Topaz ranger Quick start guide

topaz
topaz ranger
»Rigging Instructions
www.toppersailboats.com

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»Introduction
»Manufacturers Details
»Maintenance
»Glossary
»Raising the Mast
»Attaching the Boom and Gnav
»Raising the Jib
»Rigging the Mainsail
»Reeng the Mainsail
»Rudder
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These RIGGING INSTRUCTIONS have been compiled to help you
to rig your Topaz RANGER sailing dinghy. Please also ensure that
you refer to your TOPAZ OWNERS MANUAL.
The OWNERS MANUAL has been compiled to help you to operate
your craft with safety and enjoyment. It contains details of the craft,
the equipment supplied or tted, it’s systems and information on its
operation and maintenance. Please read it carefully and familiarise
yourself with the craft before using it.
If this is your rst craft, or you are changing to a type of craft you are
not familiar with, for your own comfort and safety,
please ensure that you obtain handling and operating experience
before assuming command of the craft. Your dealer
or national sailing federation or yacht club will be pleased to advise
you of local sea schools, or competent instructors.
PLEASE KEEP THE RIGGING INSTRUCTIONS AND THE OWNERS
MANUAL IN A SECURE PLACE AND HAND THEMOVER TO THE
NEW OWNER WHEN YOU SELL THE CRAFT.
For further information, spares and
accessories, please contact the
manufacturer:
TOPPER INTERNATIONAL LTD,
Kingsnorth Technology Park,
Wotton Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 6LN
Telephone [phone]
email [e-mail]
contents
introduction

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The Topaz RANGER is designed to require very little maintenance, but there are some simple ways to keep
your boat in the best condition.
Rudder
Never launch your boat without checking that the retaining clip has clicked into place beneath
the upper transom tting, as this will prevent the rudder from falling o.
Sails
After you have nished sailing, roll the mainsail loosely, this will extend its life better than folding.
Never let the sails ap unduly, this can be done by furling the jib as soon as possible after hoisting.
Although the battens protect the mainsail to a certain extent, do not leave the mainsail hoisted
for extended periods of time.
Always rinse the sails and the boat after sailing in salt water.
ALWAYS RELEASE JIB TENSION WHEN NOT SAILING
Foils
Any nicks or deep scratches in the rudder can be repaired using gelcoat ller, as the smallest damage
will aect the performance of the boat. Make sure that the rudder blade remains tight between the stock
when down. Any movement between the blade and the stock, or the stock and the hull may cause
steering problems.
Hull and ttings
Small dents can be repaired by gently warming the hull with a hot air blower (take care not to melt the hull).
For any more substantial repairs refer to Topper Sailboats.
Check the attachment of all ttings regularly. This is particularly important for the ttings that
are screwed onto xings that are set in the hull. Keep all blocks, cleats and ropes clean
and rinse them after salt water exposure.
Always remove the bung to empty any water after sailing, and when not sailing leave the bung out
to prevent the buildup of pressure within the hull as the temperature uctuates.
Ropes
Always replace any ropes that are showing any signs of wear immediately.
maintenance

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glossary / useful terminology
hull
spars
foils
Nose:
Painter:
Transom:
Fore:
Aft:
Mast Step:
Rail:
Port:
Starboard:
Leeward:
Windward:
Gudgeon:
Mast:
Mast Heel:
Boom:
Outhaul:
Vang:
Cunningham:
Sheet:
Daggerboard
Rudder:
Pintle:
Front of the hull
Rope from the nose of the hull used for towing or tying the board to a jetty, buoy or trolley
Back of the hull
Forward
Rearward
Integral tube where the mast heel/foot of the mast locates
Upper/outermost edge of a hull
Left side of the hull when looking forward
Right side of the hull when looking forward
Direction away from the wind
Direction from which the wind is coming
Fitting on the transom used to hang the rudder
Main vertical spar supporting the rig/sail
Lower edge/foot of the mast
Spar at the bottom of the mainsail
Purchase system on the boom for tightening the lower edge/foot of the sail
Purchase system for tightening the rear/aft edge (leech) of the sail
Purchase system for tightening the forward edge/lu of the sail
Rope for controlling the inward/outward position of the mainsail
Blade found in the middle of the hull used to counteract leeward slippage
Blade found at the transom used for steering
The male part (pin) of the rudder hanging system

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sails
Mainsail:
Jib:
Tack:
Clew:
Head:
Leach:
Lu:
Foot:
Batten:
Sail aft/rearward of the mast (Larger of the two)
Sail forward of the mast (Smaller of the two)
Forward lower corner of a sail
Rear lower corner of a sail
Upper corner of sail
Rear edge of the sail
Forward edge of the sail
Bottom edge of the sail
A thin stiening strip in the sail to support the leach
glossary / useful terminology (...)

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1. Position the boat head to wind, away from power
lines and other overhead obstructions.
2. Lay the mast along the centre of the boat, having
tted the spreaders as per the Selden/Super Spars
instruction sheet.
3. Untape all lines from the base of the mast.
Attach the shroud adjusters to the shroud eyes each side, on
approximately the 5th hole down on the stern side.
Fix the base of the mast to the mast step on the cross beam
with the pin and ring from the mast step.
Pull the mast up using the forestay. To make it easier,
someone else can lift the top of the mast.
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rigging instructions
raising the mast

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Attach the boom onto the mast with the pin on the lower of
the two ttings. Remember to put the pin in from the top
and ip the pin end over.
1. Next attach the strut to the upper tting on the mast.
Ensure the toggle is correctly orientated as per the
Selden/Superspar info sheet.
2. Fix the gnav strut carriage on top of the boom, although
this should already be xed for you.
Having xed the boom and gnav to the mast you can thread
the gnav control line. This comes out from the boom at the
front, and then feeds through the swivel cleat on the mast.
TIP: You can tie a stopper knot in the end of the main halyard and
then attach this to the end of the boom, so that the boom is held
up while the rest of the rigging is completed. You may also want
to re-rig the downhaul / cunningham at this time. This will give
you a 4:1 purchase, eective to atten the sail on a windy day.
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raising the mast (...)
attaching the boom & gnav
Having pulled the mast upright, secure the forestay around
the stainless steel chute mouth bar.
Ensure all halyards are clear and not twisted.
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Now thread the mainsheet. Starting from the centre cleat
on the hull.
(NB: ensure the ratchet clicks when the rope is pulled in),
Go up to the front block, and thread the line front
to back. Then go to the pulley on the top of the ratchet
block, and thread it front to back. Then go to the rear pulley
on the boom, and thread it back to front. Finally, the main
sheet goes to the pulley on the top of the ratchet and
through the hole in the centre of the pulley. Tie a stopper
knot to prevent the line unthreading.
Do the same for the head of the jib onto the furler on the jib
halyard. Again, wrap some tape around it.
NOTE: To ensure swivel movement is not restricted, avoid taping
across the swivel
Attach the foot of the jib to the furler at the front of the boat.
Ensure the furler is fully wound up.
TIP: Wrap some electrical tape around the furler.
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attaching the boom & gnav (...)
raising the jib

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raising the jib (...)
Pull the jib halyard in order to raise the jib, and then cleat the
halyard o on the right side of the mast. In order to apply
the most rig tension, pull the jib halyard as the forestay is
pulled forward by another person.
Once the rig tension has been applied, the forestay can be
moved back from the P clip at the front and then tied o to
the mast.
Tie the jib sheets onto the eye on the clew of the jib (push a
loop at the centre of the jib sheets through the eye, then
pull the tails through the loop and pull tight.)
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5

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Thread the jib sheet through the cleats on each side of the
beam, then tie the ends together with a Fisherman’s or
Love Knot.
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raising the jib (...)
Furl the jib by pulling the thin line, so that it ends
in this position.
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Cleat the jib furler o in the cleat underneath the crossbeam.
The tail of the jib halyard can be stowed in the pocket on top
of the cross beam.
It is not advisable to leave the jib up overnight, and always
take the jib tension o when the boat is not being sailed.
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Now tie the lowers onto the tting on the mast.
NOTE: do not tie the lowers tight, have around 5cm of slack in the
wire
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Tie the otation panel to the top of the mainsail
by passing the white lines through the eyelets
in the sail and secure with a gure of eight knot.
Tie the free end of the main halyard to the eyelet on the top
of the mainsail. We suggest tying a stopper knot on the end
of the halyard, then taking a round turn through the eye at
the top of the sail. Then tie a half hitch with the stopper knot
hard against the halyard.
Cleat the main halyard in the cleat on the left of the mast
or at the cleat at the top of the mast. If the cleat is at the
base of the mast you can sweat the halyard in order to make
sure that the sail is at the top of the mast
This is done by holding the halyard just above the cleat
and then pulling away from the mast at 90 degrees. Then
re-cleat the halyard until the sail is at the top of the mast.
TIP: Check the halyard for excessive wear regularly, particularly
where the line goes over the masthead sheave. Wear can be
prevented by moving the knot at the head every so often by
adding additional overhand knots.
Raise the sail by placing the bolt rope in the cut out
of the mast just above the boom, and then pulling
on the halyard.
NB: It may be easier to raise with two people, as one can pull the
halyard while the other can feed the lu of the sail into the mast.
Ensure that the boat is still head to wind before the sail is raised.
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rigging the mainsail

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Insert the slug at the clew of the sail into the cut out in the
boom, and slide it along to the end of the boom.
Pass the outhaul through the eyelet in the clew, and then
back to the end of the boom, where the stopper knot end of
the outhaul is xed behind the slug on the boom end tting.
The outhaul can then be tightened at the mast end of the
boom.
Cunningham - Take the tail attached to the gooseneck tting
and feed through eye in the sail then down through the cleat
on the side of the mast. To stop the rope coming out of the
cleat and to act as a stopper you can tie a gure-eight knot
on the end of the line.
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rigging the mainsail (...)
Pull on the red reeng line so that it comes out of the boom
some way.
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reeng the mainsail

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Feed the reeng line through the eyelets in the leech
of the sail.
From the top eyelet, the reeng line comes back down to
the boom.
Tie a stopper knot in the end of the line, and then
slide the knot into the cut out in the boom.
Use a similar system, with the end of the reeng line at the
mast end of the boom, on the lu of the sail.
Tie the end of the reeng line onto the end of the boom so
that it is secure.
Release the main halyard from the cleat, and uncleat
the gnav, and then pull on the reeng line.
The foot of the sail should fold up so that the sail area is
reduced.
Once the desired sail area is achieved, cleat the reeng
line and main halyard, and re-apply gnav tension.
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reeng the mainsail (...)
When the Rudder is attached, ensure that it is fully engaged
on to the pintle and gudgeon so that the retaining clip is able
to spring out to hold the rudder in place.
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rudder

TOPPER INTERNATIONAL LTD
Kingsnorth Technology Park
Wotton Road
Ashford
Kent TN23 6LN
United Kingdom
T: [phone]
E: [email protected]om
Test sails available on request
topaz
topaz
dinghy range
topaz ranger