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Randy’s Thistle
Resources
Rigging
your boat is an individual undertaking.
Everyone has preferences about where the equipment goes and what type of
mechanical advantage they require. Some
items are limited by class rules, so check the rules on the class association website before
you start.
The
key items to keep in mind when rigging are:
The
Thistle has comprehensive control systems, but the class has resisted putting
on very complicated systems that raise the cost of rigging your boat. There are no heavy, complex systems such as
mast rams, adjustable shrouds, spinnaker launcher tubes, etc. The boat has been kept clean and simple,
which equates to crew-friendly while racing.
The main control systems on a Thistle are listed below:
Mainsheet – controls the position of the boom and
the mainsail leech tension. Used in conjunction
with the vang and traveler to position the main for best airflow and
speed. You can put as much purchase at
the end of the boom as you like (consistent with pulling in the line quickly), but
the bitter end going forward is only allowed to be a single line at mid-boom,
going through a single block on the centerboard. All your advantage must be at the end of the boom, between the
boom end and the traveler.
Main Halyard – typically a rope-to-wire arrangement
that cleats on the side of the mast with a ball-and-hook arrangement. Sometimes replaced with all-line
systems. Hauls up the mainsail and some
adjustability should be left here to control luff tension on the mainsail in
differing wind strengths.
Cunningham – The Cunningham is used to pull the
draft in the mainsail forward. No
purchase limitations in the rules.
Jib Sheets – control the trim of the jib. These run INSIDE the shrouds to a turning
block and cleat arrangement on the thwart.
Some people experiment with extra purchase systems on the sheets. This is a highly loaded system – bolt it
through the thwarts.
Jib Halyard – used to tension the jib luff. Originally a wire-to-rope system with a ball
that hooked into a hook on a tensioner slide.
The tensioner is limited to a
4:1 purchase. Commonly used now with all
line running to a multiple block tensioner.
Barberhauler (optional) – used to control jib
sheeting angles in differing wind strengths.
Many Thistlers use adjustable tracks for their jib sheet blocks.
Spinnaker Sheets – used to control the trim of the
spinnaker and the pole.
Spinnaker Halyard – hauls the spinnaker up. Some Thistlers use a reverse purchase
arrangement to haul the sail up more quickly when rounding marks.
Spinnaker Pole Lift (Topping Lift) – controls the height
of the pole.
Spinnaker Twings – used like barberhaulers to
control the angle of the sheets. Some
use them to choke the kite during gybes for quicker gybes.
Boom Vang – used to control the vertical position of
the boom. Used in conjunction with the traveler
and mainsheet to let the boom swing off centerline without raising and reducing
leech tension.
Traveler – controls the side-to-side position of
the boom. Can be used to let the boom
out for proper trim while maintaining leech tension with the vang and/or the
mainsheet.
Centerboard Hoist – positions the centerboard up or
down to control boat heel and limit weather helm. Use enough purchase here- the board is heavy (75 pounds), and
this control is adjusted more often than you would think.
Hiking Straps – offer a place to hook your feet
while hiking over the side – adjustability is a good thing to build in here…
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Contains rules and measurements for all systems. YOU MUST COMPLY WITH THESE RULES TO HAVE A
LEGAL THISTLE FOR CLASS RACING. Use
the “Green Book” Link to get to the rules and specifications. |
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This site showed rigging diagrams for various boats including the
Thistle. The page has disappeared,
but it is unclear if this situation is permanent. If so, I will post a scanned copy of the page. |
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Story of the restoration of my Thistle. Updated regularly.
Contains links to photos. |
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Restoration of Texas woodie.
Contains excellent photos of restoration and rigging on older boat. |
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Beginning restoration of older Thistle. Page is currently inactive. |
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Restoration of fiberglass Thistle with great rigging information and
photos. |
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Charlie’s website of his restoration.
Great descriptions of rigging systems. Some photos, but not yet complete. Charlie also makes fiberglass-reinforced wooden booms for
nominal cost. His workmanship appears
to be outstanding. E-mail link to him
on the page if you are interested. He
has photos of the booms to email. |
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Thistle3748 - Rubidium
(for sale) |
Another Texas boat. This was
the Delta District champion. Howie
has sold it – contains great photos of rigging ideas. 1959 Douglass & McCloud woodie restored to perfection. Great photos. |
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The Thistle Class standard
Excellent diagrams of rigging ideas, trailer construction, rail
repair, and more. Start here for
ideas for your boat. |
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The 5o5 site is dedicated to a very high performance boat. It has page after page after page of
rigging information which might be helpful to you. The site is extensive – oone of the best and most informative I
have seen. |
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The Flying Scot was designed by Sandy Douglass – father of the
Thistle. There are some good rigging
ideas on their page. |
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Mr. Douglass was also instrumental in the design of the
Highlander. There are good rigging
ideas on this site that might be transferable also. |
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For
more information, email me…
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