Winter Rigging Improvements

[Mukes]

I have been pondering for a while if I should begin to "improve" the rigging of Bryher (see below) or leave well alone as she has been handled as is for 70 years by far more experienced hands than mine so I am worried my actions may be unlikely to have a beneficial effect.

I am not looking for increased performance but ease of use, particualrly if single handed. Things considered have been:
*Running some of the lines back to the cockpit - currently only the stay and jib sheets and jib furler come back.
*The addition of a winch or two - either at the mast or cockpit dependent on answer to the above - no winches at present.
*Adding some lazyjacks.

Some wisdom would be appreciated to guide my winter efforts.

 

[Poignard]

Personally I would leave her alone. She's lovely as she is! But that's probably not what you want to hear; so sheet winches are probably the most labour-saving improvement, followed by lazy-jacks. I wouldn't bring halyards and reefing lines aft because it's uneccessary complication and you would probably end up at the mast anyway, sorting out snags.

Do you have any more pictures of your very attractive yacht?

 

[Mirelle]

I would not bring any lines back to the cockpit other than the headsail furler and headsail sheets. Suppose, for example, you are anchoring or picking up a buoy, singlehanded - where do you want the halyards to be? Answer - near the foredeck, where you will be!

Halyard winches are probably unnecessary.

I personally detest lazyjacks. More trouble than they are worth!

Sheet winches are a possibility but by the time you have strengthened the coamings they come out quite expensive, and you have a nice neat and efficient system already.

Might I suggest something different - how about a chain pawl at the stemhead to ease getting the anchor up?

 

[Mukes]

[ QUOTE ]

Do you have any more pictures of your very attractive yacht?

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks Twisterowner - the sheets aren't so much of a problem to be honest - the jib and stay sail being fairly small - the the halliards are where I was thinking of winches - at the moment I put a loop in the halliard then double up the tail round a belaying pin on the mast to get a 2 to 1 purchase. (This method may have a proper name?!)

What you say about snags etc. is my main worry - ie KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) - the aim to make my life easier but with my inexperience achieving the opposite - the latter only to be found out during my first sail next season.

 

[FWB]

[ QUOTE ]


I personally detest lazyjacks. More trouble than they are worth!



[/ QUOTE ]

Horses for courses. Lazyjacks were the best thing I fitted to my boat. Safer too, holds the gaff as well as acres of sail!

 

[Mukes]

[ QUOTE ]
Might I suggest something different - how about a chain pawl at the stemhead to ease getting the anchor up?

[/ QUOTE ]

Excellent - I've got one of those already - ashamed to admit I haven't used it much - will put that right next season as I hope never to use a marina again!

Mirelle - see my comments above about KISS - your points are confirming this I think.

More effort may be better spent in improving my sailing skills perhaps than adding complications to the boat?

 

[Mukes]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


I personally detest lazyjacks. More trouble than they are worth!



[/ QUOTE ]

Horses for courses. Lazyjacks were the best thing I fitted to my boat. Safer too, holds the gaff as well as acres of sail!

[/ QUOTE ]

Pro's and con's would be useful.

I mentioned lazy jacks only because the main is relativley large and it does take a while to gather and can be a bit of a fight in any sort of wind - (and as you can see from the picture above not too neatly done either). This may of course be because I am doing something wrong making my job more difficult or need to learn a certain knack.

 

[Roach1948]

[ QUOTE ]
the halliards are where I was thinking of winches - at the moment I put a loop in the halliard then double up the tail round a belaying pin on the mast to get a 2 to 1 purchase.

[/ QUOTE ]

Had a similar problem to you and now added a couple of Davey's Tufnol snubbing winches on the mast quite high up, at around shoulder height. The purchase I get now involves my body weight pulling on the hayard - problem sorted. The snubbers are quite small and fit my small diameter mast. I should warn that it took two weekends to carve the hard-wood upstand/pedestal so they contoured to the mast.

PS. When replacing the main halyard I left it long enough to lead back to the cockpit (round the snubber) to sheet winches incase if there is ever an occasion I need to do that - such as winching a man out of the water.

 

[FWB]

I dont think there are any cons to lazyjacks, a stackpack would be even better.

 

[Mukes]

This thread has already helped me by the way - I can now spell Halyard.

 

[Mukes]

Stackpack?

 

[FWB]

Re: Stackpack

Sail cloth either side of the boom. The sail drops into it and you zip it up. No need for a removable sail cover.
This photo shows a 20ft Gaff Tosher with one.

 

[Roach1948]

I think a stackpack is most un-classic.

I used to mess around with sail ties when I sailed plastic boats - and then a friend taught me Swedish Furling - never looked back.

 

[Mukes]

Re: Stackpack

Ah Thanks - stack pack - I now know what you mean.

Roach1948 - Swedish furling? Is this something I can do when Mrs Mukes is with me without getting into trouble!?

Like the snubber idea for the halyard.

 

[Roach1948]

Re: Stackpack

Swedish Furling is harder to describe:

Get some lacing rope atleast twice the length of the boom and tie a bowline in one end. With sail flaked on boom, working forward from end of mast, pull a large bight through the bowline. Then when taut - another bight through that bight and so forth still you get to the gooseneck and tie off with a half-hitch. To undo, pull on the loose end and the whole undoes in seconds.

 

[Roach1948]

Re: Stackpack

Sorry meant from end of boom towards the mast!

 

[Roach1948]

[ QUOTE ]
Might I suggest something different - how about a chain pawl at the stemhead to ease getting the anchor up?

[/ QUOTE ]

Now that is a great idea - It's been put on my list immediately as I don't have a windlass.

 

[fluffc]

Despite grumbles from old salts, the best modification I did to my gaffer was to fit lazyjacks. Just long loops of line from the topping lift, under the main and back up to the other topping lift, spaced suitably along the sail.

Note - I found that it was useful to have more lazyjacks-per-foot at the clew end of the boom - the sail at that point is somewhat unwieldly.

 

[Poignard]

I have a length of 3-strand rope with about a foot of shock cord at one end. The total length of this assembly is about a foot shorter than the boom and it has a spring hook at each end. Every couple of feet is a tape sail tier pushed through the lay of the rope.

Before lowering the mainsail, clip one end of the line to the gooseneck and the other to the boom end fitting. You now have all your sail tiers hanging under the boom and positioned where you need them and there is no chance of losing them.

I can't claim the credit for this idea, I learned it when doing a course with John Goode's Southern Sailing School.

 

[Mirelle]

Thank you.

I shall be nicking that idea immediately, as I am tired of losing sail ties. (22ft of boom is a lot of sail ties....)