W H AT ’ S O N Y O U R R U M B A ™ CAUTION

An Escape SmartRig boat

® ™ Safety warning
Sailing can be dangerous and
physically demanding. The user of
this product understands that sailing
may result in serious injury or death.
Observe these safety standards:
Avoid contact between the mast
and overhead electrical wires.
Wear a nationally approved
personal flotation device.
Know how to swim.
Obtain certified first aid training,
and carry first aid and
rescue/safety equipment.
Get an updated local marine weather
forecast prior to departure.
Be aware of harmful weather
changes while sailing.
Share your sailing plans with an
attentive friend before departing.
Dress appropriately for the weather
MAST conditions. Cold water and/or
weather can result in hypothermia.
Bring fresh water and drink
to avoid dehydration.
Take precautions to avoid eye and skin
damage from exposure to the sun.
Check your equipment prior to each
use for signs of wear or failure.
Always sail with others in sight.
Be aware of dangerous
currents or tides.
MAINSAIL
Avoid breaking waves
and/or surf conditions.
Be aware of other boats.
Do not exceed your sailing ability.
Be aware of your limitations.
Consult your physician
prior to your first sail.
Do not use alcohol or
MAINSHEET mind-altering drugs prior
STROP to or while using this product.
WINDICATOR ™
BOOM Never abandon the boat.
CLEW
BOW MAINSHEET
RIGHTING THE BOAT
Because
of the
Escape’s
AUTOSAIL™ STERN exceptional
stability, you
ONE-PIECE are very
POLYETHYLENE HULL TILLER unlikely to
capsize. But
if you do,
getting the
CENTERBOARD boat back
upright is
no big deal.
FIDDLE BLOCK
Here’s the
RUDDER sequence:

HIKING STRAP TRANSOM RUDDER

PLUG BRACKET
COCKPIT DRAIN PLUG
EASY DOES IT
H O W TO S E T U P YO U R R U M B A ™
UNPACKING An Escape® SmartRig™ boat

Open the box or shrink Make sure top mast

wrap carefully so as not to you have bottom mast

damage anything inside all these

parts: boom sail
The staples holding the box
together are sharp and could hurt
you, scratch the boat, or tear the (You will fi nd t he se i n t he pl ast i c bag tiller extension
sail. If you open the shrink wrap also need a
tiller
flathead and Windicator™ arrow
with a knife or scissors, the sail can

STOP
post plug
a Phillips
easily be damaged screwdriver, hiking strap rudder
and two
Many dealers remove the boat wrenches furling rope how
to
and equipment from the plastic or pairs of sail
transom plug hull
bag and boxes we ship to them pliers)

ASSEMBLING THE MAST, SAIL AND BOOM: 10 STEPS Best done on a clean flat surface, such as a beach or lawn
Slide Slide
top sail
mast down Attach downhaul rope A. Loop rope through
T object. Tie a figure 8 knot
over mast and furling rope to eye I
bottom on mast bearing E
mast I
N B. Tie an overhand knot
…then G
First, feed pull the
the downhaul furling rope O
rope through through with F C. Pull tight
the eye… the downhaul F
rope, and tie
mast eye both off

mast bearing

Lay
mast
and
sail flat
on the
ground
with
Escape
logo
facing
up…

…then
roll the
sail around
the mast
counter-
clockwise,
and secure
it with
nylon strap
and clip

next, put the mast and boom into the boat; see over

2 BASIC KNOTS The Figure 8

Knot The
to use in your set up Overhand Knot
FINISHING THE SET UP
PUTTING THE RIG IN THE BOAT WINDICATOR™ arrow

Put post through boat shape

With long end of boom …then lower boom from underneath
facing the front of the boat, onto the back pin Push arrow onto post, until you
insert short end into on the mast step… hear it click into place post
the back hole in …finally,
deckplate, aligning boom rotate boom 180° Push post into wide end of rubber plug
top inside so it points rubber
pin on boom with view back
view Insert plug into impression in bow plug
slot in deckplate… slot
pin towards the back
of the boat Align pointy end of bow
(look through mast hole Windicator with bow (front of boat)
boom to make sure the boom
is really on the pin) RUDDER

tiller
Insert mast Push pin
rudder down…
into front bracket;
hole in hiking …and
deckplate… …align bottom tab on the mast strap slide into
bearing with the slot in the attached two notches
(see H. below) rudder
deckplate. Slide mast onto the in rudder
front pin on mast step bracket
back of hull
Rotate Push pin up;
Look through peephole mast bearing 180° make sure it locks
mast to make sure the mast
slot
is on the pin (if not,
aligning the upper
tab on it with the
front
pin
the mast will fall over
slot on the mast step. TRANSOM PLUG
and void your warranty)
top view The mast is now The transom plug allows you to empty
locked in place any water that may have entered the hull.
inside view Always sail with the transom plug tightly secured
peephole

Rig the mainsheet (A, B) G. Feed furling rope through cap at

and furling rope (C through G) pin on boom
end of boom; tie
to grommet in sail

Rig the hiking A. Attach mainsheet strop to pulley. (Put small loop through
strap strap on pulley; feed larger loop through small loop and pull
(H) tight). Slide larger loop along boom until it meets the pin

B. Mainsheet is preattached to pulley. Feed other end

ope

through top part of fiddle block, then up through pulley,

ng r

back down to bottom part of fiddle block, through cleat

mast

boom

furli

into a pile in the cockpit. Knot end of rope

F. Go through mainsheet
top view cleat and pulley; up
C. Furling rope to pulley on boom
in place through fiddle block H. Attach hiking …then loop …and do this
bearing eye, E. Leave about attached strap to same eyestrap over rudder BEFORE
with one wrap a 5-foot loop to cockpit as fiddle block… bracket… attaching
(use flathead
around mast D. Go through cleat screwdriver) rudder

STORAGE AND TRANSPORT SAIL CARE The life of your sail depends on how you care for it
Store your Escape sailboat out of direct sunlight or under a light colored cover Rinse the sail with fresh water after each use
Best way: upside down. Next best way: on it’s side. (It can be stored upright, but the hull
may change shape a bit. This won’t hurt the boat, and it should come back to shape once Dry the sail completely before you store it. Simply roll it around the mast by [Link]
the weight of the boat is relieved) you are at a beach and cannot dry the sail, unroll it as soon as you get home and let it
dry before rolling it up again
Support the hull properly. Never store the boat by resting it on one point only.
This may cause surface deformation If you remove the sail from the mast, roll it from the top down. Make sure there
are no creases, and don’t scrunch the sail once it’s rolled up
Always rinse the boat, ropes and sail with fresh water. Allow to dry before storing
A tear can be fixed with sail repair tape or clear packing tape. Do it immediately to
When tying the boat down to (well-padded) racks on your car or trailer, use stop further damage. Larger tears can be repaired by a local sailmaker
straps. Straps are better than ropes. Don’t tighten them too much—it could cause
the hull to deform Store away from direct sunlight, or use cover. UV will prematurely age your sail

EASY DOES IT
H O W T O S A I L A N E S C A P E® SmartRig™ B O A T
THE BASICS As you change course relative To steer, push or pull You can
to the wind, you must change the tiller; this controls slow
The Windicator™ tells you the angle (“trim”) of the sail the rudder and
where the wind is coming from. stop
It’s on the bow and is divided into To do this, simply pull in or the
zones like a pie chart: release the “mainsheet”
boat by
STOP
WINDICATOR™
Tiller Tiller steering
You’ll see the Autosail boom to the to the
Stop zone (a second pie chart with right left
into the
The boat stop zone,
slows because the same colors as the
Windicator) at the steers steers or by
the sail will not the boat the boat
fill with wind base of the boom to the to the releasing
Duck AUTOSAIL™
zone left right the main-
Blue, green and red Mind your When you trim the sail, match the color
sections indicate safe head—the sheet
sailing zones. You change sail will fly that the Windicator points to with the
the zone by steering across! same color on the Autosail pie chart STOP

GETTING UNDERWAY These instructions assume the wind is blowing along the shoreline—the recommended condition for learners.

Onshore, Step Mango: gradually push the dagger-

face the aboard, board down as the water gets
deeper. Captiva & Rumba: release
bow into in knee-deep centerboard control line; once
the wind water. Unfurl centerboard is down, pull elastic
the sail until it cord over the hook
reaches the clew

Make sure you have assembled

the rig properly (see “How To
Set Up Your Sailboat.”) Install
the rudder and tiller. Practice
furling and unfurling the sail Steer until Windicator
(rolling it in and out) points to the green
zone, then pull in the
mainsheet to move
sail to the green zone Steer
on the Autosail back
to the
Turn 180° through the wind starting
to the opposite green zone. point
It helps to move to the other side
of the boat when the sail changes
sides. To do this, kneel, squat or sit;
experiment with which way is easiest for you.
Don’t forget to change hands on the tiller and
mainsheet when changing sides

TACK TACK
BASIC MANEUVERS
Tacking (zigzagging) is when STO
Jibing happens
P
you turn through the stop when the wind
zone and through the is coming from
wind’s direction. TACK behind. As
If you want Windicator the boat
to sail towards turns
OP

the wind, then through

ST

zigzag in the blue Autosail the duck zone,

zone. No sailboat the wind forces
can sail directly into the sail to swing
the wind. (That’s JIBE across the deck
when the Windicator quickly. This is
points to the stop zone) JIBE JIBE where you…