Melges 20 Tuning Guide
Rev R12
1
The following tuning guide is meant to
be a good starting point when setting
up your Melges 20. Depending on total
crew weight, wind and sea condition and
sailing style you may have to alter your
set up slightly from what is given here. As
you read this tuning guide, write down
any questions you might have and we
will be happy to discuss them in detail
with you. The goal of this tuning guide
is to achieve a rig set up that is fast in all
conditions upwind and down. Your new
North sails are designed with this “all
around” philosophy in mind.
Pre-Race Preparation
One of the most important items you
and your team can do in preparing for
high performance racing is to have your
Melges 20 ready to race. Listed in this
section are just a few items we feel are
critical for success on the racecourse.
TRAILER AND BOAT
Make sure when transporting your
Melges 20 that the keel bulb always sits
perfectly in the keel bed of the trailer. If
the boat is sitting where she belongs on
the trailer you will find the bulb resting
perfectly in the keel bed with space in
the keel box both in front and in back
of the keel. Also packing pre-cut foam
between the keel edges / sides and the
keel box will help prevent any movement
of the keel when trailing. It is important
to ensure that the keel fin is not touching
the hull fairing plate prior to trailing. It
is also important to ensure that the boat
stays forward against the bow guide
when trailing.
HULL, RUDDER AND KEEL
Class rules do not allow re-shaping of
these items.
Hull
- For traveling to regattas and
general care of your new boat the
investment of our bottom trailing cover
and 1 piece top cover is well worth the
protection it affords.
Rudder - The rudder should always be
removed when not in use and kept in
its padded rudder bag. Remember to
always put away dry.
Keel
- We just talked about taking care
of your keel when the boat is on the
trailer. When lowering the keel with the
keel crane make sure you have rinsed out
the keel box along with the keel guides.
Make sure the keel box is free of any lines
or padding. Also, make sure you keep the
boat level when raising or lowering the
keel to ensure the keel fin does not get
damaged.
Launching & Retrieving
Believe it or not this is when most
damage occurs to Melges 20s. When
trailer launching make sure the keel box
is well packed with padding, as the keel
wants to shift as soon as the transom
starts floating. To ramp launch you will
need to use the keel retractor crane and
just lift the keel about ½” to ensure you
do not damage the hull fairing plate.
Make sure you pad the keel well on the
leading and trailing edges and make sure
you take great care when using the keel
retraction crane.
When using an electric hoist be sure
to keep the boat level or maybe a few
inches down in the bow. Again we
are trying to protect the keel. Also by
holding the bow down just a few inches
we are protecting the spreaders from
possibly hanging up on the hoist arm
as the spreaders pass the arm. Keep in
mind when you lower the bow the keel
fin is vulnerable so care must be taken
not to damage the keel fin. Make sure
you use the aft leg of the lifting bridle
attaching it to the transom to help keep
the boat in a slight bow down attitude
when lifting.
When launching on a hoist it is best to
use the keel retractor crane. Hook the
keel retractor to the lifting ring on the
keel, make sure the lift ring is screwed
all the way in the top of the keel. Take
a tension on the keel lift winch and
securely tie off the winch handle to the
horn cleat. Install the lifting straps to
the lifting pins alongside of the keel
utilizing a luggage tag type install. Also,
install the longer aft lifting strap through
the top rudder gudgeon at the transom
using a rudder pin. When hooking up the
hoist, put one of the lifting straps over
the hook, then the aft leg, then the last
lifting strap. Now when you lift the boat
take care not to hit the spreaders on the
hoist arm. It is best to have the boat at
90 degrees or more to the hoist arm and
hold the bow slightly down to keep the
rig off the hoist. Keep the keel padding
in place until the keel is ready to be
lowered and be sure to always hold onto
the winch handle, keep all body parts
away from keel and take great care when
lifting the keel or lowering the keel.
It is a good idea to put some soap and
water on the keel guide blocks and in the
keel box to allow the keel to seat more
easily. If the keel guide blocks do not line
up fore and aft perfectly, put a body on
the bow or the stern to help tilt the boat
to line up the keel guides.
Deck Preparation
The factory Melges 20 comes ready to
race. There are a few small class legal
modifications that really help with sailing
the boat.