Attatching genoa sheets

[Slow_boat]

The bowline that I attatch my genoa sheets with tends to get jammed on the shrouds when tacking. The shrouds were new this year and don't have any tubing on them and I don't really want to go trying to bodge some on. Has anyone come up with a method to get around this?

 

[Richard10002]

Is a bowline the right knot? It's what I've always used, but it is possible for it to come undone when not under tension.

What do others use?

 

[nickfabbri]

yep there is a very good picture of how to avoid this in an issue of pbo from a couple of months back. If you use a lenght of whipping line to fasten the sheets together about 20cm in front of the bowline ( fastened so the sheets are tied parallel to each other but running in opposite directions), it will not snag on the shrouds. I did it myself and it works a treat

 

[Gin]

I use a continous genoa sheet with a length of 3mm Dyneema inserted throught the core and whipped in place to give a completely smooth face to pass around the snagging points.

The Dyneema passes through the clew and is tied off with a succession of half hitches

 

[LadyInBed]

I have often wondered what a sheet bend might be used for /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[William_H]

Tubing on the shrouds is easy. You just have to remove the bottom connection of the shroud and fit over some irrigation pipe of appropriate size. What size? Well that depends on what fitting you have on the end of the shroud. The tube must be big enough to go over the fitting. Large tube has the advantage of being easier for the sheets to pass. You only need tube long enough to come up above where the sheets foul.
I hope you are not reluctant to loosen the shrouds because it has been tensioned correctly. Just mark the point where the screws are tightened to with masking tape or similar.

As for the knots. Much depends on whether you use a roller reefing or individual jibs. Roller reefing having much more permanentsheet attachment. I use just a bowline but then I also change jibs. With a decent tail on the knot Ive never had them come undone. The bowline has the advantage that each time you tie the sheet on you do it in a different place on the rope so moving the point of high wear around so lengthening the rope life.

You could try a one piece sheet with bowline (one) in the middle. This means sort of half your knot is there to foul. this is only suitable for roller reefing however as it is a bit tedious puting a bowline in the middle of the sheet. (one knot with 40ft tails.)
Alternatively you could splice and whip the sheets onto a shackle. But the shackle can be a bit dangerous if it is lashing around.
Anyway I would recommend tubes on the shrouds (and inner forestay if you have one) olewill

 

[BruceDanforth]

Most of the tubing I've seen for shrouds is supplied split along it's length so you just clip it on. I'm sure your local chandler should have some.

This place has some and it's not going to cost more than about a tenner for a couple of lengths. Scroll down a bit and look for 'shroud cover'.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Cheeky reply.

Maybe your tacking technique is wrong? Don't tighten the new sheet too much before tacking. Don't tack so slowly so that the sail blows back towards the mast. Don't let the old sheet go too early. Then, when you let go the old sheet, the genoa blows across immediately and goes beyond the shrouds. Luff up as the sail is winched in to make life easy for the grinder.

Cunliffe demonstrates here

 

[doug748]

I have to sort this out because mine snag the guardwires. One old method is to use a single length sheet, double it and check it will just push through the clew cringle, now, to prevent it from pulling back through, stick a short length of smaller stuff (say; 14mm + 200mm long) through the loop and pull tight. the small stuff is whipped to the sheet for ready use. Choose your sizes right and this will never let you down, is soft so will not knock your brains out and is very quick (ie good for hanked on sails as bowlines can be a problem after heavy weather). Make the sheet unequal lengths to allow for wear. Only problem is I will have to buy a new sheet which I am not ready for just yet..

 

[freebird1]

On my last boat, I had an eye spliced in the end of each sheet. I used a thin (4mm) dyneema about three feet long, which I attached to the clew with a bowline. Offer the spliced eyes up and pass the thin line through the eyes, back through the clew, back through the eyes and so on, building up as many turns as you can before making the tail off with half hitches. No more snagging and easily transfered to other sails. In an emergency, sacrifice the dyneema, not your sheets.

The shackle idea is well used, but I don't fancy being hit on the head / face.

I'm coping with bowlines at the moment, but can see I will be going back to spliced eyes soon.

 

[Gunfleet]

I do the same. I use dyneema often like a soft shackle, especially where I might get whacked round the lughole with it.

 

[Lakesailor]

I solved the problem. But I'm not going to tell you how because all the HSE nuts on here tell me it's dangerous.

 

[yoda]

Seconded, a very handy tip.

Yoda

 

[Gunfleet]

If it involves children and Scaffell I don't want to know.

 

[Athene V30]

[ QUOTE ]
I have often wondered what a sheet bend might be used for :

attaching 2 ropes of different types - double sb if different diameters

 

[davierobb]

As mentioned in other posts the split sleeving works a treat. Very easy to put on.

 

[Appleyard]

Tubing.

I bought 3 3 metre lengths of 15 mm plastic electrical conduit at a total cost of 1.65 euros. ,Cut a split in each one with a hacksaw blade(not as time consuming as I expected) and slipped one over each shroud and theinner forestay.A bit of tape round the bottom stops it being pushed down over the screw . Why pay swindlery prices? Works perfectly.

 

[ShipsWoofy]

The most successful solution to this problem for me was using a fisherman's knot through the cringle.

This worked for me on my old genoa when I was using thicker sheets, but I was getting too much friction through the car blocks and dropped a rope size and now with a slightly larger cringle and finer lines the knots are not big enough to hold the sail. When it did work it was ideal as there was no snag point at all.

You may be able to use something like this depending upon you set up..

 

[chas]

B&Q have split plastic tube for covering central heating pipes in metre lenngths. I use one on each shroud, tightened a bit with tape. These roll very well and normally last a season.

 

[Noddy]

I didn' know B&Q did pre split tube.

I tried all sorts of ways of splitting their heating pipe lengthways. The best way turned out to be something very similar to a hooked stanley blade.

Get it started, secure the end of the tube, and then just walk along the tube pulling the knife as you go.

Hope thats useful
Paul