Topper TOPAZ XENON XK1 User manual

Topaz Xenon XK1 Rigging
Instructions

TOPAZ XENON XK1
RIGGING INSTRUCTIONS
CONTENTS
02. Introduction
02. Manufacturers Details
03. Maintenance
04. Raising the Mast
05. Attaching the Boom and Gnav
06. Raising the Jib
12. Rigging the Mainsail
14. Reefing the Mainsail
15. Rudder
INTRODUCTION
These RIGGING INSTRUCTIONS have been compiled to help you to rig your Topaz XENON XK1 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 fitted, 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 first 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 THEM OVER TO THE NEW OWNER WHEN YOU SELL THE CRAFT.
MANUFACTURER DETAILS
For further information, spares and accessories,
please contact the manufacturer:
TOPPER INTERNATIONAL LTD,
Kingsnorth Technology Park,
Wotton Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 6LN
Telephone [phone]
Fax [phone]
email [email protected]

TOPAZ
Maintenance
The Topaz XENON XK1 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 fitting, as this will prevent the rudder from falling off.
Sails
After you have finished sailing, roll the mainsail loosely, this will extend its life better than folding.
Never let the sails flap 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 filler, as the smallest damage will
affect 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 fittings
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 fittings regularly. This is particularly important for the fittings that
are screwed onto fixings 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 build-up of pressure within the hull as the temperature fluctuates.
Ropes
Always replace any ropes that are showing any signs of wear immediately.

Raising the Mast
Position the boat head to wind, away from power lines and other overhead obstructions.
Lay the mast along the centre of the boat, you may need support them mast over the top of the keel (this may
mean someone standing in the boat between the cross beam and the seat).
Un tape all lines from the base of the mast.
Attach the shroud adjusters to the shroud eyes each side, on
approximately the 2nd hole down on the bow 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 to help.
Having pulled the mast upright, secure the forestay to the top hole of
the disk in the jib furler set in the cross beam at the bow.
Ensure all halyards are clear and not twisted.
For information
Please not the correct arrangement of the furler,
forestay and jib halyard pulley.
The furler is shackled to the mast and then the
forestay is connected to the furler with the jib
halyard block tied to the lower half of the furler.

Attaching the boom and gnav
Attach the boom onto the mast with the pin on the lower of the
two fittings.
Remember to put the pin in from the top and flip the pin end over.
Next attach the strut to the upper fitting on the mast.
Ensure the toggle is correctly orientated as per the
Selden/Superspars info sheet.
(Note ensure you have the toggle corectly oriantated as
per the info sheet)
Fix the gnav strut the carriage on top of the boom,
(Although this should already be fixed for you).

Having fixed 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.
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 rear block
on the hoop then to the rear block on the boom, and thread the line from
the back to the front. Then go to the front pulley on the top of the hoop,
and thread the mainsheet from the back to the front. Then go to the
front pulley on the boom, and thread it front to back. Finally, the main
sheet goes to the pulley on the top of the hoop and through the hole in
the centre of the pulley. Tie a stopper knot to prevent the line
unthreading.

Tie a figure of eight knot in the loose
end of the mainsheet so that the boom
does not hit the shroud upon sheeting
out, also a figure of eight knot at the
very end.
Raising the Jib
3:1 Attach the foot of the jib to the shackle in the rear hole of the disk in
the furler at the front of the boat (Ensure the furler is fully wound up.)
TIP: Wrap some electrical tape around the furler if you are using a
spinnaker to protect the sail.
Tie the head (top) of the jib onto the jib halyard.

Pull the jib halyard in order to raise the jib (using the 2 part
halyard attaching the plastic hanks as you pull the jib up to
the forestay wire, and then feed the rope from the cleat
through the loop in the halyard. Pull some tension on and
then, cleat off at the front of the jib. Remove the tail and
store in the Bag on the crossbeam.
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).

Thread the jib
sheet through the
cleats on the track,
each side of the
forward cockpit,
then tie the ends
together with a
fisherman’s or
Love Knot.
Furl the jib by pulling the thin line, so that it ends in this position.
Cleat the jib furler off in this cleat underneath the crossbeam
It is not advisable to leave the jib up overnight, and always take the jib tension
off when the boat is not being sailed

Now tie the lowers onto the fitting on the mast or on the hull (depending on
the make of mast)
NOTE: do not tie the lowers tight, have around 5cm of slack in the wire.
.
Rigging the Mainsail
Tie the flotation panel to the top of the mainsail by passing
the white lines through the eyelets in the sail and secure with
a figure 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. Or have a ball on the end push a loop through the
sail and put the ball through the loop and pull tight.

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 luff of the sail into the mast.
Ensure that the boat is still head to wind before the sail is raised.
Cleat the main halyard in the cleat on the left of the mast.
As 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.
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 it fixed behind the lug on the
boom end fitting.
The outhaul can then be tightened at the mast end of
the boom.

Cunningham - Take the tail attached to the gooseneck fitting 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 figure-eight knot on the end of the line, as it
comes out of the pulley at the mast base.

Reefing the Mainsail
Pull on the red reefing line so that it comes out of the boom
some way.
Feed the reefing line through the eyelets in the leech of the sail.
From the top eyelet, the reefing 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.

Do a similar system on the luff of the sail with the end of the reefing
line at the mast end of the boom at the mast end of the boom.
Tie the end of the reefing line onto the end of the boom so that it is
secure.
6:5 Release the main halyard from the cleat, and uncleat the Gnav, and then pull on the reefing 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 reefing line and main halyard, and reapply Gnav tension.

Rigging the Gennaker Kit
Tie one end of the Gennaker halyard around the front
furler bar.
Take the other free end of the halyard and take it through
this pulley on the front of the cross beam.
Take the free end of the halyard through the pulley to pull
the pole out; it is underneath the Gennaker chute, and it
may need to be moved for the pulley to be exposed
Take the halyard through the Spinlock cleat that is mounted on
top of the crossbeam

Take the halyard back through this pulley next to the
centreboard.
Pass the halyard through this eyelet in the bottom of the
spinnaker chute
Tie a ball to the end of the spinnaker halyard
Pass the line up the chute, feeling for the ball inside, until it
reaches the opening at the front

Tie the end of the halyard that you tied around the furler
bar at the beginning onto the HEAD of the Gennaker.
Tie the Gennaker sheets onto the CLEW of the Gennaker
Then tie the Gennaker pole line to the TACK of the
spinnaker, you can either use the ball and loop method or
a bowline loop.

Temporarily remove the red ball from the Gennaker
halyard. Then pass the end of the Gennaker halyard
through the eyelet in the sail as shown.
Then re-attach red ball to Gennaker halyard on the
other side of the sail.
Tie the end of the halyard onto this white loop.
Pull on the end of the spinnaker halyard coming from the end of the Gennaker chute within the boat
(tip pull from behind the pulley) in order to pack the Gennaker into the chute. TIP (You may want
another person to guide it into the shoot so it does not get caught on the trolley

Rudder
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.
For launch and recovery the rudder should be left
attached, with the blade lifted up and held by the
uphaul line locked in the small cleat on the top of
the tiller arm.
Whilst sailing the rudder should be locked fully
down using the pulley system that cleats off on
the side of the tiller arm. When you look over the
back the rudder will appear to be tucked slightly
under the hull, this is as it should be.
Top tip, if the rudder feels heavy to move it is
usually due to the fact it is not fully down.