that we have found fast:  This chart was formulated for the Ronstan turnbuckles and the internal wire jib halyard system.    For the open body turnbuckles use ½ turn to equate to this chart of 1 full turn for the Ronstan turnbuckles.

As you can see from the chart we have a very detailed adjustment schedule. The goal is to be within a 1 step range of the correct setting for the given wind range.  The chart you build for your boat may vary slightly on the number of full turns on or off to achieve maximum performance.

After you have set up the uppers to the correct wind speed, sail the boat on both tacks checking the mast sag side to side and adjusting the lowers according to the wind speed. After you have sailed the boat a while you can create a chart of the shroud tensions and the number of turns needed to be put on or taken off the shrouds for each significant change in wind speed.  Also, create a chart for turnbuckle numbers for each side of the boat.  This will enable you to exactly duplicate settings without counting turns.   If you have the open body turnbuckles it is best to measure the gap between the ends of the threaded studs with a micrometer and record those numbers when the rig is at base so you have a starting point to return to.

Note that in heavy seas you will want to err a little bit on the tight side to allow for a softer backstay and loose mainsheet and in flat water you can err a little bit in the light side to allow for more backstay and a bendier mast. While class rules allow you to adjust your shrouds anytime during a race we like to set the boat up for the lightest wind speed we expect to see on the first beat. Then if the wind speed changes significantly during a leg we adjust our shrouds according to our chart.

Having a base setting using your light medium numbers is a good way to leave the dock each day for the races.  It is easy to spin up and down from there.  Develop this habit and you will find tuning the rig is not such a mystery but actually rather simple.

WIND	UPPER TENSION	LOWER SAG
0-6 – Light	Loosen 2 turns from base	¾” leeward sag, loosen 1 turn from base
6-8	Loos 16 —  Base Setting	¾” leeward sag —  Base Setting
7-10	Plus 3	Plus 2
10-11	6	4
11-12	9	6
12-13	12	8
13-15	15	11
15-17	18	14
17-19	20	17
19-21	23	20
21-23	25	24
23+	Loosen forestay 5 turns – Go to 29	27

 

The chart below is for the FIXED FORESTAY set up with the Vectran jib halyard:

WIND	UPPER TENSION	LOWER SAG
0-6 – Light	Loosen 2 turns from base	¾” leeward sag, loosen 1 turn from base
6-8	Loos 16  —  Base Setting	¾” leeward sag – Base Setting
7-10	Loosen Forestay turnbuckle 6 full turns from base Plus 2 on uppers from base	Plus 1.5
10-11	5	3.5
11-12	8	5.5
12-13	Loosen Forestay turnbuckle 12 full turns from base Plus 10 on uppers from base	7.5
13-15	12	9
15-18	Loosen forestay 18 full turns from base Plus 15 on uppers from base	12
17-20	18	14
19-21	21	16

 

SAIL TRIM

Like other boats main trim on the Melges 24 in keyed off the end of the top batten. In light to moderate air we trim the main so that the telltale on the top batten is stalled about 25% of the time (the second telltale from the top -at the second batten, is flying 100% of the time). As the wind increases both telltales will fly all the time. In light to moderate air the back end of the top batten should be parallel to the centerline on the boat, in heavy air it will be pointed out about 5 degrees.  Don’t forget that mainsheet tension is how you tension your forestay, which directly effects on your pointing ability.  There is a fine line on having enough tension for good pointing ability and over-trimming the main.  Usually most over-trimming of mainsails occurs in light air.

Following is an overview of each main control and how it should be adjusted.

BACKSTAY

The backstay controls the overall power in the sail plan, particularly the main. Generally we do not use any backstay upwind until about 12 knots true. Then we will start putting the backstay on to depower the boat and keep it on its feet. It is vital that every time you adjust the backstay you adjust the mainsheet as well. When you tighten the backstay tighten the mainsheet to keep the top batten angle the same. In reverse when you loosen the backstay be sure to ease the main as well.   This is not the case in heavy air, as you can leave the mainsheet more constant and work the backstay to change power.  In puffy conditions we find it better to play the backstay rather than the mainsheet.  The mainsheet also effects how the jib luff sags so it is faster to keep the main trimmed and initially play the backstay in a puff.  The jib will not get fuller in the puffs and the boat will accelerate faster this way.  When it is really windy, you can switch back to working the mainsail and keeping the backstay on really hard.

OUTHAUL

Because the slot on the Melges 24 is quite narrow, the bottom of the main generally needs to be on the flat side. Keep the outhaul tight (clew at black band) in conditions when the crew is on the rail. When the crew is in the boat you can ease the clew in 1” from the black band. Clew should be 2-3” in from band downwind except in heavy air tight reaching when it should be tight.

VANG

We use the vang upwind as soon as the boat is overpowered.  At the early stages of being overpowered we simply snug the vang with the mainsheet trimmed while going upwind.  We do this so that when easing the mainsheet in the puffs we do not lose control of main leech.  As you become more overpowered we pull the vang harder to flatten the bottom 1/3rd of the mainsail.  Downwind adjust the vang so the top batten is parallel to the boom.  Generally the vang with the slack taken out of it upwind will be too tight for downwind sailing.  We like to make a mark on the vang itself for an approximate downwind setting and then ease the vang to that mark just before rounding the weather mark.

CUNNINGHAM

We do not use the main Cunningham until the wind gets to over 16 knots. Then we pull on just enough to remove any horizontal wrinkles in the sail. Under 16 knots be sure the Cunningham is loose enough to allow for some slight horizontal wrinkles in the luff of the main.  Downwind the Cunningham should be off.

TRAVELER

As a rule of thumb, keep the traveler car between the skipper foot rests when sailing upwind. Never sail with the car above the windward one nor to leeward of the leeward one. In light air (crew in boat) the car will be at   the windward foot push. As the crew comes up on the rail we find it very fast to center the car or pull it above centerline if it is choppy conditions. As the breeze continues to build, keep the car centered or up depending on chop. If it is choppy then you want to err on the traveler higher with a looser mainsheet to allow the top of the main to twist.    In really heavy air when the mainsail tends to “turn inside out” keep the traveler centered or raised to stop the main from luffing and put some power in the bottom of the sail.  In moderately heavy air, with lots of chop, you can experiment with keeping the backstay on hard to keep the headstay straight, and pulling the main traveler to windward with a soft mainsheet to keep twist in the main.    

JIB TRIM

Because the jib on the Melges 24 is a high aspect sail (tall and skinny) it is very sensitive to small adjustments in jib sheet tension. Tightening or easing the jib sheet 1/2” can have a big effect on boat speed and pointing.

With the 36’ 6 1/2” mast rake setting you should use the third bolt head from the back of the jib track for a base setting, the next special drilled hole just forward of that third bolt  for ligther wind and the holes just after the third bolt for conditions above base conditions.  The jib lead should be moved aft to flatten the jib as the wind increases ending up 3 holes aft of base in heavy conditions.  In choppier conditions you will want to err on keeping the lead further forward.

We have placed a telltale on the upper leech (near the spreaders) of the jib to help you judge how tight or loose the sheet should be. The general rule of thumb is to trim the sheet hard enough so that the upper leech telltale is just on the edge of stalling. Just as with the mainsail it will be easy to stall the telltale in light air and very hard to stall in heavy air even with the sheet trimmed very hard.

JIB CLOTH TENSION

Adjust the small line at the tack of the jib so the luff of the sail has some slight horizontal wrinkles coming off it. It will be necessary to change the tension depending on the wind speed to achieve some slight wrinkles at all times. In very heavy air, tension the luff so that the sail is smooth and you are pulling out all the wrinkles.

LEECH CORD

Be sure that your leech cord is not too tight. It is very easy to put a lot of tension on the cord in heavy air and have it too tight in light air.

SPINNAKER TRIM

Spinnaker trim on the Melges is much easier than that of a conventional poled boat.  There are a few tricks that can make you faster downwind and make your sail handling easier.  Tack height on the sail is important. Generally, we keep the tack down tight to the pole end when reaching (broad or beam). Letting the tack up on reach will just move the sail to leeward and increase heeling.   When we can let the tack line off when the tack will ride straight up or just slightly to leeward.  We have found this setup to be faster in these conditions.  We will generally let the tack off in these conditions 12-18”.

Two other topics that always come up are whether to take the spinnaker down between the shrouds and the mast or behind them. The other topic is whether to gybe the spinnaker inside it’s luff or outside.   We’ve found that it almost always seems easier to take the spinnaker down behind the shrouds. This makes setting the spinnaker easier as it does not have to fit between the shrouds, the vang, the jib and the boom. When setting the spinnaker, it is best to take the whole sail out of the bag prior to setting. This makes it much easier to hoist the sail.  Normally, we’ve found that it is just as fast and a lot safer to gybe the spinnaker inside its luff. This eliminates any chance that the lazy sheet could fall in the water, it makes for a less sheet for the spinnaker trimmer to pull in, and it allows you to perform any of the three takedowns at the leeward mark.

GYBING THE ASYMMETRIC

There are two types of gybes.  The inside gybe and the outside gybe.  How you hook up your tack line to your spinnaker tack dictates whether you will gybe inside or outside.  By placing your tack line on top of the spinnaker sheet when hooking the tack line up to the spinnaker you are setting up for an inside gybe, where the spinnaker passes between the luff of the spinnaker and the furled up jib on the headstay.   Hooking up the tack line underneath the spinnaker sheet sets you up for an outside gybe.  Most of the time though, you will see teams gybing inside.  On the gybe, the fastest method is to have the trimmer ease the kite as the boat heads down, another crew starts to trim the new sheet and the forward crew overhauls the new sheet just behind the shrouds.  The forward crew then pulls down on the clew to untwist the head as the kite comes around.     Almost everyone is now gybing inside and not using the outside gybes.

SPINNAKER SETS

We have found that it is best to always set the spinnaker from behind the shrouds.  This does mandate taking the spinnaker down behind the shrouds, which is the easiest way for all three takedowns.   

SPINNAKER DOUSES

There are three types of takedowns: the windward, the leeward, and the “Mexican”.

The windward douse is used when doing a port rounding and you are approaching the mark on port tack.  The “Mexican” is for rounding a mark to port but your approach is relatively shallow on a starboard tack.  The leeward douse is for rounding a mark to starboard while on starboard tack or when you approach the mark at a very sharp angle while on starboard tack and you will have to gybe quickly around a mark leaving it to port.   

For the leeward douse, you can either grab the lazy sheet off of the clew, or grab the sheet just above the lifeline.  The helmsperson then must bear off slightly, the clew should be pulled in under the mainsail to prevent the kite from blowing over the leech of the mainsail, and then the tack line must be blown off completely.   The halyard should then be fed down as the crew gather the spinnaker.

For the windward douse, the skipper can sail low, while the crew start to trim the windward sheet to pull the kite around to the windward side the forward crew should blow off the tack to unload the pressure off the kite.  The clew should be trimmed all the way back behind the shrouds, the halyard can then be released and the kite stowed.

For the “Mexican”, as you approach the leeward mark on starboard, the helmsperson should bear off into a slow gybe, the trimmer will over-trim the sheet as the boat gybes to port. Just as the boat is headed directly down wind and the mainsail begins to gybe, blow off the halyard. The spinnaker will blow against the rig and fall on the deck.  When the sail is 2/3rds the way down release the tack and stuff the spinnaker in its bag.  Practice of these three douses is vital to success on the racecourse.

CONCLUSION

We hope all of the tips we mentioned are helpful to your Melges 24 sailing program.   Let us remind you that these are the most important and obvious helpful hints that we have provided.   Our experts will be happy to go further in detail with you anytime.