Jib attachment

[Dave R1]

Jib attachment. Anyone using standard marine hardware to attach the tack of the jib? What are you using?

What about at the clew? I am using the 2 sheet rigging instead of a jib club.

[Craig]

I am using the nylon twist hanks that came with my Sailrite kit... they work fine and hold well in a blow.

[JTam]

I use a "key pin" shackle for the jib tack. I bought mine from www.sailnet.com , cat. no. SEA140206 they're $1.69 ea and have a breaking strength of 2600#. Oh yes, sailnet doesn't charge for shipping.

For the clew, attach each sheet with a bowline and you're ready to go.

[Frank Hagan]

For jib sheet attachment to clew' date=' use a jib sheet twice as long as needed, find the halfway point. Make a bight and pass that through the clew grommet, and pass the two bitter ends through the bight and lead them aft.[/quote']

That's a great idea! I'm using two jib sheets, and at first I used pretty heavy bronze spring loaded clips, but I've had them come off under way. So I've been thinking of just tying the jib sheets on, but I like the idea of using just one.

And a shackle is the only sane way to attach the tack.

[Dave R1]

Thanks guys. Shackles are on their way.

As for the sheets, I middled the line and tied a butterfly knot in it. The resulting loop will get tied to the clew with a short length of line tied end-to-end with a fisherman's bend. That way I don't need to remove an end of the sheet from its cleat to remove the sail. Both the butterfly and fisherman's bend are easy to spill when desired but are probably two of the strongest "knots" you could tie.

I have considered putting a short pennant on the clew of the sail with a large button stopper knot on its end which would be forced through the eye in the sheets and would lock in until you want to undo hook it. I might give that a try after the boat has been launched.