If I read the drawing right, it looks like the pin on the forespar is put so the foreward end of the forespar can’t move sideways and the whole rig rotate a little? On swing rigs, the whole rig gets to rotate, but is that of use on the Footy? I was the thinking of using a small rubber band to allow the rig to rotate a little in a gust. A string or a clip could as easily be used.
thx
Thx,
I am a little confused about your question. The McRig IS a swing rig. In fact, I started out using regular swing rigs on the Footys because I could switch them between boats so easily. I stopped using the pure swing rigs and went to the McRigs because of poor windward performance especially in light winds.
The thing that controls the amount of rig rotation is the main sheet. Check out IMG 0025 to see the rig almost all the way out and IMG 0032 on the Yahoo site to see details of my rig. The cover picture of “Huntington Footys” in the PHOTO section shows my first swing rig in action.
Scott
If the whole rig is supposed to rotate, then why is there a pin on the forespar that goes into a whole in the deck?
You might want to review this topic: http://www.rcsailing.net/forum1/showthread.php?t=3243
Where can I find those photos you referred to?
thx
Thx,
OK. As the saying goes “What we have here is a failure to communicate”.
I think what you are referring to is the ‘plug in’ rig that Brett used on his ‘Pipsqueak’ and other designs. That looks like a swing rig, but isn’t necessarily balanced to swing like one. Its advantage is that it has its own sheet leads which can be put anywhere without regard for hatches, etc. It is almost as easy to change as a true swing rig, but if you allow it to rotate, it might not rotate in the direction that you want, and bad things might happen to the sheet leads.
What I was referring to is what he calls the ‘Una’ rig, but everyone else calls a ‘McRig’ in his honor. It is a true swing rig and that’s where most of the development is taking place right now. Its advantages are that it is very simple to build, points very high, and depowers automatically in puffs.
To get to the pictures, close this page and click on the yellow “Yahoo-Footy Group” in the top right-hand corner of the home page. You might have to join to see all of the pictures, but it is free. The pictures with the numbers are in the ‘New Photos’ section and ‘Huntington Footys’ can be found on the ‘Photo’ section.
Scott
hi Scott,
We are talking about the same bermuda-like rig that Brett thunk up. What I was wondering about is if there would be any advantage to allowing the tack of the jib to swing a little ( 5 - 10 mm) to either side? I don’t mean rotating all tyhe way around like a typical swing rig. From your experimenmts, it seems you might know a little about it already, and I could easily fix the tack on my forespar, or use a small rubber band or an adjustable string (with a bowsie.)
I was going to make up a McRig for another Footy.
thx
Thx,
I was just playing around with my PipSqueak that I built as stock as I am capable of (carbon spars and a deeper keel), and it seems like if you let the rig rotate, the jib will swing to leeward, because the jib/main ratio is a lot higher than on a swing rig. As it does so, it really messes up the sheeting.
I know the JARCAT series of catamarans from Australia has a head stay on a transverse track and they let it go to leeward to open up the slot and flatten the genoa, but I don’t see it as much advantage on a model. My first swing rig Marblehead had a “break back” arrangement on the forward spar to let the headstay swing down to the centerline for some theoretical advantages, but its flopping was annoying and I locked it off. I never noticed a loss of performance. My Viper has a fixed arrangement that I like much better.
I’m the last person to try to stifle invention, and the Footy is certainly the class to try things out, but it seems like a lot of trouble for very little gain.
Scott