H18 Race tuning help

Hi, I am currently fixing up a 1980 H18. Her maiden voyage is set for this weekend and so is a local race which i will be attending. I am planning on buying racing/tuning books but they won't be here in time to get my rig tuned up. Is it true that you want the mast raked back for going upwind and rake forward for going downwind? I also need help adjusting my diamond wires. I read that the d-wires should touch the mast 10-18" above the lower bolt. Any help would be appreciated to get me in the ballpark. I am a former H16 sailor and have done a handful of races. I'm excited about stepping up to the 18 but don't know very much about getting this thing to go fast. Any racing tips would be helpful too.

There will be two races on Saturday and one on Sunday. We race to an island in the morning and race back in the afternoon. The morning race is usually upwind and blowing about 8-10. The afternoon is downwind blowing about 10-15 (usually). The Sunday race will be around an island which covers all points of sailing (mast rake midway?).

Also, do you use the daggerboards when sailing downwind? Do you only put the lee board down when sailing upwind?

Sorry for so many questions,
Thanks

I always rake my mast kinda midway, you want to try and find that balance that gives to good performance on all points of sail.

If you are sailing heavy, run the diamonds tighter and if you are sailing light 325# or less run them about as you described.

Both boards down going upwind, both boards about halfway up going downwind.

jib cars about 2/3 way back going upwind, and all the way forward when going downwind

the biggest difference between a 16 and a 18 is that you carry your weight a LOT further forward on all points of sail.

Drive those bows down until there is only about 4 inches between the waterline and the lip of the deck.

There is a lot more tuning to a 18 than there is on a 16 (my opinion) if there are other 18's at the event, talk to those guys.

Most all H-18 sailors will help you all they can. At least till you start beating them on a regular basis <Grin>

Even then they usually still help.

Stephen

_________________
If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, maybe it is time to water your own lawn.

I pretty much agree with the above. Adjust your mast rake for a good balanced helm. Diamond wire tension, tighter for heavy crews, looser for lighter crews. My crew and I are around 345lb, which I consider to be on the heavy side for an 18. We run the diamond wires "snug". Just enough to take any looseness out. They can probably touch the mast at about 12" up from the rotator bolt.

Jib blocks, about middle of the track to 2/3rds back- set them so the telltails break even upwind in light and medium wind. We never touch them during a race. In light and medium wind, the crew hand holds the jib to keep the tell-tails flying downwind. This is absolutely critical for downwind speed. The crew makes or breaks you downwind IMO.

Another element that was not discussed was the downhaul. I think downhaul is much more important than fine tuning diamond wires or mast rake. Having a good downhaul system that can be adjusted from the traps allows you to fine tune rig power upwind. We do this a lot. If you're double trapped and the wind comes up, the first thing you should do is crank in the downhaul.

sm

I agree, but wasn't sure if he was really ready for that yet. I figured if he gets the things that make a big difference under control first, then when he comes back, start feeding him some of the finer points.

You make the major adjustments as you round marks. Do them in the order of what makes the most difference.'

Trim sails (they are the engine)
Adjust your position on the boat for optimum "attitude" (reduces drag)
The order that we make the finer adjustments goes something like this
Main and Jib ( skipper and crew)
Jib Car ( Crew)
Rotation (Out, 90 degrees going downwind, bring it back in to 45 degrees going upwind) (crew)
Downhaul (loosen it going downwind tighten it for upwind) (crew)
Outhaul (same)
Boards (skipper does one crew does the other)
Have the crew make as many of the "finer adjustments as possible
that allows the skipper to concentrate on keeping the boat "in the groove"

Going upwind I tell my crew to keep the jib trimmed so that the leach is about 2 -3 inches off of the spreader.
that keeps "the slot" open so it can breath. Then just steer the boat to keep all the tell tales flowing.

Off the wind, steer around a 90 degree angle to the apparent wind, coming up a bit for speed, and then bleed the speed down below the 90 until you sense that the boat is going to start dogging it a bit, and then heat it back up by coming back up to a wee bit above the 90. Wash rinse repeat, going thru the water like a snake. Take advantage of any available wave action to help increase your speed.

So much of it is a bit of an acquired feel, and there is no substitute for "time on the tiller"

Good luck !

Stephen

_________________
If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, maybe it is time to water your own lawn.

Hi Jaren... Knew it was you.

Yes, everythign they said... plus come talk to me and Glenn and the genius Damon from Memphis. I'm sure we'll all be on the beach Friday night too... tweaking, talking, go for the sunset cruise too.

Oh... the new OSYC sail director Al has been sailing 18's nonstop since they came out... and he's got 3 of 'em.

We'll hook you up and everyone shares what they know.

See you on the water!

I'm in agreement with Steve, however I do the order diffrent as a CREW.
Remember speed is essential

Top mark rounding, preparing to go down wind...
1. Jib car forward on the windward side of the boat (before you round, 3 boat lengths away)
2. As you round the mark ease the jib and release the downhaul all the way, the sail shouldn't come out of the track, and you won't need downhaul going down wind
3. Leward side jib car forward, and re trim sail
4. Leward board 1/2 way up to keep water from cavitating up the daggerboard trunk.
5. Outhaul (least important)
6. position yourself somewhere near the front crossbar, and keep your eyes on the jib trim.
7-12 TRIM TRIM TRIM
(if the skipper is snaking as steve described, your crew needs to try to be in sinc with you as far as trimming the jib, practice makes perfect)

Rounding the bottom mark...
1. move the windward jib car back 1/2 way, further if it is winder
2. downhaul and put boards down before getting to the mark.
3. move the leward side jib car back 1/2 way, further if it is winder
4. as you round the mark, harden up the jib and trim to where it is just off the spreader and tell tails are flying.
5. if it is puffy conditions, just play the downhaul in the puffs, easing it between puffs.
6. position yourself (1-6kts on leward bow, 6-10kts windward bow in-front of crossbar, 10-13 trap stradling the front crossbar, and move further back as the wind increases) This all depends on how heavy the crew is.
7. hang on tight

As skipper just concentrate on your stuff and let the crew do their job

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1992 Hobie Cat 18 #16943
Hobie Fleet 198, Rapid City, SD

Sounds like you have a great group of sailors to hook up with and bring you up to speed as fast as you can absorb the information and then learn how to apply it. Best of luck, and looking forward to seeing you on the water.

Stephen

_________________
If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, maybe it is time to water your own lawn.

Wow, Thanks for all the great info guys. I understand that you should find a good tuning for all points of sail, as long as you're going to be sailing on all points during a race. But there are two races on Saturday, one is completely upwind, the other completely downwind. I was planning on changing my tuning in between, if thats legal. So I still have a few questions. Can it hurt to have the mast rake too far back (block to block)? I know it will increase weather helm, but what about speed. Can it hurt your speed to have the downhaul and outhaul too tight in medium air (upwind) ?

I would like to start playing with the downhaul but I didn't ask about it because I don't have a good system yet. That will be my next investment.

I have been practicing the downwind snake on a 16 and i know what you mean about it being an acquired feel. I always feel like im not going downwind enough.

Thanks again guys.

Not going to be much wind Sat... from north... a few knots...

going to be a long hot sail to the island if that keeps up.

we gotta make it back in time for the luau at the club sat. night..! !!

Thanks rob, yea its gonna be a great weekend, hope it doesn't storm. The wind does look tricky but I'm still counting on a south wind from the sea breeze.

It's going to most likely mess up your helm, which is going to negate any benefit of raking back. This isn't a 16, so going for max rake isn't going to gain you much, if anything. You're better off getting your helm set up right and then leaving it IMO.

The only thing I might change would be rig tension. For the downwind leg, if the wind is light, you might slack off the rig tension one hole in the adjuster. This will allow your mast to rotate to 90 degrees more easily. You can also run a boom vang.


Yes, absolutely. You never want to run your outhaul totally flat. I pretty much always keep it about 3" off the boom. This keeps power low in the sail, where you want it.
The downhaul is the second most important means of controlling power in the mainsail (second only to the mainsheet). If it's too tight, your sail will be too twisted and you won't have enough leech tension to point or fly a hull. If it's too loose, you'll have to dump excess mainsheet and the boat won't settle down.

sm