By Scott Ikle'‚ (as printed in Sailing World)
Those of you who think 505 sailors are a group of gear-head,
mad-scientist, speed-freak sailors out to spend a ton of money developing ultra-high tech
boats, hopefully this article will set you straight. The 505 is really for the regular
sailor just hooked on going fast. The boat is a natural progression for the Laser racer
who is bored of sailing all alone, the college sailor who wants to learn more about sail
and rig controls, and for Olympic sailors in search of some challenging cross-training.
It's a great boat for women; some of our top skippers include Carol Buchan, Allison Jolly,
and Ellen Ablow. As one of the strongest trapeze- boat classes in the country, and due to
the high-performance nature of the boat itself, 505 events are extremely competitive yet
the class champions are not house-hold names because they rarely sail outside the class.
Most 505 sailors are regular nine- to-five folks who can go out and tear it up with the
best sailors in the world.
Now, the boat itself is not a complex, space-age, high-budget craft,
but it takes a bit of work to get going with the best. What follows is a summary of the
ideas, hard numbers, and thoughts on sailing the boat from the following top sailors in
the class: Howard Hamlin/Cam Lewis, '92 North American champions; Mike Punnett, former
East Coast champion; Jeff Miller and Jim Maloney, '91 NA champs; Jeff Boyd/Martin TenHove,
top Canadian 505 sailors: and Ethan Bixby, former world champ.
Hull and Blades
The two U.S. builders of 505s are Waterat Boats of Santa Cruz,
Calif., and Lindsay Boats of Gloucester, Mass. Both produce, in my opinion, the best
constructed 505s in the world. Through advanced composite construction these builders have
produced a group of strong, tough, light boats that are still winning championships after
12 years of competition. The beauty of either boat is the fact that you can buy a new boat
and keep it for a lifetime, or buy a used boat and know you'll still be competitive.
Another option would be to buy a new European boat built by Parker or Rondar, or an
Australian Kyrwood. These boats may not age as gracefully as an American 505 , but they
are more affordable while still very competitive. The major choice when buying a boat is
whether to get one with spinnaker bags or a bow launcher. A launcher boat is preferred by
sailors who race in lots of wind , and is quite popular on San Francisco Bay and in Europe
and Australia. The bow launcher allows for easier spinnaker sets and take-downs, and is
more forgiving if there should be a mistake made in one of these maneuvers. A bag boat
(with spinnaker bags next to the mast) puts a premium on good crew work. As far as speed
difference around the race course, there is none. The only exception to this is on close,
two-sail reaches, when a bag boat seems to be slightly faster, having the headstay all the
way forward opens the slot between the jib and main.
Since the 505 is a development class, as opposed to a strict
one-design, sailors are free to choose rudder and centerboard configurations. Over time
most of the fleet has started to use the same shapes, and a stock rudder is a good place
to start. The preferred centerboard design is a jibing, elliptical board. It's important
that all the jibing surfaces be flat and parallel with their opposite side for the board
to work efficiently.
Rigging and Sails
The most important pieces of equipment to choose when setting up
your 505 are the mast and sails. Over the years the Proctor D mast has emerged as one of
the best all-around masts here in North America and in Europe. For those of you getting
into the class, the common advice is, "Don't try to reinvent the wheel, just use a
D." There are other good masts to choose from, but all the sailmakers have a mainsail
pattern that works with the bend characteristics of a Proctor D. If you rig the mast
yourself, make sure it's all within the class rules. (I suggest you use the dimensions in
the Rig Measurement box as a starting point.) In any case, the headstay and spinnaker
halyard block should be at their maximum heights , so you can get the spinnaker up as high
as possible. Also, locate the trapeze hounds as close as possible to the shroud hounds to
minimize sideways S bend. If you race in heavy air a lot or if the crew is small, you
could mount the shrouds lower, closer to the headstay, to allow the tip to bend side-ways
more and let the top of the sails depower sooner. If you race in a light- to moderate-
breeze area, a higher shroud setting will make the rig stiffer.
Spreader deflection is an important measurement in controlling the
fore-and-aft bend of the mast and the shape of the mainsail. It is determined by drawing
an imaginary line between the spreader tips, and measuring the distance from the middle of
this line to the back of the mast. More spreader deflection (when spreaders are swept back
more) makes the mast bend more when shroud tension is increased; less deflection will bend
the mast less. If you position your spreader brackets 10'2" above the deck, a rough
spreader deflection measurement of 4 1/2" to 4 3/4" with spreaders 17.5 in. long
is a good starting point. However, spreader base, shroud height, and spreader length can
vary from boat to boat.
Rig Measurements for Proctor D Mast
Distance from deck black band:
If your setup differs from the above dimensions, here's an easy way
to see if the spreader deflection is in the right ballpark. If you can draw a straight
line between the point at which the shroud exits the mast and the chainplate, the spreader
should be approximately 1" forward of that line and 1" out to the side. If the
trapeze hound is located near the shroud hound , you can test this easily by pulling the
trapeze wire tight while holding the wire at the chainplate, and evaluating the distance
between the trapeze wire and the spreader tip. This will give you a starting point to
learn how much spreader deflection you'll need to induce the right amount of mast bend for
your mainsail . Mainsails with less luff curve require less spreader deflection, so talk
to your sailmaker and follow his advice when you get a new sail. Wherever your spreaders
are located, it's a good idea to put a nico-press sleeve on the shroud below the spreader
tip to keep it from sliding down. Also, if you buy a new mast with an adjustable spreader
bracket, be sure it has an internal sleeve to reinforce this area of the mast. It 's also
important for the mast to be centered in the boat and have the same bend from side to side
for the same boat speed on both tacks. With the mast straight and some shroud tension on,
measure the distance from the tip of the mast to each chainplate with a tape measure and
make sure it's the same. Then go sailing and check the mast while underway. At the
spreaders, your mast should have equal bend to leeward on each tack when the main is
trimmed to the centerline. With the crew driving from the wire, the skipper can sight up
the mast and see if there is about 1" of leeward bend on both tacks. When the main is
eased so that the boom goes over the corner of the transom, the mast should go straight or
poke slightly to weather to help de- power the rig.
The 505 class rules allow you to measure in two complete suits of
sails for regattas, which could lead to a lot of variation. It's best to have one suit of
all-purpose sails rather than an optimized suit for a given wind condition, given Murphy's
law, you'll always pick the wrong suit in the parking lot. The leading U.S. sailmakers are
Danger Sails in Signal Hill, Calif., and North Sails in St. Petersburg. Fla., and they
both produce excellent all-purpose sails.
Upwind
Since you can adjust anything you want on a 505, you can develop a
rig setup that is fast in all conditions based on your sailing style. This is an important
fact to remember. There are many ways to sail the boat correctly upwind. Sometimes you
need to point, other times you can bear off and plane upwind when you want to get out to a
corner of the course fast. The skipper and crew must set up the boat for the given weather
conditions, as well as the current tactical situation. Specifically, mast rake, rig
tension, and lower mast bend are the big three tuning variables in a 505. Mast rake is
controlled by an adjustable forestay system, and controls pointing ability, rig power, and
also aids in balancing of the helm. In general, a straightened mast in light air powers up
the rig, while raking the mast back in windier conditions helps de-power and balance the
helm. Rig tension, controlled by an adjustable shroud system, is important for controlling
headstay tension and mast bend. Tighter shrouds bend the mast while tightening the
headstay for windy races; looser shrouds allow for a straighter mast and more headstay
sag, adding power to the jib for light air. The mast ram controls lower mast bend fore and
aft: ram down straightens the mast and powers up the mainsail, and ram up allows the mast
to bend and flattens the main.
To generalize, there are four modes in 505 sailing: light air,
marginal trapezing, full trapezing, and de-powered conditions. In light air and flat
water, you should set the mast one inch aft from straight upright with some lower mast
pre-bend for a centerlined, flat mainsail with an open leech. Also, the jib should have
some headstay sag. For light to moderate breeze with some chop, which is usually a
marginal trapezing condition, the rig should be upright with loose shrouds for some
headstay sag. The main should be deep and powerful with the outhaul and cunningham eased
and the mast rammed straight. As the breeze builds to full trapping conditions, use a
flatter mainsail shape and a tighter headstay to reduce sag and improve pointing. To de-
power in heavy-air planing conditions, raise the centerboard one to two inches, and rake
the mast back all the way to balance the helm. Then bend the lower part of the mast, pull
the cunningham and outhaul on hard, and twist the leeches of both the main and jib to
de-power. Finally, foot off and plane upwind as fast as you can! Just remember that a 505
sails best when the boat is flat and the helm is neutral in all conditions a balanced helm
means you're in the groove!
Because mast rake and rig tension are the two most significant
"crude" tuning variables, you have to know your numbers. To measure different
mast-rake positions, hoist a tape measure to the black band at the top of a straightened
mast, pass the tape through one of the transom cutouts, and read the number at the
intersection of the bottom and transom and mark the headstay control so you can reproduce
these positions. To measure shroud tension, use a tension gauge, and mark the shroud
tension line as you pull it on so you can reproduce a specific tension for a given mast
rake. The accompanying tuning chart has the basic numbers. Everyone uses the same tuning
numbers, but lighter crews will de-power sooner than the heavier crews.
One of the reasons that competitive crew weights vary from a
combined weight of 310 to 380 pounds is because the rig has a large range of adjustment,
the boats can be equal in all conditions no matter what the crew weight. In general, if
you're not pointing but going fast, decrease aft rake (straighten the mast up). If you are
pointing too high, but lack speed, increase the rake. Also remember that a looser rig
tension makes the headstay sag, allowing the jib to be fuller. Increased rig tension
flattens the jib entry, and flattens the main with more bend.
Once these major adjustments are made and you start the race, the
vang, mainsheet, jib lead, and jib-sheet tension become the major variables. It's
important that all these systems work well, with enough purchase for easy adjustment any
time. Locating major control lines on the side tank allows the skipper to make adjustments
while hiking out.
One area critical to upwind speed is jib trim. You should have a
window in your main so you can see a leech telltale on the jib. The telltale should be
located one third of the way from the head down the jib leech. When sailing upwind, first
set the jib lead so the luff breaks evenly from top to bottom, then trim in the sheet
until the leech telltale is just on the verge of stalling. You can mark the jib sheet to
duplicate this setting quickly after each tack. Also, adjustable jib leads that are led to
the weather side are an important gross control, you can de-power the boat in a puff by
dropping the lead back or you can pull the lead forward and pinch someone off.
Off the Wind
Downwind racing is 505 sailing at its best. The boat is so
exhilarating to race off the wind, the class races on a double- triangle
"worlds" course, with a total of four beats, four tight reaches, and one run in
each race. The international class has its own rules on kinetics because these boats are
meant to be worked hard off the wind there's no problem catching a wave; the challenge is
usually getting over the backside of the wave in front of you and surfing down the next
one!
When tight reaching, the 505 must be sailed flat with the spinnaker
eased until just luffing. The crew must be very sensitive to weight placement, both
inboard and outboard, and fore and aft. Some crews tend to move too far aft, sinking the
stern of the boat and hindering planing. The vang is very important on a tight reach. Keep
pulling the vang on to add power in the mainsail and to get the crew out on the trapeze as
soon as possible, and when overpowered, ease the vang to keep the boat flat. Another
de-powering technique is to move the spinnaker lead blocks aft for very heavy or very
tight reaching conditions. (Some crews make this adjustment on the water by having
different rope loops on the rail, into which the turning block is tied.) Light crews can
also rig up a big-boat style flattening reef in the main to help keep the boom out of the
water on heavy-air reaches. The centerboard should be pulled up to about a 45 degree angle
for reaches, a little higher in windy conditions, and a little lower if you feel
underpowered when you want to get the crew out on the wire a little sooner. Good reaching
speed is a product of time in the boat. Sail trim, weight placement, and crew coordination
in pumping the sails and working the boat must become second nature.
On the running legs, the 505 sensitive to apparent wind angle. Sail
the boat on a hot (tight), broad-reaching angle to promote surfing on the waves , while
playing the shifts downwind. Two things to watch out for on a 505: mainsail trim and
weight placement. The main-trim problem can be due in part to having the skipper and crew
sit on opposite side tanks - the preferred way to sail the 505 downwind in light air is to
have both skipper and crew sit on the centerboard trunk inside the boat. If the skipper
sits on the leeward side tank with his back to the main, he can't see the mainsail as
easily. In the lightest conditions, give the skipper the spinnaker sheet so he can feel
the pressure on the sheet and get a better feel for what angle he can steer. Once the
breeze starts to build, the skipper can give the crew back the spinnaker and move to the
weather rail while the crew remains in the center of the boat. This gives the skipper a
better feel for the wave pattern, and he can see better than if he were on the leeward
rail. When it's windier, remember to pre-bend the mast with the ram when running to
prevent the mast from inverting and possibly breaking.
ln order to win races in a 505, you have to be fast and have good
boathandling, both of which take time out on the water. lf you don't have the time, talk
to the experienced teams. They'll teach you more tricks over a couple of beers than you
can leam in an entire summer of solo practice. The sailors in the 505 class are always
eager to get everyone up to speed , because that only makes for better racing. There are
no hidden secrets in the class, and sailing a 505 is a lot simpler than people might
believe.
At the same time, nobody just jumps into the 505 class and starts
winning major regattas, it takes time. The first season is spent learning boathandling and
rig control. The second season you keep refining tuning and boathandllng technique, and by
the third season you're right in the thick of things. The best thing about this process is
that as you are out there practicing and leaming, you're sailing a 505. There's no better
boat to just go out and sail.