Removeable inner forestay - Advice please

[PetiteFleur]

I've also got the Seasure highfield lever(bought new on ebay for a song) with a snap shackle, easily snaps onto the deck pad eye before operating the lever. My boat had the inner forestay fitted but nothing to attach it to on the deck! I fitted a double pad eye on deck with a single under the deck using the same fixing bolts, with a short strop and then a turnbuckle to a reinforced bulkhead abaft the chain locker. Turnbuckle tensioned initially. The storm jib has a strop on the tack which raises it above the deck and tensioned with the halliard.

 

[Kelpie]

The problem with making the stay the same length as the cap shroud is that when in use, the hanked on sail sits very high off the deck prior to hoisting, because the hanks have to be above the tensioning device.

I find that I can store my removable fs by hooking it round the end of a spreader, and then taking several turns around the cap shroud to shorten it.

 

[TQA]

I am glad to find that there are lots of other people using overcenter levers on inner forestays.

I recently had a major failure of a threaded eye connecting my inner forestay to the overcenter lever which started of a long search for a replacement. As part of the search I contacted a major rigging firm in Antigua and the very experienced boss told me that it was 20 years since he had seen one.

Full story on the long search will be posted soon.

 

[Gunfleet]

This is what Sailspar used to supply with all masts that had a inner Forestay, worked very well.
https://www.sea-sure.co.uk/configproduct/inner-forestay-lever

I have one of those. It spends much of its life attached to a shroud with the captive drop nose pin firmly and correctly attached. Randomly and annoyingly the forestay decides to detach itself and go walkabout while the boat is on the mooring and unattended. I've taken to securing it with a bit of bungee too.

 

[westhinder]

On a flexible rig you may have to do that whatever attachment you use. For a storm jib usage absolute bar-tightness is not essential: the stay is mostly there to stop the wild jerking/flogging as you hoist: you will be tightening the storm jib halyard enough to set it. If your inner forestay is for a working sized sail then obviously a really taut stay matters more.

I use it for a high aspect jib if I expect a long upwind leg in marginal conditions, when tension in the stay is important. I haven’t needed the storm jib in anger, fortunately.
Not a highly flexible rig, but the backstay tensioner is a useful and often used piece of kit for efficient upwind work.

 

[Graham_Wright]

You need to consider carefully the attachment to the deck. With some of the arrangements suggested, there is enormous mechanical advantage and a consequent risk of lifting the deck. I have a Highfield lever but the deck attachment is backed up by a rod that goes right through the hull to a stainless backing plate.

 

[Brent Swain]

You need to consider carefully the attachment to the deck. With some of the arrangements suggested, there is enormous mechanical advantage and a consequent risk of lifting the deck. I have a Highfield lever but the deck attachment is backed up by a rod that goes right through the hull to a stainless backing plate.

Absolutely! Running it right thru to the stem and thru the forestay plate works well.

 

[MoodySabre]

On a Moody 31 (not mine) I have seen the strop and attached to the reinforced aft face of the anchor locker. The whole lot was therefore out of the way when not used.

 

[Brent Swain]

Ours has the large SeaSure lever ( https://www.sea-sure.co.uk/configproduct/inner-forestay-lever ) and it's a PITA to rig single handed in anything but flat calm. The usual way of parking is to cut the stay for its parked length, in our case to the toe rail. There is a permanently attached short section fixed to a U bolt on the stem fitting and it's very difficult to join the two together, having to hold the short section in one hand, 47 ft of swinging stay in the other and get the pin in to join them. In practice, it needs two people or, rigging in advance. I keep meaning to modify it by having the short section loose so it can first be pinned to the lever and then attached to the deck fitting by a pelican hook or similar.

A block and a light line , to pull it close while you snap the pelican hook on, may help .

 

[Burnham Bob]

I have a highfield lever but as other posts say it is backed up by a pad inside with a wire strop to the anchor locker. the previous owner was a highly experienced blue water sailor (not a marina to marina hopper like me who likes the easy life) so the way he did it i have no doubt is the 'proper' way!