Thresher
Member
Why do some boats bend their mast top aerials over and tie them to their backstays?
Why do some boats bend their mast top aerials over and tie them to their backstays?
- Thread starter Thresher
- Start date
TLouth7
Active member
Are you thinking of a backstay flicker? If so the purpose is to lift the backstay clear of the roach of the mainsail, especially where it has a full top batten.
Bobc
Well-known member
Probably not and aerial but a backstay crane. It is to get the backstay past a large roach main.
Thresher
Member
Aha. I see. It's just that those boats here in this marina also don't have mast top aerials.
sawduster
Member
They're probably smaller racing boats of some sort where they're small enough that you'd have the backstay almost completely loose in light winds and so also small enough that they just use a handheld vhf.
Thresher
Member
Yes, they look to be 26-27 foot and fast, not cruisers. Handheld vhfs, of course.
Neeves
Well-known member
Not only smaller and not only racing yachts. We don't have a backstay, 38' cat, but a topping lift that we keep at a specific 'length' so that it supports the boom, stops it destroying the helm station and cockpit roof, when reefing. The slightly 'too tight' topping lift gets stuck on the top battens of the roached main when we raise the main and when we tack. We added a flexible crane extension to lift the topping lift clear. Simply a fibre glass batten bolted to the crane with a little single sheave at the end. We could off course slacken the topping lift each time we raised the main but this was a neater and safer solution. Its been up there for 10 years or more now and does what its meant to do.
One could slacken and tighten the topping lift - if you have a big and fixed crew (think racing yacht) our solution means the issue is a non-issue.
We also have a masthead VHF aerial, windex and tricolour at the 'front' of the crane.
Large roached mainsails are not uncommon and both back stays and topping lifts can cause wear on the sail if left unmanaged.
Jonathan
One could slacken and tighten the topping lift - if you have a big and fixed crew (think racing yacht) our solution means the issue is a non-issue.
We also have a masthead VHF aerial, windex and tricolour at the 'front' of the crane.
Large roached mainsails are not uncommon and both back stays and topping lifts can cause wear on the sail if left unmanaged.
Jonathan
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