The Topper Dinghy

With acknowledgements to Docklands Water and Sailing Centre website.

TOPPER SAILBOAT SPECS.

Length...........11.15'
Beam............47.24"
Sail Area......56 Sq. Ft.
Hull Weight.......94.6 lbs.

Moulded from tough polypropylene

Skill Level: Starter/Advanced

Features:
Over 44,000 sold! Injection moulded from polypropylene - the same material used for
automobile bumpers. Tough and light. Five year hull warranty.
John Driscoll (the Royal Yachting Association's Sailing Coach writes: "The Topper
dinghy has a unique place in the world of sailing instruction. It has made a greater
contribution to the development of teaching techniques than any other boat in the last
ten years, and its role is never likely to be challenged by any other type of dinghy."
The Topper can be rigged, sailed, and righted by a child and is an IYRU registered
class boat for single handed racing. It can accommodate two persons but is
designed to be sailed as a single hander. Portsmouth number 1288. The Topper is
fully equipped with a 2 pc. powder coated aluminium mast, aluminium boom, dacron
sail, kick-up rudder, toe-straps and comes ready to sail.

Tuning Guide
Sail Luff Tension
In light weather, ease the tack line so that the sail becomes as full as possible. In
strong winds tension the tack line to pull the sail hard down to increase the luff
tension and flatten the sail.

Sail Foot Tension

Outhaul: In light winds the tension on the foot of the sail should be less than in strong
winds, but never slack. For windward sailing the sail should never be baggy. In
moderate winds, tension the foot of the sail so that it is just pulled into horizontal
creases at the foot. In light winds ease the Outhaul so that the creases just
disappear.
Footline: For sails with a Footline, with the Outhaul pulled tight slightly tension the
Footline so that the edge of the sail just curls.

Rope Horse
This controls the position the boom takes up relative to the boat when the sheet is
pulled hard
in. In light winds going to windward, the boom should be nearly over the centreline of
the hull. This is achieved by letting out the horse so that the mainsheet does not
travel so far across the boat. In stronger winds going to windward, the boom should
be further out towards the corner of the stern. This is achieved by tightening up the
horse so that the mainsheet slides across easily from one side to the other. The
position of the boom is of course also controlled by the mainsheet itself, but the
tension of this is constantly under adjustment, whereas the horse is only occasionally
adjusted to suit the general prevailing conditions.

Kicking Strap
This is a most important piece of equipment as it not only improves performance by
controlling the shape of the sail, it also helps to prevent uncontrollable gybes. Its
function is to hold down the boom and control the tension in the leech (aft edge) of
the sail and reduce inefficient twist. A tighter kicking strap is required in strong winds.
Push down on the boom with one hand and haul in on the kicking strap with the other
and jam it. In light winds the kicking strap should be just tight when the sail is hauled
in when going to windward. It will then be just about right for running and reaching.
For the best performance use sufficient tension to significantly pre-bend the mast so
the sail takes up an even curve close to the mast.

Daggerboard
This should be fully down when going to windward in light airs, but may be raised
slightly for windward sailing in strong winds. It can be raised about half way when
reaching and nearly all the way when running. Take care when the board is raised,
not to gybe and hit it with the kicking strap or it may cause a capsize.

Rudder
The rudder blade should generally be fully down except in very light airs when
running when it may be raised almost horizontal. In very light airs, beating to
windward, it may help to push the boat round from one tack to the other if the blade is
raised 2 notches. The strains on the rudder assembly are considerably increased

when the rudder blade is partially raised, so do not sail with it partly up in strong
winds at full power - i.e. only use in the partially raised position in strong winds when
negotiating shallows at reduced power.

Self Bailer
This clears the water from the cockpit by suction under the hull. It pays to have the
self-bailer operating and the boat kept free of water and as light as possible, but the
bailer in the operating position does cause drag, so it is best to have it open only if it
is really needed.

Adjusting the sail

Use the simple setting instructions given below to obtain optimum performance from
your Topper sail throughout the wind range.

Force 0 - 1
Outhaul - tight but not so tight as to form a fold along the foot.
Luff - very slack (ideally small horizontal wrinkles should be visible all the way up the
luff).
Traveller - 9" above transom when amidships.
Kicking Strap - sufficient tension to bring mainsheet block to block with no tension on
mainsheet.

Force 1 - 2
Outhaul - 1/2" inboard from Force 0 - 1 setting.
Luff - slack (just a hint of horizontal creasing when sailing).
Traveller - 9" above transom when amidships.
Kicking Strap - As Force 0 - 1 setting.

Force 2 - 4
Outhaul - 3/4 inboard from Force 0 - 1 setting.
Luff - just sufficient tension to remove horizontal creases when sailing.
Traveller - 8" above transom when amidships.
Kicking Strap - As Force 0 - 1.

Force 4 +
Outhaul - tight, as Force 0 - 1.
Luff - sufficient tension to remove all horizontal creases when sailing with mast fully
bent.
Traveller - 7" above transom when amidships.
Kicking Strap - As tight as possible!

The main points to remember are:

The Outhaul has to be set fairly tight at all times even in very light winds - this
helps to move fullness back from the luff into the middle of the sail.
The kicker needs tension even in light winds although this eliminates twist, it
also pulls fullness back in the sail by bending the mast a small amount