Rigging Tips
The Hoot is designed to make getting into the water fast and easy. Here’s all you need to get on the water:
To Rig the Boat
- Although no special roof rack is required, we recommend that you place some pad between any metal roof rack and the hull of the Hoot (we use a foam wrap).
- Pull the hull off the top, sliding it out until just the bow rests on the car top carrier. (You can tie the wings onto the hull, with the sail and the boom between the hull and the wings, and slide the mast in under the wings once you’ve loaded it on the car. If you prefer, you can load the bare hull first, then place the wings on top. Either way, be sure to remove the mast before pulling the boat off your car.)
- Lower the stern of the Hoot onto the ground (where the wheels will be in contact.) Grab the bow and tow the Hoot like it was its own trailer.
- Set the hull down between the wings with a pad under the bow (we generally use a life jacket.)
- Attach the wings with the quickpins and put the mast base on with its pin.
- Now remove the sail from the sail bag, roll out the sail and slide the mast into the luff sleeve, just like you would on a windsurfer. Pull on some downhaul tension and pop the camber inducers on the bottom four battens into place. Don’t put on the boom yet. (It is easier to raise the rig without the boom.)
- Carry the mast/sail over to the boat and slide the bottom of the mast over the mast base and leave the mast lying to one side of the Hoot.
- The shrouds all attach using snapshackles. The forestay is tensioned with a 3:1 purchase running across the foredeck to allow ~2 feet of slack. Attach the forestay to the tensioner, and the loose shroud to the loop on the wing tube — you won’t be able to get the other shroud attached until the rig is vertical.
- Grab the forestay tensioner in one hand and the mast in the other and walk towards the hull raising the mast by pulling on the forestay tensioner and pushing up on the mast. With the forestay pretty slack, you can get the mast up into a highly raked position, with the other shroud loose. Now attach the other shroud and finish putting tension on the forestay.
- Next loop the outhaul over the boom, attach the boom at the gooseneck with the quickpin, hook the vang into the vang strap, and clip the bridle onto the aft wing tubes. Note: the mainsheet is kept attached to the boom, so you won't have to feed it through when you rig.
- Slide the tiller under the bridle and attach the rudder stock.
- Everything is designed to be simple — to get you on the water fast.
To Launch
- Grab the bow of the Hoot and wheel it down into the water. Remove the wheels from the transom and throw them up on the beach, or tuck them somewhere on the dock.
- Slide the rudder blade partway into the rudder stock and slide the daggerboard partway down.
- Tie the bitter end of the mainsheet onto the loop on the daggerboard so it doesn't get away from you, climb over the transom and start sailing. (Obviously, you need to get the rudder and daggerboard all the way down when you have enough water.)