Hi,

I was told on the Y&Y forum that someone on here may be able to help with some information for my Mystere.

I have been given a 5.0 (No 420 looks like a smaller tornado and same as the red one for sale in Wales). It will be my first cat after several years in dinghies.

The shrouds appear to have stretched so I couldn't rake the mast back, but how much should the mast rake back? I have tried searching the web for any information without success

Also, can I sail the 5.0 single handed with just main? I am just over 100kg (230lbs) and I sail on the Thames Estuary, England.

Thanks for any help

Steve

Could you post a pic? I am interested to see the colour of hull and sails? I have not tried to rake the mast yet?

Let me preface this with “I own a 5.5, and have never sailed a 5.0”. But IMHO –

At your weight you should not need to sail without the jib. You are heavy enough to handle that boat. I sail with a 130lb girl (I am guessing here) that sails your boat without problem. I realize there is a lot of wind in the UK… but I think you can handle that boat with weight. I solo my 5.5 all the time

But YES you could try it uni (1 sail) but it will affect the handling, pointing, power, tacking and other ways.

As per the rake…. How much depends on many factors… is there weather helm? Do you need to depower it? My mystere (different design) likes the mast almost vertical.

I find it hard to believe the shrouds could stretch so much that you cant use the adjusters and rake... i would think they were cut wrong, or the attachment point on top is using the wrong hole (on the mast tang) or a shackle is to big.... but i could be wrong.

I would private message, or post here questions to Dave Parker. He owned a 5.0 (and my 5.5) and he knows EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING (or at least he thinks he does) (kidding Dave)

windsurfsteve,

Yep that is almost identical to my boat, including the sails.

Andrew, thanks for the info. We sail in anything up to a F6 depending on direction of the wind. I was starting from scratch with the mast rake and was hoping I could find out where it should be for light winds and then I can rake it to depower in stronger winds.

I will try and PM Dave Parker as suggested. many thanks for the help

Steve

The Mystere 5.0 in the photo above is a different boat than the 5.0 that I have seen (and owned). As you said, yours looks like a Tornado, at least as far as the old style slanted bows. Look at my avatar and see the plumb bows of the "Florida" M 5.0. You have an old sail plan as well. My boat had a mylar square top and had all the strings and adjustments of a modern boat (downhaul, swept spreaders, outhaul, etc). There used to be a Mystere "S" that looked like your boat. Maybe they are related but the M5.0 and the M5.0XL boats I've seen are not like yours.

As to sailing solo, the Dunedin fleet routinely sails solo all the way up to 6.0 meters. I weigh about 195 and find the boat speed suffers terribly if I take anyone heavier than my 65 lb son on my 5 meter. The 5.5 needed two when the wind got up. Trap out, drive it hard, and eat another burger or two. We might not mind sailing "underweight" as our water is always warm so going over for an occasional swim is OK. Just ask Andrew!

One more thing. The crap butt tiny rudders that came with my boat stalled every time I pushed it. You could see the air aspirating down the leading edge of the blade. The slightest steering and the tiller would slam into you as the rudders would stall under the slighest weather helm in all of those bubbles. I swapped up to the larger blades from the 5.5/6.0 family and the problem went away. The boat pointed lots higher as well.

Mast rake? For the square tops most Mysteres like to be pretty vertical. Skeg boats vs centerboards cannot be compared but still, start vertical and adjust back bit by bit, not the reverse. Your pinhead sail might make mast rake different, too. You just gotta try. Beer, rake, repeat!