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Glenn
When the mainsail is down, we clip the halyard ( it has a snap shackle) to the lifelines or baby stay loops on the stanchions adjacent to the mast. Add a bit of tension to the halyard and the banjo thrumming on the mast is eliminated. It helps to keep the neighbours happy.

The jib halyard is also used for the spin, storm sail for those of us that have them I also have a spin masthead halyard

J

Call Bill at boats4sail.com.He does a good kit so that you can raise and lower sails from the cockpit.

Mistral,
Since you have an , you'll want a halyard-led-aft solution that doesn't impede the rotation of your mast.

Simply attach a Harken 140 "pivoting exit block with cam cleat" at the base of the mast. This keeps all of the halyard tension "on the mast" [just like using the factory cleat] - but allows the sail to be hoisted or dropped from the cockpit. A downhaul really shouldn't be necessary if you use Sailkote spray on your mainsail slugs. At least 80% of the main will drop under its own weight [fewer turning blocks for the led-aft halyard also equals less friction when lowering the sail].

parrothead wrote:Mistral,
Since you have an , you'll want a halyard-led-aft solution that doesn't impede the rotation of your mast.

Simply attach a Harken 140 "pivoting exit block with cam cleat" at the base of the mast. This keeps all of the halyard tension "on the mast" [just like using the factory cleat] - but allows the sail to be hoisted or dropped from the cockpit. A downhaul really shouldn't be necessary if you use Sailkote spray on your mainsail slugs. At least 80% of the main will drop under its own weight [fewer turning blocks for the led-aft halyard also equals less friction when lowering the sail].

+1

I followed Doug's advice above and did this last season. Works great. I have a 140 block on each side of the mast (for the jib and main halyard). It takes a pretty good snap of the wrist to release it form the cockpit - but you get the hang of it.

~Bob

Oskar 26M wrote:Glenn
When the mainsail is down, we clip the halyard ( it has a snap shackle) to the lifelines or baby stay loops on the stanchions adjacent to the mast. Add a bit of tension to the halyard and the banjo thrumming on the mast is eliminated. It helps to keep the neighbours happy.

Halliard-slap from my boat may bother my neighbors, but it bothers me even more!

My sure cure was to mount large cleats to the lifeline stanchions on either side of the mast. (I used hose clamps to mount them, so as not to weaken the stanchions.) Once I have the anchor set, I cleat off all my halliards (top and bottom) to the stanchions and get them away from the mast.

How could you manage that with halliards led aft?

I am personally biased against halliards led aft. For me, the arguments against them outweigh the arguments in favor.

I single hand a lot, so lines led aft is a must for me. I run all the mainsail lines to starboard and the headsail ones to port. Centerboard and Vang are inside the Dodger. All lines are out from underfoot.

Mainsail:
The mainsail halyard is led aft through a block at the base of the mast and then through a deck organizer near the front starboard stanchion. I installed a mainsail downhaul that runs from the top sail slug down the mast to a separate block and follows the main halyard through the deck organizer to the cockpit. If the main slugs get stuck in the track on the way down, I just pull the downhaul line and it comes straight down.

Headsails:
The headsail roller reefing line is led aft on the outer port side.
So is the spinnaker tack line and extended dousing sock line. I still need to go on deck to rig and raise the spinnaker(s), but it makes launching and retrieving easier and safer for me. The spinnaker raising/dousing lines are led around a block at the bow near where I attached the tack line. I rig and raise the spinnaker on deck, then walk the line through the fairleads on the way back to the cockpit.

Vang:
I run the vang line parallel beside with the centerboard line and it is cleated on deck inside the dodger. I can adjust vang tension from the cockpit.

Wind Chime wrote:I single hand a lot, so lines led aft is a must for me....

I single-hand all the time, and being comfortable and safe on the foredeck is a must for me.

Sure, I can see it's convenient not to "have to get up on the foredeck"; and I feel safer in the cockpit, too, especially if the weather is rough. But I prefer not to add - and have to rely on - the extra hardware. I prefer to keep everything on Bossa Nova as simple as possible, and I have removed "stuff" that promised to "simplify" but didn't - like the SailCaddy that I bought this spring. (It's now in my basement. Anybody want it?)

On my Mac 19 - my first sailboat, and I fell overboard at the dock the first time I went to sail it - I rigged jacklines along the gunwales, from the bow pulpit to the stern rails (inside the shrouds). I wore a PFD with safety harness, and clipped in if I felt things were "getting too exciting". I haven't rigged jacklines on Bossa Nova - yet - but if things are feeling rough on the foredeck, I'll sit down on the job and I'll crawl to reach it.

I do use my autopilot to keep a steady course when I'm doing anything up on deck, such as raising or lowering the main, or deploying and snuffing my gennaker. (Yeah, I know - complex electronics at the helm, where's the "simple" in that? But it does make my life easier, for the few minutes at a time that I'm using it.)

Personal choice - your way is right for you, mine is right for me.

Of course, your lines-aft answer is certainly less expensive than my autopilot.

Scott setup everything for how he likes to operate and yes it works, I'm trying to set a few things for how I like them, coming from a Catamaran background with open bridgedeck or in the case of a Jarcat, the mast set behind the cabin giving easy control of everything on the mast (the ultimate lines lead aft setup).

Our is behind the big silver wall at the moment (Big silver tarp), when I have a spare day I will remove the tarp and raise the mast and get to work on some mods.

First mod is locking shaft pins to hold the rigging to the chain plates, etc.

I'm looking for a couple of telescopic poles suitable to replace the spreaders.

I like the bow sprit pole Bubba posted http://s293.photobucket.com/albums/mm42 ... s08003.jpg

I finally decided on Chip Hindes Lazy Jacks & Reefing Rig http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/index.php?view=298 instead of a sail cradle.

I'm curious about running hailyards inside the mast, still not convinced it's worth the effort, more reasearch required.

I picked up the stainless pipe Yesterday and bent the long one for the Pedestal Guard, still need to weld it all together, I already have the HDPE for the cockpit table.

I hate the factory mast post used for trailering, wobbles and moves all over the place while setting up and taking down the mast, an arch to hold solar panel(s) and mast roller is in the planing stages, might also experiment with an VAWT - Vertical Axis Wind Turbine on the rear edge of the arch (always wanted to build one)

The jury is out about how we'll move/store the dinghy, when trailering it will live on the foredeck.

The electric winch works great raising/lowering the mast, I made a release mount that I've connected to the mast base, I'll use the winch to lift and lower the dinghy over the side. While I can raise and lower the mast manually I have a recuring shoulder problem.

We have an autopilot, I know Scott had lines lead aft, with everything pulled apart for transport to Australia that gives me a chance to change a few things when I run them myself, when I do I will also be running single line reefing

Glenn

Rick Westlake wrote:

Wind Chime wrote:I single hand a lot, so lines led aft is a must for me....

Personal choice - your way is right for you, mine is right for me.

Well said Rick,
There is no "one size fits all" when rigging you own boat.

I have flat jack-lines led from the bow to the stantions near the winches. I use them with my Mustang self infating pfd vest with harness. I have an agreement with my wife that I wear the vest at all times underway, and clip on the jack when leaving the cockpit. I do need to watch my step on deck, and use the "one hand for me - one for the boat" rule. I leave my baby stays on so I have another hand hold when the mainsail is up and can not hold the mast, but I know some consider this another trip hazard.

The biggest danger area for me is right beside the dodger, when exitisng/entering the cockpit from the deck. I can grab the boom, but when under sail it dosn't work. So my default is to grab the dodger frame, which is only light aluminum and not solid. When it comes time to replace the dodger, I will consider going to a steel frame $, and have handholds outside the sunbrella (like on larger boats).

Darry