Beating upwind- Mast Rake

Discussion forum for the Otter class of sailing dinghy

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ss007
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:27 am

Beating upwind- Mast Rake

Post by ss007 »

Otter 640

My otter has a bermudian rig but I am struggling to make good speed when beating upwind the mirrors and toppers are beating me hands down. I am looking for clues on to to improve the upwind performance any ideas would be welcome? Does anyone know what the rake of the mast should be so that I can check mine?

Thanks Steven

justin
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2008 4:43 pm

Re: Beating upwind- Mast Rake

Post by justin »

I have a bermudian rigged otter, and find that I can easily beat mirrors upwind. It is hard to give a definitive answer, but here are some pointers which you may find helpful! First, i noticed a drastic improvement when i bought a new set of sails - what condition are your sails in? For efficient upwind progress, you want a fairly flat sail - this is best achieved by tightening most of the controls you have to hand - i.e. the front of the sail should be tight (using the main halyard and gooseneck), and the outhaul should be tight too. If you have an old stretched sail, then it is difficult to make a good shape to the sail for upwind sailing. Also, it is quite important to have the boat in balance - i.e. if you need to use a significant force on the tiller then you are wasting the power available. Whilst sailing, the balance is best corrected by positioning the crew - I find that you need to sit well forward and make use of the extension tiller. If the balance is really off, then you should try adjusting the angle of the mast by loosening/tightening the fore and side stays accordingly. Of course, it helps to have appropriate weight for the conditions; heavy crew for strong winds, light (or no) crew for light winds.

I'm sure that playing with the sail and mast will help - Good luck! you should have no problem to overhaul mirrors, lasers and whatever else clutters your path!

(n.b. I consider my mast to be quite racked back, but I think the only way to know if it is 'correct' is by the weight of the helm when beating)

ss007
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:27 am

Re: Beating upwind- Mast Rake

Post by ss007 »

Justin

Thanks for your help with this, I have just replaced my sails so they are brand new and I have been flattening the sail. I will have to try the rake of the mast to see what impact that has.

Steven

cweed
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 10:18 pm

Re: Beating upwind- Mast Rake

Post by cweed »

I'd agree with Justin. Although my Otter is gunter rig, it keeps up pretty well with Enterprises etc until planing conditions. If, however you are sailing with 2 beefy adults against light crews in Toppers etc, you may struggle.
I'd also suggest that you keep the crew weight forward and make sure the sails, even if set flat, aren't sheeted in too tight. Avoid sitting in the airdraft slot of the jib / main. Try sheeting the jib outside the shrouds.

ss007
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:27 am

Re: Beating upwind- Mast Rake

Post by ss007 »

Justin I have adjusted the rake to the maximum it will go forward on the current rigging this seems to have made beating upwind a lot better. However I think I may be losing some power when reaching and wonder if I should bring it back a bit.

Steven

Mark.Blinkhorn
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2009 3:58 am

Re: Beating upwind- Mast Rake

Post by Mark.Blinkhorn »

Don't know about anybody else, but when I have the rake fully forward it seems to make the whole thing pitch from side to side, especially under heavy wind; I just feel I'm permanently on the edge of a capsize...

I'm still experimenting with this, so I'm watching this thread with interest.

ss007
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:27 am

Re: Beating upwind- Mast Rake

Post by ss007 »

I agree with you with the mast fully forward the boat was a bit unstable but I have brought the mast back a bit and it seems to have the desired effect i.e. I was placed in a race this weekend for the first time. However the winds were very light and it was a lot of tatics so further adjustment may be required.

crow
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2005 8:09 pm
Location: warsash

Re: Beating upwind- Mast Rake

Post by crow »

I have quite a bit of rake on the mast, it took a lot of fiddling to get it right. In light winds I have to try everything to stay with some of the more modern boats but in a blow I can just about keep with lasers although I have to put in far more effort than them!

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