Turbo Charging your Weta
Martin Cross bought a Weta to primarily compete in the World Master Games in 2017. Being a semi-retired Great Grand Master and sailing single-handed, he had a bit more time than many people and trained full time for 6 months before the games. He also spent a lot of time working on his Weta to make it go faster. Below he shares some of the tips which he believe made a difference to his performance. He did not get any real chance to 'buddy tune' but did train with a GPS where he could judge some of the changes and did win Gold for his age and was second overall.
Changes that definitely enhanced performance in order of priority:
1) 'Cross' mainsheet bridle with simple traveller system with reduced purchase in mainsheet. Bridle behind ama arms. Traveller adjustment utilising cam cleats only used previously to tie boat down on the trolley. This made a huge difference as it meant there was no need to pass the tiller behind the mainsheet on each tack and gybe. Downwind you could release the traveller to allow the mainsheet to leeward and you have much less leach twist, therefore driving more speed. Re-centre the traveller at the end of each downwind leg. In order to use the traveller you also need to extend the tiller with a short piece of carbon tube. I also reduced the mainsheet system to 4:1 which gave much quicker control.
2) Another set of toe straps further out.
Can be sewn in or probably even better you can buy a whole loop adjustable toe strap that goes right around the ama arms (these were on sale in NZ). This makes a big difference; you may think you are hiking from the tramp edge but when you really get out on the ama the additional leverage is huge. Also when power reaching you can get right out at the back of the ama which creates more power and stop the leeward ama digging in! Getting out to this position is easy - getting back in is a challenge!
3) Additional cunningham purchase and adjust cleat angle.
The major power control on the 29er and 49er skiffs and so it is on the Weta. You need to move to the maximum allowed purchase 6:1. As soon as you are overpowered upwind you need to keep pulling it on until you cannot pull on anymore. The main blades off beautifully and you lose the top of the sail. On one windy day on flat water I was going fast upwind averaging 9.3kts I was pleased with this but then I put on the additional purchase averaged 9.8kts I was even more pleased.
One issue was with stronger tension the standard main halyard locking wire strop was not up to the job as the wire would pull out of the swage. I produced a doubled up strop which could handle the higher loads - others replaced the wire strop with a Dyneema leader.
If singlehanded you will need to put a triangular block under the Cunningham clam-cleat so you can adjust the Cuningham when you are hiking. The control line needs to be attached on the ama where you can reach it. Obviously the Cuningham needs to be released when you go downwind!
4) One shot gennaker hoist system.
Most of the boats at the front of the World Masters had independently decided to have the lower the gennaker on at least the first beat (some tried to take down on each downwind leg but I found this too difficult and once you rounded the first mark in a good position it had done its job anyway. Of course if you have a crew you do not have this problem). To do this I just changed over the jib and spinnaker halyard cleats on the mast, put an elastic system around the starboard ama arms attached to the end of the halyard to take up the slack once I hoisted. I put an additional block at the bottom of the mast and lead the halyard out to the ama so I could pull it when hiking on starboard tack. I put in a locking pin to keep the halyard lowered until ready on some shock cord also out to the ama. Coming in on the last tack to the windward mark I could hoist the gennaker from the hiking position.
(note that dropping the gennaker for the upwind leg has now been outlawed under the class rules)
5) Spinlock PXR cam-cleat for jib sheets.
When it was windy I found I could not consistently uncleat the jib with the standard Ronstan swivel cleats which made tacking and easing difficult. The Spinlock PXR cam cleats worked much better with 5mm sheets but was still under considerable pressure. I would now add a 2:1 purchase into the system if I was doing it again if singlehanded.
6) Spinnaker blocks outboard
For a windward leeward course, moving out the spinnaker blocks attachment as far from the centre as possible. This makes a difference in how deep you can drive doing downwind especially when added with the traveller makes a big difference.
7) Daggerboard slot padding.
I replaced the daggerboard slot material with some water proof carpet. Difficult to get the right thickness to have the daggerboard held as a firm as possible while still allowing it to be pulled up and pushed down. A stiffer daggerboard makes you faster.
I also made these following changes not necessarily faster but easier, lighter or safer.
1) Lowered and doubled up the forestay attachment strops (one day one of the knots pulled through the gunwale and the rig would have come down if not for the gennaker being hoisted).
2) Put a soft shackle on the jib clew with a short safety line. This was to allow relatively easy adjustment of jib clew position on the water.
3) Shockcord on a ring on the gennaker sheet. This would mean that the gennaker sheet was held flat across the trampoline when not in use otherwise I kept getting caught in the gennaker sheet when tacking.
4) Used a neoprene small bag at the bottom of the mast to hold and tidy up the main and jib halyards (not interfere with the jib when tacking).
5) Marked everything so I could consistently repeat settings.
6) Turned the shroud adjuster upside down put in a spare safety pin. Replaced with fast locking pins. My plan was to adjust the rig rake on the water. After a couple of attempts it was too difficult singlehanded. But double handed this should be possible. I ended up with 3 settings. Three up from the bottom for light winds, Two up for medium and bottom pin for windy. I marked the forestay lashing so I could get consistent tension.
7) Used minimum diameter lines. For example the main halyard was only 2mm.
8) Spliced in a strop to the gennaker sheet so there was nothing to get caught on the forestay during the gybes.
9) Used a Camelback water bladder which fitted well in the tramp under the starboard forward ama arm with the pipe lead into the cockpit which meant it was easy to rehydrate when going downwind.
10) Some great sticky-back rubber mats of various thickness from Clark Rubber. Used the 18mm for the top of the edge of the trampoline for comfort and the 2mm on the gunwale by the mast for pre-hiking in light winds and make it easier to go out on the ama arms.
Good sailing and remember, life's better in a Weta!
Dr Martin Cross FAICD
For photos of these and other mods, see the WMG Mods Page in the Weta Forum
Changes that definitely enhanced performance in order of priority:
1) 'Cross' mainsheet bridle with simple traveller system with reduced purchase in mainsheet. Bridle behind ama arms. Traveller adjustment utilising cam cleats only used previously to tie boat down on the trolley. This made a huge difference as it meant there was no need to pass the tiller behind the mainsheet on each tack and gybe. Downwind you could release the traveller to allow the mainsheet to leeward and you have much less leach twist, therefore driving more speed. Re-centre the traveller at the end of each downwind leg. In order to use the traveller you also need to extend the tiller with a short piece of carbon tube. I also reduced the mainsheet system to 4:1 which gave much quicker control.
2) Another set of toe straps further out.
Can be sewn in or probably even better you can buy a whole loop adjustable toe strap that goes right around the ama arms (these were on sale in NZ). This makes a big difference; you may think you are hiking from the tramp edge but when you really get out on the ama the additional leverage is huge. Also when power reaching you can get right out at the back of the ama which creates more power and stop the leeward ama digging in! Getting out to this position is easy - getting back in is a challenge!
3) Additional cunningham purchase and adjust cleat angle.
The major power control on the 29er and 49er skiffs and so it is on the Weta. You need to move to the maximum allowed purchase 6:1. As soon as you are overpowered upwind you need to keep pulling it on until you cannot pull on anymore. The main blades off beautifully and you lose the top of the sail. On one windy day on flat water I was going fast upwind averaging 9.3kts I was pleased with this but then I put on the additional purchase averaged 9.8kts I was even more pleased.
One issue was with stronger tension the standard main halyard locking wire strop was not up to the job as the wire would pull out of the swage. I produced a doubled up strop which could handle the higher loads - others replaced the wire strop with a Dyneema leader.
If singlehanded you will need to put a triangular block under the Cunningham clam-cleat so you can adjust the Cuningham when you are hiking. The control line needs to be attached on the ama where you can reach it. Obviously the Cuningham needs to be released when you go downwind!
4) One shot gennaker hoist system.
Most of the boats at the front of the World Masters had independently decided to have the lower the gennaker on at least the first beat (some tried to take down on each downwind leg but I found this too difficult and once you rounded the first mark in a good position it had done its job anyway. Of course if you have a crew you do not have this problem). To do this I just changed over the jib and spinnaker halyard cleats on the mast, put an elastic system around the starboard ama arms attached to the end of the halyard to take up the slack once I hoisted. I put an additional block at the bottom of the mast and lead the halyard out to the ama so I could pull it when hiking on starboard tack. I put in a locking pin to keep the halyard lowered until ready on some shock cord also out to the ama. Coming in on the last tack to the windward mark I could hoist the gennaker from the hiking position.
(note that dropping the gennaker for the upwind leg has now been outlawed under the class rules)
5) Spinlock PXR cam-cleat for jib sheets.
When it was windy I found I could not consistently uncleat the jib with the standard Ronstan swivel cleats which made tacking and easing difficult. The Spinlock PXR cam cleats worked much better with 5mm sheets but was still under considerable pressure. I would now add a 2:1 purchase into the system if I was doing it again if singlehanded.
6) Spinnaker blocks outboard
For a windward leeward course, moving out the spinnaker blocks attachment as far from the centre as possible. This makes a difference in how deep you can drive doing downwind especially when added with the traveller makes a big difference.
7) Daggerboard slot padding.
I replaced the daggerboard slot material with some water proof carpet. Difficult to get the right thickness to have the daggerboard held as a firm as possible while still allowing it to be pulled up and pushed down. A stiffer daggerboard makes you faster.
I also made these following changes not necessarily faster but easier, lighter or safer.
1) Lowered and doubled up the forestay attachment strops (one day one of the knots pulled through the gunwale and the rig would have come down if not for the gennaker being hoisted).
2) Put a soft shackle on the jib clew with a short safety line. This was to allow relatively easy adjustment of jib clew position on the water.
3) Shockcord on a ring on the gennaker sheet. This would mean that the gennaker sheet was held flat across the trampoline when not in use otherwise I kept getting caught in the gennaker sheet when tacking.
4) Used a neoprene small bag at the bottom of the mast to hold and tidy up the main and jib halyards (not interfere with the jib when tacking).
5) Marked everything so I could consistently repeat settings.
6) Turned the shroud adjuster upside down put in a spare safety pin. Replaced with fast locking pins. My plan was to adjust the rig rake on the water. After a couple of attempts it was too difficult singlehanded. But double handed this should be possible. I ended up with 3 settings. Three up from the bottom for light winds, Two up for medium and bottom pin for windy. I marked the forestay lashing so I could get consistent tension.
7) Used minimum diameter lines. For example the main halyard was only 2mm.
8) Spliced in a strop to the gennaker sheet so there was nothing to get caught on the forestay during the gybes.
9) Used a Camelback water bladder which fitted well in the tramp under the starboard forward ama arm with the pipe lead into the cockpit which meant it was easy to rehydrate when going downwind.
10) Some great sticky-back rubber mats of various thickness from Clark Rubber. Used the 18mm for the top of the edge of the trampoline for comfort and the 2mm on the gunwale by the mast for pre-hiking in light winds and make it easier to go out on the ama arms.
Good sailing and remember, life's better in a Weta!
Dr Martin Cross FAICD
For photos of these and other mods, see the WMG Mods Page in the Weta Forum