Choosing rigging for summer - advice needed

[u12fly]

...Be aware that adding slugs will move the sail back along the boom a bit, so a twisted shackle should be used at the tack fitting at the base of the boom to allow it to move back also, so you don't distort the bottom of the sail.

That's right! I forgot about the twisted shackle. If you don't install that you'll end up with a very odd sail shape, I had that the first time I sailed after puting the sail slides on. Here is the BWY link to the part: http://www.bwyachts.com/BWYParts/PartsList.htm

I bet BWY can give you a drawing/spec on where best to mount the sail slugs on the sail. The picture that was posted by Brian of the sail flaked at the lower part of the mast looks to be an earlier 26M like my boat. You can tell by the flared out bolt rope entry point. Your boat has the cut out entry on the side of the mast. If you install the mast gate, the sail can come all the way down when you reef it, with this setup you do need to install secondary line on the lower slides.

Chris.

[DrV]

...Be aware that adding slugs will move the sail back along the boom a bit, so a twisted shackle should be used at the tack fitting at the base of the boom to allow it to move back also, so you don't distort the bottom of the sail.

That's right! I forgot about the twisted shackle. If you don't install that you'll end up with a very odd sail shape, I had that the first time I sailed after puting the sail slides on. Here is the BWY link to the part: http://www.bwyachts.com/BWYParts/PartsList.htm

I afraid you put a wrong link. Is it the "SHACKLE, TWISTED TACK part number 3504-114"???

I bet BWY can give you a drawing/spec on where best to mount the sail slugs on the sail.

I certainly hope so!
Gail from BWY had replied to me yesterday, and he was very helpful; I hope to hear from him today again, asap

The picture that was posted by Brian of the sail flaked at the lower part of the mast looks to be an earlier 26M like my boat. You can tell by the flared out bolt rope entry point. Your boat has the cut out entry on the side of the mast. If you install the mast gate, the sail can come all the way down when you reef it, with this setup you do need to install secondary line on the lower slides. Chris.

I wish I could say that I understood you, but ...
Ehh, more pictures needed. I understand I need to install some aluminum cover of the 'entry slot', so the 'runners' won't fall out.
But about the second line - I have no understanding at all...

[u12fly]

Ops, yes I see the link did not account for my "sort" entry but yea you found the correct part

I know there is a lot of little riging things that are hard to describe esspecialy when this stuf is new to you

I am not an old salt so I don't always have the "correct" verbage to explian things anyway

My background is mostly aviation, it took me over a year to stop calling the body of the boat a fuselage

Oh, one last thing, Gail is girl

See is this link works... http://www.bwyachts.com/team.html

Chris.

[DrV]

Ops, yes I see the link did not account for my "sort" entry but yea you found the correct part

Somehow I did. I wouldn't call the site most friendly on the NET, but people are nice there, nice to deal with them.

I know there is a lot of little riging things that are hard to describe esspecialy when this stuf is new to you
I am not an old salt so I don't always have the "correct" verbage to explian things anyway
My background is mostly aviation, it took me over a year to stop calling the body of the boat a fuselage

Even if you call the trailer as "chassis" - I think it won't be any confusion.

Oh, one last thing, Gail is girl

Oh, silly me, I just copied the name from E-mail. A girl! That's even greater!

Thanks for help.
(But I still want to know how to apply the "SHACKLE, TWISTED TACK" . No hurry, but I need to find out.)

[u12fly]

I will have to take a photo for you, because there is a little more to it then we've said in the thread so far. My memory slowly coming back - you have to realize it is winter here and I have not seen my boat for 4 months! So I forget how I even rigged it. On the standard boat when you are using the bolt rope, the tack ring on the sail (that is lower ring at the bottom of the sail nearest the mast) is attached to the mast at the location shown in this picture.


But when you add the sail slides the entire sail moves aft about an inch & half. So, you no longer can attach the tack of the sail to the main mast. Instead you attach the tack of the sail to the boom. You do this using the twisted shackle and another part .... a 3/16" x 1" long clevis pin. Again available from BWY, search part number F503-000.

Hey but look on the bright side all these parts are getting cheaper, this one is only 3 buck.

[DrV]

I will have to take a photo for you, because there is a little more to it then we've said in the thread so far. My memory slowly coming back - you have to realize it is winter here and I have not seen my boat for 4 months! So I forget how I even rigged it. On the standard boat when you are using the bolt rope, the tack ring on the sail (that is lower ring at the bottom of the sail nearest the mast) is attached to the mast at the location shown in this picture.

Got the idea now, thanks for explanation. After I see that 'SHACKLE, TWISTED TACK' item (no picture on their site) - I hope I figure out how to install it. We'll see.

Again available from BWY, search part number F503-000.

Ok, I'll ask Gail to add it! (Is that all??? I think she's getting tired of me, as I add more and more items.)

Hey but look on the bright side all these parts are getting cheaper, this one is only 3 buck.

Yes, I like the trend!

[DrV]

Hello, I am back. How are you guys? How's sailing? Is anybody visiting fora during summer time?

It is summer and I am installing all that stuff I bought to my . Installed new rudders from Ruddercraft (great thing by the way!!! already tried them out), installed custom steering kit from BWY (great!). Installed single-line reefing kit... maybe... not sure! There is some question about it below.

Biggest issue is that wind had blown away the manual for installation of the Halyards Aft Kit (with 3 rope clutches). Now I don't know how (where!) to install the rope clutches. Found this picture on Forum (by Scott) http://smg.photobucket.com/user/thefami ... 4.jpg.html , but that is not what was said in the manual, they said something like "best location is 9" (or 12"???) ahead of the starboard winch". Why ahead, it makes it harder to reach! If anybody has that manual, maybe you share it with me (still no reply from BWY, probably they were busy on Friday). Besides, I am not really sure which side of the rope clutch goes forward.

Second part of question about Halyards Aft kit. In the manual (now I can not see it, but I remember) there was some warning that the kit will ONLY work if I have some kind of "jack" installed, some kind of a rope connecting first "few" sail slides (slugs). Anybody a picture of installation of that jack? Can I make it?


And another BIG issue is about my conversion to slides/slugs. To be precise, about the mast track gate cover. I already have the slides/slugs put to my sail. But BWY supplied no manual whatsoever about installation of the mast track gate cover. So I can not guess how to install it. Why it is asymmetric and has three holes for rivets, two on one side, one on another? What for is the fourth, bigger, hole? Should that cover be installed "outside" of the mast, or inside the channel where the slides/slugs travel? If I install that mast track gate cover permanently with rivets - then how do I take the mainsail off for trailering? Only by unscrewing each of all the 13 pcs of the white "connectors" to the slugs?

Thanks for replies!



P.S. Anybody has question about the new rudders from Ruddercraft, I would be happy to give advice now.

[mastreb]

On edit---Didn't see the OP date, so this is obsolete.
-----
1. Single Line Reefing

--Don't have it, no opinion. Winds are very consistent where I am, so I either go out reefed or not. If I get caught by a sudden gust, I release the main to depower and then reef. Not worth the extra rigging hassle for my Southern California home area winds.

2. Halyards Aft Kit

--It works fine with a rotating mast, however I always find I'm up at the mast working the halyard free of the hound bolts or other obstructions anyway. I've rigged for halyards aft but rarely actually use it. Because I trailer, it's a big extra complication.

3. Boom Vang Kit

--I have one. I rig it. I've never seen much improvement from it.

4. "Boomkicker" Solid Boom Vang

--I have a boomkicker and it works just fine on the Mac M with the rotating mast. Honestly I have no idea why the BWY site states this--perhaps its referring to an earlier version? It bolts to the base of the mast itself, and rotates with it. I have it, like it, and use it. It's great for getting a nice belly on the sail when you're on a beam reach. It's small enough in the box to pack in a normal suitcase.

5. MAINSAIL CONVERSIONS

--Don't bother if you like a bolt rope. Instead, get the Spinrite mainsail feeder. Best $75 I've spent on my boat.

6. Wind Indicator and Stand Off Bracket

--Classical Windex works fine on a rotating mast: It still shows the apparent wind no problem. I have an electronic wind indicator, and honestly unless you're a numbers guy or trying to do acurate polars for the boat, you're better off with a Windex. The hassle to de-rotate or rig elsewhere is just not worth it unless you really, really care about knowing true direction and wind speed. I do care, so I bother, but I don't recommend it.

7. Rudders

--I think the stock M rudders are fine, but I have no experience with the IDA rudders.

8. Things you didn't mention:

--EZ Cleats (search this site) are a Must Have IMHO. I also have two track-mount 1" cleats and spring-blocks. I get all my "extra hardware" in the 1" track mount style so I can move it around and change my sheet rigging. Works well. I did my own halyards aft this way, and when I don't use it, I can move those blocks and cleats for other purposes.

--I also think you should consider buying and shipping back the Stern Rail Seats from BWY.

--Also the motor quick-disconnect kit.

[DrV]

On edit---Didn't see the OP date, so this is obsolete.

Thanks anyway! It is not obsolete, I am sure somebody would search for that info, find it and read it.
About Ruddercraft rudders - I can say that they ARE better. Much better than originals.

P.S. Other items already installed and tried! Boom vang I have no idea how to install. Same question about the cover for the feed hole in mast (I have slugs/sliders now), I have NO IDEA how to install it.

[Tomfoolery]

Boom vang I have no idea how to install.

You need a bail (semi-circular loop) at the bottom of the mast, mounted to the mast so it rotates with the mast, and another on the bottom of the boom, about twice as far out as the distance from the boom attachment on the mast to the bail at the bottom of the mast. Mount the fiddle blocks with the jamb cleat at the top so it's easy to reach from the cockpit. I use a snap shackle at the boom so I can unhook the vang when removing the boom for trailering quickly, leaving the vang on the deck, but another snap shackle would allow you to remove it completely in seconds for storage below (out of the weather). BWY has inexpensive, non-rotating snap shackles, which is all you need for this.

The kit should have come with the bails and thru bolts to mount them.

Same question about the cover for the feed hole in mast (I have slugs/sliders now), I have NO IDEA how to install it.

Someone with that style mast will have to advise you on that, but I would think whomever sold it to you would be able to email the instructions.

You mentioned a while back that you need some sort of 'jack' to make the halyard aft kit work. You're referring to Lazy Jacks, which is just a simple network of small lines to the mast that keep the main sail from falling off the side of the boom when the cover (and sail ties, if used) are removed. They make life easier, but it's more stuff to deal with when rigging for travel and sailing. The battens also tend to get stuck under them when raising the main.

I don't have lazy jacks on this boat (I did on other boats), and probably won't add them, even though my halyard is led aft. The trick, at least for raising the main, is to have sail ties that you can reach from the cockpit, and from below the boom in the companionway, so they can be removed with one hand just prior to raising the main. The main will spill all over the place when they're removed, but it only takes seconds to pull the sail ties and raise the main, and you should have cleared the area around you before starting it, so blocked visibility wouldn't be a problem.

Lowering the main from the cockpit is a little more messy (this is where Lazy Jacks are really handy), but the boat is so small that just a couple of sail ties can clean it up quickly. Snug the main sheet against the topping lift so the boom is locked in the center position, then climb up there and slap a sail tie or two around the main. If it's rough out there, hang onto the boom (that's why you want it snugged) so you don't fall off.

[jstyers]

DrV, did you ever resolve your mast gate questions? How to install? I'm about to make the purchase myself.

[u12fly]

DrV, did you ever resolve your mast gate questions? How to install? I'm about to make the purchase myself.

I just finished up a Mast Gate modification on my 2006 26M (that is the older mast with the flared opening as apposed to the notch cut in the side of the mast). I plan on posting it in the mod section with in the week or so. Stand by

Chris.

[Globalhobo]

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