- [Narrator] Welcome to the Inspire and Learn series.
We are The Multihull Group,
a multi award-winning dealership in Australia
specializing in catamarans.
Join us as our expert team teach you all about anchoring,
docking, rigging, sail trim, maintenance
and so much more.
So you can build confidence
in your catamaran handling ability.
In this episode, we are joined by a rigging specialist
to explain how they set up the rig,
differences between catamarans and monohulls
and the advantages of Lagoon's new rig design.
- Today, we're very lucky to be joined by Dion Hart
from Pacific Rigging based on Sydney Harbor.
Dion's a veteran of the industry,
and a rigger that we trust and use.
So Dion works on racing yachts,
a lot of new boat commissions.
So when the rigs come in, he puts them together,
when a new Lagoon arrives in Australia,
he's involved in stepping the mast, dressing the mast,
putting it in, tuning it
and then following on from that looking after owners
in the maintenance and rechecks ongoing.
Start at the beginning.
When a rig is first set up in a boat,
what would you do to, I guess,
the initial tune and check of the rig
when it's first put in?
- Yeah, well, John, when we put a new boat together,
the mast comes in a kit form
where we we attach all the rigging
and the spreaders and make the furler.
The rig manufacturers give us
an indication of the tensions
that should be applied to all the stays
that support the mast.
Our job is to put the mast into the yacht
with the crane and secure it and make sure all the tensions
are adequate to support the mast.
- First thing we're going to talk about
is a general introduction to the catamaran rig.
A lot of our owners, Dion come from monohulls as you know,
so, perhaps what are some of the differences
for somebody coming from a monohull,
to them sailing on a catamaran in terms of the rigging?
- Well, the major difference between a catamaran mast
and a monohull mast
is that they're pretty well supported by tripod.
The main that holds the rigging up is the forestay
and the two cap shrounds
that come down to the side of the hull,
with the catamaran but it's such a wide,
wide boat as opposed to a monohull,
then they not require backstay to hold the mast up.
Now the major support on the category and mast as I said
is the three size that hold it up in a triangle.
And then they also unlike a Monohull
they have a set of diamonds,
which is there designed to put pre-bend into the mast
and it also stops the mast compressing and moving forward.
So they're the major differences, a catamaran mast
is also much more heavily rigged than what a monohull
will be due to the obviously increase in riding moment
that the catamaran has over a monohull.
- Can you just explain that,
so why is it heavier rigging?
- Well, because there's the loads on board a catamaran
are much much higher than on a monohull,
a monohull will lean over and depower,
whereas the catamaran particularly a cruising catamaran,
won't fly hull and won't depower the sails.
- And what does that mean in terms of
so how do we get a feel of when to when to change sails?
How do we do that?
- Well, obviously experience,
but as your owners would know, when you get your new boats,
I have a very comprehensive Lagoon owners manual on board.
And if you look in the reading section of that,
it has a very, very clear description on the wind ranges.
And when you should be considering putting very pristine.
- Perfect good advice.
On the rig itself, VPLP have brought to the table
and introduced with all the new generation Lagoons
a different rig setup.
So the mast further aft shorter boom as you know
and a taller mast - Yep,
- with that self tacking head so what what sort of,
what are the reasons you think that brought this about?
And is it something that you think is a positive
or are there any negatives around?
- The positives are the designs been instigated
for ease of handling with the shorter boom,
it's a lot easier to get your main sail back into the boom bag
when you're dropping it or raising it.
The fact that the mast is further back in the boat
is gonna give the boat less of a pitching motion
so it will sail a little bit better.
Obviously, the big is a handling difference
to it is the self tacker.
Which as we all know is something
that makes sailings especially shorthanded much, much easier.
There's also with the taller mast
the mains was got a bigger roach bigger square top
on there which is another advantage of what we spoke earlier
about the difference in rigs between multihull
and monohulls because we don't have a backstay
on the style of rig
the spread of the stays go so far down towards
the back of the boat it enables you to have a bigger mainsail
so on the top.
Thank you Dion. Thanks for that
it's a good insight
into the general rig setup and the differences
within a catamaran.
So I appreciate that very much.
- Pleasure
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In the next episode professional Sail GP
and Americas Cup sailor, Sam Newton
joins us to discuss sail tactic, trimming and lots more.
See you then!