genoa sheets; separate or conjoined single ?

sarabande

sarabande

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Some suggestions and approval on a USA cruising forum that genoa sheets can be, with advantage, a single line attached at the clew with a clove hitch.

Looks to me as if that might rack up very hard after a while, but is not a big lump of rope to be flogging around one's head and specs.

Other suggestions please ?

And any preferences for braid on braid, or 16 braid over 3strand ?

Finally, good speedy supplier near Hamble, please.


TIA
 
sarabande said:
Some suggestions and approval on a USA cruising forum that genoa sheets can be, with advantage, a single line attached at the clew with a clove hitch.

Looks to me as if that might rack up very hard after a while, but is not a big lump of rope to be flogging around one's head and specs.

Other suggestions please ?

And any preferences for braid on braid, or 16 braid over 3strand ?

Finally, good speedy supplier near Hamble, please.


TIA
Click to expand...



I would go for a continous sheet with a loop spliced in it and a soft shackle, or just larks head the sheet on,

speak to Ian Turnbull @ http://rope4boats.co.uk/, he is in HYS most days and as he is not connected to a riggers or has a big shop he is alot better on price and service,
 
sarabande said:
Some suggestions and approval on a USA cruising forum that genoa sheets can be, with advantage, a single line attached at the clew with a clove hitch.

Looks to me as if that might rack up very hard after a while, but is not a big lump of rope to be flogging around one's head and specs.

Other suggestions please ?

And any preferences for braid on braid, or 16 braid over 3strand ?

Finally, good speedy supplier near Hamble, please.


TIA
Click to expand...

I'm familiar with that thread on CF. I use a cow hitch & it does require a fid or marline spike to loosen it at times. But I leave my sheets attached to jib even when stored so it's not an issue.
The advantage of a one piece sheet is the small cow hitch knot which rarely catches on anything during a tack or jibe,like bowlines & other larger knots can.
It's a personal choice.
Doubling the sheet,pushing the resultant loop thru the clew ring & putting a short piece of line(toggle) thru the loop works-sew one end of short piece to sheet to keep it handy.
Others use soft shackles.
Your choice :)
 
Advantage of separate sheets is that you can reverse then to even out ware and if one side gets damaged you just replace one sheet not both.
 
I went for a continuous line, as I don't like cutting ropes unless I have to.
I used an Alpine Butterfly knot. The longish loop in the end passes through the crinkle to form a Cow Hitch.
The sheets pull at 180 degrees to each other to help them pass around the shrouds

images
 
sarabande said:
Some suggestions and approval on a USA cruising forum that genoa sheets can be, with advantage, a single line attached at the clew with a clove hitch.

Looks to me as if that might rack up very hard after a while, but is not a big lump of rope to be flogging around one's head and specs.

Other suggestions please ?

And any preferences for braid on braid, or 16 braid over 3strand ?

Finally, good speedy supplier near Hamble, please.


TIA
Click to expand...

Separate sheets with long bowlines served well many years ago, but they can catch on shrouds etc and not pretty; I've tried several continuous line ideas but they all need to be undone at some stage which is a PITA.

My most successful connection which is easy to release and is an elegant solution is the use of a soft shackle connected to soft eyes on separate sheets.
 
I have 14mm sheets with a loop created using an Alpine butterfly. I then have a short length of 10mm line cow hitched to the clew of the sail. The short length is then attached to the loop in the sheet with a double sheetbend (using both strands).
Advantages are that you never need to undo the Alpine butterfly. The sheet doesn't get worn by the clew eye, only by shrouds etc. The double sheet bend is always easy to undo but I've never yet had it flog free. The Alpine butterfly seems to ride round the shrouds fairly easily.
 
Gin said:
My most successful connection which is easy to release and is an elegant solution is the use of a soft shackle connected to soft eyes on separate sheets.
Click to expand...
+1. Sort of, I added a length of 5mm dyneema from the soft shackle at the clew spliced into the sheet so there is almost no weight pulling the clew down in light airs. Passes round the baby stay easy as well.
 
Gin said:
......................
My most successful connection which is easy to release and is an elegant solution is the use of a soft shackle connected to soft eyes on separate sheets.
Click to expand...

That is what I have, and it works very well indeed. The soft shackle is dyneema.
 
I'll always go for the single sheet: either with a cow hitch at the clew or, better still, with bowlines at the clew and a continuous sheet across the cockpit for the crew to manage (it always worked in the dinghies too)
 
Len Ingalls said:
I'm familiar with that thread on CF. I use a cow hitch & it does require a fid or marline spike to loosen it at times. But I leave my sheets attached to jib even when stored so it's not an issue.
The advantage of a one piece sheet is the small cow hitch knot which rarely catches on anything during a tack or jibe,like bowlines & other larger knots can.
It's a personal choice.
Doubling the sheet,pushing the resultant loop thru the clew ring & putting a short piece of line(toggle) thru the loop works-sew one end of short piece to sheet to keep it handy.
Others use soft shackles.
Your choice :)
Click to expand...

I use a single line with a cow hitch, and a spike will loosen it on the rare times it is disconnected from the sail. Less to catch on shrouds it seems to me.

Whatever works for you that you are happy with is correct.
 
I use a long line with a bowline in the centre to attach to the clew. The secret is to insert 3 short lengths of say 10mm 3 strand, 2" long, into the bowline at the crossing points - it is then easy to undo by dragging out the short lengths with a pair of pliers at layup time. Works for me and NEVER snags on the babystay or shrouds.
 
We thread each sheet into dyneema hollow tape and sew each sheet into the tube with dyneema fishing line. We leave the centre of the tube empty and cow hitch the empty part of the tape to the clew.

The dyneema is very abrasion resistant and low profile so does not catch during a tack, nor does it wear. When/if we remove the sail we leave the sheets attached, we have spare sheets for a self tacking headsail and for our storm jib. We do not get wear on the sheets.

We used this system when we raced our X-99 over 5 years but then used nylon hollow tape. It did fail occasionally (primarily the stitching). We have been using dyneema tape (Nautilus Braids, NZ) now for about 5 years without failure and use this system on our screacher (Code 0) and on our 150% genoa (both furling, both left on furlers most of the time). We cover about 2,000 nm per annum.

Its personal preference, I cannot see there is a right or wrong.

Jonathan
 
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