Sail trim- easy reference table

[ropeworkuk]

I would like to ask for help in putting together a sail trim table that i can laminate and use as a reference guide while sailing.
I have attached a table of what i think is correct for:
Main sail
Genoa
in both good wind F3 and above and light wing F3 and below
There are plenty of sections on my table that i'm not sure about?
Please could you have a look and fill in your recomendations in red so that i can see the changes?

Thanks in advance



MAIN SAIL

Cunningham Out haul Kicker Sheet Traveller Back stay
Wind F3>
Close haul tight tight tight In close ? Tight
Beam reach tight tight tight In close ? Tight
Broad reach loose loose ? out ? Off
Run loose loose ? out ? off

Wind F3<
Close haul loose loose Moderate In close ? Off
Beam reach loose loose Moderate In close ? Off
Broad reach loose loose Moderate out ? Off
Run loose loose moderate Out ? Off



GENOA


Halyard Sheet lead Sheet Leech line
Wind F3>
Close haul tight ? In close ?
Beam reach tight ? In close ?
Broad reach tight ? Out ?
Run tight ? Out ?

Wind F3<
Close haul loose ? In close ?
Beam reach loose ? In close ?
Broad reach loose ? out ?
Run loose ? Out ?

 

[ropeworkuk]

MAIN SAIL

Cunningham Out haul Kicker Sheet Traveller Back/ baby stay tensioner
Wind F3>
Close haul tight tight tight In close ? Tight
Beam reach tight tight tight In close ? Tight
Broad reach loose loose ? out ? Off
Run loose loose ? Out / goose wing ? Off

Wind F3<
Close haul loose loose Moderate In close ? Off
Beam reach loose loose Moderate In close ? Off
Broad reach loose loose Moderate out ? Off
Run loose loose moderate Out / goose wing ? Off

GENOA

Halyard Sheet lead position Sheet Leech line
Wind F3>
Close haul tight ? In close ?
Beam reach tight ? In close ?
Broad reach tight ? Out / goosewing ?
Run tight ? Out/ goosewing ?

Wind F3<
Close haul loose ? In close ?
Beam reach loose ? In close ?
Broad reach loose ? out ?
Run loose ? Out / goosewing ?

 

[dt4134]

You might be better of trying to draw the subtle changes in shape required for each wind speed (a lot more the GT or LT F3). And then to do a series of diagrams of the changes each control lines makes.

I don't think you could get it onto a single laminated card though.

 

[ropeworkuk]

Yes that would make sense.
Having a diagram instead of a table.

Thanks

 

[Colvic Watson]

A boat I crewed on had three marker tapes, red, blue, green on:

masthead
boom end
Cunningham line
kicker.

Simple instruction to change to a colour. You could mix and match so have the out haul at red (tightest) and the kicker at green (loosest). I know the racers will object that you need to vary everything infinitely but for us it was simple to think in those three colours - loose/medium/tight

 

[NPMR]

You could usefully look at "Race Winner! A cockpit guide to faster sailing".

Adlard Coles. Published 1989. by Ian Nicholson and Richard Nicolson. ISBN 0-229-11834-8

Been on our boat for years and it gives information by point of sailing and by windspeed.

Example:
Beaufort 2-3 Broad Reach
Mainsail: Halyard tight enough to eliminate most luff wrinkles
Main Outhaul: Ease off when apparent wind is 55(degress) off or more, to open foot shelf
Leech Line: May be slightly tensioned to increase sail camber
Luff Cunningham: Not in use
Main sheet: Boom off about 45 (degrees) to get all tell-tales streaming
etc etc.

Covers all winds and all points of sailing and each sail, in detail - just open the page and there you are!

£9.95 well spent I reckon. It seems to give us good boat speed and after a bit, we stopped needing to have the book open but we still carry it around, just in case.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Been done: http://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?51997/Sail Trim Chart

 

[Twister_Ken]

It's all a bit binary. Tight or loose. In or out. Many conditions will require some intermediary setting. You've also not mentioned fairlead positions for the genoa.

 

[nigelmercier]

Been done: http://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?51997/Sail Trim Chart

Now that looks like a handy document, but $20!

 

[ropeworkuk]

Thanks for the advice

 

[Jabamusic]

Now that looks like a handy document, but $20!

+1

 

[Chris Davison]

Sail Setting.

Have a line of draft stripe pu on the clew of the genoa around 1m long. It would if continued intersect the luff at 50% another one the same but to intersect at 40% and if you really want (but not neccesary) one to do the same at 30%. This way you can learn which car setting gives you the ideal sheet lead in different condition. It depends on the boat but most of teh time the 40% one works well. For the mainsail outhaul i normally use a finger rule. Where you can fit 1 finger between the sail and the boom at the mid point of the footit would be deemed tight. Less than that is for "Oh my god its windy and i want to go home". Increase the number of fingers as you loose windspeed or as you sail further off the wind. I would expect to be on 1 finger in 15knots and 3 fingers in 12. Down to a 8 in light airs and down wind. Depends on the sail, the boat and the driver but it gives you a "rule of thumb" if you can pardon the joke....

 

[Dab]

If you look at this page here, you find series of articles and video by Duncan Kent. One of the articles here, is on sail trim.

I came across it when I was lookin for information on sail trim and was trying to put together my own table. There are lots of good sources of sail trim information on the internet, I can't say for sure where this rates, but on the last page is a table you might find useful.

I scanned it, cropped the table and blew it up to A4 and put it in my boat folder.