Clubfoot and gaff

[Florin {VACATIONER}]

So I think we've solved the problem with the clubfoot. It turns out we were using too thick a line (3/8), even though the blocks and fairleads are 3/8". So I bought 5/16 boat line and repalced it. It seems to be working fine now. We went for another sail yesterday to take advantage of the nice weather. Sailed and fished for about 6 hrs and had a hard time getting off the lake at 10:00pm... I wish they had lights so we can sail at night :-). Caught some pikes too. It's cheap to troll without a shtinking motor, and the air is clean too.

How tight is the foot of the jib supposed to be tied to the clubfoot? Are we supposed to leave a bit of belly in it or should we have it as tight as a banjo string?

Figured out the gaff problem too yesterday. Due to the fact that the foot of the main is cut at an angle pointing upwards towars the aft of the boat, all we had to do to raise the boom the last foot or so... so I got the admiral to lift the rear of the mast to take the weight off the sail while I hauled up the throat halyard... then she went up the mast all the way... Did you guys experience this?

I still have to make new hoops 'cause the ones we have now are too tight.

Other than that everything is good, the steering with steel cable still works very good, didn't have to tighten it at all yet. We're happy with the fact that we've installed the boom higher on the mast too... lots of head-room and won't have to wear a helmet>>>boom awareness days are over :-)

I just have to finish the mods on the trailer this weekend and we're off to more distant lakes.

Thanks

[Dave R1]

Florin, I have a topping lift installed to keep the boom up when the sail is down. I keep tension on it while raising the main and then, after the gaff is set, I slack the topping lift.

[Florin {VACATIONER}]

Good idea Dave!

Actually we were planning on installing a topping lift in a little while too... we really wanted to be able to get the boom and main sail out of the way when fishing at anchor.... I guess now I have no excuse to not get the thing done right away. Do you have a sketch on how you've rigged yours?

Thanks a plenty mate!

[Dave R1]

No sketch but here are some pictures.

First, the horn cleat on the tabernacle belays one end of the topping lift.

That gives me a possible adjustment point from the foredeck and allows me to easily "freshen the nip."

Second, this shot doesn't show it very well but you can see a line coming down from the tops to the forward mainsheet block on the boom. That's the topping lift. From the horn cleat the line goes aloft to a cheek block on the mast. Then it comes down and goes through the padeye holding the mainsheet block.

Here you can see the cheek blocks.

From the boom it goes back up the opposite side to another cheek block. then it goes down to a standup block on the cabin roof, through a fairlead and back to a cam cleat on the cabin roof. It's the left-most line on the cabin roof.

There's really no magic reason for it being cleated on the port side except I prefer to work from that side of the boat and seem to climb aboard on that side when setting the boat up.

I had a little conversation about the topping lift with Russ Martin the other day. He had a good point and I think if I was going to do that rigging again, I'd use swivel blocks on tangs. There'd likley be less chafe on the topping lift if it is tensioned while sailing with a scandalized main.

Important Note: I used to have the topping lift led to the aft mainsheet block hanger on the boom but the gaff or the sail would get caught on it going either up or down. With it led to near the middle of the boom I don't have that problem anymore.

[Dave Ruedel]

Another thing I did on my vacationer was to put another block on the gaff for the gaff lift line, which makes it a lot easier hoisting. I also made a new set of jaws with a roller in them. The combination of the two has made it much easier to get the gaff up all the way and keep it tight.

[mustangermatt]

I am not a weekender sailor but in general you will want a sail to be rather full bellied for light air and much flatter when wind speed is higher. Your sail is an air foil and as the air speed increases it generates lift destroying turbulance as it tries to make too sharp a turn. On the other hand a sail that is too flat in light air doesn't make the air turn sharp enough to create the vacuum that equals lift.

The short answer is make the thing adjustable if you can :-)

[Florin {VACATIONER}]

Thanks guys, I think I got it now. One more question... Do you think it is really necessary to have the topping lift line go all the way to the aft of the cabin top, or could I just cleat it off on the mast for simplicity... Just trying to avoid the lines clutter on the deck/cabin. There is a lot of tripping mess there already.

Thanks

[Frank Hagan]

If the boom isn't too heavy on the Vacationer, you might rig it the way I have mine rigged. A line from the top of the mast comes down to the end of the boom, where it is cleated off. Lift up and cleat, and you don't have to go forward.

Well, that's a bit of a lie, as I used a modified plastic v-cleat so the topping lift cleats onto itself ... I just slide the plastic cleat up the line, and it shortens itself. Details are at http://users2.ev1.net/~fshagan/toplift.htm, but here is the short course:

[Dave R1]

Frank's cleat is a good way to go if you don't want to run the topping lift to the cabin roof. I ran mine to the cleat on the roof so I can operate it from the cockpit or from the ground when I'm standing next to the boat.

I set it up and raise the boom to get the weight off my boom/mast crutch and then use it to lower it again when I'm getting ready to leave for home.

The tension needs to come off of it when you're sailing or the sail won't belly properly.

[Florin {VACATIONER}]

I am assuming the line just sits there diagonally on one side of the main, right?

Thanks

[Craig]

You need to leave it fairly loose Florin or it interfers with the set of the sail. Looser is better for chaffe too.

[Dave R1]

Florin, Frank's only goes up one side of the sail while mine goes up both sides. In either case, once the sail has been raised, the lift is slacked. It forms a loose catenary and really has no impact on sail shape.

[tdrown]

I used Frank's method for my topping lift (THANKS!). Traditionally there are two, one for each side so that the leeward side would be slacked on that particular tack so that it would not interfear with sail shape.

[Florin {VACATIONER}]

I wonder if one line only (on one side of the sail only) would be sufficient leverage... did you try with one and then find out it was too heavy Dave, or did you go with two to start with? I have a solid fir boom, so it's as heavy as it could get.

Thanks

[Dave R1]

No, I didn't try it with one. I'm too much of an overengineer for that.

Actually, I wanted the line to run up both sides of the sail to act as a lazy jack, too. It helps to keep the sail under control when hoisting and lowering it

[capt jake]

I have the one line and it works fine; just have to watch aloft as you raise the sail, to avoid having it on one side of the sail and then the other above the gaff. Mine is a Weekender and I can raise the boom with hardly any effort at all.

As was pointed out; leave it extremely loose while under way (provide extra line). ;)

[Florin {VACATIONER}]

I guess I'll have to try with the one line setup and we'll see what happens.

I hope it works. Will have to do this probably next week now since we're so busy this weekend

Thanks