West Wight Potter Cruising vessel User manual

1
Congratulations!
You have purchased one of the best
known trailerable cruising vessels
available.
We invite you to spend a few moments
with the following pages to become
better acquainted with your new West
Wight Potter.
If at any point in this process, we at the
factory can assist please give us a call.
1 [phone]
Best wishes for many pleasant sailing
adventures!
Sincerely,
West Wight Potter

2
1. Safety ...............................................................................................................................................1
A. US Coast Guard Requirements:...................................................................................................3
B. Safe Operation:...........................................................................................................................4
C. Safe Towing ...............................................................................................................................5
2. One-Time Rigging............................................................................................................................7
A. Connecting the Shrouds ..............................................................................................................7
B. Installing the Main Sheet.............................................................................................................9
C. Installing the Furling Line and a Headsail on a CDI Roller Furler .............................................. 10
D. Initial Mast Tuning: .................................................................................................................. 13
3. Setup Before Launching.................................................................................................................. 16
A. Raising the Mast:...................................................................................................................... 16
B. Installing the Boom................................................................................................................... 23
C. Installing the Main Sail:............................................................................................................ 26
D. Installing a Hanked-on Headsail (Jib, Lapper, or Genoa): .......................................................... 29
4. Launching Your Boat...................................................................................................................... 32
A. Final checks before Launching.................................................................................................. 32
B. Launching the Boat:.................................................................................................................. 33
5. Setup After Launching.................................................................................................................... 35
A. Lowering the Dagger Board...................................................................................................... 35
B. Installing the Rudder................................................................................................................. 37
6. Preparing the Boat to Go Back on the Trailer................................................................................... 38
A. Raise the Daggerboard.............................................................................................................. 38
B. Remove the Rudder................................................................................................................... 40
7. Putting the Boat on the Trailer................................................................................................... 41
A. Putting the Trailer in the Water ................................................................................................. 41
B. Putting the Boat on the trailer:................................................................................................... 41
8. Packing the Boat Back Up......................................................................................................... 44
A. Removing the sails.................................................................................................................... 44
B. Removing the Boom ................................................................................................................. 46
C. Lowering the mast .................................................................................................................... 46
D. Securing the Mast, Shrouds, Stays, and Lines............................................................................ 50
9. Maintenance............................................................................................................................. 54
A. Trailer Maintenance.................................................................................................................. 54
B. Boat Maintenance..................................................................................................................... 55
10. Using Hatches, Ports, Lights, Etc. ............................................................................................. 57
A. Forward Hatch.......................................................................................................................... 57
B. Main Hatch............................................................................................................................... 57
C. V-Berth Hatches ....................................................................................................................... 57
D. V-Berth Filler board.................................................................................................................. 58
E. Under Sink and Under Stove Hatches........................................................................................ 58
F. Opening Ports (optional)........................................................................................................... 58
G. Interior Light ............................................................................................................................ 59
H. Navigation Lights ..................................................................................................................... 59
11. The Electrical System ............................................................................................................... 60
A. Options..................................................................................................................................... 60
B. Charging the Battery................................................................................................................. 60
C. Fuses........................................................................................................................................ 62
D. Wiring Diagram........................................................................................................................ 64
12. Using Accessories..................................................................................................................... 65
B. Built-in Fresh Water Tank, Filling and Cleaning........................................................................ 65
C. Using the Fresh Water Pump..................................................................................................... 66
D. Emptying the Holding tank (boats with a built-in marine head).................................................. 67
13. Links………………………………………………………………………………………………..69
14. Glossary................................................................................................................................... 70

3
1. Safety
A. US Coast Guard Requirements:
(1) The United States Coast Guard requires you to have the following safety
equipment on your boat. This is the minimum safety equipment you should
have. There may be other laws (state, local, etc.) that require additional safety
equipment. Check with park and recreation, or law enforcement agencies in
your area. Most have safety brochures that will help your determine what
additional safety equipment is required. Additionally, if you sail outside the
USA, there may be different requirements.
(a) Life jackets -- One Type I, II, III, or V wearable PFD (personal flotation
device) for each person on board. (must be USCG approved)
(b) Life Ring -- One Type IV (throwable) PFD. Some cushions meet this
requirement. The tag on the cushion will say if it qualifies.
(c) One orange distress flag or one electric distress light- or -Three hand-held
or floating orange smoke signals and One electric distress light- or -Three
combination (day/night) red flares: hand-held, meteor or parachute type.
(d) One fire extinguisher (USCG approved, rated B-I)
(e) Horn - Some means of making an "efficient" sound signal - audible for a
half mile for 4 to 6 seconds.
(f) Navigation Lights - Required to be displayed from sunset to sunrise and in
or near areas of reduced visibility.

4
B. Safe Operation:
WARNINGS: Carefully follow all of the following warnings. Failure to follow
these warnings can result in serious injury or death.
(1) Your Potter is a very safe boat, but all boats pose some dangers. Following
these warnings will help keep you safe as you use your boat.
(a) Do not raise the mast near power lines, or take the boat near power lines
when the mast is up. The mast can conduct electricity. If the mast
touches power lines, or even gets close to them, you could be electrocuted.
Electricity can jump through the air to the mast from very high voltage
power lines. While most power lines do not have this high voltage, play it
safe and keep the mast a minimum of 10 feet from all power lines.
(b) Always wear a lifejacket. While we recommend that everyone always
wear their lifejacket when out on their Potter, it is especially important for
children and non-swimmers to wear one. It is also very important to wear
one when operating in cold water, when operating in rough conditions,
and when you are sailing alone or with inexperienced crew. If you fall off
the boat, you will NOT be able to catch it by swimming. Unless someone
onboard can sail the boat back to you, you will be all alone in the water as
the boat sails merrily away from you.
(c) Only sail your boat with the daggerboard fully down and locked in that
position. Your Potter is a very stable boat, and part of this stability is due
to the weight of the daggerboard. Your boat can tip-over more easily if
the daggerboard is not locked in the down position. It is OK to motor (or
paddle) your boat with the daggerboard up. But, the sails need to be down
anytime the daggerboard is up.
(d) If you are motoring with the daggerboard up, your maneuverability will be
very poor. With the daggerboard up, your boat will slide sideways a lot.
This can make it difficult to control the boat when turning, or if there is a
wind blowing. Keep the daggerboard down as far as possible even when
motoring your boat. Even a few inches down helps with maneuverability.
If you must motor with the daggerboard up, then make sure you have lots
of room to make maneuvers.
(e) When raising the sails, raise the main sail first. If you raise the jib first, it
can make it impossible to keep your boat pointed into the wind. If the
wind is strong enough, it can turn your boat sideways to the wind and then
tip your boat oven on its side.

5
C. Safe Towing
(1) A normally equipped Potter 19 on a trailer will weigh about 2000 pounds
when empty. Adding things like water, anchors, coolers, supplies, etc will
increase the weight. Make sure your tow vehicle and hitch are rated to tow
the full weight of your boat, trailer, and gear.
(2) Before towing, make sure the following things are in good working order:
(a) Make sure the trailers hitch is properly seated on the trailer ball, and
latched and locked (see Fig 1-1). It is possible for the hitch to be latched,
but not actually gripping the trailer ball (see Fig 1-2). This usually
happens when you have the trailer too far forward when you try to attach it
to the trailer ball (even a 1/2 inch forward can cause this problem). It can
also happen when the hitch is not fully open as you lower it onto the trailer
ball. To avoid this problem, open the hitch fully and, most importantly,
make sure the trailer ball is slightly off-center to the FORWARD side of
the trailers hitch before you lower the hitch onto the ball (see Fig 1-3).
Figure 1-1