Never sailed and have some questions about our new Paper Tiger (location Adelaide South Australia)
Weve got the mast up and put the sail on it. Next thing is how to rig up the end of the boom to the traveller
at the back of the tramp. There is a rope with 2 pulley's that Im pretty sure goes in that spot, the clips on either side of the pulley's attach to the bottom of the boom and the top of the slider thing, but what happens to
the end of the rope that comes from these 2 pulley's, theres about 3-4 meters left. Theres a ratcheting pulley on the base near the traveller somewhere too, its
the right size for this rope, but where to after going through there? Are there any detailed photos on how to set this up Ive looked high and low on the net and found nothing. Also how far up the mast shoud we pull the
sail? there are some markings there but Im not sure where the boom should be in relation to these?

How should we launch the boat? theres a local public ramp at a relatively sheltered bay, should we launch the boat off the trailer with the sail up or down? Also should learners have the sail reefed in a bit to make things easier? How much by?

Is a Paper Tiger consider a learners boat? Seems like it will be pretty fast with the size of that mast/sail...

Last question is what sort of wind would you suggest begginners take a boat like this out in? 5-10knots? more? Low tide high tide or between tides?

Welcome to catamaran sailing! Should be the start of a lot of fun.

Have a look at the website http://www.papertigercatamaran.org/ It's got pictres and diagrams showing the rigging.

I would suggest trying to get someone local to help you when you first take the boat out. See if there's any joy in the paper tiger fleet(s) on the website, otherwise there are loads of sailors in Oz, and I'm sure that there will be someone willing to help you out. I was there last Christmas and in the magazine "Sailing" they listed the contact details of the catamaran fleets around Oz. I suggest that if you can find the magazine, you may try and contact one of the local sailing clubs and see if anyone can help. Catamaran sailing is quite different to sailing monohulls, they tack with reluctance and if you capsize they are very much harder to get back upright than a monohull. That said they are so much more fun and go very fast. With this in mind, I'd be cautious of taking it out in anything more than a force 3 to begin with (less than 10 knots). You can launch with the sails up from the trailer as long as the wind is in the right direction, i.e. head on to the boat. If not, you could end up doing some damage. It's best if you can rig the boat on the beach.

I wouldn't bother reefing the sail, as long as you begin in light winds and then as you're more confident you can go out in stronger winds. I don't know how fast the tides run in Adelaide but if they're quick then just be sensible about it, as they can take you where you don't want to go.

At the end of the day, have fun and play it safe.

Chargin,

The main sheet tail that you refer to should go back through the traveler (it should have some sort of sheaves for this) and tie to the center of the rear beam on the back somewhere. You will sail using the loop coming out of the main sheet cleat and reentering the traveler cleat. This line performs both functions as the main sheet AND the traveler control - it's easier to keep up with it instead of two separate lines.

I suggest that you guys find a sailing club somewhere around you and see if you can get someone to show you the ropes - I'm certain there's a lot of people that would be very happy to do so. If you are unable or unwilling to do so be sure you understand the basics of sailing upwind and downwind and be CERTAIN that you have a good plan for righting the boat if you capsize. There are a lot of threads here about the proper way to right a catamaran - there are some tricks to it.

Hi and thanks for the replies. As far as http://www.papertigercatamaran.org/ goes Ive previously had a really good look around the site and have been unable to find any good shots or drawings of how the boom is rigged. If you can find them you are doing better than me...
The main sheet tail, Jake, whats a "sheave"? Its not in the online sailing glossary's Ive looked at.
This image shows my question more easily I think. Can you redescribe what you said in your post in relation to this pic? Thanks guys for the help!

It looks like you have the setup in diagram D on the website. Go to the website, click on the item "fitting out" then click on mainsheets and then I think you have diagram D.



D double
T triple
R ratchet

I dont have a pulley in the middle of the tramp though, and nowhere to attach one so it looks more like B on that page but the ratcheting pulley is on the rear beam (?) not on the boom, should I move it to the boom?

It's going to be a personal preference how you want the mainsheet system to work. If you leave it like it is then it should work, however you could move the ratchet block to the boom like diagram B.

If you keep it like it is, you're going to have the traveller rope and mainsheet rope both in the same place, and for sure you're going to pull the wrong one as they're both white ropes. I'd suggest that you remove the rope from the traveller system and if you've got enough slack, loop the end of the mainsheet rope that comes out of the ratchet pulley, through the cleat and traveller car so that you end up with a loop of rope, not two separate ropes. That's how my hobie is and is actually easier to use as there is only one rope to control, not two.

At the end of the day, the purpose of the mainsheet system is to be able to pull the sail in and out. If you can achieve this and you're comfortable using it, then it will work.

Start with this system, and I'm sure once you've used it for a while you may want to upgrade the blocks as you won't be able to sheet in very tight with the blocks that you've got, which affects the rake of the mast and affects the upwind performance, however this topic is for another day!!

On the picture the comment to "set and forget" isn't good. You should move the traveller depending on your point of sail. Upwind, you bring it close to the centre and downwind you move it out. It helps stop the boom rising giving you a bad sail shape. Use it and you'll be a faster sailor at the end of the day.

I agree - looks like setup B:

If you have two riveted loops on the boom for the mainsheet to attach to then I'd move the ratchet to the boom, attach the round double block to the rear of the two and the ratchet to the forward of the two.
Kinda like this one but only using two of the points at the rear:


I have a separate rope for my mainsheet and traveller on my Taipan 4.9 and just tie them together using a double sheet bend. Works well because I can have a smaller rope for the traveller as well to reduce friction etc.
Double sheet bend tying instructions

Yachting Australia has a list of clubs where Paper Tigers are sailed in South Aus. Go to their site and click on 'clubs and classes' and do a search for Paper Tiger Catamaran in South Australia. Can't link to search results page so here is the site link:
Yachting Australia
Adelaide Sailing Club is one of them.

Hope this helps!

Looks like a cool little boat! The sites mention home building, but I couldn't find info about plans or building experience.

Hey there chargin..

There is a good fleet of Paper Tigers that sail regularly at 3 different clubs in Adelaide, I am the current measurer for the State Association, if you would like me to come take a look at your boat and give you a hand to get it set up that would be no problem, the paper tiger is a great single handed cat.. and for beginner sailors is quite easy to manage without reefing the sail in winds up to 15knots.. Once you get the hang of things, winds up to 25knots are no probs. Contact me via this forum to get my details if you wish.