When you are running an event, it is possible to collect a reasonably modest set of spares, parts and tools which will allow you to fix nearly everything; particularly if your boats are well prepared and maintained.

With the priority at a Team Racing event to get a boat back racing; repairs often needs to be the  “best that can be done at the time” and  will need to be followed up and made good after the event.

The following lists covers items which we think need to be made available as part of an event bosuns kit. Should you need anything from the list, as the specialist supplier of Team Racing parts and spares for Fireflies, kSail will hold everything in stock and can usually dispatch next day.

We thought we would put some flesh and bones onto our Firefly Pre-Event Checklist and provide more details about how to best prepare your fleet of Fireflies for your Team Racing event.

There is no substitute for a well planned maintenance routine -  checks shouldn't be left so late that spare parts can't be ordered in time. kSail carries enough parts in stock to cover nearly all eventualities and can usually dispatch for next day delivery if required.

The intention with your preparations is to make sure that your boats and their equipment are able to withstand the increase in usage and likely pressure that will come from event use; and also to identify and prevent any issues that may cause problems going forward.

At events, it is recognisable that competitors are likely to treat boats in the same way that the boats appear. A boat that appears well cared for and maintained will be better looked after by a competitor than one which is held together by bodged gaffa tape and frayed lines. It may seem like a waste of time but often the best preparation that you can give a boat before an event is a wash and clean! 

What type of rope should you use to rig a Team Racing Firefly...?

There are lots of choices out there, however before purchasing rope for your Fireflies, there are a couple of general rules which are worth considering.

1. Team Racing Fireflies get a lot of heavy use, rope should be hard wearing. All rope will fail over time.
2. Control lines should be easy to replace; when they break they need to be quickly changed. Splicing lines onto your boats looks great however when they fail they are slow to replace - a real problem at an event! Much better to use a rope that holds a tied knot well and can be easily undone or cut.
3. Other than the main halyard, some stretch is a benefit on the lose rigged Firefly.
4. High performance fibres can shorten the life of other hardware items - eg. a Jib Halyard tension cleat will wear more quickly with an over-spec dyneema/spectra line.

In short, keep it simple! Often the slightly cheaper control line is a better choice. At kSail we stock a full range of rope and cordage which can be supplied in either full reels or pre-cut lengths.

From experience we have selected Kingfisher evo Performance and evo Sheet to use for most of our pre-cut lengths. 

There will always be bumps and scrapes in Team Racing, while we are committed to being a non-contact sport it is inevitable that there will be contact at times. As a fleet manager or owner, you will want to ensure that your boats are able to deal with the every day wear and tear with minimal damage as well as minimising the damage that may be caused by a training or event impact. There are lots of ways to help with protection - we are going to be writing more articles soon; however in recent weeks and months, gunwale protection has been a recurring topic of discussion. There are currently three main types of firefly gunwale protection in general with a fourth being introduced by Rondar on some new boats in 2018.

Type	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages
Rubber Moulding	Usually white rubber in a "U" or "D" shaped profile; usually secured with bolts or rivets.	Cheap; easy to install Good protection in gunwale to gunwale impact Little maintenance. rarely tears or breaks	Bolts or rivets easily pull through Little protection from point impact (Bow/Gunwale); does not spread loads. Stretches and sags; looks shabby after a short time Hard to repair if damaged
Hardwood Moulding	"L" shaped moulded hardwood; standard Rondar wooden gunwale fit; often secured with rivets.	Easily Installed; particularly when riveted Looks great! Comfortable to hike Reasonably easy to repair; unless riveted.	Impact protection very limited; does not spread loads can crack and splinter easily repairs reduce effectiveness Expensive to replace the full length. requires maintenance.
Laminated Hardwood	Double thickness of hardwood; glued and bolted around gunwale radius.	Very strong, spreads impact load Looks great Can be repaired without reducing overall strength.	expensive and challenging to install can be uncomfortable to hike over can splinter in gunwale to gunwale rubs.
Plastic Extrusion (New 2018)	Solid plastic D shaped extrusion; first introduced in 2018.	A little to early to make any conclusive observations however first impressions: Looks good Cost effective easy to install appears strong in all types of impact will not splinter Not yet tested or proven in significant use May be subject to some stretch and sag?

       

Help prevent the rope tail of your Jib Halyard from fraying and becoming detached by avoiding catching the rope between the wire and the hook block when hoisting the jib. There is nothing worse than finding the spliced loop breaks just before you go sailing.

kSail supply ready lengths of prestretched 3 strand to replace halyard tails. We also supply complete replacement jib halyards with splices already completed.

Clear display of numbers on Start Boats is really important so sailors and umpires know what is happening. You may also have a need to display race numbers ashore, particularly if transferring sailors out to boats using changeover ribs. There are several options that you can use for displaying numbers; the following are just a few ideas

1. Homemade printed numbers print out numbers 0-9 on sheets of paper and when put into plastic wallets can make a useful flip chart.
2. Use a small whiteboard Great until it starts to rain. Takes quite a lot of time to write numbers large enough to be seen from any distance.
3. Cricket Score Board numbers For a more professional looking approach you can use cricket score board numbers.
4. Football Substitution Boards For a quick and easy solution but generally only able to display two digits if you're planning to run a lot of races!
5. Digital Number Boards Making your own or investing in equipment is possible to create digital number displays. There are various ways to do this, 

Maintain and repair your Rudder Stops. The rubber rudder stops underneath the transom bar prevent the tiller from becoming jammed underneath the bar and more importantly from becoming damaged by the bar which leads to early failure of the tiller arm.

1. For boats without mainsheet tracks
   1. Replace bolts with an M6 bolt
   2. Make sure you use solid rubber stops not hollow ones
2. For boats with mainsheet tracks
   1. Use an M5 Bolt; be prepared to have to replace this after a year or two.
   2. Make sure you use solid rubber stops.

If you have not maintained your stops; you will find that you won't be able to easily remove the bolts and will have to take a hacksaw to them. Be careful as it is very easy to damage the transom bar.

kSail supply ready prepared kits which include solid rubber stops and bolts of the right length. Get in touch for more information and pricing.