Soft shackles in place of piston hanks on headsail?

[scruff]

Your testimonial is of great interest - Wichard make them in various sizes and even the biggest are cheaper than the piston hanks (just!).

(If I can go one size down they are much cheaper!)

My worry was whether they flog open but if they don’t on a Folkboat they won’t on mine.
So thanks indeed - problem solved!

No, they snapped on with little effort one handed and once on were secure for the duration, whether hoisted or on deck.

My #2 had traditional piston hanks and were more prone to gumming up and becoming stiff compared to the carabiner type.

 

[michael_w]

Don't use the Wichard sort if you have twin forestays, They will cross clip themselves. Better still, get rid of the twin forestays!

 

[Kukri]

Don't use the Wichard sort if you have twin forestays, They will cross clip themselves. Better still, get rid of the twin forestays!

Piston hanks will do that on twin forestays! Don’t ask me how I know this! The trick used to be to have one side’s hanks upside down, and to remember which sail went where...


(We are showing our age?)

 

[Kukri]

No, they snapped on with little effort one handed and once on were secure for the duration, whether hoisted or on deck.

My #2 had traditional piston hanks and were more prone to gumming up and becoming stiff compared to the carabiner type.

Thanks very much indeed.

The big piston hanks are very prone to doing that and can’t really be called “one handed”!

 

[TernVI]

Your testimonial is of great interest - Wichard make them in various sizes and even the biggest are cheaper than the piston hanks (just!).

(If I can go one size down they are much cheaper... “A” is OK (10mm inner forestay) if “B” fits the sails...)
My worry was whether they flog open but if they don’t on a Folkboat they won’t on mine.
So thanks indeed - problem solved!

These are the biggest - “A” 24mm, “B” 15mm

People have used those things and found the sail won't come down because it's mysteriously clipped to something which it 'couldn't possibly clip itself to'.
Piston hanks were the default solution for a reason.

 

[RobbieW]

How about a screw gate karabiner ? These are cheap enough though corrosion would be an issue, Foin 10mm Steel Oval Screwgate Karabiner. Or, more fiddly, have a look at stainless maillons, 8mm Standard Stainless Steel PPE Maillon Rapide.

 

[Kukri]

People have used those things and found the sail won't come down because it's mysteriously clipped to something which it 'couldn't possibly clip itself to'.
Piston hanks were the default solution for a reason.

Piston hanks were the solution to lashed on wrought iron hanks (see your nearest Thames barge) and they do the same thing when given the opportunity - see above! ?

 

[Kukri]

To sum up:

1. A “thank you@ to everyone who contributed to this thread.

2. My original idea won’t work.

3. The idea of furling the sail round its own luff like a Code 0 is interesting but it is a sail that is wanted up at about the point when a Code 0 is coming down. The the staysail and the storm jib are built of the Térylène version of armour plate, and will behave better on a stay.

4. The idea of using the Wichard hanks is a winner.

5. In theory, the storm jib can be hanked on and kept in its well lashed down bag, below the staysail like we used to do before rollers.

 

[Gary Fox]

Don't use the Wichard sort if you have twin forestays, They will cross clip themselves. Better still, get rid of the twin forestays!

Out of interest, how far apart are your twin forestays? (Mine are a foot apart.)

 

[Neeves]

Like this you mean

View attachment 108866

Exactly,Been there, done that!

It only happens once as the sail becomes impossible to drop without cutting the halyard and then its a devil to replace.

Jonathan

 

[Steve The Seagull]

Soft hanks are widely used, especially with larger boats using textile headstays where metal hanks are not desired. Soft shackles work, and either need looped or hand stitched in place. There are variety of other options from snap buckles, to webbing loop and toggle, Velcro and even poppers in small boats....

The wichard hanks are very good, robust and easy to use. The only thing to watch if they are on the inner stay is that a sheet running around the front of that stay does not snag in them.

Free flying sails on their own stay and furled and becoming more and more common, especially with heavy weather jibs set inside the main forestay. With a good textile stay inside the sail and the correct method to hoist and hold the tension on the stay they work very well.

 

[Kukri]

Soft hanks are widely used, especially with larger boats using textile headstays where metal hanks are not desired. Soft shackles work, and either need looped or hand stitched in place. There are variety of other options from snap buckles, to webbing loop and toggle, Velcro and even poppers in small boats....

The wichard hanks are very good, robust and easy to use. The only thing to watch if they are on the inner stay is that a sheet running around the front of that stay does not snag in them.

Free flying sails on their own stay and furled and becoming more and more common, especially with heavy weather jibs set inside the main forestay. With a good textile stay inside the sail and the correct method to hoist and hold the tension on the stay they work very well.

Thanks for an expert response. One possible solution to the sheet snagging issue on a cruiser, not a racer, might be to use rather large diameter jib sheets, so that the sheet is too big in diameter for the Wichard hook to bite.

 

[oz-1]

Hi Kukri, Bayside Marine in Brixham are advertising Swedish bronze piston hanks at £4-50p each. They are good for stays up to 7/16". I hope this is of some help to you. Best regards, Oz.