With just 3 weeks to go until the Noble Marine RS200 National Championship, it’s time to make sure your boat is as good as it possibly can be! Thanks to the Official Chandlery Partner of the Nationals, RS Sailing Store, there will be a spares and repairs service on site, aiming to get you back on the water if something does go wrong, but our RS Class Committee technical Rep, Brendan Lynch has some important advice and some dinghy racing tips to avoid breakages and as he says ‘pimp your boat’ before you leave home!
Check All Ropes and Bungee
- Inspect every control line and piece of bungee. If in doubt, replace it!
- Pay special attention to the bridle attachment to the hull—a common failure point.
Upgrade Jib Halyard Shackles
- Replace standard shackles with Allen Forged Shackle Narrow – 5mm Pin (A5405N) to prevent kite snags. Bonus: they’re lighter too!
Centralise Leech Telltales
- If telltales stream properly on one tack but not the other, they’re likely offset from the trailing edge.
- Use Spinnaker Repair Tape to align them dead-centre. Cut a small circle of tape, slit the middle, pull the telltale through and stick it in place.
Replace the Slot Gasket
- Water is 800x denser than air, so gains here are super effective!
- Slot gaskets typically go soft or ‘wobbly’ after a season. Now’s the time to fit a fresh one:
RS200 Slot Gasket Hypabond Adhesive & Solvent
Check Centreboard Play
- While under the boat, wiggle the centreboard. Too much movement? Use Jap/Glide Tape – 8m to pack it out and reduce friction.
Swap Screws for Bolts
- Replace any screws (e.g. on rudder pintles or jib car tracks) with bolts and locking nuts.
- Screwed-in fittings can fail catastrophically under load.
Polish the Hull
- Clean and polish your hull – smooth = fast! Wash thoroughly to avoid rubbing grit in.
- For a slick finish (and lemony scent), use: Harken McLube HullKote
Taper Your Kite Sheets
- Untapered sheets sink and drag the kite down in light airs.
- Tapering keeps the kite aloft and flying fast. For a proper guide, check out the video tutorial (coming soon!)
