Challenger Trailing & Assembly Hints

Assembly

· Fit the mast and boom before attaching sponsons. Wheelchair sailors can then access the main hull to complete the rigging.

· Keep front and rear crossbeam bolts in separate, marked plastic bags. This avoids mixing long and short bolts during assembly.

· Put all the loose fittings, trailer straps etc. into a big plastic box. This ensures that everything is together for assembly and dismantling [it isn’t funny when you get to the Irish Championships and find that the crossbeam bolts are still in England!]

· A pair of simple trestles made from scrap wood makes removing the sponsons very much easier.

Dismantling

· Leave as much connected as possible, i.e. tiller lines to rudder bar, which is carried in the cockpit, so that assembly is much quicker and there is less chance of leaving something behind. Remember to check that pins and shackles are tight, though, as bits have been known to fall off during a journey.

· Make sure items are loaded onto the trailer in the correct order: Main hull mounted and lashed, then mast, beams & boom and finally sponsons. Hulls are best held by webbing straps and tensioners, beams, mast and sail by bungees, sail carried under the mast between sponsons.

· Load the mast with the foot at the front then, if it slips back, the lashings will tighten and prevent it from falling off.

· Average assembly/stripping time is 30-45 minutes with practice

Trailing

· Make a master check list of everything and go through it each time. It is surprisingly easy to forget to pack the obvious—like the sail!

· Keep the boat fittings box in the boat. That way there is less chance of leaving it behind and it is ready for assembly at the other end.

· A jockey wheel is essential for moving the trolley and road trailer.

· Paint the boat number and name on the trailer, launching trolley, road and spare wheels for easy identification and security.

· Suggested Reading List

Racing Rules of Sailing - Ref. YR1 [RYA]

Tactics - Rodney Pattison [Fernhurst books]

Sails - John Heys [Fernhurst books]

Helming to Win - Smith & Pinnell [Fernhurst books]

Wind Strategy - David Houghton [Fernhurst books]

Tides and Currents - David Arnold [Fernhurst books]