FF15 Tuning Guide by Sailboats Speedsails

The aim of this tuning guide is to help you get the most out of your Flying Fifteen. It is necessary to spend some time setting up the boat and calibrating all of the measurements to ensure that you have maximum boat speed for any given conditions and can quickly move through the gears when these conditions change.

Spreader Settings

Spreader Length (L) controls the sideways pressure on the mast. Spreader Deflection (D) controls the pre-bend and is a rough guide that may need slight adjustment.

Setting	Superspar M2	Proctor Epsilon
Spreader Length (L)	430mm	430mm
Spreader Deflection (D)	180mm	165mm

Rig Tension

Conditions	Rig Tension
Choppy, very light, or very heavy conditions	350lbs
All other conditions	400lbs

Mast Rake

Mast rake is measured from the top of the mast to the top of the transom with the mast ram off. We recommend sailing with a rake between 24' 10" – 24' 11" in all conditions. To do this, hoist the jib with 400lbs tension and make sure the mast ram is off. Attach a long tape measure to the main halyard and measure 20' 6" to the black band at the gooseneck. Cleat the main halyard and measure to the transom.

Pre-Bend

With the mast ram in neutral (where it sits with rig tension on but no forces acting), we sail with a pre-bend of 1 inch measured by pulling the main halyard tight against the gooseneck. The distance between the mast and the halyard at spreader level is the pre-bend. You may need to angle the spreader tips forward or aft slightly to get the desired pre-bend — this will not affect your rake and tension settings.

Keel Position

Hull	Keel Setting
Ovington Mark 9 (smoothy)	Front edge of keel flange 3940mm from transom (front bolts 3885mm)
Ovington Mark 10	Front edge of keel flange 3912mm from transom (front bolts 3857mm)

Mast Ram

The mast ram controls the fullness in the lower half of the main by controlling the mast bend low down.

Conditions	Mast Ram Setting
0–5 knots (crew to leeward)	Let the ram off and pull the mast forward to flatten the sail
5–10 knots (crew in the middle)	Let the ram back to its neutral position
10–15 knots (both helm and crew on windward side / sitting out)	Ram the mast straight — pull on ~½ inch from neutral to power up the bottom of the main
15+ knots (overpowered)	Let the ram back to its neutral position

Kicking Strap

The kicker controls twist in the mainsail and is used in conjunction with the mainsheet. In light winds use mainsheet tension to control the twist and then remove the slack from the kicker. As you have to ease the main, put on enough kicker to have the top leech tell-tale flying approximately 80% of the time.

Outhaul

Point of Sail / Conditions	Outhaul Setting
Upwind (all conditions)	Pulled on tight to the black band
Upwind – very light, choppy	Eased ½ inch
Downwind (powered up)	Eased 1½ – 2 inches
Downwind (overpowered)	Left on tight
Run	Eased ½ inch only

Cunningham

This control line should only be used when sailing upwind in 15 knots and above. In these conditions it can be used to remove some of the crease on the main luff. Do not remove the creases completely.