Pete,
Go to ahpc's site and look under the viper's page and look at the manuals. One of them will have diagrams of how the halyard is sit up. It shows both ways, the single line and the seperate line system. In my opinion the single line system would be better for singlehanded and or inexperienced crews. I use the single line sysytem that's shown and will stay with that, unless I get a pretty steady crew. To me, there's way too much stuff going on for single handed people to have the seperate line system. I do have to admit though, the seperate system that is in the diagram is pretty slick compared to others I've seen.

Scooby,



Ehh yeah, but how do you figure that I'm saying something else ?

I guess you misread my posting somewhere, for that is exactly what I'm getting at. The hooter by virtue of failing the midgirth measurement is NOT regarded as a spinnaker by the handicap systems and hence rated as a very large jib. Thus leading to an enormous handicap hit.

Wouter

I second that advice. I sailed with a rearbeam setup for about a month and then changed it.

Best in my opinion is to tie a bungee to the rearbeam and tie a large stainless steel ring to the other end. This ring must reach somewhere halfway the tramp when the bungee is tensioned somewhat. Run the spi halyard from the grommet to the ring and then back to the clear on the mainbeam or the guiding block there (mast based cleat system). Now you can always face forward when hoisting and doucing the spi and the bungee will take up the slack.

Better still is to fit a small block to the rearbeam (or again a stainless steel ring) and ring the bungee through that and tie it off somewhere far away. This allows the ring at the end of the bungee to move with the halyard over large distances wihout changing much in pulling force.

Work well for me. I've never sat on the halyard since I made this mod.


Additionally, I too favour the single line setup for 1-up sailing over the 2 line setup.

Wouter

You'd think that, but you'd be wrong. After doing both the seperate lines are easier. Pull the tack out 10-15 secs before rounding the top mark, or on the way to the offset. Snuffing if its set up so the halyard pops the tack, then there's no loss in the retrieval. Hoisting takes way less effort as well since the sail is just about free of the bag once the tack is pulled.


Pete- Buy an SNU. I haven't used the ring that came with the Viper, but when I changed from the factory Hobie unit on the FXone, to the SNU it was noticably easier. I'm about positive that Jill is a dealer.


The new mesh bottom SNU's are sweet, but the mesh does create some drag over the slick bottom versions. I haven't tried doing the Holmelcoat (sp) stuff on it yet though.

SNU? How 'bout that guys? I've heard good and bad things.

Karl, how much time do you have sailing Uni? I'm not busting your chops, it's just that these things have a way of going back and forth. Frankly, I've wondered about moving to the two line system, just for the reasons you cite.

Seems to me that the sloops set their spins faster because they usually start before they get to the off set.

I've only been out about six times solo. Enough that I'm getting a pretty good feel for it.

I'm not sure I'm following you. Are you using the two line setup directly from the AHPC site?

Not quite, sorta......

I've got a spinlock mounted on the front beam, underneath the tramp for the tack line. At the top of the spinlock I drilled a small hole to accept a piece of small diameter line, the other end of that line goes up through a grommet that is just behind where the halyard goes through a eyestrap. The line that is connected to the spinlock has a ring on the other end of it which the halyard also runs through. When I pull the halyard from the tramp, it unlockes it from the cleat on the mast, and also opens the spinlock releasing the tack line.

Next time you see Robbie's Viper, I copied his setup.

Thanks. After rounding A mark and approaching the offset, when do you pull the tack? Depends on the amount of wind I'd think.

As soon as I've got everything else ready to go, downhaul off, (I gotta work on recleating it though), and rotation off. If its light, and I'm a bit high I'll start pulling the halyard on the way to the offset.

Time on the water will never replace time on the internet. Sail more often and you will be surprised how easy it is.

Ive used both systems and I totally prefer the single line setup. Even on the F18.

I had the single line setup but the problem that drove me to the two line, even when Uni, was that after several sets and douses, either the halyard or the tack line would eventually get 'kinky' and foul a set or douse. That and I find it much easier (less drag) to quickly pull up the halyard after the tack has been pulled out first, as was said earlier, it pulls the spin half out of the bag for you.

On the douse, I've been in situations where I was glad the tack line was still out (crash gybe in the middle of snuffing) as it kept the spin from going under the bow.

Like Robi said though, time on the water is the best cure.

Consider using No kink line

Wonder if Rick carries Paraloc??
If not he should-

Kirt

Or, you can pull part of the core out of the halyard and that will prevent kinks.

I ended up buying a halyard from Mike Krantz which is half soft stuff and half dyneema. The skinny dyneema starts just above my mast mounted halyard clete. I've had no problems since, but I'm still running the two line set up.

Now, here's a question, how do you tail off your downhaul lines so that you can reach them and adjust it while staying out on the wire? Right now I've got mine tied to the mast rotator, so I can grab both at once, but I have to come in to reach it. Is there a way to keep it handy while out on the wire?

When I sailed uni on the F16 I had all my control lines going around the trap lines. This way they were only a arms length away.

Yeah, I tried that for awhile but when fully extended out on the wire I'd still have to crouch down to grab them. Then I tried adding a piece of small diameter bungie cord from the control lines up to the trap handle area, so I could raise up the downhaul line when I needed it, ie. when I see a big puff coming.

That worked, but when I'd come in off the wire to tack, I got all tangled up in it! Too much stuff on my tramp to get tangled up in already!

You guys going to Daytona next weekend?

For the downhaul to your trapeze, you need to put a really small line through the line where your dogbone or whatever you use to hook into. Then have a ring on the end of that, run the downhaul through that. It should be at your stomach then...

Clear as mud?

I don't have this done, YET, but will do this. I know a couple that run it that way and it's perfect.