Cruising chute improvements

[Copious]

I am trying to improve and fettle the head of the cruising chute and sock arrangement ( currently as in the photo ).
Can anyone suggest alternate ways of this rigging to perhaps lose the two blocks and the short length of wire rope, in favour of maybe low friction rings and dyneema?
All suggestions and pix would be welcomed,

Copious

 

[thinwater]

Low friction rings have more friction than blocks.

Soak the head and hardware in 2-3% citric acid for 15-20 minutes to get rid of the the rust and call it good. (not strong acid--nylon does NOT like that). This will also passivate the stainless.

 

[mattonthesea]

Parkay floor - nice

That does seem a lot of stuff at the top. The only block I have is on the deck for pulling the sock back down. Given that the sheet and the wind will help the sock up, it doesn't matter if the rings are slightly higher friction. And you won't have that mass swinging around as you haul up.

I made a strop/tape across the opening of the snuffer. The LF ring is eye spliced just below and the halyard loop just above.

The whole snuffer was a challenge I set myself. I copied the design from a commercial one. I made up the length from Cameron Balloons offcuts (£10 for a full carrier bag load!), bought the tape and a macrame ring (snapped on first use so bought a SS ring from SD chandlers on East coast), asked for advice on this parish, and learnt how to use the funny triple zig zag stitch on the machine! The hardest part was testing it when the head was in the garden with the rest snaking through the living room and hallway out to the pavement. Cruising chutes and spinnakers are much bigger indoors!

 

[Copious]

Hi Matton,
Have you got a photo of the head?

 

[mattonthesea]

Hi Matton,
Have you got a photo of the head?

A quick diagram. a is just the crown of the snuffer. It is stitched flat across the middle; more of a dog bone than crown.

B is more detail. A webbing dog bone stitched vertically. The halyard attaches to the top. I made up a sort of soft shackle which traps the LF ring in the middle (stitched as well). It fixes to the dog bone at the top and the bottom holds the chute itself.

Afterwards it occurred to me that I could miss out the vertical dog bone; just loop the soft shackle over the crown! But this way allows more room for the snuffer fabric when bunched up at the top.

Hope you can read my writing. Minor hand surgery means I'm using a sling

 

[Copious]

Thank you for that. It certainly looks less cluttered than mine!