Adventures in Amsteel

[Don Silsbe]

I broke down and shelled out $21 for a Ronstan D-Splicer.  What an awesome tool!  So, I sort of went nuts with it, and changed my snotter setup.  I also changed parts of my mizzen sheet system.  Let me preface this post with my rigging philosophy.  Local Honey wants to be rigged quickly.  When I get to the launch site, I want to go sailing, not fiddle with stuff in the parking lot.  The rig needs to be simple, but effective.  This is why I don’t have reef points in my sail, but furl them on the masts.  It is fast and easy.  Also, I want the boat to be clean.  No (almost no) hardware left on the boat when I’m not sailing.  She is also a fishing boat.  That in mind, here’s what I did.

 

SNOTTER

Did I tell you that I love Ronstan’s Shock Blocks? They are slick— literally!  They work especially well with slippery Amsteel.  I am also fond if lashing blocks.

MAIN SHEET ATTACHMENT

For the past four years, I have attached the mainsheet blocks to the transom with a  ball system Iearned from my Wayfarer days.  But then, I saw this slick new system on a website named geaufast.com.  I couldn’t afford their dog bones ($18 each!), so I made my own with aluminum rod and shrink tubing.  It’s a cleaner look, and now Local Honey has no balls!  (I didn’t change the starboard side, so you could compare the old to the new.)

 

[Jknight611]

Nice Don, I like the toggles you came up with.  Fun messing with the Amsteel,  I use it on several hammocks I have made or modified for motorcycle camping.  Interested to see how it holds up.  

[Don Silsbe]

The first stage of my weighted centerboard lift is 4mm Amsteel.  It is four years old and looks perfect.  But we’ll see.