Peak halyard efficiency..

[Chiara’s slave]

What matters is that the gaff comes down under gravity, it should never need to be pulled down.

If it were me, and I wanted the halyards in the cockpit, I would bring both ends of the peak halyard down to the deck, turn them at the foot of the mast, and put a luff tackle on one end to make adjustments to the peak really easy and to avoid having an end aloft and out of reach.

This would ideally involve two single blocks up the mast.

A single on the gaff and a double on the mast for that surely.

 

[winch2]

If it were me, and I wanted the halyards in the cockpit, I would bring both ends of the peak halyard down to the deck, turn them at the foot of the mast, and put a luff tackle on one end to make adjustments to the peak really easy and to avoid having an end aloft and out of reach.

Exactly what Crabbers have, but which of course just induces more friction into the system, tho as I said earlier the 2:1 throat is wonderfully free and light to pull from the cockpit so the peak problem has to be a combination of rough mast head pulley and simply the horizontal dead weight of the yard.
Really looking forward to fitting a 2:1 this winter, should make sailing next year so much more enjoyable.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I try to remember not to put my sailing jacket on til the main is up. It’s hard work even with the 2:1, and it’s 28 metres of halyard to pull. You gaffers have an easy life really.

 

[14K478]

After all those years of gaffering, I bought a pointy headed one…

20 metres of 12mm Dyneema, a 40:1 self tailer and a Winchmate.

Start by hand. When you get bored, stick it in the winch. Apply the Winchmate until it stalls. Give the brute a final few goes with the handle and the thing is finally up!

Uffa Fox says in one of his books that one man can manage a 500sq ft mainsail on his own … he had neither winches nor Winchmate. My respect for the man grows…

 

[Plum]

Morning everyone, we have what I think is a bit of an issue with our setup.

Hauling the peak halyard from the cockpit on our little Crabber is incredibly hard until we get it to about 30 deg then of course it begins to ease. The throat halyard however is wonderfully light and free throughout its travel.

Impression Im getting is that all the Cornish boats have a one purchase arrangement for the peak and a two purchase setup for the throat.. which for my thinking seems the wrong way round as all the weight is taken by the peak when the yard is horizontal. Even pulling it down at the mast, its not much better.

Looking at the many old diagrams of various Gaffs on t'internet and many do seem to have at the least a two purchase arrangement for the peak, some even a three block setup.

I'd really like to add another block for next season but my scientist and methodical other half says nope.."Cornish Crabbers have done the maths and the testing and there's no need".

So do I fit another block or leave it and struggle like mad every time we go sailing?

Im stuck.

Muchos.

The Gaff should be hoisted horizontal until the luff is tight. The purchase on the throat and peak should be the same so you can hold and heave both halyards together, as though they were one, until the luff is tight. If the effort required to hoist is too much for you and all your sheaves are running free then you could drill out all the sheave pins and replace the sheaves with ball bearing ones like these Allen Ball Bearing Acetal Sheaves (or just buy a set of new ball bearing blocks)

 

[14K478]

A single on the gaff and a double on the mast for that surely.

I often do make mistakes when I post stuff on the inter thing, but not this time. I did mean two single blocks on the mast, vertically separated.

The leads of the falls will not be parallel under all circumstances. Two single blocks separated vertically will allow each fall to take a fair lead.