Notes to be aware:
The polypropylene from which the hull and deck are moulded is very strong but can be scratched so avoid pulling the boat over shingle or scraping it on anything hard and always try to rig the boat on a reasonably soft surface.
Under no circumstances you stand in the boat whilist on trailer, trying to rig the boat, please follow the rigging guide below, extracted from the Topper manual:
Stepping the mast
1. Point the Topper into the wind, support the mast at a 45 degree angle and engage the base of the mast into the cup under the mastgate.
2. Walk the mast forward into an upright position, ensuring that the collar is underneath the mastgate.
3. Pull the cord to close the gate.
4. Push the toggle in firmly to lock.
Fitting the boom
1. Engage the gooseneck end of the boom on to the mast immediately above the collar.
2. Thread the outhaul through the boom end fitting as shown, knotting the end securely.
3. Thread the inboard end of the outhaul through the kicking strap eye and then through the tube cleat on the underside of the boom.
4. Engage the outhaul and clew strop hooks in the clew cringle of the sail. Tighten and cleat the outhaul.
Downhaul and kicking strap
1. Clip the kicking strap hook onto the webbing strop’s metal ring on the underside of the boom.
2. Clip the downhaul hook through the webbing eye on the sail. And attach opposite end with carbine hook to kicking strop on lower mast as shown.
3. Attach the kicking strap block to the ring on the mast webbing strop with the split pin. One end of the kicking strap rope is attached to the block.
Rudder and daggerboard
1. Bolt the tiller to the rudder blade ensuring that it is adjusted correctly as described in the maintenance section.
2. With the blade in the raised position, pass the tiller under the traveller and lower the rudder on to the transom fitting. Ensure that it is completely home and that the spring retaining clip has engaged to prevent the rudder becoming detached in the event of a capsize. The blade is lowered by lifting and pushing back on the tiller. Lower the tiller again when the blade is vertically down.
3. With the shockcord provided on the boat, tie the toe straps tightly towards each other. When not in use – you can stow the daggerboard behind one of the toe straps.
4. The daggerboard is retained in the desired position by the tension of the shockcord creating a forward wedging action in the daggerboard housing. Loop the shockcord round the mast between the webbing strap and mastgate and clip onto itself with the hook. Pass free end of shockcord through the top of the hole in the daggerboard rim. Tie a retaining knot having first adjusted the tension to suit.
Reefing the sail
The Topper sail can be quickly reduced in size by furling it around the mast. This will make the boat more manageable for novices and children as they can set precisely the amount of sail that they can onfidently handle. As ability increases so can the sail area. Consider two rolls around the mast as the minimum.
Disconnect the kicking strap and tidy it on the downhaul cleat. Ease outhaul, laying loose end over boom and rotate the mast ensuring that the downhaul and halyard are revolving inside the boom gooseneck. Three complete rolls will reduce sail area by over 30%. Re-connect the kicking strap and tension the outhaul. The Topper will remain perfectly balanced although obviously less lively.
For a Worlds Race Rigged Topper follow instructions but first ensure that the downhaul is fed through the inside of the gooseneck and is tight enough for only the rope strop to run inside. You should also disconnect the 4:1 outhaul blocks at the ring on the webbing strap attached to the boom to give a straight rope connection and more rope for reefing. Clip the hook onto the outhaul rope for neatness.