The Optimist is probably your first boat, but it is not the simplest boat in the boat park, and that is exactly why it is so often rigged badly. A sprit two centimetres off. A mast tie that stretched over winter. A bridle left too loose. None of it is complicated, but nobody tells you in order.
This is that order. It is a beginner's guide, written for first-time racers and the parents rigging alongside them. Work through it once when you get back on the water and your sailor gets a boat that behaves, instead of one they have to fight.
Before you start: the tools
You need a tape measure, a marker, scissors and a lighter for line ends, and Sikaflex 291i for anything you unbolt and put back.
Do not skip the tape measure. Almost everything below is repeatable only if you write the numbers down. The easiest way to make one that works on the boat is to tie a cable tie at the end of the tape, so it locks at the top of the mast when you measure rake and you can read the number on your own.
Step 1: Start with the spars
Before you tie anything, lay the mast, boom and sprit on the grass and look down each one.
You are checking for three things. A bend that does not come out. Wear where the boom jaws meet the mast. Corrosion or play around the sprit fittings. On a boat that has been through two or three young owners, all three are common.
Be honest with yourself here. A tired spar set is the biggest single performance limiter on an Optimist, more than any block or line. It is also the thing parents most often postpone.
Then check the stiffness. Every spar is built for a weight range, and that range belongs to the sailor, not the boat. If your sailor is light and the mast does not bend enough in a gust, the boat heels instead of depowering, and sooner or later it goes over. Match the spar specification to your sailor's weight and save yourself a lot of capsizes.
Our Optimast range covers the whole ladder, from the Green Spar Set with A-250 starter package for a first boat up to the PRO L.E. boom used at world championship level. If your sailor is going to keep sailing this season, spars are where the money works hardest.
Step 2: Mast ties and rake
Tie the mast into the step so it sits firm without being wrenched into position. Even tension front and back, and nothing loose enough to let the mast move under load.
Rake, meaning how far the mast leans aft, changes how the boat steers. More rake gives more weather helm, so the boat wants to turn up into the wind. Less rake makes the helm lighter and the boat feel flatter to steer.
For a first season, set the mast close to upright, sail the boat, and ask your sailor one question: does the tiller pull hard in your hand? If yes, take rake out. If the boat feels lifeless and slow to turn up, add a little back. Mark your setting on the mast with tape so you can find it again.
Step 3: Sail ties and sprit tension
Tie the sail at every grommet along the mast and the boom. As a rule of thumb, leave about the thickness of a credit card between the sail and the spar, no more. Too tight at the throat and you flatten the top of the sail where you need shape. Too loose everywhere and the sail moves around instead of holding a shape.
Sprit tension is the main control on the boat, and it is the one most sailors leave alone all day. It works like this:
- Light wind: ease the sprit. You want a full, deep sail and a small diagonal wrinkle running from the clew towards the mast.
- Medium wind: tension until that wrinkle almost disappears.
- Strong wind: tension hard. The wrinkle goes completely, the leech tightens and the top of the sail depowers.
The sprit halyard handle and the claw block are what make this adjustable from the boat instead of on the beach. If your sailor cannot reach the sprit halyard while sailing, they will never use it, and half the sail's range goes unused.
Step 4: The mainsheet system
What you want is a system your sailor can take from 3:1 in light air to 4:1 as the wind increases, without changing any hardware on the water.
Start at the bottom. A 40 mm ground block with hard attachment and a ground block spring. The spring keeps the block upright so the sheet feeds cleanly instead of jamming under the sailor's foot. It is a two euro part that ruins a race when it is missing.
Then the boom blocks. Our Optimist Double Mainsheet Block pairs a PolarWave 40 mm with a 29 mm and covers most club setups.
On ratchets, be realistic about weight. A ratchet block holds load so small hands do not have to, which helps a light sailor in breeze. It also adds friction in light air, when a 30 kg sailor needs the sheet to run freely to keep the leech alive. Either take the PolarWave Automatic Ratchet Block 40 mm in your favourite colour, or go up to the bigger 57 mm class, which we compared in our Harken Carbo 57 vs Ronstan Orbit 55 post.
Step 5: Hiking strap, tiller and extension
Adjust the hiking strap for the sailor you have now, not the one from last season. Kids grow through settings in a single winter.
With the sailor sitting on the side deck and hiking, their knees should have a slight bend and their feet should sit securely under the strap without straining. If they are hanging by their toes, the strap is too loose. If they cannot get their feet in while moving, it is too tight.
The tiller extension should be long enough to steer comfortably from the hiking position without the sailor reaching behind their body during a tack. A stiff tiller and a smooth universal joint make a bigger difference to boat handling than most people expect, because every twitch in the joint arrives at the rudder.
Step 6: The parts everyone forgets
- Bailer and elastic: the elastic perishes long before the bailer does, so check its condition and replace it if needed. Leave it long enough to bail with two hands when you really need to, or with one while your sailor keeps hiking.
- Airbags: inflate them and check the valves before the first sail, not after the first capsize.
- Painter: ours is 8 m of 6 mm and it floats, with no extra knots in it, which your coach will be happy about. It lives coiled and secured so it cannot trail overboard.
- Wind indicator and telltales: cheap, and the fastest way for a young sailor to learn to look upwind.
What lives in the drum
Spare ties, tape, your notebook, sunscreen and plenty of decent food. That is it.
The notebook matters more than it sounds. Rake, sprit settings and hiking strap height are only worth measuring if you can find the numbers again next weekend.
Frequently asked questions
How tight should the sprit be in light wind?
Loose. You want a full sail with a small diagonal wrinkle from the clew towards the mast. Tension it as the breeze builds and the wrinkle disappears.
How often should I replace Optimist sail ties?
Once a season for anyone sailing regularly. They stretch, they chafe at the grommets and they cost very little compared to the sail they hold.
Which mainsheet system suits a lightweight sailor?
One you can adjust from 3:1 to 4:1 as the wind increases. That way the sheet runs freely when your sailor needs feel, and gives them extra purchase when the breeze arrives.
How do I choose the right spar stiffness?
By sailor weight, not by boat. Every spar is built for a weight range, and a mast that is too stiff for a light sailor will heel the boat instead of depowering it in a gust.
How long should the painter be?
Ours is 8 m of 6 mm, which suits both Optimist and ILCA. Check with your coach where they want the knot that hooks into your team mate's painter.
Ready for racing
Everything above is in stock in Rotterdam, with free delivery on Benelux orders from €75 and free European delivery from €99. If you are not sure which spar, block or strap suits your sailor's weight and level, send us a WhatsApp and we will talk it through.
Because life feels better on the water 💦
Explore the full Optimist range and the Optimast spars at LiveWatersports.
