Outhaul Kit

I have aquired some booms fitted with outhaul kits.I realise they are used for racing / trimming on the move.
Being a novice though I just don`t quite understand how to use them.
Is there a quick guide to this?

^^ That's good advice. The less complication the better.

However in principle the idea is to flatten the sail for high apparent wind and belly it out a bit for low apparent wind. You pull the tension on when you are going fast across the wind. You let it off when going slowly when starting or coming out of a gybe or when going fast off the wind or when the wind drops.

There's a definite nuisance factor attached to them though - rigging, trying to grab the outhaul on the fly, finding all the spare outhaul line has accumulated on the other side of the booms just when you want it, getting the line in the way of your grip on the booms. Nothing you can't deal with later but unnecessarily annoying when all you want to do is get a good feel for sailing.

Spot on Bender!!

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Bender said..

Windxtasy said..

Adjustable outhaul kits make rigging a lot slower and as a novice they will get in the way. Take them off and just use an outhaul rope through the clew end and use the clew pulleys.

Sorry Anita, IMHO its the complete oposite to what you think. No threading rope is involved. All you do is loop two loops over your apple core (clew hole on sail)that you leave on the sail so it actually faster than rigging with a boom wth out one.

Dont be put off buy using/rigging one. get someone at your local beach to explain how simple they are to use and go for. Pulling on/off a bit of outhaul when the wind picks up or drops is heaps easier than rigging another sail. I could sail without one now.

I have the applecores but I still find it takes me much longer to rig using the adjustable outhaul - With a fixed system it is much easier to put on full outhaul to pop on the cams, and with the adjustable it takes me longer to work out what boom length to use. Usually two or three attempts.
Then there are the ropes getting wrapped around the boom arms, all the rope ending up on one side and not being able to adjust from the other, ropes becoming uncleated and giving you a totally slack sail, and then you need to have the confidence to actually let go of the boom with one hand to adjust when you are on the go.
I have only had adjustable outhaul since late last season, and I acknowledge I am still getting used to it, and I will persist because of the benefits to speed sailing, but I would not recommend it to a novice. It complicates things too much.
With a fixed outhaul you can still vary your outhaul if the wind picks up or drops, but you need to adjust your boom length to do it.
Bender is an expert sailor. I am an experienced but intermediate sailor. In general I would defer to his advice, but I think he may have forgotten how frustrating windsurfing can be when you are a novice. Keep it simple!

Because I only use the 1 boom for all my sails ranging from 5.1 - 7.5 I found the adjustable out haul system a pain in the butt. I set the system up to fit my 7.5 and had way too much spare rope with the smaller sails. So I thought well I'm not buying another boom so I can use the AOS so I put it all back in the shed for now, all less complicated too.
Found also the big cleat on the boom gets in the way if you want to try a duck gybe too. Prob best to leave that to the wavesail kit anyway.

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Bender said..


By the sounds of it yours really gives you the sh%ts.

In fairness it's probably that windy days have been so few and far between that I haven't had the chance to get used to it, but there has been an added level of annoyance, yes.
But like Kazza, I use the same boom for 4.0 - 6.4. That is a lot of variation in rope length required, and fussing around while rigging up to get it right. A while back Ricey showed me how to tie the excess rope onto the boom so it doesn't get in the way/ wrap around the boom/ drag in the water, but I haven't really had the chance to try that.

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Bender said..

Anita to make it easy.

Once the sail is rigged i let the out haul off all the way on both sides. I then tension it with the clew rope. Tension it at the small pulley so that when the outhaul is fully let off thats the maximun negitive outhaul you want. The excess rope can just dangle. What i do it just is tie a knot with the excess back onto the line heading back to to clew end. This way when you let the out haul off while sailing it only ever goes back to that setting. Hmm perhaps some pics will help. If i get motivated i might rig up tonight and take some pics as i go. Pictures can speak a thousand words

Some pictures would be very helpful, thanks. I am having difficulty picturing what you are describing.

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Windxtasy said..

Adjustable outhaul kits make rigging a lot slower and as a novice they will get in the way. Take them off and just use an outhaul rope through the clew end and use the clew pulleys.

I agree. BTW, I need some new cleats so you can post me those ones since you are not using them

Anita and anyone else wanting know here how I rig up with a adjustable outhaul fitted to the boom.

I have used my yet to be sailed NP Evo2 4.7m as it taked takes the screw in apple core. All of the severne sails i mainly use have a hook on each side that the two loops hook over. Anyway here we go.

Step 1- attach boom to mast go to clew end (ignore the recomended boom length). Se the the boom length 50mm longer past the end of the sail. Hook the two loops on your tail end around the apple core at the clew



Step 2- untie the clew rope formn the pulley and pull through any slack, tie it off



This is how i tie it off. I have never had any problems with the rope tail end getting in the way




step 3 - pull on outhaul all the way or near abouts, release downhaul and pop cams on


step 4 - downhaul sail and realse outhaul



Step 5 - same as step 2 but make sure both side of the boom the outhaul rope are in the fully let off positon. Now tension the sail to the most bagged out you want. Now when you pull on the outhaul it will flatten in but when you let it off it can only as far as you have set.




fully outhauled

fully bagged out

I hope this hepls Anita. i have found that in gusty conditions being able to give your sail more/less grunt on thre fly is really handy especially in speed sailing as you need to sail so stupidly powered up that it impossible to sail upwind without outhauling the sail to reduce the sideways pull of the sail.
Anyway thats how i do it, there are plenty of faster/better sailors than I around, that may do it differenty.

no i dont, only enough to pop the cams on.

sorry ur right. I first downhaul the sail to expose the mast in the boom opening to make it eassy to get the boom on. then step 1

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Kazza said..

Windxtasy said..

Thank you Ben for making the effort to rig your sail and photograph it for me! I do appreciate it, and now I understand what you were trying to say.
I had set the clew rope at the length that would take my biggest sail and was only adjusting the rope with the handle on it. Your system avoids the problem of too much negative outhaul.

Excellent Bender, yer I was rigging the same as Anita, had the pulleys on the wrong bit of rope. Not very good instructions come with the package, I think they should have your package of instructions. Also I've noticed the guys down here have elastic rope tied to the toggle, this rope goes around the mast and attaches to the toggle on the other side then you don't have a toggle and all its rope flying around and around, it keeps it all lying straight so is much easier to find and get a hold of.
Bender you get the ******'s of approval!

You'll be unbeatable now Kazza!

Attaching an elastic cord to each end of the outhaul around the front of the sail will
enable you to locate the outhaul easier and faster.

[edit] sorry. repeated what kazza said. please excuse the crude drawing.

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Jungleman said..

ok, so generally speaking, I can rig the sail as normal with this kit. But if need be i can tension up if the wind picks up, or release tension if the wind dies down. would the tension difference be similar in effect to going up or down a sail size?

YES

try your local windsurf shop.
they are made by chinook so if your shop does not have them give jt at stuart bell sails nedlands w.a. a call.
he is the australia chinook distributer.