Advice on rigging a cruising chute

[petery]

I've taken the plunge and ordered a cruising chute for my elderly Vancouver 27.

I'm looking for advice on how to attach the tack. Do I just attach it to a deck fitting or do I attach it via a line through a block so that I can adjust the height of the tack above the deck. I have a roller reefing Yankee.

I would appreciate comments on the pros and cons of each method

 

[Guest]

I bought a Chute this summer and the best is to rig a pulley. I begun using a stainless ring because it will not foul the tack line when on the opposite tack of the line, but it will produce more chafe.

 

[petery]

Thanks very much for your advice - Mr/Ms 2754159 - It would be nice to have a name rather than a telephone number !!

 

[bedouin]

I have an asymmetric spinnaker which is similar to a cruising chute. When flying it without the pole I use a tack line (in fact my pole downhaul) attached forwards of the forestay. This allows me to adjust the shape of the sail for different angles of sail. Tack pulled down for close reaching, and let off to get more shape in the sail for broad-reaching and running.

I lead the tack line back to the cockpit so that I can make the adjustments from there. It is also a good idea to use a "tacker" or equivalent to hold the tack close to the forestay when it is some way off the deck

 

[petery]

Thanks - is a tacker a strap around the reefed yankee?

 

[bedouin]

Yes - mine is a molded plastic thingy that fits round the furled genoa (without chafing) to keep the tack close to the forestay. The same effect could probably be achieved with some form of webbing (or some recommend parrel beads) - the important thing is not to chafe the genoa.

 

[rhinorhino]

On a HR36 I use a 20mm Vectran Strop (got it out of a rope end box, breaking strain is around 12 tons, maybe a bit over the top) attached to the bow roller. I tie it off to a differing length depending on the piont of sail.
I had considered running trough the preventer block (which is fitted forward) but I have never felt that the added complexity was worth it.
I fly the sail from about 70-130 degrees apparent of wind, using a longer strop at deeper angles.
I don't know if you have considered using a sock to launch/recover your sail. I have found this makes the sail much easier to handle, although this is on a bigger boat.
Hopr this helps

 

[oldsaltoz]

G'day Peter,
We use a simple strop made of rope with an eye sliced into the tack and another eye that drops over the bow fitting. Sag is adjusted using the halyard, simple and uncomplicated for cruise mode.
Hope this helps.

Avagoodweekend Old Salt Oz....../forums/images/icons/cool.gif

 

[petery]

Thanks. Have bought a snuffer. Tying off at different lengths does seem a simpler solution. Take delivery from Arun today so will try it before I think about a line back to the cockpit

 

[Twister_Ken]

Don't know how your foredeck is arranged, but we've found that taking the tack strop under the retaining pin on the bow roller and cleating it off on one of the foredeck mooring cleats is perfctly adequate. It does mean a trip forward if the wind angle changes significantly and we need to alter the strop length, but it's hardly a major task. This way the chute sets outside the pulpit.

Only thing to watch out for (for us) is that the strop doesn't catch on the pulpit mounted nav lights - tweaking the strop length usually sorts this.

 

[qsiv]

Best to go via a block - make sure that the block has a very complete range of articulation. I have a shortish strop with a swiveling snapshackle with a simple eye on the inboard end. The length of this strop is such that it represents the longest length ever needed. I then use a 2:1 whip ( or a watch tackle) from the eye for adjustment.

Simply adjust the strop length so that the luff tape of the chute rises with ' as much curl' as it will stand without collapsing. The more curl, the further out from behind the main the sail will fly. As you come closer to the wind simply harden the downhaul.

If you have a pole - dont be frightened to fly the chute from it to get deeper angles - adjust tensions so that the luff rises verticall from the tack.

 

[Gunfleet]

So how far off the deck are you flying the cruising chute, Bedouin? Mine is a couple of feet - it wouldn't really justify a strop to the genoa. Is there a big advantage to be gained from flying it more like a spinnaker?

 

[alex_rogers]

I've just bought a second-hand cruising chute for my Vancouver 28 and spent last Saturday getting it and the snuffer set up with lines. I haven't had a chance to fly it properly yet but I rigged a short line from the stem and ran it up through the pullpit to the tack. Previously, I had an big old lightweight sail that I used like a cruising chute and I never had any problems with it rigged this way and adjusting the height of the tack with it full of wind - the cruising chute is a bit bigger so it might not be quite so easy - it seems easier to adjust with the halyard though.

Good luck, it'll be interesting to compare notes when you've sailed with it. Downwind always seemed a little slow so I'm hoping for good things from a cruising chute.

 

[Celena]

That's exactly what we do on our V28, except we attach a block to one of the spare holes in the stem fitting, cleating the tack line on to one of the foreward cleats. We've played with ours for a year now and con offer the following further advice:
Max speed 6knots - get it down then!
It's small enough that the complication os a sock is unnessasary; use a prevented main to blank it
Gybe tacking gets you there quicker than direct down wind
The eyebolts for the runners make very convenient attachments for sheet blocks on the V28 but not quite the same on the V27 I think.
E-mail me if you need more info

 

[Guest]

When I fly a chute I prefer to use a line run back to the halyard winches. It gives you better control as you can let it fly out a bit more or pull it in tight to your stemhead fitting. It also makes it easier to snuff.