DN BASIC SETUP GUIDE

Happy Spring Everyone- Just thought I’d share a few thoughts on boat setup before everyone shifts over to soft-water mode… Food for thought for next season!

Getting a DN ice yacht set up properly and up to speed can be a daunting task. Quite often even knowing where to begin can be confusing. With that in mind I thought I’d share some basic starting points for all of the settings and adjustments on the boat. Every boat is a little different so be prepared to do some experimenting to find the sweet spots. That said, starting off in the ballpark will help.

Here are my quick’n’dirty, most basic boat tuning setup tips plus some racing tips.

BASELINE SET UP:

-Make sure your plank bends between 44-46 mm when you stand on the middle of it.

-Attach the plank in the middle or a little forward.

-Put the mast step on the deck in the middle.

-Put the mast socket all the way aft at the mast base.

-Set the mast rake so the boom is horizontal with the mainsheet slack.

-Set the halyard so there is about 12″-14″ inches between the back deck and the boom

-Sidestays should be snug but not loose; you should be able to attach them just by leaning on the adjuster fitting. If you need to pull the mainsheet on or get someone to lean on the mast in order to get the pin in that’s probably too tight…

-Set the mainsheet blocks on the back deck as far aft as they’ll go. Set the ones on the boom so the sheet is pulling aft just a bit when sheeted all the way in and the blocks are easily “nested” or “two-blocked.”

Sail around (upwind AND downwind!) and see how the boat feels; then “tune for effect!” as Jan Gougeon said!

If the boat hikes excessively and is hard to control encourage more mast bend by raising the halyard a bit or easing the sidestays. I like to do this before messing with the rake… It’s easier and doesn’t effect the geometry of the rig and boat. You can try different sidestay adjustments easily by changing a setting on one side but not the other. Sail around on different tacks and see which side feels better. Then match them up to the good side. If these adjustments don’t work try moving the mast step forward to encourage more bend and make life a little easier. Be sure to wind on the headstay to level the boom up again, and make sure the sidestays are still snug but not tight.

If the boat is too easy to sail (never hikes at all, rig bends out too easily, has a lack of pointing ability upwind) do the reverse of the steps above; lower the halyard a bit, tighten the sidestays… If these don’t stiffen things up enough move the mast step aft on the deck. Ease the headstay until the boom is level again… Again, check the sidestay tension and make sure it’s still good. If the mast still bends too much consider putting a “stick” in it (a 1” diameter fiberglass tube from McMaster-Carr about 10 feet long works well).

The boat should be work to sail; It’s a DN, not a La-Z-Boy recliner! It should hike a bit in puffs and breeze, you should have to slide aft and outboard off the starting line and out of tacks to get the rig to pop out to leeward, and you should have to ease and trim a bit to keep the boat on the ice. If you sheet in off the line and the mast just falls to leeward that’s set up too soft… If you haul the sheet in and the boat hikes up without the mast bending that’s too stiff. Hunt and peck until you find the sweet spots for your boat and sailing style! TIP: Keep it simple and try not to overthink things! ONLY MAKE ONE ADJUSTMENT AT A TIME! This way you can get a feel for which adjustment does what…. Also get a tuning partner; a sailor or two with similar gear and sailing level. Between races do practice runs and make adjustments in between. Take turns using one boat as a constant (a “trial horse” in America’s Cup lingo) and one as the adjustment test boat. All the top sailors do this!! Share what you learn after each test run. It really helps to sort out what works and what doesn’t as well as adjusting for changing conditions during the day.

Lastly, don’t be shy about looking over other people’s boats and setups. Every boat is a little different but if you look at the top sailors’ boats you will see patterns emerge… After every race the top five boats are held in the measurement area for about 15-20 minutes; that’s the perfect time to take a look! Remember, it’s not espionage if you are being obvious about it…. Also don’t be shy about asking questions. Most sailors will be happy to share tips over breakfast, on the ice (just not right before a Gold Fleet start!), at dinner, wherever. You never know when some useful little nugget will come your way!

During the race do your best to keep the boat going full speed at all times; maintain fast angles to the wind upwind and down. No pinching upwind or falling off too much downwind! On the upwind legs try to get a feel for when the boat is going full speed and when you can take a little height out of a puff. Downwind be sure to ease the sheet a little (1″-2″) and let some bend come out of the mast (sail downwind with the mast bent maybe half as much as upwind). Generally sailing high and hot downwind works best but sometimes you can ride a good puff down a bit.

Starts: Hit the gym all year and do what it takes to get off the line in the front row. Then you can sail your own race and enjoy it! If you get spit out the back, don’t despair. Try sailing a little low until you can find a lane of clear breeze… If you started near the center of the line you might be able to tack as soon as you can clear other boats and lay the Darling mark. This leaves you all alone in the middle of the course with all of the space and clear air you could ever want…. Take it from this lousy sprinter, you can pull off a good salvage job this way!

Shifts and puffs: Again, keep it simple. Keep your head out of the boat. Try to stay on the tack or gybe that heads you closest to the next mark. Try to visualize where the puffs are and how they are moving down the course and stay in them. And keep in mind where the “picket fences” (groups of other boats chewing up the wind) are and where the bad air they create might be lingering.

Hopefully these tips will help you make sense of these complex little creatures we call DNs!

Last and most important, when you get to the winner’s circle, act like you’ve been there before!

Sail It Like Ya Stole It!

T. Thieler DN US 5224