genoa sheets - a less bulky knot than a bowline?

I just put both sheets through in opposite directions and put a figure of 8 in the end. Works for me, easily undone at the end of the day (no furling gear). I tried bowlines but they kept coming undone as they were not kept under pressure.
 
Ecosse120 said:
I just put both sheets through in opposite directions and put a figure of 8 in the end. Works for me, easily undone at the end of the day (no furling gear). I tried bowlines but they kept coming undone as they were not kept under pressure.
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I've just waded through five pages of some very convoluted methods of attaching jib sheets only to discover at the very end that someone else would suggest what I had in mind!
Seriously though, the figure-of-eight method is the latest to be recommended to be taught by Keelboat instructors, at least in the ISA, and it works really well. If you're worried about security or if the cringle is a little large, give a twist to the bight to make a Double Stopper Knot.
 
Spirit of Glenans said:
I've just waded through five pages of some very convoluted methods of attaching jib sheets only to discover at the very end that someone else would suggest what I had in mind!
Seriously though, the figure-of-eight method is the latest to be recommended to be taught by Keelboat instructors, at least in the ISA, and it works really well. If you're worried about security or if the cringle is a little large, give a twist to the bight to make a Double Stopper Knot.
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A climbing friend attached our genoa sheets using figure eights before we sailed back from IOM to Anglesey. We couldn't untie them when we got back and had to cut them off.
 
vyv_cox said:
A climbing friend attached our genoa sheets using figure eights before we sailed back from IOM to Anglesey. We couldn't untie them when we got back and had to cut them off.
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That's why experienced climbers don't use the Fig 8 knot!

The Fig 8s popularity with beginners was based on this one knot's ability to do most tasks and be passably strong even if tied wrongly.

But it doesn't do any of the tasks as well as a dedicated knot for each specific task. This includes being easy to untie after being heavily loaded - ie when climbers fallen on it!
 
I've gone for the soft shackle (in Dyneema single-braid) linking the eye-spliced sheet to the cringle. My only modification to what has been said so far is to use a separate soft shackle for each sheet so that I should still have a sheet attached to the sail if a soft shackle failed.
 
vyv_cox said:
A climbing friend attached our genoa sheets using figure eights before we sailed back from IOM to Anglesey. We couldn't untie them when we got back and had to cut them off.
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We use a stopper knot on each pot, it gets tons of strain and can still be undone, a figure of eight, but pass the end through twice. In your case I would tie each round the opposing sheet.
 
fisherman said:
We use a stopper knot on each pot, it gets tons of strain and can still be undone, a figure of eight, but pass the end through twice. In your case I would tie each round the opposing sheet.
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The case I refer to was years ago. I would never use a figure eight on genoa sheets. I use a soft shackle and spliced eyes in doublebraid.
Genoasheets-1.jpg
 
nigelmercier said:
I've never managed to make any sort of splice with 3-ply, but with my new Selma fids, I'm spicing almost every bit of braid-on-braid that I can find; it is so satisfying, and really easy.
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Well I was inspired and had a quick google...

First splice was not to good, now I have the same problem as Nigel :o...

Also turn out handy for making soft shackles...

vyv_cox said:
The case I refer to was years ago. I would never use a figure eight on genoa sheets. I use a soft shackle and spliced eyes in doublebraid.
Genoasheets-1.jpg
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So now I will be buying 20m of 12 or 14mm to duplicate this one... Will it be any better than bowlines? :confused: Do not know but I can try it for myself now :cool:...

Thanks for the advice guys... :D:D
 
onesea said:
Well I was inspired and had a quick google...

First splice was not to good, now I have the same problem as Nigel :o...

Also turn out handy for making soft shackles...



So now I will be buying 20m of 12 or 14mm to duplicate this one... Will it be any better than bowlines? :confused: Do not know but I can try it for myself now :cool:...

Thanks for the advice guys... :D:D
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I use soft shackles, but have always used a separate one for each sheet. Seeing that photo I will do the same next year and use just one with both sheets attached to it. Should reduce even further the risk of snagging on the baby stay.

I feel a bit daft not to have thought of that myself. :o
 
nigelmercier said:
That's a good price for that set.


There are quite a few clips on YouTube, none of them are fantastic, but they help. Which one did you like?
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I went to the local Chandler thinking if they where within a £5 or so I would buy they where £65... I thanked them and told them why I would buy online...

I used one from earlier in this thread...

Any more suggestions what can be done with my new fids?
 
just reporting back - after all i started this thread and lots of useful advice was obtained. the eyes on the sheets and the soft shackle seem to be working a treat and as the dyneema soft shackle has a breaking strain of something enormous, i never considered using two (tightwad that i am....)
 
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