.

.

Like I said these are not the best pics , but I hope they help anyway.

Wouter

Boly Torque 20 ftlb or 28nm
I recommend leaving mast pin in- because if you forget to put it back in while unrigging just once you could cause a really nasty accident with some kid playing on the beach
Jim

The jib halyard will come off the forestay- thats why there is no thimble on the bottom swage.
Try this link for the jib set up, its an earlier model but gives you the idea.
Jim
http://www.ahpc.com.au/rigjib.html

Thanks for all the tips and advice.

Sailed it about 5 hours today in 0-20, sloop and cat. Everything seems to be working well. Next step is to rig the spinnaker. I'll post photos when I get some.

Hull design and volume distribution is quite different from my Nacra 5.0. The nacra sails well with the bows deep, and there's not much rocker. The Taipan has a lot of rocker aft of the front crossbeam, and the bows seem to like to ride fairly high. Any tips on weight distribution and hull trim?

Re weight distribution:
In light weather move as far forward as you can, mainly to get the stern out or up as it were - The bows should definately be in the water. In super light stuff I skipper on the windward hull sitting in the spot between the sidestay and the front beam leaning forward with the crew on the leeward hull in about the same spot.
As wind increases both are on the windward side sitting on the hull, crew up next to the beam and skipper close behind pretty much either side of the sidestay.
More wind, one on wire either skipper on side against sidestay and crew out with front foot on the front beam (ish) or crew in and skipper out at with front foot about sidestay. Just depends on which of you are heavier and what the breeze is doing. My crew is lighter than me so if there is enough wind to have one out some of the time then I get her to trapeze in the puffs whereas if the puffs are a bit stronger and you sometimes need two I'll be out.
More wind, just twin trapping - move back a little bit depending on what the water state is like.
More wind, comfortably twin trapping - I'm trapezing a little further back about in line with the middle of the centreboard and the crew either side of the sidestay. Some people trapeze a little further forward but it all depends on what seems to work for your sails and how heavy you are and where your weight is distributed between crew and skipper.
Sea state comes into play as well when the wind gets up so if you find that you are ploughing into waves too much or getting wiped off the side move back even further. I've sailed upwind on one or two occasions with my back foot near the back beam but that's pretty crazy stuff!

As for sailing solo, can't really say with any great confidence but I can remember trapezing further forward when going upwind and further back off the wind. Oh, and being totally out of control (but that's another story)

Where the rocker is determines where your weight is distributed and the hull shape changes most around the centreboard case or just in front so downwind its the same as upwind:- in light stuff stay right forward leaning over the front beam and gradually move back as the wind increases.

Hope this helps!

Success so far--link below has a few photos.

http://www.geocities.com/ejpoulsen/Taipan_49_Assembly.html

Now I've got to figure out how to sail it!

Wouter--

I have been reading all the replies, and I certainly appreciate all the input. With regard to the center tramp grommet, however, I've gotten no less than three different explanations. That's why I reposed the question. According to Greg, it is for a mainsheet retrieval system.

Eric

>>>According to Greg, it is for a mainsheet retrieval system

Say Eric what is a mainsheet retrieval system ?


Wouter

If you can find the March 2003 issue of Sailing World magazine, there is a picture of Glenn Ashby's center sheeting system on his A Cat on page 52. Just behind the main sheet block on the trampoline is a plastic ring attached to a piece of shock cord (I'm guessing here) that exits from this small groumet. The main sheet runs from the main sheet block to the sailor's hand back to the plastic ring. The knot that connects the end of the main sheet and the line for the traveler is on the other side of the ring. I rigged up a similar sytem on my boat and it does work. When you need to adjust the traveler, you pull pull on end of the main sheet attached to the traveler until the knot stops at the ring. You keep pulling to bring the plastic ring to you and then you grab the traveler line when it gets close enough and adjust the traveler. The plastic ring snaps back to the trampoline when you grab the traveler line. I didn't like the set up but maybe I was using too short or to thick a piece of shock cord because I found it hard to pull the ring to me in order to adjust the traveler and I didn't like the snap back of the ring. It did keep the main sheet from dragging in the water when out on the wire which I did like. Maybe I'll try rigging it again with a lighter weight piece of shock cord.

I maybe wrong on how to rig it because I backwards engineered it from the magazine picture.

Jennifer Lindsay
T4.9 #262

Yes, as Jennifer described. Does anyone have a photo they could post of it?

Pete,

Hopefully I can make it to Rio Vista. I've heard the Delta can really blow. I need to put in some water time to figure out how to make the Taipan really go--maybe then I can finish on the same lap as you and Travis...With your jumbo main, your N5.8 is still a mean machine.

Eric,

There's no place to learn like on the race course. You'll at least see how high you can point and how fast you can go down wind relative to other boats, which will give you a data point to start tweaking.

Your Portsmouth numbers are pretty close to where we split the fleet. If you're going to sail as a Taipan 4.9 Uni (no spi) you'll be in Division 2, otherwise Division 1. As Div 2 starts behind Div 1 you'll always have someone to run with, even if the big boats leave you behind. Just don't let the Sea Sprays beat you across the line - I did a couple of times last year and never heard the end of it :-))

I'm pretty overpowered for Rio Vista, so you should be able to kick my butt, at least on the upwind leg.

Pete

If there's a good breeze (like at Black Butte), I think I'd sail cat even if I can get crew. Plenty of power.

It kills me when the Sea Sprays beat me!!! Those pesky little guys with there fancy new mylar sails have been tough to beat with my nacra. (Okay, prolly lots of skill on there part.)

I also got a spin/snuffer system but I'm not ready to bring it on the race course yet.

Eric, You will have to update your signature to say Taipan 4.9 rather than Nacra 5.0

JC

Eric, since I have been assembling my T4.9 last week, I can assure you that the grommet centrally in the tramp is for a retrieval system. Not the main sheet, but the spi. If you have a snuffer you must pull the retrieval line to get the spi back in the the long sack. The retrieval line is connected to the patches on the spi, goes through the chute ring into the bag, through the grommet on the top of the bag backside and then up through the central grommet back to the front beam, where it passes through the Spinlock cleat. That's the way Greg described it. If required I can mail you a sketch on this one.

Congratulations on your new boat, Marc.

Hmm. I do have the snuffer with a long bag. I have it rigged with the retrieval line crossing the tramp from back to front from the block (at the rear beam) to the spinlock cleat, which I had Greg put on the front beam. The system has been working fine. Next time I set up I'll try it as you suggest. A diagram would be helpful. How exactly do you fasten the retrieval line to the ball after passing it through the patches?

Greg sent me a bungee and plastic ring to use the grommet for a mainsheet retrieval system also, which I'm going to try.

Does the snuffer bag seem unecessarily long to you? I may shorten mine.

Enjoy your new boat!