LDC Racing Sailboats RS200 Owner's Manual - page 3
3
Rigging and Sailing
By Phil Morrison (designer)
Your RS 200 will have been examined and checked both at the factory and by
your dealer. The following is a step by step guide to rigging the boat for the
first time and some general advice on sailing your new RS 200.
Preliminary checks
As delivered the mast may be wrapped for transport please remove the
wrapping carefully and perform some preliminary checks as follows:-
(1)
Check that the shroud ‘T’ terminals are correctly seated in their sockets
on the mast and that they are securely attached to the end of the spreaders.
(2)
Ensure that the spreaders are angled slightly above horizontal with no
slack in the shroud above the spreader. It is a good idea to secure the
spreader ends with PVC (electrical insulating) tape to prevent them moving up
or down the shroud
(3)
Wrap tape around any sharp edges on the spreaders or brackets to
protect the spinnaker.
(4)
Attach a short length of shock cord between the shrouds approximately
300mm down from the top and passing around the jib halyard and forestay
this will help prevent the spinnaker being trapped in the angle formed between
the jib halyard and the mast under certain situations.
(5)
Check the spreader settings, spreaders should have been pre-set at
the factory or by your dealer but the recommended initial settings are as
follows:-
Length of spreader measured from the wall of the mast to the shroud 390mm
Distance from a line between the shrouds and the back of the mast 140mm
(6)
The main and jib halyards should be sorted out and dressed neatly
down the mast
(7)
Check that the spinnaker halyard passes through the Tweeker ring
which is tied to a line which emerges from the front of the mast just above the
forestay
(8)
Dress the spinnaker halyard down the mast in the manner
described
below
Warning:-
The spreader settings recommended are safe general purpose
settings. Most people should not find it necessary to deviate substantialy from
these positions. We have deliberately left the spreaders adjustable in the
RS200 to enhance its potential as a racing boat and broaden the range of
competitive sailors. Extreme settings, especially a reduction in the distance
from the shrouds to the back of the mast, may lead to mast failure in strong
winds.