Well, at approx 460 lbs, you are definitely going to break things on that boat when the wind blows. Consider a smaller skipper or reserve some money for new boards!



In actuality, I'm not as smart as your average sailor, so I marked my boards in 6" increments. This way I can holler - "Boards at 2, downhaul at 4", etc. and even the new crewmember can figure it out. I've marked a lot of things (got it from monohulls): Traveler, boards, outhaul, downhaul... West Marine has those cool stickers if you want to make it look good.



As far as settings go, you'll need them (on average) deeper than we would, as we're barely minimum weight (327). Here are my guidelines:



Upwind/light air (up to 5) - all the way down

Upwind/breeze (5-12) - 6" from all the way down

Upwind/strong breeze (12-18) - almost 1/2 way down



As you can see, we don't need as much lift as the wind picks up, and the lift causes heel. The board still helps us track well, but keeps us from getting knocked over as much



Reach/light wind - full down

Reach/breeze - 1/2 down

Reach/strong breeze - 1/4 or less down



Again, it's a lift thing. As the breeze picks up, we want the boat to sail flatter and plane more because I can't stand any further aft than the rudder casting, so the boards come up to reduce drag and tripping



Run/light wind - full down

Run/breeze - 3/4 down

Run/ Strong breeze - 1/4 or less down



Again, lift adds a bit of heel. In bouys, that's great to drive deeper. In distance, the course may not always favor driving that deep, so the boards go up.



Also keep in mind that these settings are combined with mast rake, rotation, downhaul, outhaul, sheet and traveler, and even weight distribution.



Good luck to ya! Hope this helps get you in the ballpark, too! Maybe we'll see you at the Tybee 500 this spring...



Jay

Team Katastrophy

I-20 USA 279