Baby stay snagging.

Theshipscat

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 Oct 2008
Messages
2,449
Location
Right up Kirstie Allsop
www.cobra-seawolf.com
Originally posted on the Lounge, what a plonker!

How many yachts have them and do your Genoa sheets catch on them?
I have the answer to the problem but need to work out if it's worth manufacturing.
What would be a fair price not to run up on deck to free the snagged sheet after every tack?
I had a roller made up which rolls the sheets over the stay. The costs are about £30 each (30 foot yacht) to make in small numbers and more for bigger boats.
 
I don't have a centreline babystay, but I do have forward lowers which catch the staysail clew.

I'm more likely to thread a length of plastic pipe over the shrouds than spend £30 on a gadget unless it's exceedingly clever.

Aren't shroud rollers out there already?

Pete
 
I had the same problem on my Centaur. This is how I solved it.

Single length of Genoa sheet sufficient for both sides. Form a loop in the middle (like ____O____ ) and sew the overlapping parts tightly together over a couple of inches, say three or four. The loop will now look like a capital 'D' that is lying on its back. Cover the sewn section with thin leather with the stitching on the inside of the space (mine came from the uppers of a boot that the wife discarded). Use whatever method you prefer for attaching the loop to the ring on the clew.

Since then I have never had any problems with snagging. Fortunately, my 'new' boat has twin lowers instead of a baby stay.
 
Single length genoa sheet instead of two then use a cowhitch ... shove a loop through the cringle and pull the tails through it ... make sure you find the centre of the sheet for the loop
Doesn't catch on my babystay ... bowlines always did!
 
I use a one-piece genoa sheet the middle of which is attached to the cringle using a cow hitch with an extra turn and a typical shroud roller on the baby stay which cost a couple of quid from the chandler. I changed to the one-piece sheet first and this was a big improvement over the bowlines but it was the addition of the roller which finally cured the problem and I subsequently fitted rollers to the cap shrouds too.

A word of caution though, my boat is quite small and if your sheet loads are much higher than mine it may prove very difficult to untie the cow hitch.
 
The sheets ought to be bent to the clew of the Genoa or the Jib with inside bowlines not outside bowlines.

Additionally a long boot covering the turnbuckle right down to the deck fitting is a help.

Additionally when preparing to tack the lazy sheet if hardened will ride up the babystay / inner forestay making the crossing over easier and smoother.
 
You haven't told us what it is yet! It cost me more than £30 if you count the cost of replacing the sheets and if yours is a superior solution I might well have been tempted to buy.
 
Top