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Home >> Sailing Tips & Technique >> Some questions from a new RS Aero sailor
I make a long elastic that goes from usual place back under toestrap and back to the plat. A short elastic would not allow easy plate lifting. Mine is long enough that I can leave it attached and lift the plate out to clear weed.
 
Also it means there is no danger of the plate being pulled forward out of your hand when taking it out coming in and being catapulted into the deck (put a ding in the deck from that). I found it hard to gently put the plate down with the elastic attached in the usual hurry coning in to a steep shore.
 



Reply
22/08/2017 10:20:00
Gareth
Posts: 165
Thanks to you both for your comments.  I see from the class rules that the 'The daggerboard shall be secured to the boat with shock cord, and/or rope,......', with nothing about the fixing points for the cord.  So following on Gareth's idea, I think it would be possible to attach a small length of shock cord from the footstraps (or the main block shackle, or one of the traveller eyes).  I don't see anything in the rules that says the shock cord needs be taken from a particular point. 
 
I'm glad it is not just me who has issues with getting forward downwind, I shall have to try the two techniques and see what works for me. Vang .vs. mainsheet tension, I've just agreed a two boat tuning session with a friend, we will report back!
 
Cheers, Mark.
 



Reply
15/08/2017 15:26:00
Mark R
Posts: 9
Two solutions to the centreboard elastic issue.
1. use the tail of the kicker instead on the elastic
2. Much longer elastic - I use a very long elastic and take it back under the toesstrap and back forwards to the plate.  That way the part that comes up with the plat never fouls the kicker.
 
Personally I kneel tall going downwind in light airs (so body above knees) with my knees wide apart around the plate. That way my upper body can still be dynamic for balance but the wide knees give me the possibility to put pressure either way to steer. I know some people don't like kneeling but I wear knee pads and like this way. 
 
 



Reply
14/08/2017 18:24:00
Gareth
Posts: 165
Hi Mark,

Congratulations on your new (to you) boat!

To your points:

1. Sailing downwind does get tricky in light air. Vang control is your best friend for balance on any conditions, including light air. Keep in mind that our body's center of gravity is our butt. What I like to do, is to sit next to the daggerboard and getting ready to jump tot the leeward side in case a death roll is possible.as long as the transom is off the water, you are fine.No real need to bury the bow in the water.

2. Due to the centerpoint on the mainsheet, I consider the Aero to be more of a vang-sheeted style of boat. I adjust the vang often and try to combined it with mainsheet tension. If is blowing hard, vang max all the time upwind. In light and variable, I probably adjust the vang almost as much as the mainsheet. The tapering on the mast makes the top third to be extremely responsive to mast tension, therefore is important to keep an eye aloft to see the behavior of the top battens and leech telltales.

3. I feel your pain there. I have not found the solution to that one yet, but I have not been looking for it as I try to keep the vang line above the daggerboard bungee. I will tinker with it a little more . Something will come up and I'll share. In the meantime , if anybody knows about it , please share.



Reply
14/08/2017 16:53:00
velasailingsupply
Posts: 7
Hello all, I bought Aero 1819 from RS last week as an ex-demo boat with a 7 rig.  I sailed the boat for the first time this weekend, and was looking for some help in answering a couple of questions.
 
1.  Sailing downwind in light airs, I found it very difficult to get myself forward beyond the centreboard case.  I found myself sitting on the non-slip by the centrebard, working out ways to get further forward, and failing.  Only thought I had was to hook a leg round the front of the centreboard, but by the time I'd had the thought the race had finished, and I thought I'd need yoga lessons to do it.  Is there a way to get further forward, with any degree of comfort and stability ?
 
2.  My other boat is a 200, and that boat uses mainsheet tension to manage the leech and pointing until we get fully powered, at which point we use vang to keep flat.  Do you guys use mainsheet tension as a vehicle to manage the balance between pointing and speed, in the lower wind ranges ?
 
3.  The kicking strap control line and bungy for the centreboard seem to foul each other on my boat.  Is there a fix for this?  I wondered about just having a much longer length of bungy, so it keeps the centreboard in the slot after capsizing, but doesn't interfere with the vang.
 
What a great boat, very responsive and rewards hard work, and doesn't try to kill you downwind (my last s/h was a 300).
 
Cheers, Mark.
 



Reply
14/08/2017 16:22:00
Mark R
Posts: 9


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