The discussion is excerpted from our conversation. One of the subjects he covered was trying out different types of seafaring rigs for a newly built wooden sailboat which could easily apply to a self-built wooden Trimaran. The going with article will lead us through the subject Making and testing sailing chicago rigs.
Also to keep things manageable, I would suggest using only the mainsail, for now, it's best to wait until you have gained a certain amount of experience by using the sails individually at first. You will have plenty of opportunities to use both at a later time. Assuming that the main is up, next, you will need to turn the tiller towards your intended direction of travel until the sail finds the wind.
Dry Your Headsail before you Stow It: Mold and mildew love to bed down in a moist fold of Dacron or Nylon. Cut these ugly outlaws down before they stain your costly sails. Dry your sails before you bag them when you get back to the dock. Hoist the headsail or mainsail on a light air day for a few minutes. This dries your sail fast and easy without the fuss of looking for a shore side method.
So unlike a car, the tiller works just the opposite! On the other hand, a ship wheel works the same as the steering wheel on an automobile. So depending on how your sailboat is equipped with a tiller or a ships wheel will determine how you will steer with it. I would recommend learning how to sail with the wind for a while before tacking or seafaring upwind.
Wash and Dry Sails at Season's End and Check Hanks, Slides, and Slugs: Hose down your sails with fresh water and dry them on a clothes line. Or, drape them over a few lawn chairs. This simple bath removes salt crystals and dirt, which can chafe sail-thread if left unattended. Jib or staysail hanks need the care to keep from freezing up with corrosion at the piston. The same goes for your mainsail slides (external) or slugs (internal). Wash these fittings with fresh water to keep them corrosion-free.
And I should mention the blue type of polytarp material you get at Wal Mart isn't good. Stay away from that. However, you can buy white polytarp material from Polysails. They sell a kit which has everything you need, plus a lot of instructions on their website on how to build these sails. You can also get white tarps from Tarps.com. They have a white, 6 oz tarp that is very sturdy and durable. It's got good UV resistance and makes great sails.
You can even tape pieces of tarp together at first. Then go back and sew them later if you want ... Or just leave them taped together. Another great thing about poly tarp is that you can try different things to create different types of sails. You can add shape to different sails by way of "darts." There is a great essay on the Duckworks website about cutting "darts" in sails to give them shape.
To lubricate the mast, apply a coating of beeswax onto your slugs or slides and hoist the sail up and down the mast a few times. This will make hoisting or lower fast, easy, and worry-free. Use these super seafaring tips to save big dollars in sail repairs. You will be rewarded with better performance and longer sail life for many maritime seasons to come.
Also to keep things manageable, I would suggest using only the mainsail, for now, it's best to wait until you have gained a certain amount of experience by using the sails individually at first. You will have plenty of opportunities to use both at a later time. Assuming that the main is up, next, you will need to turn the tiller towards your intended direction of travel until the sail finds the wind.
Dry Your Headsail before you Stow It: Mold and mildew love to bed down in a moist fold of Dacron or Nylon. Cut these ugly outlaws down before they stain your costly sails. Dry your sails before you bag them when you get back to the dock. Hoist the headsail or mainsail on a light air day for a few minutes. This dries your sail fast and easy without the fuss of looking for a shore side method.
So unlike a car, the tiller works just the opposite! On the other hand, a ship wheel works the same as the steering wheel on an automobile. So depending on how your sailboat is equipped with a tiller or a ships wheel will determine how you will steer with it. I would recommend learning how to sail with the wind for a while before tacking or seafaring upwind.
Wash and Dry Sails at Season's End and Check Hanks, Slides, and Slugs: Hose down your sails with fresh water and dry them on a clothes line. Or, drape them over a few lawn chairs. This simple bath removes salt crystals and dirt, which can chafe sail-thread if left unattended. Jib or staysail hanks need the care to keep from freezing up with corrosion at the piston. The same goes for your mainsail slides (external) or slugs (internal). Wash these fittings with fresh water to keep them corrosion-free.
And I should mention the blue type of polytarp material you get at Wal Mart isn't good. Stay away from that. However, you can buy white polytarp material from Polysails. They sell a kit which has everything you need, plus a lot of instructions on their website on how to build these sails. You can also get white tarps from Tarps.com. They have a white, 6 oz tarp that is very sturdy and durable. It's got good UV resistance and makes great sails.
You can even tape pieces of tarp together at first. Then go back and sew them later if you want ... Or just leave them taped together. Another great thing about poly tarp is that you can try different things to create different types of sails. You can add shape to different sails by way of "darts." There is a great essay on the Duckworks website about cutting "darts" in sails to give them shape.
To lubricate the mast, apply a coating of beeswax onto your slugs or slides and hoist the sail up and down the mast a few times. This will make hoisting or lower fast, easy, and worry-free. Use these super seafaring tips to save big dollars in sail repairs. You will be rewarded with better performance and longer sail life for many maritime seasons to come.
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