I learned more from this video than I have in all my years of sailing a Sunfish. I will be putting this knowledge to practice this week! Thank you so much!
Thank you. Glad I could help. I learned many of the rigging and boat tweaks from several really fine Sunfish sailors local to the northern Chicago suburban shores of Lake Michigan. They were very generous helping me, when I gave up offshore sail racing and turned to Sunfish.
Many thanks Steve ! while that boat concept is fantastically simple, trimming it very well is not that easy with all those parameters. If you could add some content about the vang that would be great.
This is a very non technical answer. Stronger winds press against the sail which tends to pull up on the boom. That creates a less efficient sail shape. The vang holds the boom down so that effect is minimized.
Hi Steve: Very nice info/knowledge/experience! Thx! Question: The gooseneck position adjustment is done before your sailing session right? During the sailing (on water), do you have a chance to adjust it? Or Maybe it is possible but too hard?
Thanks for your encouragement. Yes, you can adjust the gooseneck position on the water. Many racing skippers will adjust the gooseneck on the water prior to a race start if the wind is different from the wind at the time of launch. The goal is to move the center of effort of the sail so that there is some weather helm, tendency of the boat to turn to windward, but not too much. A little bit of weather helm helps to precisely steer the boat. Too much weather helm causes the rudder to create turbulence in the water, which slows the boat. Not good. I'm sure there are more elegant ways to explain this. Be sure to click on the like button and subscribe to the channel. I'd like to make more of these videos and your click will help. Thanks.
Hello Steve. Thank you for this video. It is excellent. I am a recent Sunfish owner. I was wondering if you would be willing to offer some advice to help me troubleshoot a tuning problem. I will write the details later, if you say you are ok to answer here. I don't have a local sunfish expert to consult with. Thank you
Ok. Here goes... My boat has a great deal of weather helm. I really have to tug hard to keep it going straight. Very difficult with the extension. I need to hold the tiller directly to get enough leverage. It is not like any other boat i have sailed but I don't have another sunfish for reference. About the boat: 1998, in very good shape. Like new. I have the original sail and I also just got a new one with a window. The sail does not make a difference. I kept moving the gooseneck back to try to relieve the problem and i am now at 21 inches, which seems extreme and the problem is still there. Oh, I am not racing, just a recreational sailor. The halyard attach is between the 54 and 74 inches(64ish). I have experimented with the halyard attach as high as possible(ie. sail/boom are lower) to reduce heeling but I can't detect a difference in weather helm. I am sailing in 10-15 knots of wind. I am 185 lbs. I do not have a cunningham or outhaul cleat/adjustment. I thought I might install the cunningham to play with the draft. Will moving the draft forward, move the CE too? i didn't want to drill holes yet and it seems like there is something else going on. When I got the boat there was a slight bend in the upper boom. I though that was maybe the cause but I successfully bent it back and it is straight now. Outhaul (lower and upper) are pulled just tight enough to remove "scallops". That's all I can think of. Appreciate any suggestions or experiments I can try. Boom vang tightness? I am not hiking out enough? Thanks
@@jmogyoro You've been experimenting with the right things. I have a couple of questions. When you are sailing a straight course to windward in 10 to 15 knots of wind, how far is the front of your tiller off the boat fore and aft center line? Where are you sitting on the boat, front, middle, or back of the cockpit? I sit fully forward, when beating and move aft when off the wind, sometimes almost on the back deck when planing downwind in heavy air. I set my halyard attachment point so that the front of the lower spar is about an inch or two off the deck, when the gooseneck is at 14 inches aft of the seam between the plastic boom spar cap and the aluminum spar. Make sure you set the vang on hard to be sure you still have clearance between the boom spar cap and the deck. Here is a document that you might find interesting: Join the Sunfish_sailor Yahoo group. In the files section look for Helm and the Quick-adjust Gooseneck.pdf. There are lots of other good articles in the files, too. You don't want to give up on using the tiller extension. Without it you can't really sit in the boat properly and hike out as you must in stronger winds to keep the boat as flat as possible. Heeling equals weather helm.
Are you looking for a sailmaker to buy a new sail? If so and if you are not planning to race in Sunfish organization sanctioned races I recommend Intensity Sails for good value for quality.
Steve King i am a Fischer man.your Portuguese its clean.would I be your friend? WhatsApp: +55 719 87764221.here in bahia, Brazil,I haven't a person to talk about this your boats,my canoe it s of wood.I wish put it a Keel.is it possible?
Não falo português. Eu usei no aplicativo de tradução de linha. Keel? Experimente isso. www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiIxdWA8_XWAhUh34MKHXnXDFwQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.instructables.com%2Fid%2FSailing-Rig-for-a-Fiberglass-Canoe%2F&psig=AOvVaw1xzd9Bi-J4dVoIF63_jzYO&ust=1508268796070479
The beauty of the Sunfish, the world's most popular small dinghy, is that it can be dead simple for casual sailing in moderate winds; however, it can also be a boat sailed in competition by highly skilled sailors in extreme wind and wave conditions. I spoke to a participant in a recent Sunfish World championship who said that most races were in winds over 20 knots and waves greater than 6 feet. Some of the rigging tweaks shown in this video are for those sailors that go sailing, when most sailors, including myself, are glad to be on the beach.
Great info. I've sailed my sunfish a considerable distance and camped with it a few times, but always experienced too much weather helm. You can see that effect in this video: th-cam.com/video/_VDeik7wTlU/w-d-xo.html Thank you much.
Most underrated upload on the 'net. Incredibly helpful, and had 3 eureka moments. Thank you.
Good job: clear info, good production values, especially clear audio, which is rare in these things.
Skylar King? We must be related;-) I once worked for the guy who played Sky King on the radio, Earl Nightingale.
Actually It's an oblique reference to E.E. "Doc" Smith's fiction, but congrats on working with a radio legend.
I'm restoring a Sunfish and have referred to the video repeatedly, so glad that I have it. Great job, thanks!
I learned more from this video than I have in all my years of sailing a Sunfish. I will be putting this knowledge to practice this week! Thank you so much!
Thank you. Glad I could help. I learned many of the rigging and boat tweaks from several really fine Sunfish sailors local to the northern Chicago suburban shores of Lake Michigan. They were very generous helping me, when I gave up offshore sail racing and turned to Sunfish.
I am about to be getting a sunfish tomorrow, and these videos have helped me so much with terminology -
Glad the videos helped. Thanks for letting me know. Good luck with your new fish.
Thank you, this is the video I've been looking for; a week.
Excellent videos. Clear and precise with good information. Audio and video both professional quality. Thank you!
Awesome! Now I realize how clueless I am about the sunfish! This is very helpful.
Very helpful tuning tips! And great production value too. Thanks!
Nice to hear that the video is useful. Thank you very much.
Very nicely done Steve!
Thanks. Just checked. The first Sunfish rigging video only has 84,000 views. Time for new specs.
Thanks Steve... the best advanced rigged lesson
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks.
Really outstanding video. Thanks so much from a newbie. ;)
That outhaul is pure spaghetti
A question : What is the weight of the hull , please ? I did not find anywhere !
look at SAILBOAT DATA . 125 pounds tho . i think
where do you sail out of ?
North Shore Yacht Club in Highland Park, IL on Lake Michigan.
Many thanks Steve ! while that boat concept is fantastically simple, trimming it very well is not that easy with all those parameters. If you could add some content about the vang that would be great.
This is a very non technical answer. Stronger winds press against the sail which tends to pull up on the boom. That creates a less efficient sail shape. The vang holds the boom down so that effect is minimized.
Hi Steve:
Very nice info/knowledge/experience! Thx!
Question: The gooseneck position adjustment is done before your sailing session right? During the sailing (on water), do you have a chance to adjust it? Or Maybe it is possible but too hard?
Thanks for your encouragement. Yes, you can adjust the gooseneck position on the water. Many racing skippers will adjust the gooseneck on the water prior to a race start if the wind is different from the wind at the time of launch. The goal is to move the center of effort of the sail so that there is some weather helm, tendency of the boat to turn to windward, but not too much. A little bit of weather helm helps to precisely steer the boat. Too much weather helm causes the rudder to create turbulence in the water, which slows the boat. Not good. I'm sure there are more elegant ways to explain this. Be sure to click on the like button and subscribe to the channel. I'd like to make more of these videos and your click will help. Thanks.
good, I think the narration/video flow was better then part one.
Good clear video. Thanks
Hello Steve. Thank you for this video. It is excellent. I am a recent Sunfish owner. I was wondering if you would be willing to offer some advice to help me troubleshoot a tuning problem. I will write the details later, if you say you are ok to answer here. I don't have a local sunfish expert to consult with. Thank you
Ask away.
Ok. Here goes... My boat has a great deal of weather helm. I really have to tug hard to keep it going straight. Very difficult with the extension. I need to hold the tiller directly to get enough leverage. It is not like any other boat i have sailed but I don't have another sunfish for reference. About the boat: 1998, in very good shape. Like new. I have the original sail and I also just got a new one with a window. The sail does not make a difference. I kept moving the gooseneck back to try to relieve the problem and i am now at 21 inches, which seems extreme and the problem is still there. Oh, I am not racing, just a recreational sailor. The halyard attach is between the 54 and 74 inches(64ish). I have experimented with the halyard attach as high as possible(ie. sail/boom are lower) to reduce heeling but I can't detect a difference in weather helm. I am sailing in 10-15 knots of wind. I am 185 lbs. I do not have a cunningham or outhaul cleat/adjustment. I thought I might install the cunningham to play with the draft. Will moving the draft forward, move the CE too? i didn't want to drill holes yet and it seems like there is something else going on. When I got the boat there was a slight bend in the upper boom. I though that was maybe the cause but I successfully bent it back and it is straight now. Outhaul (lower and upper) are pulled just tight enough to remove "scallops". That's all I can think of. Appreciate any suggestions or experiments I can try. Boom vang tightness? I am not hiking out enough? Thanks
@@jmogyoro You've been experimenting with the right things. I have a couple of questions. When you are sailing a straight course to windward in 10 to 15 knots of wind, how far is the front of your tiller off the boat fore and aft center line? Where are you sitting on the boat, front, middle, or back of the cockpit? I sit fully forward, when beating and move aft when off the wind, sometimes almost on the back deck when planing downwind in heavy air. I set my halyard attachment point so that the front of the lower spar is about an inch or two off the deck, when the gooseneck is at 14 inches aft of the seam between the plastic boom spar cap and the aluminum spar. Make sure you set the vang on hard to be sure you still have clearance between the boom spar cap and the deck. Here is a document that you might find interesting: Join the Sunfish_sailor Yahoo group. In the files section look for Helm and the Quick-adjust Gooseneck.pdf. There are lots of other good articles in the files, too. You don't want to give up on using the tiller extension. Without it you can't really sit in the boat properly and hike out as you must in stronger winds to keep the boat as flat as possible. Heeling equals weather helm.
Nice job!
I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the info but I'm sure I'll keep referring to this video.
Very good video
I miss racing
Good
How do I replace the sail on a sunfish
Are you looking for a sailmaker to buy a new sail? If so and if you are not planning to race in Sunfish organization sanctioned races I recommend Intensity Sails for good value for quality.
Awesome
Muito obrigado meu irmão .sou Brasil eiro
Não há de quê. O prazer é meu.
Steve King i am a Fischer man.your Portuguese its clean.would I be your friend? WhatsApp: +55 719 87764221.here in bahia, Brazil,I haven't a person to talk about this your boats,my canoe it s of wood.I wish put it a
Keel.is it possible?
Não falo português. Eu usei no aplicativo de tradução de linha. Keel? Experimente isso. www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiIxdWA8_XWAhUh34MKHXnXDFwQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.instructables.com%2Fid%2FSailing-Rig-for-a-Fiberglass-Canoe%2F&psig=AOvVaw1xzd9Bi-J4dVoIF63_jzYO&ust=1508268796070479
and here I thought sailing a sunfish was supposed to be simple
The beauty of the Sunfish, the world's most popular small dinghy, is that it can be dead simple for casual sailing in moderate winds; however, it can also be a boat sailed in competition by highly skilled sailors in extreme wind and wave conditions. I spoke to a participant in a recent Sunfish World championship who said that most races were in winds over 20 knots and waves greater than 6 feet. Some of the rigging tweaks shown in this video are for those sailors that go sailing, when most sailors, including myself, are glad to be on the beach.
Great info. I've sailed my sunfish a considerable distance and camped with it a few times, but always experienced too much weather helm. You can see that effect in this video: th-cam.com/video/_VDeik7wTlU/w-d-xo.html Thank you much.