Think your boat is slow? Can't get the results you want? Or maybe you have just bought a Splash? Don't worry, despite the apparently simple nature of the Splash rig, it is extremely sensitive to adjustments and you can almost certainly improve your results with some time well spent on setting up your boat and rig.

This is not meant to be a definitive guide, nor is it aimed at any particular ability level. It is simply our personal experiences with Splashes over 5 years and will probably conflict with some of your own ideas. That's fine, but hopefully you can pick up some good tips along the way. If you disagree with anything and would like to share your ideas, e-mail the webmaster!

Other articles in this series are: 2) Techniques guide, 3) Fitness guide, 4) Advanced settings and 5) Heavy weather sailing. These and the advice below form a sound basis for setting up and sailing your boat, getting fit and gaining those results you want!

PERMISSABLE MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
While tinkering with your boat, bear in mind you have a one-design and the rules are quite strict. Before starting, you are recommended to visit http://www.splashdinghy.org.uk/ and go to the 'About Splash' page, where you will find links to the class rules and parts list. In this article, the relevant rules are shown in brackets.
Note that rule F6.2a allows ropes to be fitted of "arbitrary length or material, with exception of aramide fibres" (i.e. spectra, dynema, etc). The only exemption to this ban is on the halyard (F6.1h).

So now down to some basics:

SAIL HEIGHT / CLEW SETTINGS
These settings are absolutely critical. They dramatically affect sail performance and if they are not right, you will be way off the pace, so you must see to these first. They are initially set using the shape and size of the 'triangle' at the gooseneck, which can vary between sails*.

A basic starting point is arrived at like this: Lay out the sail on the ground, off the spars, flattened out as far as possible. Lay straight edges along the foot and luff at the gooseneck position and measure the two distances from the crossover point (where the tack would normally be) to the corners of the 'triangle' in both directions. Now rig the boat and mark the boom and mast in corresponding positions.

SETTING THE SAIL HEIGHT: Tie 5 knots in the halyard,about 20mm** apart, leaving spare rope at the sail head to allow for adjustment. Now use the spare rope to fix a ball or shackle so that the sail lines up with the mark on the mast when on the middle knot with no control line tension on. Don't add knots between these now, as this will shorten the halyard!

*This needs to be repeated for other sails and corresponding halyards.
** (This needs to be a fine adjustment, but the finer you make it / the more knots you put in, the more difficult it becomes to work out which knot you are using!)
CLEW: This is more difficult as the adjustment is fine and knots too close together mean you can't use the cleat! Our solution has been to have two settings for each sail. The first, for up to 'just right' conditions is set so the sail lines up with the mark on the boom with no control line tension on. The other pulls the sail 12-15mm further aft for 'overpowered' conditions.

YOU MUST ENSURE NEITHER OF THESE SETTINGS PULLS YOUR SAIL OVER THE 'BLACK BANDS'!

You now have a basic set to start fine tuning these two vital adjustments. Now do some BUDDY SAILING (see below) and play around with these two only, until you feel you are getting the best out of the boat. TIP: adjust the sail height using the knot at the sail head, this leaves all your other knots correctly positioned against each other.

You have worked hard to get here so DON'T LOSE THE SETTINGS IF THE HALYARD BREAKS! MAKE UP A SPARE HALYARD with knots in identical places, which you can use in an emergency without losing your settings. You will need other spares for different sails and you must be able to tell which is which! It is wise to record the distance from your 'centre' knot to the ball / shackle for each sail.
(Money saving idea: Remember the only critical part is that between the knots and the sail head. You only need expensive rope for this area. For the rest, you can join on a small diameter, budget line using a sheet bend).

KICKER (F6.2c and D6.1.2)
It is vital for controlling the power of the rig to get the best possible performance out of the somewhat limited kicker. Ball bearing blocks are not allowed, so we need to resort to basics.
Mount the tackle as shown with the cleat at the bottom. A swivel (max length 80mm) is allowed - this improves ease of use. There is no restriction on length and balls or knots on the loose end to improve pull are allowed. Additional knots / loops to increase purchase are not! (A maximum of 4 parts are permitted).
It should be rigged so a straight-arm pull, from the helming position, is used, making use of body weight and abdominal muscles in a 'leaning back' movement. Some owners secure the end with a length of light bungee cord to stop it from falling overboard - others dislike this!

MAINSHEET (F6.2b)
Choice of mainsheet is very much a matter of personal preference. However, the most successful we have used is an anti-kink variety from Pinnell & Bax - it does exactly what it says on the tin!
It is important to thread it correctly (right). Note there is no bowline on the beckett - the line is passed through from aft going for'd and a simple figure-of-eight is tied. As you can see, the blocks lie nicely alongside each other when block-to-block, allowing you to get the boom nearer to the deck for those beats and strong winds!

MAINSHEET HORSE (F6.2d)
A mainsheet horse with minimum stretch and a cleat which works properly is essential for de-powering upwind.

Rather than a slip knot, a fixed knot should be used when tying the horse to itself on the aft deck (left). That shown is simply a bowline with the tail threaded through and a half hitch tied before leading to the cleat. Also, when tying this knot, shorten the horse as far as possible to increase the 'purchase' you can exert when tensioning it. (You will need to lengthen this in light airs - see 'settings' guide). Again, a loop, knot or knob on the loose end are permitted to improve pull. Any further knots or loops to improve purchase are NOT PERMITTED.

CONTROL LINES F6.2e & f, D6.1.3)
As with the kicker, these need to have a comfortable, knotted loop on the loose ends to increase purchase and be of a length to permit a 'straight arm' pull from the helming position. Any further knots or loops to increase purchase are NOT PERMITTED.

TOE STRAPS (F6.1.4)
Leading a bungee cord from the toestraps to the horse fairleads (right) does two things. It holds them off the cockpit floor, making it easier to get your feet under and it allows for the straps to be set to the correct length for the all-important straight leg hiking position, without a tendency for them to lie on the floor.

DAGGER BOARD (E3.2)
Yes, it is very desirable to pack around this to reduce movement, but unfortunately, it is not allowed under class rules.
What you CAN do is to attach a rope handle / plastic pipe to improve ease of use. - See class rules for what is permitted.

BOOM ELASTIC (F6.2g)
It is not only very useful for running it light airs, but a requirement under the rules for a continuous bungee to be attached to the top of the kicker, threaded through the painter fairlead and back round the other side of the mast back to the kicker.

OTHER BITS & PIECES
Take note that rule C2.1a requires a painter 4.5m long and min. 8mm dia. It is useful to safety boat crews for this to float!
Also note that burgees are not allowed, since F7.1 dictates that 'wind vanes' are set no higher than 1.5m above deck.

SO…
You now have all your ropes and gear in tip-top order and you can now go and win races, right? Well, maybe, but you will improve your chances further if you do some BUDDY SAILING. This is a very effective way of getting best boat settings.
Team up with someone who gets similar results to you. Go out together and, on a particular point of sail, change the settings, one at a time, on one of the boats and see what effect it has on speed. If it works, change the other boat to see if it works for that one also. Log the changes and try it with different settings and so on until you become familiar with what is making your boat tick! Then repeat for different points of sail and on different days with different wind conditions. Yes, it is a laborious and long-winded process, but you have the advantage of being able to concentrate only on boat speed and not have to worry about starts, opposite tack boats, mark roundings and which side of the beat offers the advantage! The reward WILL be better results - the more you put in, the more you get back out.

Well, that's about all this time round. Before getting too involved with fine tuning, you would be well advised to get these basics out of the way first. You could be amazed at just how much easier your boat is to sail and how that can convert into better results!