CAPRICORN F18 OWNER’S MANUAL
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 Page 2 AHPC CAPRICORN F18 OWNER’S MANUAL Serial # ________________ Table of content 1. 1.1. 1.2. 1.3. 1.3.1. 1.3.2. 1.3.3. 1.4. 1.4.1. 1.4.2. 2. 2.1. 2.2. 2.3. 2.4. 2.4.1. 2.4.2. 2.4.3. 2.4.4. 2.4.5. 2.4.6. 2.4.7. 2.4.8. 2.4.9. 2.4.10. 2.4.11. 3. 3.1. 3.1.1. 3.1.2. 3.1.3. 3.1.4. 3.1.5. 3.1.6. 3.1.7. 3.1.8. 3.2. 3.2.1. 4. 4.1. 4.2. 4.3. 4.4. 4.5. Introduction ...........................................................................................................
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 4.6. 4.7. 4.8. 4.9. 4.10. 5. 6. 7. 7.1. 7.2. 8. 8.1. 8.2. 8.2.1. 8.2.2. 8.3. 8.3.1. 8.3.2. 8.3.3. 8.3.4. 8.3.5. 8.3.6. Page 3 Diamond tension ................................................................................................. 32 Pre-bend ............................................................................................................. 33 Batten tension ...............................................................................................
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 1. Page 4 Introduction Congratulations with your new Capricorn F18. We were delighted creating the Capricorn F18. It has exceeded all our expectations; and when we see people's reactions after their first sail we know, they too, are delighted with it. Greg Goodall Managing Director Australian High Performance Catamarans Pty. Ltd. 1.1. About this owner’s manual This manual has been compiled to help you operate your Capricorn F18 catamaran with safety and pleasure.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 Page 5 Any boat, how strong it may be, can be severely damaged if not used properly. This is not compatible with safe boating. Please keep this owner’s manual in a safe place and hand it over to the new owner when you sell the boat. 1.2. General information Manufacturer: Australian High Performance Catamarans Pty. Ltd.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 Page 6 1.3.3. Stability, Capsize and Recovery This boat is intended to be recovered after a capsize by the crew. The minimum crew weight needed is 130 kg. When using the correct technique, the wind that aides in your capsize, will also assist you in the recovery. See for the proper technique the Recovery chapter later n this Owner’s Manual. 1.4. Recommendations and information for proper operation 1.4.1.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 2. Page 7 Assembly 2.1. Glossary Aft: Back of the boat. Bow: Front of the boat. Batten: Thin strip which fits into a long narrow pocket in the sail. It will give the sail its shape. Bridle wire: One of the two wires connected to the bow and forestay. Boom: Spar at the foot of the sail. Centre board: A retractable plate that that reduces sideway drift. Also known as dagger board. Cleat: Fitting used for holding / securing ropes.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Page 8 Cross head screw driver Philips #2 Small screwdriver 7 mm ring spanner 17 mm ring spanner or preferably a hexagonal socket 24 mm open spanner Torque wrench (optional) Pop rivet tool Shackle tool Tape measure Duralac sealant (anti corrosive paste) A roll of tape for split rings 2.3.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 Page 9 2.4.2. Beams The beams are ready to go onto the boat, all beam bolts are numbered for their position in the beams. ♦ Make sure that the rear and front beam are facing the correct way. On the rear beam the eyelets for the traveller cord should be facing backwards. Apply sufficient grease to the threaded part of all bolts before inserting them into the hull. Get all the bolts started before tightening the 1st bolt.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 ♦ Page 10 On the trampoline, toe straps have been provided, running from the front beam to the rear beam. Fold the outer edges of the loop at its end inwards for more strength and tie the toe straps to the saddles on the rear beam using a half hitch on the strings not dissimilar to tying the battens. Secure the loose ends by adding another reef knot on the half hitch. Check the tension from time to time. Some like it to be taut; others prefer it to be slack. 2.4.4.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 ♦ ♦ ♦ Page 11 notches onto the spreader. Secure the diamond wire by screwing on the cap of the Cap spreader, but do not tighten yet. Go over to the other side. You will notice this takes considerably more strength as one side of the mast has been stiffened by the first diamond wire. Repeat notching over the diamond wire and screw on the cap. Make sure the spreaders are perpendicular to the face of the mast.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 ♦ ♦ ♦ Page 12 Fit the trapeze wires to the top eye using the smaller shackle. Here too, washers may be used to keep the shackle upright. The side stays have Stamaster adjusters, to fit the chain plates of the hulls near the front beams. The front stay attaches to the bridle plate and via 2 bridles to the chain plates at the bows.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 ♦ Page 13 Keep the trapeze wires loose and untangled. ` Mast step and pin Trapeze wires Sail track up for raising the mast Hinge pin in mast step Australian High Performance Catamarans Pty. Ltd. – 50 Craig Street – Bendigo – 3550 Australia Phone: +61 3 544369910 – Fax: +61 3 54412963 – email: ahpc@ahpc.com.au – website: wwww.ahpc.com.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 Page 14 ♦ Turn the mast over, sail track up, and connect the base of the mast to the mast step using the hinge pin trough the aligned holes of both mast foot and mast step. ♦ Walk the mast up from the stern. At the same time the 2nd person should be pulling the mast up using one of the trapeze wires. Australian High Performance Catamarans Pty. Ltd. – 50 Craig Street – Bendigo – 3550 Australia Phone: +61 3 544369910 – Fax: +61 3 54412963 – email: ahpc@ahpc.com.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Page 15 When the mast is vertical allow the mast to rotate so that sail groove now faces backwards. Hold the mast upright with one of the trapeze wires while the forestay is connected to the forestay bridle. Set the front stay to the appropriate hole on the bridle tube for the required mast rake. Adjust the Stamasters to tighten the rig properly. Take out the hinge pin from the mast step. Connect the trapeze wires to their shock cords. 2.4.7.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 Page 16 Tail Front brace Knot Loop ♦ Connect the 2 shock cords at the end of the chute to the loops under the trampoline. This should keep the chute taught. 2 mm line from pole to ring 2 mm line from chainplate to ring Australian High Performance Catamarans Pty. Ltd. – 50 Craig Street – Bendigo – 3550 Australia Phone: +61 3 544369910 – Fax: +61 3 54412963 – email: ahpc@ahpc.com.au – website: wwww.ahpc.com.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 ♦ Page 17 Run the rear 2 mm cord from the ring to corresponding bridle chain plate and lead the other 2 mm cord forward to close the gap between the ring and the pole. S-hook Support line ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Turn the boat onto its side to access the top block of the spinnaker halyard. Tie one end of the 3.0mm Dyneema halyard to the top eye of the fore stay.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 ♦ Page 18 Insert the block onto the goose neck and put the pin through the holes, from top to bottom. Secure the pin with the retaining clip. To keep the clip from getting lost, secure it with a small line to an object on the mast. Goose neck Rotator arm ♦ ♦ Out of the mast rotator arm comes a line that passes through a small block. Connect that small block to the saddle on the underside of the boom. When attaching, give sufficient slack to move the boom freely.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 Page 19 Clew Main sail strap Toe strap 2.4.10. Rudders Rudder stocks are uniquely starboard and port. When fitted correctly the rudder stocks should face inwards in the direction of the mast. ♦ Lubricate the transom pintels and bushes in the rudderstocks with silicon spray. Australian High Performance Catamarans Pty. Ltd. – 50 Craig Street – Bendigo – 3550 Australia Phone: +61 3 544369910 – Fax: +61 3 54412963 – email: ahpc@ahpc.com.au – website: wwww.ahpc.com.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 ♦ ♦ ♦ Page 20 Place the stocks onto the pintels at the transom. Make sure the lock plates snap over the casting and if safety requirements require it, fit the retaining clips on the bottom pins as well. The cross bar has easy connectors for a quick assembly. Make sure the easy connector for the tiller extension is facing upwards/frontward. Attach the tiller extension to the cross bar using the easy connectors.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 3. Page 21 Sailing 3.1. Preparing to sail Now most of the essential equipment has been fitted properly, it is about time to set the sail and start out on the water. Before doing so, some work has to be done. 3.1.1. Battens The main sail contains battens that assist in giving the sail its shape. Battens are numbered 1-7, top to bottom and are of different length. ♦ Roll the main sail out on a flat surface an slide the battens in their corresponding sleeves.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 ♦ Page 22 Lay the main sail on the trampoline with the luff towards the mast track. Depending on how the main sail has been rolled, it may be required to unroll it complete for exposing the top eyelet. Halyard runs between mast and ring Tie knot here ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Attach the Aussie ring at the top eyelet of the main sail and ensure your self that the halyard is between the ring and mast track. If not the main sail will not engage the hook on the top of the mast.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 ♦ Page 23 Fit the bottom block of the main sheet system to the traveler car on the rear beam and secure the shackle. Twisted shackle Outhaul Main sheet block ♦ ♦ ♦ Locate the loose end of the main sheet and tie it to the loose end of the traveler line. Make sure the stopper on the traveler line prevents the traveler car from hitting the beam bolts at the ends of the traveler track.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 ♦ Page 24 The single bottom block is attached to a bracket just above the base of the mast. Tack pulleys Downhaul S-hook ♦ The S-hook on the end of the downhaul rope hooks into a hole at the back of the mast base. 3.1.5. Raising the jib The jib of the Capricorn F18 is self tacking. Australian High Performance Catamarans Pty. Ltd. – 50 Craig Street – Bendigo – 3550 Australia Phone: +61 3 544369910 – Fax: +61 3 54412963 – email: ahpc@ahpc.com.au – website: wwww.ahpc.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 ♦ Page 25 Align the rolled up jib with the luff (that is where the zipper is) to the fore stay by standing between the bridle and the front beam. Jib halyard Halyard loop Fore stay Purchase with S-hook Jib downhaul ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Attach the jib halyard to the top webbing loop of the jib and run both the fore stay and the halyard in the zip pocket. Pulling the halyard raises the jib. Some care must be applied when halyard loop enters the pocket from the top.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 Page 26 3.1.6. Raising the spinnaker Raising the spinnaker on the water takes some preparation work ashore before setting out. This should be done in a sheltered area or only in light winds. ♦ Now set the boat with its stern into the wind and fold out the spinnaker from its bag. ♦ Attach the halyard coming from the mast top to the head eyelet and attach the line coming from the tip of the spinnaker pole to the tack eyelet.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 Page 27 Top halyard and bal Spi sheet Spi clew Line attaches to top patch Retrieval ball Retrieval line End of spi bag ♦ ♦ ♦ The other end of the spin sheet passes around the forestay and is threaded through the spinnaker blocks the same as the other sheet. The tails of the spinnaker sheet are then tied together. When the spinnaker is set fully, unlock the cleat on the mast and pull at the retrieval line coming out of the trampoline.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 Page 28 Turning block Smart ratchet block To spi bag Shock cord ring Australian High Performance Catamarans Pty. Ltd. – 50 Craig Street – Bendigo – 3550 Australia Phone: +61 3 544369910 – Fax: +61 3 54412963 – email: ahpc@ahpc.com.au – website: wwww.ahpc.com.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 Page 29 3.1.7. Beach trolley The best way to carry the boat to the water is using a beach trolley with appropriate shells, adapted to the shape of the hull. The shells preferably lined with felt or similar soft material to prevent damaging the hulls. With the boat off the trailer, lift the front end (use stern supports for more comfort) and push the beach trolley under the hulls. Set the trolley about halfway to have the boat balanced.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 Page 30 Despite the fact that a catamaran is essentially a stable platform an involuntary capsize can happen in most conditions. Depending on the circumstances, the boat may either be on one hull with the mast tip in the water, or it can be completely upside down The Capricorn F18 requires a minimum crew weight of 130 kg to right the boat.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 4. Page 31 Tuning To achieve good results in regattas or just for fast sailing, it is important to set up the boat for the conditions of the day The Capricorn is a very fast high performance F18 with impeccable handling qualities. When you first sail one you are aware that every thing happens very quickly. This can also include getting into trouble. As a result it is important that the set up of your boat is kept clean, simple and efficient.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 4.4. Page 32 Mast rake Mast rake affects the trim and balance of the boat. If the boat is sailed with too much mast rake the boat feels a bit heavy on the rudder, and the acceleration out of the gust becomes a bit slow. Insufficient mast rake on the other hand can induce a feeling of lee helm when sailing the boat and pushes the bows down when sailing downwind. The mast rake is measured with the forward trapeze wire.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 4.7. Page 33 Pre-bend Pre-bend of a mast is the result of diamond tension, spreader arms rake and mast stiffness. These days we do not really measure the pre-bend; the same pre-bend can be achieved by varying the amount of spreader arm rake and the diamond wire tension on a given mast. This is even further confused when the mast stiffness varies. 4.8. Batten tension Battens should be shaped to match the general curvature of the sail.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 Page 34 4.10. General settings In the diagrams below, the adjustable parameters are given for a certain wind condition and course, using it as guide lines will make you get control over the boat more quickly. However applying those guide lines will not increase your knowledge of how end why, if you are not open to trail and error and relying on your own judgement. If in doubt, look around, do what top sailors do and ask why they do this.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 5. Page 35 Maintenance As like all equipment, care of your boat will result in better appearance, as longer life and a smoother functioning of all components. A few tips might help you: ♦ After each trip on salt water, spray off with fresh water to avoid salt deposits on blocks, traveller and joints. On fresh water still traces of mud or algies can appear, rinsing off is always a good idea.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 6. Page 36 Transportation The Capricorn F18 is light and narrow enough to be easily transported over roads, behind any car, using a catamaran trailer; however some precautions must be taken. The hull are best kept on a padded shell, distributing the load evenly over the hull, when tying down the hulls for transportation Even better it would be to support and fix the front beam, leaving the hulls there without support and additional tying down.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 7. Page 37 Parts 7.1. Lines specification Capricorn F18 In case lines need to be replaced, please see the table below for the lines that were fitted originally. In time the specification may be altered due to new designs of components. When replacing lines with others than originally fitted, make sure the specifications are equal or better than the original.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 Reference Extra Extra Extra Extra Extra Extra Extra Upgrade Description Light weight paddle Silver tow rope 6mm x 15m Tactic compass and mounting bracket Full hull cover for trailing (Cotton Lycra) Bow covers Boat cover (light duty canvacon) Boat cover (heavy duty acrylic canvas) Centre sheeting Page 42 Usage Quantity 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 Australian High Performance Catamarans Pty. Ltd.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 8. Page 43 Warranty 8.1.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 8.2. Page 44 Warranty description This warranty is divided into two parts: 8.2.1. The Full Warranty Period The full warranty period is covering the first year from the customer taking possession of the boat for the first time.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 Page 45 8.3.2. Exclusions, this Warranty does not cover 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
Capricorn F18 Owner’s Manual v1.2 Page 46 The builder and/or importer may void the warranty for any and all of the previous points. The class association, builder and/or importer reserve the right to publish all sail and hull numbers of vessels that have had the Warranty Voided for any or all of the above points. Measurement certificates of vessels that had voided their warranties may also be voided. Vessels that do not posses a valid measurement certificate are not considered as ‘Capricorn’ catamarans.
