Sailing Trimarans

How to hoist the main sail of a Magnum

Here is a video showing how to rig and hoist the main sail of the Magnum 21 trimaran then finally set the jib so you can see the basic sail set. Of course this task would normally be done on the water. I quite like doing it at anchor or on a mooring, as the boat will then naturally turn head to wind, but it can be done also by motoring into the wind and anyway, if the jib is furled and the mainsheet traveller is in the centre, the trimaran will naturally head upwind though it will quietly tack alternately this way and that, so not ideal when you are trying to hoist the main. Being at anchor is good.

Follow this link: Assembly & Rigging Instructional Videos and follow the instructions to gain access.

I think you'll agree that the DIAX sails do look great in the sunshine at Hoylake on the tip of the Wirral peninsula.

Rigging the Magnum Genoa

When I started out on making these videos about the rigging of the Magnum 21 trimaran, it was this one that I wanted to make first because a customer who'd bought the Magnum Makeover kit had asked for instructions.

Follow this link: Assembly & Rigging Instructional Videos and follow the instructions to gain access.

If you've ever wondered much about sail trimming then the genoa is the sail that can explain it all to you. It's great to play with the barber hauler, watch the tell-tails and notice the change in speed as you adjust the flow of air around the sail.

With the barber hauler in tight, the direction of pull of the sheet on the clew of the sail is more downwards and so the foot of the sail can be maintained loose and curved while the top of the sail will be flatter.

On the other hand with the barber hauler loose, the genoa sheet will be pulling on the sail from the stern of the boat and this will tend to pull the foot of the genoa straighter and flatter whilst allowing the head of the sail to be more curved and loose. You might want to do this to allow wind to spill from the top of the sail in gusty conditions.

Usually you will want to get the direcion of pull such that it bisects the angle at the clew so that the line of the sheet is directed towards a point about half way up the luff. But the best way to trim the sail is to tune it with tell-tails. You want all the pairs of tell-tails to fly equally well. The leward ones that are in the faster flowing air on the outside of the curve lifting a little more than their counterparts on the inside of the sail. Or is it the other way around? You'll know when you see it. Have fun.

In the video the boat is positioned facing downwind so the tell-tails are not flying but drooping. However, you can see them flying in this photo taken last summer.

The next video will be about the main sail.

Rigging the jib sheet

The jib sheet on the Magnum 21 trimaran is simply arranged so that the load is halved thereby negating the requirement for any winches on the boat. Here is a short video explaing how it should be fitted.

Follow this link: Assembly & Rigging Instructional Videos and follow the instructions to gain access.

The next video I produce will be to show how the genoa should be rigged as this involves the use of barber haulers.

I do hope you appreciate these videos as they take a long time to record and an even longer time to edit! :)

Lifting trimaran mast

Raising the mast of the Magnum 21 has always been relatively easy. This short video shows you just how easy.

Follow this link: Assembly & Rigging Instructional Videos and follow the instructions to gain access.

V8 demonstrations

April and May weekend demo dates for the V8 catamaran are almost completely taken up already so if you are thinking about buying one for this season and you want a demo shortly then please phone me a.s.a.p. to make the necessary arrangements.

How to Assemble and Rig a Magnum 21

Here is a video showing how easy it is to put a Magnum 21 trimaran together. It only covers the standing rigging. Assembly & Rigging Instructional Videos