Blocks at stanchion base for assymetrical spinnaker

[Tony Benoit]

Hi,

The November 2001 tech notes have a piece on the set-up for an assymetrical (cruising) spinnaker.  There's a small photo of a padeye custom made to bolt right over the stanchion bases on the pushpit.

Does anyone have more detail on the construction of these padeyes? 

I'm hoping to fly my assym. before the end of the season!

Also, how do folks attach the tack of their chutes?

Thanks,

Tony
#903 Helen C
'89 Standard, Wing

[Ted Pounds]

Tony,

Here's what I did:  I replaced the forward bolt on each of the the stern cleats with a Winchard eye-bolt.  At the  same time I added aluminium backing plates to each of the cleats (which is a very good idea even if you don't do the eye-bolt mod).   I have snap-shackles on my sheet blocks to attach them the the eyes.  To keep the spinn sheet blocks form banging around they have shock-cord on a becket which hooks on the pushpit and holds them off the coaming when not in use.   I have a double anchor roller at the bow so for the tack I put a block on the unused side to lead the tack-line to one of the bow cleats.

[Ron Hill]

Tony : I can't remember what a 1989 stem fitting looks like, but there must be a "hole" that you can attach a one foot stainless 7/19 wire pennant cable to.  Then attach the tack line to that pennant end.

I attach my tack to a line that goes thru a small block on that pennant cable, so I can adjust the tack height from the cockpit. 
Like Ted I use the stern cleats to attach the sheet blocks to, but attach the blocks with a large carabiner thru the center of the cleats. 
Clear as mud?  Sorry, but I don't have any pictures. Will take some next time I fly that sail.    

[Jeff_McKinney]

Ron,

Regarding the sheet block carabiners: what size, metal type, and are they the locking style? Do you use the bungees like Tony?

Tony: Do you have an anchor roller with a heavy metal loop over the roller? If so, you could attach a block on a swivel to that & run your tack line through that & then aft. I've had good success doing that.

[Ron Hill]

Jeff : The carabiners are stainless and they interlock when closed. The size that you'll need is smaller that mine (5") as your cleat had a "thinner center".   I've found no need for a bungee.
I believe that you're better off to look for something to affix the bottom of a tack pennant to besides the loop on the anchor roller.  Think you'd be better off with the pull being on the stem fitting rather than a moment out on the bow roller.   

[Tony Benoit]

Thanks to Ted, Ron, and Jeff.

I flew the assym yesterday and today.  Yesterday I ran the sheet through the jib block all the way back on the track, definitely too far forward.  Today I clipped a snatch block to the loop for the lower lifeline on the pushpit.  That location wasn't bad, but it was just a temporary fix (wind was very light).

A local stainless shop is making two padeyes for me by welding loops to small plates with the same bolt pattern as the forward stanchion bases on the pushpit. 

The sail came with a "tacker," a little webbing strap that holds the tack to the furled jib.  Yesterday I just tied the tack downhaul to one of the bow cleats.  I will probablly shackle a block to the empty hole in the stemhead for better adjustability.  My anchor roller has a bail that loops over the outboard end of the roller, but I am leary of shackling to that.  I thought I could drill a hole for a shackle on one side of the roller, but I don't see the advantage of that. 

The chute was great!  I put it up as the wind lay down around sunset and Helen just jumped to life. 

Thanks again guys,

Tony
'89 #903
Helen C.
Standard, Wing

[Ron Hill]

Tony : Think you'll be happier NOT attaching to the bail on the bow roller.
 
Let me give you another idea.  Instead of a strap to keep the tack to furled Genoa/head stay, I have a "neckless".  It's a stainless 7/19 wire that laces thru 1 inch (approx size) diameter plastic/nylon beads. 
When you let out the tack control line the bead roll and the tack of the sail rises.  Conversely when you pull the line in the "neckless" rolls down and the tack lowers.
The tack control line goes back to the cockpit via 2 small blocks attached to the stanchion bases.  It's secured to a #16 Lewmar ST winch.  That winch also secures the 150% Genoa roller furling line when the spinnaker is not in use.
A few thoughts.   

[George Bean]

The MkII boats are rigged a bit different, but this might give you some more ideas.  I attach the tack to a Wichard eye-bolt that goes through the anchor roller.  This keeps the fair lead of the tack line low, and away from the bottom of the furler.  Until recently, I ran the tack line through a series of stanchion blocks back to a single Harken block with a cam cleat.  The block was mounted to a slide on my toe rail.  This enabled me to use a winch when the load on the tack line was too much for a hand adjustment.  The downside is being able to get the line out of the cam jaws in the first place.  Because of this, I recently re-rigged so the tack goes across the coach roof and into one of the line clutches.  I've been running my sheets back to a turning block fastened to the aft cleats via a pair of Harken "Loups" (Spectra line woven into a continuous loop).  I did this because metal shackles were banging up my cleats too much.  Unfortunately, you cannot cross-sheet from back there so I run the line back up to a block on the end of my T-Track and then across to either the windward primary or coach roof winch.  I think that I get better sail shape running the sheets all the way back to the cleats, but I am running a small risk of getting the loaded sheet over the boom.  My next project is to figure out how to rig some twings without drilling too many holes in the boat.

Ron:
Read your note about the parell beads.  With that set up, are you able to "rock out" the sail to windward when sailing really deep AWA's?

[Jeff_McKinney]

Ron,

I'm going out this weekend and will give a look at whether your idea for attaching the tack block to the stem fitting will let the line clear the furler drum when the sail is flying.

George: My tack line currently runs aft from the block on the anchor roller loop (just clearing the coach roof) & then back to a starboard line clutch. That way there is a winch right there if I need "extra muscle". I've got a set of Garhauer blocks on cars riding on the outbard tracks that keeps the sheet lines under decent control, then thru the turning blocks on the aft cleats forward to the primaries (I take the genoa sheets off). It may not be textbook, but it seems to get the job done.

[Ron Hill]

Jeff : Before I swedged in the thimbles on my 7/19 wire pennant, I covered the wire with some small plastic tubing.  Guess you could also use life line vinyl 1/19 wire, but it won't be as flexible.
That way if mine touches the drum there's no scraping.  A thought.   

[Tony Benoit]

George Bean wrote, "I attach the tack to a Wichard eye-bolt that goes through the anchor roller."

George,

Let me see if I have this right: Is the eyebolt horizontal through a hole in the side of the anchor roller?  Does the tack line run through the eyebolt (i.e., not through a block)?  If so, isn't friction a problem when the line is under load?  How many fairleads do you use to run the tack line to the clutches?

To all:  Thanks for all the great info!

Tony
'89 #903
Helen C
Std, Wing

[George Bean]

What I did was to replace the 7/16(?) bolt that forms the anchor roller axel with a complementary sized threaded Wichard eyebolt (metric sized with an approximately 4" shank).  The eye is on the starboard side of the roller.  I attach a single turning block with snap shackle to it when rigged for asymmetric.  This puts the fairlead below the furler drum which wouldn't be the case if you attached the block to the top of the anchor roller bail.  My tack line then runs through a block attached to a folding pad eye on the forepeak.  You could use a bullet fairlead, but I personally think that there is too much pull force there and it really should be through bolted.  I have one bullet fairlead eye on the coach roof.  The tack line terminates in the right hand clutch, starboard side.

Wichard parts are metric sized so it is a little bit smaller diameter than the original bolt.  It is also threaded.  The nylon anchor roller does rotate freely around it and I haven't seen any wear in the two years I had the set up.  The major difficulty with this set up is that the Wichard comes with a locking washer and nut where you need a nylon insert nut.  Unfortunately, West Marine doesn't carry them and the 18-8 nuts our local chain hardware store carries aren't up for the job.  I wound up buying a box of 316 stainless nuts from McMaster Carr.  I'll be happy to send one to anybody for the price of shipping and a padded envelope.

[Jeff_McKinney]

Ron,

A follow-up our earlier exchanges: I think the current MK II stem plates are designed differently from yours. There are 3 holes, but the forward one on mine has the forestay & furler. The other two are UNDER the furler, so will not be usable for attaching anything that needs to lead forward like a tack downhaul without a block there AND you still will need something to keep the line clear of the drum. I did notice a hole drilled into the port side of the bow roller about halfway out from the bow. It is be possible to shift the turning block attachment point to that spot from the bail on the end of the roller, thus reducing the strain on the roller trough and still keep the line clear of the drum. The only potential problem with that would be a small chance interference while dropping or raising the anchor, but it looks like there is enough room for the chain & shank to come up OK.