Heron (Mirror) dinghy jib arrangement

[Avocet]

I've recently become the proud owner of a rather tired Heron dinghy. It's gunter-rigged, rather like a gunter-rigged Mirror, I believe. I can figure out most of what goes where but at the top of the fixed part of the mast (screwed on to the side of it) is a small block that doesn't look original. I assume it was put there for the jib halyard to pass over - or possibly a spinnaker halyard? Does anyone know how the jib halyard is supposed to go on one of those? The current arrangement tries to twist quite noticeably when I try to tension the job halyard.

 

[sarabande]

Lakey is your man. He had a Heron twenty-three boats ago.

 

[dunedin]

No idea about the Heron, but with the Mirror the jib halyard used a free standing block attached to a small section of wire which looped on the top of the mast. The stays then also looped around the top of the mast.

Racing boats also had a small piece of metal screwed on (called a crane) to hold the spinnaker halyard 2 or 3 inches ahead of the forestay.

No idea what one could use a block on the side for.

 

[Lakesailor]

To be honest I can't quite remember. I will look tomorrow to see if I have a better pic but at the moment all I have is this which seems to show the jib halyard turning on a block on a short wire strop from the masthead.The three shrouds (2 plus forestay) all loop over the top of the mast.

Vic to the rescue. He posted a pic on an earlier thread

 

[Avocet]

Ta all - that's perfect! No mine's definitely not like that (and hasn't got the nifty plastic collar round the top of the mast either)! Infuriatingly, I had a block on a short wire strop like that for years in my box of boat junk and never knew what it was for. Can't find it now, of course! Does anyone know what they're called? It would help with te Internet search!

 

[Stork_III]

To be honest I can't quite remember. I will look tomorrow to see if I have a better pic but at the moment all I have is this which seems to show the jib halyard turning on a block on a short wire strop from the masthead.The three shrouds (2 plus forestay) all loop over the top of the mast.

Vic to the rescue. He posted a pic on an earlier thread

This may help? http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=203638

 

[Searush]

Cor, them's fancy modern Heron's Lakey! Alloy mast & plastic caps, even the lower one seems to have built in bouancy. Great little boats tho, I loved mine.

I think the wire strop's called a wire strop. Your local garage door fitter will make a new one up for a couple of quid. The block is simply a becketed one. If you insist on paying more than you need to; google for a becketed block with strop.