Rigging

1. Unpack the rig components and unroll the sail. Check that you have each of the different components listed in the section “Your Boat”.

2.Mount the boom onto the sail by threading it through the webbing loop holding the downhaul pulley, with the fork positioned at the base of the luff pocket. Attach the clew hook to the sail at the clew eyelet.

3. Attach the Cunningham to the sail by threading the rope through the tack pulley. Ensure that there is no more than 1 crossing of the rope.

4. Insert the mast up the luff pocket of the sail, ensuring that the mast passes through the boom fork. Ensure that the male mast plug fits snugly into the top of the mast, and that the vario top is adjusted to the appropriate length (see below).

5. Stand the mast (mounted with sail and boom) in the mast cup at the front of the boat. Attach both the Cunningham and mainsheet ratchet block to the hull with the automatic snap hooks. Tension the Cunningham by pulling on the handle. In order to facilitate downhaul tension, apply downward pressure on the boom at the same time as you tension the Cunningham. If the wind is over 10 knots, ensure that the clew of the sail is well tensioned also (check “Additional Tips” for more information on Cunningham tension).

6. Check List before sailing:

The rudder must be correctly fitted on its mounts.

The retaining clip must be locked against the rudderblade. Make sure that any safety leashes are fitted as appropriate. Note that the rudderblade can be raised and lowered during the launching or landing process. The red rope will raise the rudderblade, the green rope will lower the rudderblade. Make sure that the rudderblade is raised when you come into shore!

The draining bung at the bottom of the hull must be closed firmly.

The daggerboard retaining loop must be fitted to the hull. As you launch the boat, gradually insert the daggerboard in its casing as water depth and wind conditions permit.

Go sailing and have fun!!

Additional Tips:

Steps b. and c. are only necessary the first time you use the O’pen Bic. Once you have mounted the boom and the Cunningham, they should remain permanently attached to the sail. When familiar with the rigging process of the O’pen Bic, it takes no more than 2 minutes!

Vario top length: The vario top should be adjusted so that the boom sits at shoulder height when the sailor is sitting upright in the boat (for an average sized user). In general, this will mean that the vario top is set at around 10 cm long, but further tuning will find the best length for you.

Cunningham tension: The right amount of tension will depend on the user’s preferred sailing style, weight, skill level and the wind / water conditions. Try different levels of Cunningham tension to see what works for you!

If the wind is over 10 knots : apply maximum tension to the Cunningham = allow the sail to open in the gusts = gives you more control. Visual checkpoint: the leech of the sail starts to become loose.

If the wind is less than 10 knots: apply less tension = gives the sail a tighter leech = fuller profile = more power.

Mainsheet ratchet block: The red lever turns it “on” or “off”.

In “on” mode = the mainsheet can only be pulled in one direction = the block will “click” = the mainsheet tension decreases.

In “off” mode = the mainsheet can freely move in both directions.

Daggerboard : It should be positioned according to the prevalent wind conditions and angle of sail.

For strong winds or downwind sailing, raise the daggerboard slightly to let the boat plane.

In lighter winds or upwind sailing, lower the daggerboard to give the boat more traction through the water. Again, the best daggerboard position will depend on the user and sailing conditions, so try different positions to see what works for you!