NORTH SAILS Swan 42 Quick start guide

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Swan 42 Tuning Guide Solutions for today’s sailors
TUNE YOUR RIG
FOR OUTRIGHT
SPEED
Swan 42

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Swan 42 Tuning Guide Solutions for today’s sailors
Contents
Pg. 1 Part 1: Setting Up at Base
Pg. 1 Part 2: Headstay
Pg. 2 Part 3: Trim
Pg. 2 Part 4: Essential Items and Go-Fast Tips
Pg. 3 Part 5: On the Water Tuning Before Starting
Pg. 4 Tuning Guides
Pg. 6 Worldwide Service
The information in this
guide applies to North 3DL
and 3Di Swan 42 Class
sails only. The North Sails
Swan 42 Tuning System is
designed and regatta proven
at international events to
produce terrific boat speed
in all conditions.
Equipment Required
Vernier calipers
Lanacote
Excel spreadshee
30 m steel metric tape
Loos Gauge RT-10
Loos Gauge RT-11
Swan 42 We hope you enjoy your Swan 42 Tuning Guide. North class
representatives and personnel have invested a lot of time to make this
guide as helpful as possible for you. Tuning and trim advice oered
here have been proven over time with top results in the class.
North has become the world leader in sailmaking through an ongoing
commitment to making sails faster, lighter and longer lasting. We are
equally committed to working as a team with our customers.
As always, if you have any questions or comments we would love to
hear from you. Please contact your CSD class representative.
Sincerely,
Ken Read
President North Sails Group

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Swan 42 Tuning Guide Solutions for today’s sailors
Part 1: Setting Up at Base
Step mast with mast butt 55mm aft of
the bulkhead. You may or may not have a
piece of wood trim at the bottom of the
bulkhead. Measure above it.
Set the mast at deck level to be the class
Max length of 5.00m from the centerline
of the headstay. Center the mast by
equalizing the distance between the
upper Cap shrouds. Pour “Spar Tite” to
keep mast permanently centered.
Tuning Matrixes
North Sails provides two separate tuning
guides. The “Turnbuckle Method” and the
“Plate Method.” The Turnbuckle Method is
recommended for the most precise tuning.
Setting up BASE: Turnbuckle Method
Place all tuning plates under the mast.
Each side should have:
• 1-25mm black plate
• 1-19mm black plate
• 2-3mm red plates
• 2-6mm blue plates
Using an RT-11 LOOS Gauge:
Set the upper shrouds (Caps) to 63.
Set the lower diagonal (D1) to 27.
Using a RT-10 LOOS Gauge:
Set the upper diagonal (D2) to 20.
Jack pressure should be 250.
Setting up BASE: Plate Method
Place the following tuning plates under
the mast. Each side should have:
• 1-25mm black plate
• 1-19mm black plate
• 1-3mm red plates
• 1-6mm blue plates
Using an RT-11 LOOS Gauge:
Set the upper shrouds (Caps) to 65.
Set the lower diagonal (D1) to 27.
Using a RT-10 LOOS Gauge:
Set the upper diagonal (D2) to 20.
Jack pressure should be 260.
Part 2: Headstay
Max Headstay Arc measurement is 1.735m.
Measure down from Gooseneck band
“A” 1.00m and make a mark on the mast
sidewall with a marker at “B”.
Take the highest hoist Jib halyard to
the mark “B”. Swing the halyard to the
Headstay and make a mark on the
headstay like the image to the left.
Fig. 1 Fig. 2
A
B
Fig.1: Mast butt plate forward
edges should be 50 mm aft of
the bulkhead ahead of the mast.
Fig.2: “A” Gooseneck band,
“B” mast sidewall mark location

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Swan 42 Tuning Guide Solutions for today’s sailors
Part 2: Headstay (continued)
Use the tuning matrix to adjust according
to wind conditions. The base setting is plus
6 from max long.
If you are currently are using the Reckmann
headstay, please request a Reckmann
Headstay Tuning Matrix from your North
representative.
Adjust headstay length until the distance
between the sheer line and mark “C”
(Fig. 3) is 1.735m. This is the max long
headstay setting. The BASE setting is
1.725m, which is 6 turns from max.
Part 3: Trim
Note headsail trim reference marks on
spreaders in Fig. 4 above.
On the top spreader – mark the underside
of the spreader exactly at the beginning of
the spreader taper “A”.
On the bottom spreader – mark the
distance exactly half way between the sail
track and the spreader tip = 93.5cm “B” .
Note sheeting angle reference marks in Fig.
5 above.
Using a metric tape measure, apply marks
to the deck to for jib inhaul positions.
• 0.70 is the jib track.
• 80 is 792mm from centerline.
• 7.500 is 752mm from centerline.
• 7.000 is 692mm from
centerline – high point and flat water.
• 6.50 is 642mm from centerline – easy
target speed and very flat water only.
Part 4: Essential Items to
Tune a Swan 42
• Vernier calipers to measure
turnbuckle thread distance.
• Lanacote to apply to turnbuckle
threads to prevent thread damage.
• Excel spreadsheet to record fast
settings as they develop.
• 30 m steel metric tape measure.
• Loos Gauge RT-10 for upper diagonal
shroud (D2) and RT-11 for upper
shroud and lower diagonal (D1).
Two Cool, Go-Fast Tips
The mainsheet blocks can chafe the
mainsheet unless there is a 10cm loop
attached “E” (Fig. 6). A good boathook with
length expandability is a must. Here’s a
simple storage location too “F” (Fig. 6).
Fig.3 Fig. 4 Fig. 6
Fig. 5
C
A
F
B
E
Yacht Centerline
Fig.3: distance between the sheer line
and mark “C”
Fig.4: headsail trim reference marks
Fig. 5: Sheeting angle reference marks
Fig. 6 Mainsheet block and boat hook

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Swan 42 Tuning Guide Solutions for today’s sailors
Part 5: On the water tuning
before starting
Light air from 4 to 9 knots.
• Headstay should be at max length.
• D1 should be loose enough to allow
mast to sag to leeward at the lower
spreader by 15mm.
• Caps or upper shroud should be
loose enough to allow mast to sag to
leeward by 2cm at second spreader.
Note this is a good test of the D2
tension. If D2 is too tight the mast
will not sag evenly on a lateral plane.
• Leeward cap should be tight enough
to be stable but loose enough to be
wiggled slightly by one hand.
This set-up allows the maximum mast
bend with minimum headstay tension
easily absorbing extra the lu curve which
must be in the main for strong winds. This
set-up is excellent when used with the
light or Code 1 headsail.
Theme: “Induce headstay sag to make the
jib powerful without compromising main
shape”
Medium wind from 8 to 15 knots:
• Headstay should be BASE.
• D1 should be tight enough to set
mast without any lateral sag.
• Caps or upper shroud should be tight
enough to prevent lateral sag.
• Leeward cap should be tight enough to
be stable in a seaway but loose enough
to be wiggled slightly by one hand.
This set-up allows the main to be set
optimally and still have enough headstay
tension to make the medium or Code 2.
headsail to operate in a wide range.
Theme: “maximum flexibility in sail shape”
Fresh wind from 14 to 20 knots:
• Headstay should be set to 1.715m.
• D1 is adjusted to be tight enough to
ensure a straight mast with perhaps a
slight windward projection.
• Caps are adjusted to be hard enough
to keep mast straight laterally.
Leeward cap can still be wiggled
by one had but is not moving in a
seaway.
• D2 is tight enough to allow the
second spreader have 1-2mm of
windward projection.
Note: When sighting mast for lateral sag,
do so from behind the mast looking up
the sail track at deck level.
Theme: “As wind strength builds headstay
tension must also in order to permit sails
to be twisted.”
Strong winds above 23 knots:
• Headstay should be max tight.
• Caps are adjusted to keep slight
tension on the leeward shroud even in
a typical 23 knot seaway.
• D1 is tight enough to bring mast to
windward by 15mm at the bottom
spreader. The leeward side D1 does
not move while sailing upwind.
• D2 is automatically tight enough
to bring the second spreader to
windward by 15mm as well.
• This set-up is great for use with the
ORC #4 Headsail.
Note: In order to adjust the shroud
tension safely without the use of the mast
jack, it is recommended the turnbuckles
have Lanacote applied and tension the
backstay to maximum before making any
shroud adjustments.
Theme: “The headstay must be
reasonably tight to permit the sails to be
twisted without over-bending the mast
and without inverting the mainsail.”

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Swan 42 Tuning Guide Solutions for today’s sailors
Tuning Chart: Turnbuckle Method
Turnbuckle Method Tuning Guide
TWS
5 kts
6 kts
7 kts
8 kts
9 kts
10 kts
11 kts
12 kts
13 kts
14 kts
15 kts
16 kts
17 kts
18 kts
19 kts
20 kts
21 kts
22 kts
23 kts
24 kts
25 kts
26-30 kts
Caps
58
60
63
65
67
70
Caps
-2
-1
0
1.5
3
4.5
6
D1
No read
No read
27
36
40
46
D1
-4
-2
0
1
2
3
4
Inhauler
7°
7°
7°
7°
7°
7°
6.5°
6.5°
6.5°
6.5°
7°
7.5°
7.5°
8°
8°
8.5°
8.5°
None
None
None
None
None
Headstay
6 o from BASE
3 o from BASE
Plus 6 from BASE
Plus 6 from BASE
Plus 9 from BASE
Plus 12 from BASE
Max tight
Comments
Nice setting for a soft
8-9 kts and lump
Max HS arc of 1.735. In
a pinch, minus 1 red & 1
blue plate
Or minus 1 blue plate
Base HS ARC - 1.725
Drop a blue plate to
get back to 15-16 kts
setting
Jack limit by Swan/Hall
D2
14
20
25
35
50
D2
-2
0
0
0
0
2
Jack
130
190
250
285
315
330
370
Sail Selecton
L / A1
L / A1
L / A1
L / A1
L / A1
L / A2
L / A2
L / A2
Med / A2
Med / A2
Med / A2
Med / A2 or A4 CMW
Med / A2 or A4 CMW
Heavy / A2 or A4 CMW
Heavy / A2 or A4 CMW
Heavy / A4 or A4 CMW
Heavy / A4
4 / A4
4 / A4
#4 / A4
#4 / A6
#5 / A6

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Swan 42 Tuning Guide Solutions for today’s sailors
TWS
< 8 kts
8-11 kts
11-13 kts
14-17 kts
18+ kts
Jack
130
170
250
320
370
D1
No read
10
27
44
43
D2
5
10
20
35
46
V1
60
62
65
68
70
Headstay
Minus 6 from BASE (max)
Minus 3 from BASE
BASE
Plus 6 from BASE
Plus 12 from BASE (max)
Plates
1 Red
1 Blue
1 Red and 1 Blue
1 Red and 2 Blue
2 Red and 2 Blue
Mast Step Position
50mm
50mm
50mm
50mm
50mm
Plate Method Tuning Guide
Tuning Chart: Plate Method
• Max headstay length for the class rule
is 18.765. Base headstay length is 6
turns on from max long.
• Using the top jib halyard, the arc
measurement for max length is 1.735
(see pages 3 and 4). BASE is 1.725.
• 6 turns equals 10mm. Total tuning
range is 30mm. Headstays may vary.
• Plates listed are in addition to 1
supplied 25mm plate and 1 supplied
19mm plate which are always under
the mast.
• Jack pressure measured in “Bars.”
• Step position is measured from aft
edge of bulkhead above the trim to
the forward edge of the mast.
• Loos Guage #10 is used on the D2s.
Numbers may vary with gauge.
• Loos Guage #11 is used on the D1s and
V1s. Numbers may vary with gauge.
• Turn Headstay counter clockwise to
tighten. Clockwise to loosen.

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Swan 42 Tuning Guide Solutions for today’s sailors
Worldwide Service
At North Sails, we view each sail purchase
as the beginning of a long and rewarding
relationship. We base this expectation on a
strong service commitment that includes
preventive maintenance, sound advice,
education and expert repairs.
North Sails is a network of more than 100
lofts in 34 countries around the world. Each
oers knowledgeable, friendly, personal
sales and service. Our size and worldwide
reach also means North has the world’s
most expansive sailmaking database. It
would be hard to find a sailboat for which
we cannot make a fast, durable and long
lasting sail.
All North Lofts oer:
• Annual checkover
• Winter storage
• Retrofitting
• Educational
• Sail washing
• Sail tune-up
• Seminar resources

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Swan 42 Tuning Guide Solutions for today’s sailors
Swan 42
The North Promise
North Sails proudly stands by every
product it makes. Our years of
innovation, research and testing
make us confident in the high
quality of our products.
This is why with every Cruising,
Racing or One Design sail we oer
free sail care and repair, honored
anywhere in the world through our
network of service locations.
Terms & conditions apply
For more information visit the
North Sails Oshore One Design
website at:
oshoreonedesign.com
For any question you may have
on tuning your Swan 42 for speed,
contact our experts:
Jack Slattery
[email protected]
+1.781.929.1824
Tom Castiglione
T[email protected]
+1.516.790.7498
For other useful information
visit the Swan 42 class website
swan42.org