How would you rig your Mac?

[ccarpediem]

I'm a new Mac 26M owner (in fact my first sailboat of any type) and I have a bunch of ideas for changing my running rigging, but would love any insight from some more experienced owners. Lots of question, please bear with me

Was wanting to point to a diagram of my current rigging here, but cannot as I don't have enough posts

It is what I assume is a pretty standard setup with the exception of it has a genoa on roller furling.

The first thing on my list is to run the main halyard aft (I've already ordered the sail slugs from Sailrite). My first question is if I want to raise and lower the main from the cockpit, should I also rig a downhaul lead aft as well? I've read some conflicting things about how to run lines aft. Should the block at the base of the mast be connected to the mast base (not actually the mast) or to the base of the mast itself (to ensure mast rotates properly)?

Next, I'd like a boomkicker to keep the boom out of the cockpit without using the main halyard for this when the main is down. I just wanted to verify the boomkicker works with a boom-vang installed (my boat has one)?

Is a reefing system worth while? If so is it also worth while to run the lines aft?

I've looked at main furling systems and other systems to handle automated lowering of the main lazy jacks I think and something from SailCare I saw on this forum, but thus far don't know I want to go for that. Are they a big help?

Also, I bought the boat from a broker who didn't know a lot about sailboats. They rigged the genoa lines incorrectly and I think they also didn't tension the standing rigging correctly. Currently, if I press on the upper shroud with my thumb with decent pressure (but not putting my whole weight against it or anything), I can press the shroud in at least 5 inches (certainly cannot play music on it ). I assume this isn't too good. Does this sound way to loose? Also, the forestay has a slight sag in it. No idea how tight any of this should be but it sure seems a bit loose.

Last question (at least for the moment). If I am running a few more lines aft how do I organize these? I already have one cheeck block on deck for the centerboard line. Do I just keep adding more blocks or can I find some double or triple blocks (maybe cheek block that would fit in existing holes of centerboard line to avoid making holes in my new boat.... I'm still a bit scared by that thought) to minimize the number of blocks on deck?

Cheers!
Tony

[Catigale]

Welcome aboard Tony

! Send you diagram to any moderator and we can post it for you

2 You dont have to have a downhaul but it really helps

3 I have used my boomkicker with a vang on my - I dont think you will need the vang unless you are in really heavy air

4 Your upper shrouds sound way too loose (Latrec)

5 You organise the lines with (ahem) a deck organiser - a series block of blocks if you will

Once you have made the first hole, the second, third and hundreth come easier....

[Catigale]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23696275@N04/2259130780

This looks pretty standard to me. The main halyard being led aft isnt done on the factory boats, so whoever did it sailed his/her own course

[ccarpediem]

Catigale, thx for posting that! Main isn't currently led aft. The red line I think you are talking about is actually the line to raise/lower the centerboard.

BTW, thx for the tip on deck organizer. With all the "funny" terminology I've been having to learn as I begin sailing who ever would have that it would have had such an obvious name

[Catigale]

Missed that one (same on my boat!!)

Doh!!

The way I did the main on my boat was

harken 225 block shackled to bottom bail in mast (boom vang bail)

Another Harken 225 double block on starboard front stanchion base.

Leading back to a Schaeffer double clutch just forward of the starboard winch.

Boat under snow at moment, no pix.

Dont mount your clutches backwards - they wont work.

[c130king]

Speaking of terminology...

A "downhaul" is the line that pulls the luff of the main tight...isn't it?...also referred to as a "cunningham" I think...

I have a line tied to the top most sail slug...right under the headboard of the main...it leads down the mast through turning blocks back to the cockpit and through a cam cleat. This line is used to pull down the main when the halyard is released.

I call this my "downhaul" but I think that may be the wrong terminology.

Any help on what that is called?

And to further complicate matters that line actually is my halyard as well. After the line goes through the cam cleat in the cockpit it turns back towards the base of the mast, goes through additional turning blocks, runs up to the block on top of the mast and down to the top of the headboard. Thus the same line is used to raise and lower my main. It is probably about 75' long (30' feet halyard, 30' feet "downhaul", and about 7' each way from base of mast to cockpit...plus a little extra for tieing off.

I hope that made sense.

And Tony, I, like many probably, have Lazy Jacks. They work fine for me. Occassionally the battens will hang up a little on the way up...but just head straight into the wind when hauling and it should work fine. It seems to do its job of keeping the sail gathered when lowering. Especially handy since I single-hand.

The sail caddy looks pretty nice...but my came with LJ system so that is what I use.

I also had loose rigging from my PO. Bought a Loos Gauge and tightened up the shrouds. Don't remember the numbers I used...found them on this board though. That also tightened up my forestay/furled genoa some as well.

Thanks,
Jim

[bastonjock]

Hi Jim

The vang and cunningham are the same item,the cunningham is the old uk English name for it,Vang came from your lot

as for downhauls,im thinking that once the reefing lines have been installed,they will act as the downhaul.

[c130king]

Bastonjock,

On König the vang only pulls the boom down (does not move the gooseneck as it is fixed). The cunningham...I don't have one...but have seen pictures in various sailing books...is normally a line tied through a cringle about 8" up from the boom on the luff of the sail and it can be pulled down to tighten up the luff.

Some boats have a gooseneck that is attached to a car sitting on a track on the mast. A line from the bottom of the boom to the deck can be tightened to pull the boom down and thus tighten the luff...not sure what that is called.

My "downhaul"...which may not be the correct terminology...is attached to the top of the main just below the headboard and is used to pull the main down when lowering the sail. Many times it will fall on its own when I take the halyard out of the cam cleat. But I use it to pull down the main most of the time. It was put there by the PO.

If a "halyard" is to haul up a yard of sail...then how about a "dropyard" to drop a yard of sail????



Jim

[Pacamac-uk]

I thought a 'Kicking Strap' was the same as a 'Boom Vang' depending on which side of the Atlantic you live!

Based on the concept that it stops the boom 'kicking up' perhaps this describes it better than vang?

My dictionary, Oxford English, says a vang is 'Each of two guy-ropes running from the end off gaff to deck'. A gaff is the top spar on a gaff rigged sail, ie up at the top not on the boom.

Er....not sure where to go with this but I'm sure you'll know best!!

[ccarpediem]

Thx for all the info so far! Perhaps this should be a separate thread, but when considering a reefing system (led aft) I've been reading a two line system is probably easier to use and tightens the main better and would go with that. However, all my reading and looking at diagrams only deals with a line to the tack reef point and clew reef point. How do you deal with reef points in the middle of the sail to pull/secure them? Or if both ends are pulled tight do the middle points not matter?

Cheers!

[Catigale]

over here a cunningham tensions the tack on the mainsail - I think downhaul is the right word to describe a line which pulls the sail down from the top

On edit: corrected by ChipH below. Downhaul=cunningham essentially.

[c130king]

Catigale,

Sounds good to me. I will stick with "downhaul".

Ccarpediem,

I have single-line "Jiffy Reef" and like you said the line only pulls through the new tack and new clew. I normally don't worry with the middle reef points...but no reason why they couldn't be tied down seperately. I just haven't needed to worry about them yet...they haven't been in the way or caught any wind...yet!

Jiffy Reef system works well in my opinion...but that is based on limited sailing experience. I have reefed while under sail a few times and it worked just find. Once again, it was installed by the PO. I have not changed it in any way.

Jim

[magnetic]

You guys are getting hopelessly confused!

Richie Cunningham was in Happy Days, whereas Bjorn Vang is a singer/songwriter -
http://www.lyricsfire.com/songs/Bjorn-Vang/Tops.htm

I suspect that this confusion has arisen due to the clowns at
http://www.oceanindependence.com/home.php?lang=en-us

whose Geneva rep office is run by a guy named Björn Vang-Mathisen; you may think this a little odd, but if I tell you that their Fort Lauderdale office is run by a Mr RIMMER, I think you'll start to see the slightly Monty-Pythonesque thread which binds that organisation together. I wouldn't be surprised if they also have a Seaman Staines, a Master Bates and a Roger the Cabin Boy hidden away somewhere

[bastonjock]

it took the bbc a long time to work out Seaman staines,rodger the cabin boy etc hehehehehehehhe and to think that it used to be a childrens program,the writer must have been splitting his ribs laughing

[Pacamac-uk]

Terrifc thread!!

Haven't laughed so much in ages........