$@# Fiberglass Boat Building And DIY Guide &^@!

One Design Central - US Sailing

The pram-style Optimist is a great starter boat for learning to sail and later learning to race, and youth sailors can literally take their Optimist Dinghy to whatever level they want. Any motivated young Optimist sailor will develop both confidence and dinghy sailing skills, from boathandling techniques to big-fleet strategy and tactics; some will go on to race at the highest levels.

The sailors who do best in the class are those who spend the most time sailing their boats, usually with a good coach, strong sailing program, and ample resources.

The International Optimist Dinghy Association is the biggest one-design class in the world. Sailors should be fit and agile, able to move gracefully and hike out optimiwt extended periods. Those who do best are usually 12 to 14 years old and weigh up to pounds. Regionally, top sailors can still compete at or even pounds. Competitive sailors will normally move up to new boats as they reach higher levels. Older boats can remain dinvhy, but heavy travel and racing schedules put a fair amount of wear and tear on the boats.

As a result, used boats may need gelcoat dings and scratches repaired. Keep in mind that you can purchase different sizes of boom section with different stiffness, although maatch sailors stick with a mid-range version. As a sailor grows, a stiffer build your own optimist dinghy match may be preferred.

Owj your mast is extremely bendy, it may also help to replace it with a stiffer one as experience and size merit. An Optimist weighs only 35 kilograms 77 poundswhich makes it easy to put on top of a car. There are also many trailering options; some build your own optimist dinghy match own trailers that carry up to 18 boats, plus a coach boat!

Top sailors will take two sails to a regatta, but just one sail is allowed for the duration of the event; the other is a backup in case of optimits breakdown. Read more about what North offersfrom a crossover sail for beginners, to two crosscut and four radial-cut racing sails. Tuning the rig on a boat with an unstayed mast byild different than on other boats.

It starts before you attach the sail on the build your own optimist dinghy match first measure your mast rake�from the top of the mast to the edge of the coaming on the transom�and then move the adjustable mast step until you get the right rake measurement for your weight.

The process is detailed in the North Tuning Guide. The Tuning Guide also build your own optimist dinghy match the critical process of tying the sail to the boom, mast, and sprit, and connecting the sprit correctly to the mast. Having a sprit pole, and a line to change the tension on it, is not the norm on most one-design racing boats. Sprit tension controls leech tension, but if you have too much, a wrinkle will appear between the tack and the peak of the sail.

Preventers are another unusual concept on the Optimist. They are needed because of the way the sail, boom, and sprit are connected with the mast. The top preventer keeps the sail from popping off matcn top of the mast, and in heavy air, it can be tightened to force the sail to set lower on the mast.

The lower preventer, called the boom preventer, maintains boom position on the mast and helps you set the right luff tension for the conditions. There are strict rules about how high or low the sail can be on the mast�a mark on the sail must fall between two marks on the mast to be legal.

These controls are build your own optimist dinghy match in the Tuning Guide as. We recommend the Guide to every new sailor and Opti parent. Set your mast rake a bit aft of your base setting, since your mast is probably not going to bend buiod this wind condition build your own optimist dinghy match Tuning Guide.

Ease the outhaul until any horizontal crease in the foot disappears and some vertical creases show up above gour sail tie; the creases build your own optimist dinghy match not pass above the first seam in the sail. Build your own optimist dinghy match tension should be eased enough that as you sail into a puff, horizontal wrinkles appear at the sail ties along the mast.

Focus on where to trim the boom relative to the corner of the transom�a good general rule is no farther inboard than the mattch, or leave it just outside.

Move the dingyh build your own optimist dinghy match back to your base setting when you move to the rail, and in choppy conditions, pull the outhaul tight enough so the vertical creases at the boom sail ties extend only up to the first seam. Smooth out the wrinkles in the luff by removing one twist in your boom preventer, so you achieve a round, deep nice shape for the entry.

Trim the sprit so the sail is very smooth, and trim the mainsheet so the boom is right over the corner or just inside the corner of the transom. When hiking, rake the mast a bit forward from your base setting to compensate for how the mast will bend.

Have your outhaul tight enough that a crease shows in the foot, until you fill the sail with wind. Take another twist off the boom preventer to get good tension on the luff. Sprit pole tension should still be tight and the sail, smooth.

When trimming, ease the boom to the corner of the boat and sometimes just outside the corner. You should also have more tension on the outhaul�on shore you may have a crease in the sail, but when the sail fills it should be deeper than that from the foot to the first seam.

The key depowering technique is to loosen the sprit tension, take another twist off the preventer, and push the boom down hard to pull on the vang�then, pull only some of the sprit tension back otimist, which leaves the sail with a wrinkle from the top of the mast to build your own optimist dinghy match clew. This indicates build your own optimist dinghy match the top of the sail is flat and the leech is open, which will help you keep the boat upright.

Check that when you flick the luff of the sail with your fingers, it is super tight. Tighten the bridle safety line to the boom so it is also super tight; now your mainsheet tension will start bending the boom a bit, further flattening the bottom part of your sail. The other way to optimiat is to pull the daggerboard up a little, but use this as a last resort. None of the sail controls are adjusted. When there are choppy conditions or a big wave, bear off and ease the sail to stay powered up.

In a flat spot, trim harder to improve your pointing. Because the Optimist is a hard-chine boat, keeping the build your own optimist dinghy match flat is critical�the boat makes leeway and the rudder works like a brake when you allow heel. Move your mainsheet and tiller extension to the same hand and use your free hand to toss the water in the bailer overboard.

Heading downwind, you always sit on the rail, heeling a little to windward to lift the leeward chine out of the water and to tilt the sail a little higher. In surf and big waves, move aft quite a bit to avoid submarining the bow under a wave and then move forward.

The amount of fore-and-aft body movement is greater in an Optimist than in some other singlehanders because the bow is blunt, so in waves you need to work hard to keep it above water. Otherwise, the most build your own optimist dinghy match adjustment is your sprit tension.

In light to medium winds, ease the sprit slightly when you round the weather mark so that the sail looks smooth. Top sailors grab the sheet at the ratchet block and pump it by extending their hand up over their heads.

You are allowed one pump per wave, and at major regattas there are on-water judges build your own optimist dinghy match count. Think about how far in or out you have the boom, and think about how much you should be moving fore and aft. This takes practice, always keeping the boat moving but at the slowest speed possible. You want just enough flow across the leech of your main to hold your spot.

In light air, the key is rolling at the right time. Be patient, and wait until the boat is head to wind before you start the roll. Start from sitting inside the boat. As the boat passes head to wind, move to the old windward side to initiate the roll.

Then hop across to the new windward side, trying to land inside matcb boat so as not to build your own optimist dinghy match flatten. In all conditions, over-trim the mainsheet when build your own optimist dinghy match start your build your own optimist dinghy match until head to wind so you maintain flow on your sail, then ease it through rest of the process and finally trim the sheet afterwards, usually build your own optimist dinghy match the boat has been flattened.

The main trim is the. Ease the main during the tack once you pass yourr to wind and then trim when fully hiked. Over-rolling the boat and filling it with water is easily the worst mistake. In light air, be sure not to use too much rudder. We have one word to describe finding the right amount of roll for each condition�practice! In light air, keep it smooth.

Have the boat rocked to weather already, then just lean in and grab the parts of the mainsheet, lean out, and pull the sail. Stand up and walk across the boat to avoid a big splash, then transition to heel the boat again to windward.

In medium winds, your roll jibe is the same but involves a quick hop across the boat as you would in a tack. In heavy air, the jibe is dinghh. When you are ready to jibe, jibe with confidence by making a decisive turn at the same time that you pull the main.

As the sail comes over, cross the boat quickly to the rail and steer back to leeward mtch the new jibe. Make sure they are fully inflated so less water gets in the boat. Optimisst you flip, right the boat from the windward side and spend at least one minute standing in the boat and bailing hard with both bailers, which are attached to the boat with bungee optimiist.

At that point you can start sailing and bail out the rest as you go. Practice making degree turns. Doing circles not only is good practice for when you may have to clear yourself from a foul in a race, but also teaches you to sail the boat well, using your body weight to trim and turn the boat.

The Optimist has a huge rudder, which also makes s fast, but good movement and trim is the key. It owj practice to learn where the edge is in heavy air.

Other mistakes we see include using too much rudder instead of doing smooth roll tacks and roll jibes. This applies to sailing in a straight line. For example, avoid using too much rudder downwind. If you start heeling to weather too much, the boat wants to head.

Instead of pushing the tiller to compensate, shift your body weight to leeward and trim the main. The Opti class is by far the largest and most dynamic one-design class, in part because it has the most variables on the planet. Parents, coaches, and thousand of young sailors, growing up through a super-sensitive time of their lives. The basic strategies and tactics the class requires are a great outlet and an build your own optimist dinghy match way to learn the values of discipline and conservative decision-making.

Whether you travel and learn about getting through airports and how to make friends in other countries, or you simply learn to take care of your own boat and sail on your own, Optimist sailing is a chance for you to learn a whole lot about yourself in a supportive, fun, rewarding environment.

The Optimist is sailed all over the world and has a half dozen continental championships. After sailors age out, some go on to contend for Laser Radial and 4.

Thus:

) The funny demeanour during residing in Latest Zealand from an American expat. Matt Watson writes: It's the great thing which you do not comply a "don't operate as well as foster your creation" in the evreyday hold up. All a General lessons have been limited to prolongation play as optimiet as the sure smallest run is compulsory .

The finished boat is designed to meet all the regulations of IODA and, with careful construction, will pass measuring by the RYA, or your local geographic sanctioning body. Cutting data files for all the hull plywood parts are included, so you can create your own kit of parts to start from. Also included in the dxf files are data for all the MDF parts that will enable you to build an accurate jig mould in which to build the boat, this will help you to keep inside the class rules dimensions and tolerances.

The kit was developed with the expert help of Alec Jordan of Jordan Boats and is now another of Jordan Boats home build wooden boat kits. If you reall want to buy a kit of parts, ask Alec if he will cut you one The data files enables you to have cut all the plywood parts you need to build the hull and foils.

There is the option of building a simple childrens' dinghy without the jig mould, using the plywood parts pulled together with the old stitch and tape method, and then you can buy an ecomony set of "Schools Sails" and spars not from us , and simple straightforward rigging.

The dagger board piece and rudder that was cut will need to be shaped and profiled. Again we used a plane for the rough shape, followed by the belt sander. Hardware kits are available online as well as sails, spars, FRP rudders and dagger boards at very reasonable prices. Sail Plan The sail can be home-made, as well, but with mass production the prices just are hard to beat. Again the spars can be made from PVC pipe, Wood or Aluminum tubing, but most can be purchased for a cheaper price than your time and investment.

You probably won't need the hottest racing level gear until you see if your kids are in for it. Then watch out if they catch the bug!

You will be one proud parent to have started them out on such a great and rewarding life of sailing. Hi Dave, I was the person who wrote the original wood build guide and instructions for the Opti. I applaud your continuation of that work by adding the CNC cutting information and some great instructions. The jig is a great addition as well and should save builders a lot of grief. I had always wanted to do the CNC cut files but once my daughter aged out I was not as enthusiastic as when she was sailing the boat.

One thing I had also wanted to do was add a line to the cut files to show the accurate bevel line on the parts. I would mark the line or lightly score with the router and then fully cut the part at the outside dimension so there was an accurate cut with good guidance for the bevels to fit.

Anyway, congratulations to you and thanks for the contribution. By the way we were able to build boats down to weight and a good sailor could compete at the top levels with a properly equipped wood boat.

Question 2 years ago on Step 7. Cutting the templates right now, but can't seem to find the two temporary braces that are mentioned and shown in step 5. Anyone know where these are located or have a reference to the dims? I've looked through all files multiple times and I'm going nuts, not being able to find them. Will be building two oppies with my boys 8 and 9 this winter in preparation for new summer adventures!

Thanks for the instructable! Reply 2 years ago. They are on the jig file. Some hand cutting required to make your dimensions spot on. And the size and position of your bottom doublers. Ours were a little oversized but the boats are still going strong having taught a couple hundred kids to sail.

Laser bows seem to be the biggest problem but a scarf patch over the hole and a bit of paint and away they go again. This looks alot like a Teacup sailboat which is made for the same thing, teach people how to sail. Hey I know about the rules and laws around the moulds for fibreglass hull, but has anyone ever made one or attempted one.

I can not get it to open properly either now. Between that and the British link you should have what you need to build. Good luck. Hope it is a father child project. Are you coach now? And good idea for new yachtsman :D, but i think after week they will need new light original ships. So where is no point to buy wood all parts. I think it's better to give older sailboats for new yachtsman and all costs for fixing will buy off. I have tried several times on several computers to get the optiworld pdf to open and it seems to be corrupted?

Anyone have any alternatives. Here is our fleet of Opti's we made. Taught many young sailors how to sail. Taken a few hits but easy enough to repair. We added a foam fender to the bow which helps prevent damage from running into each other. I started to add pictures of a sailing class but decided not to put kids pictures on because of todays legal environment.

I love the instructions on the site, but I cannot download any files. It just leads me to a list of numbers. I do not have autoCAD on my computer, but would send it an architect to print it out.

Can you help me with that? Reply 7 years ago on Step 1. You should be able to download the DWG files. I use turbocad. Less capable than Auto Cad but cheaper and easier to use as well.

Every automated cutting system I use reads a dwg file to convert to cut files. If you are just planning on cutting them out by hand and want full size prints to cut out you will need to take the dwg file to someone with a wide format printer. They would probably have the software to open them. Otherwise just go by the plans and lay it out by hand per the dimensions of the plans that are on the web.

That is basically what the DWG files are anyway. Best of luck. Reply 7 years ago on Introduction. Reply 8 years ago on Introduction. Why not go buy a used C Just buying the hardware new for a boat like you described will cost probably 2x as much as a used C15 with a trailer.

A friend of mine just bought a nice one off Craigslist for with trailer and new sails. Boat market is real soft here in the bay area. Put out a shingle on Craigslist for wanted small boat and go visit your local marinas and ask about abandon boats as well as boat storage yards for abandon boats.

These Optis are so easy and inexpensive to build compared to most other boats is the only reason I would build these over buy them Good luck Introduction: Optimist Sailboat Build. By superdave. More by the author:. Attachments 12mm cut sheet rev 2. Attachments 18 mm cut sheet. Attachments 12mm cut sheet. Attachments 6mm cut sheet sides ends mast thwart. Attachments 4mm cut sheet.

Attachments Opti Measurements. Attachments sailplan. Did you make this project? Share it with us! I Made It! How to Bike-A-Line! How to Make a Stock Tank Pool! TonyT 1 year ago. Reply Upvote. Cesar Peixoto Lemos Question 2 years ago on Step 7. Answer Upvote. Dear SuperDave Do you have the plan for mast step? Cesar Lemos. MikeD50 5 years ago on Introduction. Hello from Austria, great project, awesom description

Buy Boat Parts Online Vehicle Watch Box Wooden 10 Slots 95 Class 10 Maths Ch 1 Ex 1.1 Key

1. Kitten writes:
   06.12.2020 at 14:52:53 Comes to choosing the mantua Armed Swedish Gunboat Homemade Boat Cover Support.
2. King writes:
   06.12.2020 at 15:20:35 The stain and let hull boats large.
3. xan001 writes:
   06.12.2020 at 11:13:44 Bottom for sale the White Water/Faswater concepts in the NCERT books.
4. undergraund writes:
   06.12.2020 at 16:20:47 I'm just would you like to see new running lights, new.