Observations on lines aft and chutescoop

[Scott]

Lead my lines aft this winter and bought a chute scoop.

All in the interest of making life easier. Well the first weekend we sailed with these mods and the verdict isnt in yet.

As for lines aft I can see where this will make life better. Maybe eventually cure SARS or bird flu. Right now Im unfamiliar with the locations and stowage so it didnt work well. Next tme out I will have hooks on the mid rail to stow the tailings when not in use. What a mess the cockpit was!! The main halyard alone drops 28 extra feet of line into the cockpit!!.

Also had a very difficult time deciding which line should be over and which went under, this shouldnt be a prob after a week or two.

Now for the chutescoop. Hmmmmmmmm......... I will keep you all posted. I shouldve practiced at the dock. Its not as easy to use as the video shows. Im sure I will get it wired. Also lead the newly dedicated spinnaker sheets around the front of the pulpit and haveing always inside jibed or tacked I was unprepared for the spin sheet getting caught under the anchor holder when we did our first outside jibe. Quick rush forward to clear the jamb and all was ok. Fortunatly we were using it in very light air!! For dousing it worked awsome ( I was better at launching it from a bag)

Stay tuned to this channel, there may be a hull of a sale on chutescoops before the end of the season. (or not if I get it wired)

Another difficulty is the dedicated spinnaker halyard. At first I was under the impression that I had overloaded the mast with lines. I started getting used to it by the end of the 2nd day but sailor be warned... it may sound cool before you do it but plan your additions carefully.
Sometimes less is more!!

[DLT]

Scott,

For my lines led aft, I used 100' of line on each halyard. This is a bit of overkill, but not too much, because:

I made it a loop, with downhaul, such that one end of the line comes down to the head of the sail, as normal, and the other end of the line goes up with the first slide/hank, as a downhaul. So, you always have the same amount of line in the cockpit.

The main downhaul doesn't work as well as just pulling the sail down, but at least it prevents having 28' of line sitting in your cockpit... You could probably trim 10-20 feet out of this and still be ok. But, I'd start with the 100' and trim down as you see fit - kinda like getting a haircut - you can't put it back once you cut it...

The headsail downhaul works like a charm. I love it! You might actually need real close to the 100' for the headsail/jib halyard/downhaul, since you'll use up a good bit of line when you drop the mast, if you leave it all rigged up as I do...




As for the chutescoop, I haven't used mine yet. I replaced the single jib block with a double and rigged the stock jib halyard line as a spare halyard. I will use this spare halyard to hoist the Spinnaker, in the chutescoop. I'll have to go forward to do this, but I'll be doing it with no sail aloft, and probably at the dock, so...

Anyway, if I understand the chutescoop correctly, I plan on using my jib downhaul to pull the chutescoop up, deploying the spinnaker.

I will add another little block to the chutescoop's control lines, at the tack. This should allow me to use my 'led-aft' jib halyard to pull the chutescoop down, dousing the spinnaker...

[Scott]

Alls well with your description excepting that I have roller furling and prefer it to hank on. Suprisingly at all points of furling my sheets have an acceptable attitude in relation to the luff.

As for leading the chute scoop controls aft I plan on doing this but dont have enough experience with it to rig it intelligently. I have the padeyes mounted for the eventual aft rigging but plan on learning to use it in stock config first. I kept hanging it when deploying until I got it about 1/3 of the way up.

My main halyard and downhaul are seperate (I used my old furling line for the downhaul) but your setup sounds intriguing. Except for the extra .0796431 lb aloft costing you aprox .00087933 knots avg over the course of a summer. That combined with a blue hull and you kill your PHRF.

I have blue spinnaker sheets to slow my boat down.

[Frank C]

Might not be ideal for a "family waterbago" ...
but I tail all lines down into the cabin - on the sole at ladder's foot.

Yessss - they are a hassle when you go below, but with only two aboard it's rarely an issue.

[DLT]

Ahhh, to only have two aboard...

[Terry]

For line tailings I use 'Davis Sticky Bags' they have suction cups for mounting them anywhere in the cockpit. Some people use snaps in permanent locations but at any rate they keep lines from spreading all over the place even though some time is required to manage them.
Mine are pacific blue (3 for the lines) so they match all the blue canvas I have, actually dresses up the cockpit a bit. I also have a few others with pockets and straps mounted about for containg other gear, they are priceless. I will soon be doing the lines aft and down hauls so it may be prudent to examine DLT's system a little closer especially since I have hank-on headsails. Originally I was thinking a smaller diameter line run up through the brass hank-ons up to the sail head for a down haul run aft.

[DLT]

As for the headsail downhaul, you don't need to snake it up the forestay between the hanks, which is what I think you were suggesting.

Mine hangs free. In fact, snaking it back and forth would probably just be more trouble than it could be worth...

The trick is to secure the downhaul, not to the ring at the head of the sail, but rather to the top hank. <-Thanks Bill@boats4sail! He suggests putting the top hank through a SST ring, but I just happened to have a snap link handy and that's what I've been using ever since. Mine is a good climbing rated one, but I suppose a cheapo aluminum one would work just fine. Obviously, the cheapos are not rated for much force, but hull, you don't want to rip your sail apart, so no harm - no foul...

[Scott]

Frank said

I tail all lines down into the cabin - on the sole at ladder's foot.

As well did we. Until the advent of more lines than sense. Before lines aft took place the pile of lines was tolerable, now its way too much.

Terry said

For line tailings I use 'Davis Sticky Bags'

I did consider that but we always sail with at least 4 on board and the bulkhead below the winches is prime leaning real estate.

I'm going to bend 1/2" stainless strap into an S and snap it over the horizontal mid rail to hang my stowed lines.

[Frank C]

... I'm going to bend 1/2" stainless strap into an S and snap it over the horizontal mid rail to hang my stowed lines.

Scott,
Not sure why you'd want the strap? I coil my furling line and hitch it directly to the X's horizontal hip rail ... seems same could work for the main halyard, and full-circle dockline too. Just don't let them hang too low, or they'll dip into briney under heel - can't afford any more drag~!

[Dan B]

My cockpit lines - furler, main halyard, downhaul, reefing, docking, preventer, etc. all just get tied to boom bails or cow-hitched over the rails. The only lines running free on the sole are the sheets.

[Scott]

I coil my furling line and hitch it directly to the X's horizontal hip rail

Im Game, explain this "hitch " or provide a link to show.

I alreay picked up enough SS scrap at the shop to make my hangers but if theres an easier way im def game.

[Frank C]

It's the same principle, same kind of "cow hitch" used to attach the jib sheets to the jib clew:

• - Completely coil your line into rather long coils (18"-24");
  - Lay the coils flat, across the horizontal rail, w/top half hanging overboard;
  - Reach thru the lower half coil (under the rail) & grab the top of your coil;
  - Pull the top half coils fully thru the bottom half coils - now the line's hanging on the rail.

In the case of the jib, you're pulling the sheet tails thru a loop. In this case, you're pulling the top coils thru a loop. You make the coils fairly long to assure they remain hanging within their own lower loop.

[Catigale]

also called a sheepshead in some circles I think??

[Scott]

I would raise the concer of tangles if you needed to access a line quickley in an asses and elbows drill.

[Beam's Reach]

Asses & elbows drill