Beginner's Guide to Rigging the GP14

Complete step-by-step instructions for setting up your GP14 sailboat

Perfect for new GP14 sailors and experienced racers looking for easier rigging methods

About This Guide

Because the GP14 is not a true one-design boat, it has many variations in the way it can be rigged, although this has become more standardised in recent boats.

This guide is designed not only for those new to the Class but also to help more experienced sailors find easier ways to operate their boat. While it's impossible to represent all possible rigging combinations, these examples will help you understand your boat's rigging system.

1. The Mast

For most, this is a 2-person job

Fitting Procedure

1

Before fitting the mast, ensure that all rope ends are present (not lost in mast!) and are not tangled. This is best done with mast vertical.

2

Stand mast vertical beside boat and lift into boat. Ensure its base is correctly slotted in.

3

Lean mast aft and fit each shroud in turn in the marked holes (yes, you did mark them at the end of last season, didn't you?).

4

Return mast to vertical and check that mast is approx. 25mm aft of mast gate position with shrouds taut.

5

Push mast forward and engage mast gate.

6

Check mast pre-bend by pulling down main halyard tight to gooseneck.

The gap between mast and halyard should be 15-20mm

If not correct, move shroud pins up (to reduce bend) or down until setting is correct.

7

Attach forestay using the pin most forward of the two on the bow deck. This should be fitted using rope as the main attachment with a piece of parallel shock cord to prevent sag when tension is applied to rig.

2. Jib/Genoa

Rig Tension

The front (luff) of the foresail should be attached to the boat using the rear of the two pins on the bow deck. After it has been raised, the jib wire must be tensioned to a pre-set value, which causes the mast to straighten and the shrouds to become taut.

Correct rig tension is essential to prevent luff sag and to maintain the necessary amount of mast bend.

Series 2 Boats

Normal Rig Tension

400 lbs

Measured on the shroud

Also for Series 1 boats with mast step conversion

Series 1 Boats

Maximum Rig Tension

350 lbs

Without mast step conversion

Check mast base soundness carefully

Tensioning Systems

Highfield Lever Tensioning System (Older Boats)

CAUTION! Highfield levers are notorious for finger injuries!

  • Keep fingers well clear when closing the lever
  • Positively control the lever when opening it
  • Push it home with the ball (or base) of the hand
  • When opening, use the ball of one hand to prevent it suddenly flying through its full travel

Operation:

  1. Pull jib rope down until the wire loop of the jib wire is exposed
  2. Engage wire loop on the lever hook
  3. Engage lever pivot in required slot
  4. Ensure rope is moved up the loop so it doesn't get trapped between lever hook and wire
  5. With one person applying tension to forestay, pull down the lever until it is vertical

Note: Some boats have the lever system inverted (push up to tension - more difficult)

Multi-Purchase Pulley Tensioning System (Modern Boats)

Modern boats use a multi-purchase pulley system which has superseded the Highfield lever.

Advantages:

  • Allows jib tension to be altered on the water
  • Permits foresail to be lowered and re-tensioned whilst sailing
  • Useful if spinnaker becomes fouled on jib shackle

Pro Tip: Mark the positions of the wire loop at various tension levels on the mast using permanent ink or a self-adhesive calibration scale. Use a rig tension gauge to obtain correct settings initially.

Rigging Jib and Genoa Sheets

The use of a jib rather than a genoa requires cleats which are closer to the centre of the boat than for a genoa, and they are sheeted inside rather than outside the shrouds.

Genoa Sheeting - Sheet Ends Within Boat (Most Common)

  1. 1. Attach sheet to sail by threading a loop through the clew eye and both tails through the loop
  2. 2. Lead the sheets outside the shrouds
  3. 3. Thread through the travellers and cleats
  4. 4. Tie figure-of-eight knot at the ends

Through-deck sheeting: When threading the genoa sheet, remember to feed the rope through the below-deck pulley before threading it through the side deck hole.

Setting Genoa Sheet Traveller Position

The traveller position is set so that when fully sheeted in, an imaginary continuation of the genoa sheet from traveller to sail luff intersects the luff midway up its length.

To Check Setting:

  1. Sail the boat fully sheeted close-hauled
  2. Luff up (head up to wind) until the telltales on the mainsail begin to break
  3. If all telltales break at the same time, the traveller is correctly set

3. Mainsail

There are a number of alternative rigging possibilities including the use of centre or transom main, the use of wire or rope halyard and kicker, and various possibilities for positioning of kicker and outhaul controls.

Mainsheet Systems

Transom Main

Traditional system with mainsheet attached at transom

Centre Main

The tails of the mainsheet hawses are normally whipped into the mainsheet

Main Halyard Systems

Wire Halyard System

Using a looped wire pulled through the mast by rope tail (as for the jib halyard) and retained by securing the loop on a toothed rack.

View: Lower end of mast showing rope tail, wire loop and toothrack

Full Rope Halyard System (Modern)

By use of a full rope halyard using Dynema or Kevlar. This is retained with a clam on the mast and is pulled up via a pulley below.

View: Lower end of mast showing rope, cleat and pulley

Kicker (Kicking Strap)

The kicker is a multi-purchase pulley system which controls the boom (prevents it lifting) and allows the shape of the mainsail to be altered to suit varying wind conditions. It does this by tightening the leech of the sail and applying mast bend.

Racing Importance:

For racing, it is important that the kicker is accessible to the helm at all times since this control plays a vital part in efficient sail trimming. The boat is normally rigged so that kicker controls come to the seat on each side of the boat.

Note regarding re-installing kicker: Where 2 control lines are used for the kicker and Cunningham, make sure before attaching kicker to mast that the kicker assembly is correctly routed between the two lines.

Installation Tip: It is easier to install the kicker if the boom is installed in the gooseneck and held in a horizontal position by temporarily attaching main halyard.

Cunningham

This is a device providing extra flattening for the mainsail in heavy weather and consists of a rope with a loop on the end which passes through the eye or pulley on the luff of the mainsail approx. 300mm above the gooseneck.

Setup:

  • End is anchored to the mast by tying to the gooseneck
  • After passing through the sail eye/pulley, attached to fixed end of a pulley
  • Control lines directed through pulley to each side of boat via pulleys on floor
  • Essential to have controls accessible from hiking position

The Cunningham only tends to be used in hiking conditions (heavy weather)

4. Spinnaker

This guide concentrates on the use of 2:1 gearing for the spinnaker halyard. Some people have used 1:1 and others have used 4:1, but 2:1 is the norm.

The use of twinning lines is well established and a great aid to racing, but can be considered optional for cruising.

Spinnaker Halyard (2:1 Gearing)

In order to facilitate rapid hoisting, the halyard is normally hoisted using 2:1 gearing. This allows the helm to hoist the sail most or all of the way up in a single pull.

Two Gearing Methods:

Series 1 Boats (Typical)

Pulley and ring system running up the forestay

Halyard normally cleated on centreboard casing

Series 2 Boats (Most)

Pulley running along the bottom of the boat

Allows faster hoisting (less rope). Halyard runs via floor-mounted pulley beneath transom to floor-mounted cleat

Pro Tip: When attaching the sail to the halyard, use a stopper knot and bobble approx. 100mm from the attached sail to keep the sail away from the mast.

Spinnaker Sheet

It is normal to use a tapered sheet consisting of thick rope with two thinner tails. The sheets pass behind the crew and across the boat via cleats on each side.

These cleats are rarely used when racing, but are very useful when cruising.

Twinning Lines

Twinning lines are optional for cruising but considered essential for racing since they permit rapid setting of the sail and prevent contact between pole and genoa luff.

Setup Details:

The stopper knot on the spinnaker sheet (which allows the sheet to be controlled by a stainless steel ring tied to the twinning line) should be set so that the pole is approximately 50mm from the genoa luff with the pole at its highest position and the line fully engaged.

Special Note for Through-Deck Sheeting:

With through-deck sheeting, a knot cannot be used. It is normal to either use cotton whipping on the spinnaker sheet or, with tapered sheets, to set the twinners so they are correct when the bobble is stopped by the change in rope diameter.

Pole Uphaul / Downhaul

The pole should be adjustable so that it can be raised from low position (horizontal) to high position (90 degrees to genoa luff). Normal rigging uses a rope uphaul and elastic downhaul.

Best Arrangement:

  • Elastic running via two fixed pulleys along the front side panel
  • Rope running via a pulley to the lower part of the pole loop
  • Lower end of rope attached to boat, length adjusted during setup to limit upward pole travel
  • Incorporates device below deck to limit rope travel in high winds

Alternative Arrangement:

Tie elastic (below front deck) to the pole loop rope and run it via a single pulley to a fixing point on the boat floor. Use a suitably positioned stopper knot in the rope below the front deck to limit pole height in high winds.

The uphaul control should be accessible to the helm (or crew if preferred) and is normally positioned on the centreboard casing.

Pole Loop

The loop in which the pole sits should be just big enough for the pole to fit at its broadest. The loop should form the upper end of the lower rope (the one connected to the elastic) and should be attached to the uphaul by a thumbknot and loop which is untied during de-rigging.

Advantage:

This means that the pole does not have to be removed from the loop during de-rigging and that carefully set rope-length settings are maintained.

Pole Stowage During Sailing

It is normal to stow the pole with the front hanging from its loop and its rear in a double plastic covered wire sling attached to the boom.

Guide Credits

Author: Maurice Cooper

Published: June 2010

© The G.P. Fourteen Class International Association

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