Sunfish Rigging Caution

[@alaindufresne5391]

Congrats for your no-nonsense approach! The two main reasons why people get a Sunfish are 1- simplicity and 2- fun. That's exactly what you show in your videos. I hope the Sunfish community will take notice!

[@AdventuresInReach]

Great compliment. Thank you. I hope so as well. I have many more videos in mind to make. If you haven't checked out my page already, there are many other Sunfish videos as well. Thanks again.

[@JenkinsBoatWorks]

Using the halyards as a down haul. Brilliant. Thanks!

[@AdventuresInReach]

Very simple. I can't take credit as I saw it mentioned off hand somewhere several years ago. It really does help a ton to keep the sail flattened a bit and more under control in high winds.

[@curtfisher4999]

The boats you see doing this have a halyard cleat on the mast. The halyard is cleated before it gets down to the fairlead. With the second cleat on the mast, the rig dropping like this is not a problem. With your method, I would worry about the cleat pulling out of the deck if there were any load put on the vang/downhaul. The only reason you see boats using the tail of the halyard this way is to conform to class rules. If you are not racing, just tie another line around the gooseneck and run it through the fairlead to the cleat. This would have the added benefit of being able to drop the sail quickly without needing to release the vang first. Love the channel. You deserve more views. Keep it up.

[@AdventuresInReach]

Thanks for the comment. Yes, that is the correct and effective way, although I've come across others doing it the way I described. It's a simple thing to avoid a bigger issue, so I figured I should share.

[@tinynhhouse5467]

Thank you for showing this. I never knew that I should use a line to pull the gooseneck down! I am 68 and still learning new things! - Dave

[@AdventuresInReach]

Hello. It's not always necessary but it helps the sail shed air when it's high wind.

[@daftelf]

Hey I appreciate the detail on this. I was rigging my sunfish the last few days like the last option you showed but I wasn't sure it was correct. I got the idea of pulling down the gooseneck after sailing on a bigger boat that had a vang, and previously I just went straight to the cleat from the fairlead.

[@AdventuresInReach]

Hello. I'm glad that was helpful. It does help to keep the sail flat when sailing in higher winds.

[@catherinebender5753]

Thank you. New sailer here and that makes so much sense!

[@AdventuresInReach]

It would certainly suck to have it drop while out.

[@WarbirdPylonRacer]

Awesome tip and channel to learn about sunfish sailing stuff! Subscribed! Thank You!

[@AdventuresInReach]

Thank you for the sub! I have a Sunfish sailing playlist if you're interested.

[@WarbirdPylonRacer]

@@AdventuresInReach Awesome! I'll check it out! Thanks!

[@genevadaddy]

Thanks. This is great. I have a heavier (thicker) halyard and that makes it harder to tie that 2nd cleat knot on top of the first but I still do it. I also first tie the halyard to a mast cleat I attached with a hose clamp. That works great.

[@AdventuresInReach]

Nice. I've considered doing that, although with the thinner line it hasn't been necessary yet. Happy sailing.

[@coronasport169]

Hello. Great videos! What year is this sunfish made? thx

[@AdventuresInReach]

I believe it's a 1977. Here's the playlist with all my Sunfish videos if you want to check them out. kzbin.info/aero/PLNcpRGw7T0bgCPwT85FSucfIhewgFrkXX

[@AdventuresInReach]

Enjoy this? Check out this "Sunfish Sailing Adventures" playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLNcpRGw7T0bgCPwT85FSucfIhewgFrkXX Please consider liking and subscribing!

[@backwoods6050]

VERY helpful. Thank you!

[@AdventuresInReach]

You're certainly welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@cliffordwilliams9597]

I've just been cleating my halyard off! Why would you want to pass it around the gooseneck? As a sort of cunningham??

[@AdventuresInReach]

Just cleating off the halyard is how it was designed. Because I spend much of my Sunfish sailing time out in high winds and wavy conditions I use this as a downhaul to help flatten the sail and reduce power to keep things more manageable.

[@WillieD7]

The other reason I’ve heard for doing this is as additional security for keeping the mast attached to the boat in the event of a capsize.

[@smkunder1]

Thanks really enjoying your videos, while learning

[@AdventuresInReach]

Glad you like them! I try to make videos that are useful. Let me know if you have other videos related to this topic that you would like to see.

[@Minong_Manitou_Mishepeshu]

Great vid.!

[@AdventuresInReach]

Thank you. I've seen a couple videos where they show the method I caution against, so I figured I should inform folks.

[@rikkidarch8712]

Is there anyway of dropping and raising the sail in the water? I just bought a sunfish, the marina im in I cannot use sails in and out so I will be left in deep water once I paddle out with the boat half rigged. I read a forum about modifying the sunfish to do this but want to search an easier way before drilling into mast/boat. Any suggestions?

[@AdventuresInReach]

Absolutely! I often stop into islands or end up on the windward side of land or a dock (when the leeward side is in use). I paddle in/out and deal with the sail on the water. I personally don't see any need to make modiications to do this. I feed the halyard through the fairlead to prep and keep the spars tied together with one short piece of rope. Once I paddle out, I turn the starboard side toward the wind so I have access to the halyard and cleat without ducking, then just pull the sail up and cleat it off. Dropping the sail is a little trickier, but I turn the bow into the wind, then hold the halyard and let it out while gathering the sail. I can do a video the next time I'm out.

[@adamcrawford5724]

Yeah, exactly what he said^ i have one thing to add. He said tie the spars together; I use a 4ft bungee that I attatch to one gunwale wrap around the spar/sail bundle twice, and hook to the other side. It keeps everything tight and in place off to starboard while I launch and paddle out.

[@TAGUPNBLUE]

What kind of blank is this the gooseneck is made to float

[@AdventuresInReach]

Absolutely. It's made to float up and down the mast for adjustments and setup/takedown. However, a curved sail has more power, due to dumping less wind than a flat one, so...when you sail in heavy or gusty winds the gooseneck can ride up the mast and allowing the sail to form more of a curve. This also gives the sail more leverage by raising the force higher off the deck. Tying it down in the manner shown gives prevents that and allows for greater control and stability in high winds.

[@TAGUPNBLUE]

Never saw Unnecessary rigging like this been at 31 years

[@AdventuresInReach]

I also go out in huge wind and waves and would rather be a little overdone and proactive than wishing for something different in the moment.

[@griffin4248]

I would’ve tied off the halyard before doing the vang then go back to the vang and tie it off

[@AdventuresInReach]

Absolutely. That's what I showed to do. I'm guessing you stopped watching where I was demonstrating the wrong way. Sounds like you don't have this problem because you roof it correct.

[@mlehman]

Why not just Not loop around the gooseneck lol

[@AdventuresInReach]

You don't have to loop around. It just keeps the sail flatter in higher wind, and from popping up in gusts. What do you do?

[@mlehman]

@@AdventuresInReach I just cleat the halyard

[@AdventuresInReach]

I don''t always add the downhaul. If it's lighter wind, I also just cleat the halyard. In high wind the downhaul setup helps with keeping the sail flat, and therefore easier to control.