Boat Maintenance Tips

Extract from book, to be the published "Maintenance and Recommissioning of Racing Dinghies” 1. Storage Wooden Boats.  There is only one place for an all wood or composite racing dinghy to be stored, and that is undercover in a dry storage garage, workshop or shed.  Even with modern varnishes (1 and 2 pot) and epoxy coatings, there is still a chance for water, ice & frost to penetrate the surface & joints and damage the wood. Expensive to repair once damaged, and water damage often ends up being painted over due to discolouration. Plastic boats. All glass and FRP boats will survive the UK winter climate outside but invest in a good breathable cover with a deep skirt as seen in the photo 1 - on a Solo dinghy. It will also prevent UV fading of the gelcoat as seen on this blue 2000 - See photo 2 below. Photo 1 Photo 2 - Shows typical UV fading if left unprotected, the gelcoat is slowly degraded by UV radiation causing the surface to become yellowy / white and powdery as the gelcoat is oxidized. – Can be expensive to correct. Also, I have seen ILCA/Lasers hulls that have been dry stored (and with non-breathable PVC covers - both with top and undercovers) being stored inside with damp or wet surfaces and can suffer over time from osmosis.  Make sure the carpet or protection used on the trolley cradle is dry before storing, as this will hold water and damage the hull (both wood and plastic hulls) surface over time.  2. Sail Care Remove the sails from your boat. Boats both stored outside and inside are a target for rodents to hibernate in and eat your sails and sail bags. The damage can be extensive. Give them a thorough rinse with fresh water from a hose. I hang mine up to dry on the washing line (use the mainsheet rope) and then store indoors/garage/workshop. Check for any damage around the batten pockets and headboard/luff rope area and get any repairs at your local sailmaker. 3. Spars Remove the spars from your boat, wash, dry down and then dry store if possible. Galvanic corrosion (see below photo 3 example of a RS400 s/s block mounted on the boom) can occur between the stainless-steel fittings and your aluminium mast. Note: Carbon fibre masts will not suffer from galvanic corrosion but metals in electric contact (and the presence of an electrolyte such as salt water) with carbon can cause issues. Photo 3 - Above (red arrow) shows typical galvanic corrosion that occur between the stainless-steel fittings and your aluminium spar. If you find an issue, then remove the stainless fitting, and clean the area behind them thoroughly.  Bed the fittings down with Duralac paste applied to the entire surface when putting them back, taking care that there are no voids between fitting and mast wall where water can get in and stand. Duralac also provides corrosion protection. Also, add a smear Durlac on the screws or rivets when affixing the fitting. Duralac paste (photo 4) is a chromate containing jointing compound designed to inhibit electrolytic decomposition between dissimilar metals – often called galvanic corrosion. It is a single pack, air setting product. Used correctly, Duralac prevents anodic decomposition. Photo 4 4. Hull Upkeep Wash and polish the hull.  Many sailing areas around the coast suffer from the issue of sewage discharge into the sea and harbours.  This is especially noticeable on the light breeze days, when a light brown scum line can be seen on the waterline of your dinghy. Wash down every time you exit the water and sponge off the hull.  The discharge is stubborn to remove and will stain especially FRP/Glass boats as seen in photo 5 and can be difficult to remove without a good deal elbow grease and a product like the Facecla G3 Fine Finishing Compound to remove the staining.  Finish off with a good quality polish such as the McLube polish. Photo 5 – Pollution staining 5. Ropes and control lines Remove and wash the control lines and sheets (remove all non-continuous control lines).  You can put the control lines in a bucket of warm water with a mild detergent to soak. The mainsheet, jib and kite sheets in a pillowcase, tie off the opening and put in a washing machine on a cool temperature wash with a suitable conditioner. When the cycle is complete remove from the machine and allow to dry off before storage. 6. Security If the boat is stored - especially in the winter months in the local dinghy compound or park, make sure that the boat is tied down well, the cover is undamaged and that the securing clips are locked in place and tightened. It is important to check that your insurance covers you for winter outdoor storage. Make you own ground concrete tie down anchorage fixings if needed. (Photo 6) Photo 6 - Build your own concrete tie downs - if permissible by your club.  Use wheel clamps & hitch locks, plus padlocks and chain (photo 7) for added security. Photo 7 - A substantial wheel clamp and padlock. 7. Maintenance Deck fittings I recommend slightly loosening off the tops off your cam cleats and giving them a thorough clean with mild detergent and fresh water. When dry, apply a dab of Harken McLube OneDrop Ball Bearing Conditioner. Do not use grease or oil as this will attract salt particles next season. Damaged cam springs can be replaced, and you may need new cams cleats if you have signs of wear on the cam teeth. Ball bearing mainsheet block systems and traveller cars need particular attention, flush through with fresh water.  It’s a good time to check traveller cars are running freely and replace if necessary. Check all rudder fittings both for galvanic corrosion between the alloy fitting and the screws/bolts. Check for tightness of all fixings. Toestraps One the most used items on the boat and take considerable amount of stress and strain during the season. They generally start to wear at the edges, around the pressed in eyelets and the mounting points (if they are screwed down via the gripper plates) check the fixing points and tighten any screws and replace any adjustment ropes as necessary toestraps should be given a good clean and thoroughly washed with freshwater. Toestraps are easily replaced and are relatively inexpensive and can smarted up an otherwise tatty hull. Check your gripper plate screws for tightness as seen in photo 8. Photo 8 - A typical toestrap gripper plate. Foils.  Rudder and daggerboards/centreboards are easy to work on indoors. Check the leading and trailing edges for signs of damage before storing away. Any gelcoat work should be done at this time in a warm (indoor) environment.  Bailers leaking? Now is the time to replace those internal rubber seals with a service kit. Otherwise, if not leaking, then just putting the bailer down and then smearing a small amount of Vaseline along the sides and back of the wedge that protrudes below the boat to keep it in good shape. Then put the bailer up and wipe off any excess.  Trailers and Trolleys. Trailers: Grease the bearings (or replace the entire hub if corroded (photo 9) or you have worn bearings - and they become noisy or stiff when rotated). Locate the grease fitting—it is the nipple (photo 10 - see the red arrow) that fits into the female end of a grease gun. Squeeze grease from the gun until bearings are well lubricated (but not too full). Photo 9 - A trailer wheel & hub in poor condition. Photo 10 - Location of the hub grease nipple. 'Milky grease' in the bearing is a sign that it has been compromised by water. If this happens, repack all bearings or replace. Lubricate your wheel nuts. Doing so will help you to loosen them when changing wheels. This is especially important if you are fixing a flat by the side of the road. Wheel nuts tend to rust easily. Use Copper Ease grease to lubricate the threads to stop them seizing. Check your tyre pressures. Check the tyre sidewall (also for sidewall perishing) for the correct pressure and ensure the tread depth is not below the legal limit. 1.6mm is the legal minimum tyre tread depth for all vehicle tyres, including trailers, a minimum of 3mm is recommended, as this ensures the safest driving - and towing - experience across all road and weather conditions. Below this level, handling can be compromised. Trolleys Check you glass fibre cradle(s) for cracks or damaged, and repair. Replace the any damaged foam covering or use the Astro Turf matting – (See photo 11). Get any metal/welding repairs done now rather than in the middle of the sailing season.  Repairs will almost always be cheaper than the cost of a new trolley. Consider replacing your pneumatic wheels with puncture proof wheels/tyres if your boat is launched from a hard surface. (Not recommended for sandy foreshores). Photo 11 - Astro Turf matting. Astro Turf matting (photo 11) as used on the trolley cradle. Reduces water retention and possible scratching of the hull from any grit and sand held on the cradle. Consider a set of puncture proof wheels as seen in photo 12 - ideal for launching from hard surfaces. Photo 12 – A puncture proof trolley wheel Photo 13 - A wide 'beach wheel' used on for launching on sandy and soft launching areas.  If you leave you boat outside, use a decent prop, so if any water that does get in - it can drain out. -Photo 14 Photo 14 - Use a prop to support your dinghy. Final bit of advice! Investing time now to prepare your dinghy for winter will pay dividends when the warmer weather comes around, enabling you to get sailing quickly again without any fuss. You will also have helped to protect your investment for the longer term.

A few weeks ago, I was presented with an RS Aero dagger board and rudder blade that had multiple damaged areas to both the leading and trailing edges.  The main surfaces of the foils had no damage, it was just the edges that needed some repair work. Below are some images of the damaged RS foils. The damage may look bad, but with a few simple tools, a good warm day (or a heated workshop) any DIY'er can make a good repair, and get a fair finish with patience, and plenty of  'elbow grease'. Thanks to John Purdy of DQSC for the video work and images.   Tools and materials that are needed to complete the work: Tools: 1. A 'Dremel' or hand file. A typical low cost battery 'Dremel style' hand grinder. 2. Latex gloves and a suitable dust mask. 3. Lint free cloth. 4. Optional - a hot air gun. Materials: 1. Acetone solvent. Acetone - 500ml – ROOSTER UK (roostersailing.com) 2. Assorted wet and dry papers + a 120 grit paper (used dry), and suitable small sanding block for the 'wet' sanding. Wet and Dry Waterproof paper - per sheet – ROOSTER UK (roostersailing.com) 3. FARECLA G3 Rubbing Compound Regular cutting paste. Farecla G3 Finishing Liquid Paste Compound - 400g – ROOSTER UK (roostersailing.com) 4. FARECLA G10 Finishing Compound. 5. Basic white gelcoat and the catalyst. Basic Gelcoat 75ml Tin (Clear and White) – ROOSTER UK (roostersailing.com) Polyester Catalyst for all polyester resins and gelcoat - 50ml – ROOSTER UK (roostersailing.com) 6. Quality masking tape. 7. Mixing cups and wood  (or plastic - they are reusable, as they can be cleaned up with the Acetone solvent) mixing sticks. West System 804 Reusable Plastic Mixing Stick – ROOSTER UK (roostersailing.com) Mixing Stick - Large – ROOSTER UK (roostersailing.com) 8. A large sanding block for the 120 grit oxide paper. Work Flow: 1. First clean down the complete foil (the dagger board in this case) with acetone solvent using a clean cloth to remove any containments, grease etc. Please wear gloves when handling acetone. If you get acetone on the skin it may cause skin irritation; skin may be dry, red and inflamed. Eye contact with liquid and acetone vapours can lead to irritation or eye damage. 2. Using a small hand held 'Dremel' or metal file clean out the damage area and work the edge of the damage area to create a bevel or 'v' shaped edge to the repair area. See the below video. The Dremel used below had a small 60 grit disc fitting to remove the damage areas and make clean. Please wear a suitable dust mask.  3. Using the Acetone solvent clean the damage areas to remove the dust and containments etc as seen below image: 4. Mix the white gelcoat well to ensure the wax additive, the pigment and resin are all well mixed together. Adding the Catalyst: Catalyst 2% is ideal, 3% is a fast mix. Additions outside these bands in not advisable for proper curing, in fact adding more than 4% may result in a failure to cure. The pot life of these mixes is also determined by temperature. The higher the temperature the faster the cure. Ideal temperature is 16 - 20°C Use 6 drops into approx. 10ml of resin. (As a guide 1 UK tablespoon = 14.2ml)Curing: At 15C pot life is approx 15 mins, repair cure 1-3 hours. At higher temps, cure times will be reduced and colder, will be slower. Never work on surfaces colder that 5C and do not allow the resin or catalyst to freeze. The above video was taken when the air temp was approx. 20deg C - ideal for gelcoat repairs. 5. Mix the gelcoat and catalyst together for at least 1-2 mins and if a little cold, use a hot air gun on a low setting to decrease the cure/setting time of the gelcoat mixture as seen in the video. 6. Apply the gelcoat mixture to the damage areas, using a 'stippling' technique (either with a small stick or small brush) to apply the mixture, so to try and prevent small air pockets forming. See below video:   7. You can, once the gelcoat is applied, cover the repaired area with Sellotape (or similar) to even out the finish of the gelcoat surface and helps reduce wet standing of the repair when cured. See the video below:  20 mins later.... 8. One the first layer or coat of gelcoat on the repair has gone off, you can repeat the process again to add another coat to the repair area(s) if the area is a little low in surface height. 9. Once the final coat (2nd coat in this case) of gelcoat has cured (overnight in this case) this is how the foils look before final shaping and fairing.  10. Using a 120 grit oxide glass paper (dry) very lightly rub down the excess gelcoat, with a block, taking off just the excess/high gelcoat. Final wet and dry of the repaired gelcoat surfaces: 11. Now, using a quality masking tape, mask up around the repaired areas as shown in the below video.  The idea is that the tape will help protect the existing gelcoat surface and try to prevent you accidentally rubbing through the very thin original white gelcoat surface of the foil. 12. The final wet and dry fairing can now start. Start with a 320 grade wet and dry paper. 13. Use the 320 grit then a 400 grit paper, with a little drop of detergent in the water. This will prevent the paper from clogging up. After that, wash down with clean water and dry it off. Then use the 600 grit, followed by the 800 grit grade - you can go to 1200 grit to remove the final fine scratches from the surface. Suggest use genuine 3M paper,  it is the best - Wet and Dry Waterproof paper - per sheet – ROOSTER UK (roostersailing.com) -  it does last a long time compared to low cost papers.   After the 1200 grit, go and use the FARECLA G3 Rubbing Compound on a damp clean cloth to apply, to remove any small imperfections.   14. Final polish - Use FARECLA G10 Finishing Compound again on a damp cloth. The finished results: RS Aero Dagger Board    RS Aero Rudder Blade Addendum Question from a RS Aero owner via FB: Any ideas on how to fix the trailing edge on the black bit. photo below: the delaminated area is only about 10 mm long. Answer: I would suggest a little pre thicken epoxy adhesive, such as the WEST G/Flex https://www.roostersailing.com/products/146160 mixed with small amount of Black Epoxy Pigment. Lift up the delaminated area, clean and then apply your mix. Then clamp and leave to cure for overnight etc. Careful wet sand down and polish etc.    

As we close in on the start of the new spring/summer sailing season, one question that comes up is how to carry out DIY repairs on foils such as the Laser dagger board.  So from the 'Rooster archives' is a short video on how to repair major trailing edge damage  - Check out the below video.  The paint used is a quick drying (and a very similar colour match to the existing satin white finish) is the Plastikote Multi-surface Spray Paint product available from all good hardware stores.... For really strong repairs (in lieu of conventional laminating resin) the WEST G/flex product is recommended....

The Rooster Carbon Tiller Extension is a valuable assent to the dinghy sailor, being strong, light, robust  - and they do not corrode..  They have been in production with Rooster for over 20 years, and the design has evolved to make it a market leader in its field, and used by some of the legends of sailing around the world... The current product comes in a number of lengths and 3 diameters, and is pre-fitted with a universal joint and a smart rubber Rooster end stopper.. (Rooster Rubber stopper spares are available if you loose or damage one).  The tiller extension UJ has a simple fitting arrangement to the main tiller tube and UJ's can be changed in minutes in the event of a UJ failure.  Cutting the Rooster tiller extension to a custom length is also a simple DIY task.  An optional sleeve rubber grip can also be easily retro fitted. Now, I will be first one to admit it, at some time in may dinghy racing career, I have broken the odd carbon tiller, either by refusing to let go of the tiller in a capsize, sitting/falling on the tiller extension, or getting it jammed in the cockpit, rigging, or the odd control line, or even in the odd crash tack or gybe, boats capsizing on the beach, the list is endless.. accidents do happen, and the most common form of failure is due to high impact and load... Carbon tube is not indestructible .... Typical Carbon tube breakage due to high impact & load So, can a Rooster carbon tiller be repaired using a few simple tools and have adequate strength again?  Yes...Rooster can offer 3 repair sleeves that are matched fit to go inside your existing carbon tube. A carbon repair inner tube sleeve* for a 19mm dia. Rooster tiller extension. A carbon repair inner tube sleeve* for a 22mm dia. Rooster tiller extension. A carbon repair inner tube sleeve* for a 25mm dia. Rooster tiller extension. (* Available from Rooster from March 2023). The inner sleeve is a tight fit to give structural strength and long enough to spread any potential loads on the repaired area. Below, the new carbon fibre repair tube for a 22mm O/D Rooster Tiller: Tools required: A sharp hacksaw blade and hand saw. A flat & round metal file. Masking tape & some plastic wrap. A hot air heat gun (cold weather only). A 2 Part epoxy glue - such as West G/flex Thickened Epoxy Adhesive  or a 10min Rapid adhesive  Optional pigment (Black) - only a very small amount is required. Acetone solvent. Disposable latex gloves. (Note: you get a pair with the West G/Flex kit product) 180 grit Aluminium Oxide paper. Process: First wrap masking tape around the carbon tube close to the damage area to create straight cut guide line. Cut the damaged sections with your sharp hacksaw and check you have two straight 90 degree cuts. Now rub down (or use a round metal file) with the 180 grit paper the inside of the carbon tiller extension tube to remove any possible release agent that used in the manufacturing process. Clean down with the acetone solvent to degrease etc both the inside and outer tube areas. Now rub down with the 180 grit paper the outside of the carbon tiller short sleeve to a matt finish, and again degrease with the Acetone. Now, test fit the new repair sleeve in the tiller. It should be a snug fit. Prepare the adhesive as required, typical a two part epoxy glue, either a rapid or slow cure (G/flex Thickened Epoxy Adhesive).  Mix well. Now warm the carbon tube surfaces with the hot air gun (on a low setting) to aid curing.  You can also warm the adhesive to speed up curing times in cold temperature environments.   If you wish, you can add (and mix well) a very small amount of black pigment to the mix.  Now apply the mixed adhesive to the sleeve and inner tiller tube surfaces and fit the new sleeve to both ends of the tiller tube (50/50 sleeve in each tiller tube end). Push fit the repair together and if you wish, apply a small amount of plastic film to smooth over the repair as seen below.  Allow to cure. Remove the film when cured. Rooster has a easily applied rubber grip tubing that can be fitted to the carbon tube to give extra grip etc.  Remove the UJ (one screw) and slip on the rubber heat shrink material.  Use the heat gum to shrink the rubber grip to the tiller as required. The finished repair...                  

This a short article on how to cut a neat slot in your alloy mast or boom to fit a typical sheave box.  This example is fitting a small 15mm diameter sheave block (from Ronstan) into a boom for the adjustment of the outboard end of a mainsail flattener.   Tools required: Pencil. Masking tape. Ruler. Vernier Callipers. (Optional) Hand/Electric drill and bits. A center punch. A small metal file. (Flat or triangular). A 'Dremel' tool and cutting disc attachment. (Optional)   Self tapping screws or pop rivets to fix the sheave box. Duralac Anti Corrosive Compound. A typical Sheave box  e.g a..- RONSTAN RF15711. or the Spinnaker 4mm sheave box from Super Spar PN 409 Procedure First make sure you choose the correct fitting for the job, based on the control rope size, and expected load that will be used on the fitting - and the position of the fitting in the spar.  As you will be cutting a slot in the spar, you need to keep the slot/hole to a minimum and locate the new fitting away from areas of possible high stress areas such as spreader brackets, gooseneck areas, kicker and mainsheet take off points for booms and the like.  For a typical dinghy mast the front of the mast is normally one the strongest sections of the mast, especially in the alloy tapered section, where it will be welded, as this area will be thicker. For booms, the top and bottoms of the section are the strongest areas. Measure carefully the cut-out dimension for the sheave box.  Manufactures dimensions can be used -  but have been known to the incorrect, so use a pair of Vernier callipers to measure the actual fitting. You could even make a small cardboard template first to test fit your new sheave box.  In this case the dimensions are 28 x 9.5mm for the RONSTAN RF15711 sheave box. Using masking tape affix this to the area where you wish to cut the slot, and mark with a pencil and with a small Engineering ruler and square, mark out the area to be cut out.  Measure and recheck before any drilling or cutting…. Using a 4mm drill bit (depends of the fitting slot cut out size width), now carefully drill 4no.holes inside the measured-out rectangle. Use the metal centre punch to tap a light mark, so the drill bit does not wander when you start to drill the 4mm holes. Now, if you have a Dremel tool you can cut down the sides to join up the 4 holes to remove the bulk of the metal.  If you do not have this tool, then simply drill more holes down each side and then file down to create a neat rectangle slot. Remove the masking tape, and now test fit the sheave fitting and mark the position for the affixing holes. Now drill the holes for the screws or rivets.  For self tapping screws you will need to drill the correct size hole by selecting the correct drill bit size for your self-tapper screws and then let the s/s self tapper cut a thread into the alloy material to tighten correctly. Apply a smear of Duralac Anti Corrosive Compound to the base of the s/s sheave, the edges of the new slot, and the screws or rivets you are using. Now screw in the self-tappers (or pop rivets with a suitable gun) to fix the sheave into the slot. (Note : Just before you fix in the sheave box, you might wish to feed in the rope or line before final fix - or feed in a 'mouse' line...) A guide to select the correct drill to match the gauge/number of self-tapping screw Self Tapping Screw Size Sheet Thickness (mm) Guide Pilot Hole Size (mm)* No. 4 (2.9mm) 0.45 2.21 0.91 2.31 No. 6 (3.5mm) 0.45 2.70 0.91 2.80 No. 8 (4.2mm) 0.71 3.00 0.91 3.08 1.22 3.20 1.62 3.40 No. 10 (4.8mm) 0.71 3.51 0.91 3.59 1.22 3.71 1.62 3.81 When using self-tapping screws, the chart above shows the suggested drill size that you should use to drill the pilot hole. As you can see, it is not an exact science, there is a range for each screw size. Broadly speaking, the thicker the material that you are drilling, the more you should move towards the top end of the range when selecting the drill size. So, all you need do now is feed through your rope or halyard line and go sailing.....! A typical valley cleat fitting, using 2 no. Pozidrive self-tapping screws (no.10) to attach. Pilot hole used was a 3.5mm drill.    

After the success of our pro grip lengths for racks and small sections. We decided it would be a sensible idea to offer larger panels for those looking to cover a bigger surface area. I purchased an older I14 last year and have been trying to restore it on a budget. It’s amazing with little effort what a difference it made to the boat not only in look but also performance. It is easy to trim with a sharp knife once in place. We went from falling over in tacks to being planted and stable. Check out our work:

Name Length Diameter Type Jib sheet strop 3.4m 4mm Rooster Spectwelve (grey) Jib sheet 4.5m 6mm Rooster AllSpec Pro™ Spinnaker Sheet 12.7m 6mm Rooster AllSpec Pro™ Standard mainsheet 7.25m 9mm Rooster Polilite® 5:1 Mainsheet 10m 9mm Rooster Polilite® New rear sheeting mainsheet 12m 9mm Rooster Polilite® Mainsheet strops 2.5m 4mm Rooster Spectwelve™ Boom strops (main) 0.7m 4mm Rooster Spectwelve™ Boom strops (kicker) 0.9m 4mm Rooster Spectwelve™ Continuous kicker 13.5m 4mm Rooster EasySplice Continuos Control Line Cunningham 13.5m 4mm Rooster EasySplice Continuos Control Line Cunningham tail 1m 4mm Rooster Spectwelve™ Tramp ties 3.6m 4mm Rooster Polyloc™ Toe Strap Ties 0.8m 5mm Rooster Polyloc™ Wing pin ties 0.3m 3mm Shockcord Jib fast pin ties 0.25m 3mm Shockcord Main/Spin halyard take up 1.8m 5mm Shockcord Trapeze front 5m 5mm Shockcord Trapeze back 6m 5mm Shockcord Control line take away 3.8m 5mm Shockcord Take away block tie 0.3m 3mm Rooster Spectwelve Spinnaker sock tie 0.3m 5mm Shockcord Daggerboard Retainer 0.7m 5mm Shockcord Control line ties 0.2m 3mm Rooster AllSpec Pro™ Bowsprit launch line 3.2m 4mm Rooster Spectwelve™ Bowsprit / Spinnaker tack line 6m 4mm Rooster Spectwelve™ Spinnaker halyard 21.5m 5mm Rooster Spinfast Jib halyard 15m 4mm Rooster Halitec™ Main Halyard 21.5m 4mm Rooster Halitec™ Trapeze adjuster 1.6m 5mm Rooster Polyloc™

Since the Dinghy Show in 2014, Rooster's involvement in the 4000 class could be construed as slow but steady. Early in 2014 we introduced the new Mainsail with a modern look. We changed the cloth of the Asymmetric Spinnaker to one that was more slippery - ideal for the chute of the 4000.    Photo © Richard de Fleury Late in 2014 we started testing a new rudder stock with brass pintles. Yes brass! It seams that stainless steel is more likely to propagate cracks than brass. The old steel pintles were failing regularly so we worked closely with Sea Sure and a metallurgist consultant to create the ultimate rudder stock. We have completed the updated Gennaker Chute that will work with both the older and newer boats. The new Carbon Trailing Edge Daggerboard and Rudder Blade has been made from aluminium tooling. We have a second carbon mast in hand now that is ready for testing. The class are keen to make the boat much easier to handle in tacks and gybes, and with its foam filled top mast, even easier to right. We have had made replacement Bow U Bolts as these are starting to fail on second hand boats. They might be something we all need to consider changing before the rig comes down. I am sure we will be able to once again build and sell boats, now we have new sails, new foils and a carbon mast - it makes the sums possible that a new boat is not too far away from a second hand boat with all the extras.