Length of Topping Lift

[c130king]

Simple question I hope. What is the length of the hypotenuse...mast head to end of boom on an

I am guessing about 30'.

I will be installing a new topping lift. Tied off to mast head with some adjustment capability at the boom end.

Thanks,
Jim

[AlaskaMan]

I used 30ft of 1/4 inch dacron line and put two clips about 2 feet apart on the boom end. I can raise the boom above my head level when I dont have the sail out or lower it when I put up the sail.

[hartflat]

That'll be the hypotenuse of a right triangle"

Topping Lift Length= Square Root of [(Boom Length Squared) X (Mast Length Squared)].

There are plenty of on-line calculators out there.

I used Frank Hagen's 'Clever Topping Lift) idea using a clam cleat & a small block with a quick connect shackle at the clue. Works great!

http://www.frankhagan.com/weekender/toplift.htm

Good luck

Ray

[Retcoastie]

I agree, 30' will be plenty. I only use one snap hook, at the boom. To shorten, I just wind the lift around the boom.

[mike uk]

I worry sometimes that I may appear to others to be a bit pedantic.

However, on this occasion I feel I must speak up.

Ray's mathematical approach to this question is interesting and I am willing to ignore some of the detail (boom length should be length to attachment point, height of mast should again be to attachment point of boom and assuming the rigging is tensioned correctly then it's not actually a right angled triangle).

Anyway, these are mere details but on a matter of principle I feel I must stand up and defend the integrity of Mr Pythagoras. After all, the chap went to a great deal of trouble to establish that the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. In this modern world of exaggerated claims and hyped up statistics it is easy to be taken in by extravagant overstatements but I flatly refuse to believe that we have now reached the stage where the square of the hypotenuse has become equal to the multiple of the squares of the other two sides.

Call me old fashioned, but I go with Mr Pythagoras every time

Mike

[Don T]

Do I hear someone turning????

[pokerrick1]

I used 30ft of 1/4 inch dacron line and put two clips about 2 feet apart on the boom end. I can raise the boom above my head level when I dont have the sail out or lower it when I put up the sail.

Those clips are also good for attaching the topping lift to the safety lines so the topping lift doesn't wind up at the top of the mast - - - like it did every time I handed it to The Admiral to "hold onto this for a minute honey" - - - I guess she took me seriously, because after a minute, it was again at the top of the mast

The topping lift is one of the first things I got rid of on my 2006 , I had lazy jacks installed which eliminated them. If I ever buy another , it will be with a mainsheet furler, again eliminating the TL.

Rick less in Las Vegas

[c130king]

Rick,

I too have noticed that my LJ system does pretty well at holding up the boom...but I take down my LJ system (easy quick release caribiners...works well) when I put on the main cover. And then I need my topping lift to hold the boom up.

My current topping lift is simply tied off at the top of the mast...no worries about it "slipping" up to the top of the mast. But I do need to figure out how to attach the topping lift to the boom...currently it is just tied to the small horn cleat on the end of the boom (which causes the boom to have about a 10-15 degree twist to it). I think I will attach some sort of attachment point to the end of the boom (maybe screwed into the boom end cap) and then put a clip on the TL and hook the clip to the attachment point.

Cheers,
Jim

ON EDIT: How does a main sail furler eliminate the need for a TL? Seems to me you would still need one.

[TAM]

I put a micro size block on the TL and split the line to each side of the boom to eliminate the twist. Our TL is getting in the way while raising the Main, so I'm replacing it with a BoomKicker. We have the Doyle cradle cover so I wouldn't want our lazy jacks to have to support the boom via the cover.

[PollyAnna]

I just replace the bottom half of my topping lift rig with 3/16 sure-sta line. The previous owner had rigged a block half-way down and the bottom was rigged with 3-strand line. The 3 strand broke on me last weekend when I was trying to pulled the sail down while soloing and gusts picked up to 35 knot winds. Naively, I just ran about 3 extra ft to allow me to adjust as necessary.

[Hardcrab]

Our method is almost as low tech as you can get.
Two SS caribiner(?) clips at the end of the fixed topping lift.

One is tied at the lenght to keep the boom level with the main flaked down.
It attaches to the SS strap on the port side of the boom end, sharing the space with the outhaul knot.

The other SS clip is tied on about 10"-12" longer to make a "tail".
It's job is to hold the boom over to a lifeline whenever the sail is not raised to keep the companionway clear, allow for max room in the cockpit, and no flopping about.
After clipping to the lifeline, the traveller is all the way over, and the main halyard is snugged in some the keep it all tight.

For singlehanded sail raising, an extra turn of topping lift around the boom raises the aft end more than enough to get the main all the way up, and the upper clip stays attached to the boom.

The loose condition of the topping lift does not interfere with sailing.

[Kelly Hanson East]

30 feet sounds way too short?? The mast is about 30', and you have to run the lift back down the mast of course...you might also consider buying more in case you want to run it aft....

[Retcoastie]

Why would you run the topping lift back down the mast and then maybe back to the cockpit? That is just extra windage aloft and another line to slap the mast and make noise at night. What is the purpose of an adjustable topping lift? Mine is tied off at the top of the mast with a snap hook on the bottom. To raise the boom when the sail is down, I just wind the lift around the boom. One wrap gets the boom well over my head.

[Kelly Hanson East]

In light air it allows you to use it to adjust the big baggy sail shape for best performance

On a cruising boat, I use mine to hold a hammock, a boom tent over the front hatch in rainy weather, and deploying my radar reflector as well.

[c130king]

30 feet sounds way too short?? The mast is about 30', and you have to run the lift back down the mast of course...you might also consider buying more in case you want to run it aft....

I used good ole' Mr. Pythagorus for the 30'. Boom = 10', Mast (from gooseneck to top) = ~28' = 100 (10 squared) + 784 (28 squared) = 884 = 29.732 (square root of 884).

But I will add some and probably buy 35' of line to leave me plenty to tie a knot at the top of the mast and to tie off to the end of the boom.

I agree with Retcoastie and do not want to run another line up my mast and back to the cockpit. I rarely ever do anything to adjust the one I currently have (tied at top and boom end). But I do need one.

Of the approximately 40 things to do on my list,this will probably be the easiest (and cheapest) mod/install/upgrade I do next week.

Jim
T-minus 4 days