Hey, I just got a new sailboat and have no idea about anything on it, its a 1975 mueller snipe, its a little over 15 feet long, and i cannot find any information on it, i would like i diagram or anything like that, i am new to sailing and have no idea how to rig this boat to get it sailing again, so any advice on a site or a book i should get would be very much apriciated. Thanks.
New Boat!
- Thread starter GTMatt
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Snipe...
is a very active one class design. See if there is a fleet in your area. Join it. They will be very helpful.
is a very active one class design. See if there is a fleet in your area. Join it. They will be very helpful.
GTMatt, Your boat should have come with two pieces of aluminum
tubing. One is rather longer than the other. The longer one should have some cables attached to the end with a pulley or two for the halyards. Down near the lower end of the longer piece there should be something that will allow you the attach the shorter piece. The long piece is the mast and the short piece is the boom. The cable that is attached to the mast on the same side as the place for attaching the boom is the backstay. Opposite that cable there should be another and that one is the forestay. There should also be a cable on each side of the mast, these are called the shrouds. On the boat there should be some attachment points for the stays and shrouds called chain plates. There should be some sort of a shoe or socket in the bottom of the boat for the mast to fit into or on. This is called the mast step. There should be fittings for attaching the shrouds and stays to the chain plates and there should be turnbuckles for tightening the cables and adjusting them so that the mast stands vertical. Study all of the pieces and you should get a mental picture of how it goes together.
tubing. One is rather longer than the other. The longer one should have some cables attached to the end with a pulley or two for the halyards. Down near the lower end of the longer piece there should be something that will allow you the attach the shorter piece. The long piece is the mast and the short piece is the boom. The cable that is attached to the mast on the same side as the place for attaching the boom is the backstay. Opposite that cable there should be another and that one is the forestay. There should also be a cable on each side of the mast, these are called the shrouds. On the boat there should be some attachment points for the stays and shrouds called chain plates. There should be some sort of a shoe or socket in the bottom of the boat for the mast to fit into or on. This is called the mast step. There should be fittings for attaching the shrouds and stays to the chain plates and there should be turnbuckles for tightening the cables and adjusting them so that the mast stands vertical. Study all of the pieces and you should get a mental picture of how it goes together.
New Sailor
Find someone to teach you a little something to get you started. A Snipe is a decent little boat And a good place to start. I used to sail on one about 55 years ago. Ross is yankin your chain "Today Anyway" seriously he`s knows what he`s talkin about "most of the time"
Find someone to teach you a little something to get you started. A Snipe is a decent little boat And a good place to start. I used to sail on one about 55 years ago. Ross is yankin your chain "Today Anyway" seriously he`s knows what he`s talkin about "most of the time"
Fat cat, No chain yanking here. If GTMatt is completely green
that is where he needs to start. If he got all of the bits and pieces then once he has a sense of how it goes together the rest will come easy. Try to tell someone how to open a bottle of beer and take a swallow presuming that they have never done it before and that they will do precicely what you tell them, no more and no less.
that is where he needs to start. If he got all of the bits and pieces then once he has a sense of how it goes together the rest will come easy. Try to tell someone how to open a bottle of beer and take a swallow presuming that they have never done it before and that they will do precicely what you tell them, no more and no less.
Welcome Matt -- Perfect post Ross.
Lay out all your stuff. Pull up a lawn chair and study stuff. Pick up each piece and really look it over. Reread Ross post several times. Assemble as much as possible. If you get stuck, I can probably help. Lance (812)447-0217. Call untill 11pm any day. Good luck.
Lay out all your stuff. Pull up a lawn chair and study stuff. Pick up each piece and really look it over. Reread Ross post several times. Assemble as much as possible. If you get stuck, I can probably help. Lance (812)447-0217. Call untill 11pm any day. Good luck.
You are going to enjoy that boat once you figure it out.
And beyond what Ross has so kindly mentioned about the standing rigging (mast, boom, shrouds, stays) there are a few other moving parts (called the running rigging) that you need to know about. Two very important parts of your new Snipe (I have sailed on one and own a similar sized 19' Lightning) are the rudder and centerboard. The rudder and tiller (stick) are used to steer the boat. The rudder usually is attached to the transom (back edge) by things called pintles and gudgeons (pins and loops for the pins to go into) that allow the entire rudder assembly to pivot thus steering the boat. The centerboard is usually made of metal or fiberglassed over metal and has a line (rope) attached that allows you to lower it (once in the water). If you do not put the centerboard down when trying to sail you will only be able to go sideways. The centerboard allows the boat to go upwind (although only at a roughly 45 degree angle to the wind) when used in conjunction with the tiller/ruddwer and sails (jib and main sail). Without the sails the boat can only go downwind. Both sails have halyards (lines, aka rope) that goes up to the top of the mast and comes back down to the deck. The jib is usually hanked on to the fore stay by either a metal gizmo (not the nautical term) or a canvas strap. The jib halyard attaches to the top of the jib and you begin raising it after you have put all the hanks on the fore stay. On the water it is best to raise the main sail first. In order to raise the main sail it is best to load the foot (or bottom) of the sail on the boom first. There are either plastic cars or just a rope embedded in this part of the sail to hold it in place on the boom. There is a line that comes out of the end of the boom that is called an outhaul which pulls the clew of the sail taught once the tack (corner by mast and boom) is secured. The main sail has its own halyard (line) to raise it to the top of the mast. You attach the halyard to the head (top) of the main sail and start raising it. The sail will have either plastic cars or just an embedded line that fits into a groove in the sail. Both jib and main sail have control lines attached that are called 'sheets' (not to be confused with the sails themselves). The jib sheets attach to the clew (or aft (meaning back towards the stern) lower corner) of the jib and is cleated on either side (starboard (R) or port (L)). Thankfully the main sail has only one sheet which usually is attached via some hardware which provides some mechanical advantage to the boom. Then there are battens for the main sail and/or jib. These are usually plastic/fiberglass or wooden slats that fit into a long thin opening called a batten pocket to give the leech (hypotenuse) some needed stiffness. These are fun small sailboats that turn on a dime. I hope you will enjoy it. I got some of my info (been sailing for years but I sometimes still forget what names each corner of the sail is called) from a book called "Chapman Piloting & Seamanship" which is a good book but perhaps overkill for Snipe sailing. Enjoy.
And beyond what Ross has so kindly mentioned about the standing rigging (mast, boom, shrouds, stays) there are a few other moving parts (called the running rigging) that you need to know about. Two very important parts of your new Snipe (I have sailed on one and own a similar sized 19' Lightning) are the rudder and centerboard. The rudder and tiller (stick) are used to steer the boat. The rudder usually is attached to the transom (back edge) by things called pintles and gudgeons (pins and loops for the pins to go into) that allow the entire rudder assembly to pivot thus steering the boat. The centerboard is usually made of metal or fiberglassed over metal and has a line (rope) attached that allows you to lower it (once in the water). If you do not put the centerboard down when trying to sail you will only be able to go sideways. The centerboard allows the boat to go upwind (although only at a roughly 45 degree angle to the wind) when used in conjunction with the tiller/ruddwer and sails (jib and main sail). Without the sails the boat can only go downwind. Both sails have halyards (lines, aka rope) that goes up to the top of the mast and comes back down to the deck. The jib is usually hanked on to the fore stay by either a metal gizmo (not the nautical term) or a canvas strap. The jib halyard attaches to the top of the jib and you begin raising it after you have put all the hanks on the fore stay. On the water it is best to raise the main sail first. In order to raise the main sail it is best to load the foot (or bottom) of the sail on the boom first. There are either plastic cars or just a rope embedded in this part of the sail to hold it in place on the boom. There is a line that comes out of the end of the boom that is called an outhaul which pulls the clew of the sail taught once the tack (corner by mast and boom) is secured. The main sail has its own halyard (line) to raise it to the top of the mast. You attach the halyard to the head (top) of the main sail and start raising it. The sail will have either plastic cars or just an embedded line that fits into a groove in the sail. Both jib and main sail have control lines attached that are called 'sheets' (not to be confused with the sails themselves). The jib sheets attach to the clew (or aft (meaning back towards the stern) lower corner) of the jib and is cleated on either side (starboard (R) or port (L)). Thankfully the main sail has only one sheet which usually is attached via some hardware which provides some mechanical advantage to the boom. Then there are battens for the main sail and/or jib. These are usually plastic/fiberglass or wooden slats that fit into a long thin opening called a batten pocket to give the leech (hypotenuse) some needed stiffness. These are fun small sailboats that turn on a dime. I hope you will enjoy it. I got some of my info (been sailing for years but I sometimes still forget what names each corner of the sail is called) from a book called "Chapman Piloting & Seamanship" which is a good book but perhaps overkill for Snipe sailing. Enjoy.
Thanks guys , I was hopeing someone else would step up
and help to fill in the blanks. If I had to name the various places that I used to learn what I know about rigging a boat I would be lost. Most of us here take for granted the basics of sailboat rigs but when we take time to consider the complexity of the systems and a new comer asks us how I think it is best if we get too simplistic than to presume that the petitioner knows a sheet from a halyard. { sheet is attached to a clew(a clew is the lower aft corner of a sail) and a halyard is attached to the head of a sail}
and help to fill in the blanks. If I had to name the various places that I used to learn what I know about rigging a boat I would be lost. Most of us here take for granted the basics of sailboat rigs but when we take time to consider the complexity of the systems and a new comer asks us how I think it is best if we get too simplistic than to presume that the petitioner knows a sheet from a halyard. { sheet is attached to a clew(a clew is the lower aft corner of a sail) and a halyard is attached to the head of a sail}
hey ross
there's no backstay on a snipe, so I hope you haven't confused our novice. Now, boys, I know you mean well, but these attempts to re write the basic sailing manual are doing a disservice to new sailors. It's confusing, unorganized and in some cases condescening. There are plenty of well written authoritative, understandable basic sailing guides available for someone to get started with. My recommendation is the basic sailing course at US Sailing http://www.sailingusa.info/
there's no backstay on a snipe, so I hope you haven't confused our novice. Now, boys, I know you mean well, but these attempts to re write the basic sailing manual are doing a disservice to new sailors. It's confusing, unorganized and in some cases condescening. There are plenty of well written authoritative, understandable basic sailing guides available for someone to get started with. My recommendation is the basic sailing course at US Sailing http://www.sailingusa.info/
Check here first..
Check the Snipe Associations photo galleries: http://www.snipe.org/gallery/ for for actual pictures and you may find answers to where everything connects..
Check the Snipe Associations photo galleries: http://www.snipe.org/gallery/ for for actual pictures and you may find answers to where everything connects..
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