Cruising Chute

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Added 03/06/2004

 

      I am currently setting up our 8.7 for a cruising chute and running a new halyard.  What is the reccomended line size for this application? I figure the length should be twice the forestay. Also what type of block should be used at the masthead? Fixed or swivel? I plan on running the sheets to a snatch block on the toe rail near the stern then forward to the winch. Sound like a plan? Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated.

Tim K. Irish Moss

 

 

Tim, as far as the masthead block is concerned, iot should b e a swivel  block and I’d suggest 3/8" braid for the halyard. The important question is whether you have a furling genoa or not. If you do, you should have a crane at the masthead that moves the block about 6" forward of the forestay so that there will be no chance of wrap-up with the genoa furler. It would also be a good idea to tie up the halyard to the top of the pulpit when not in use (again, to avoid wrap-ups). I made my crane of aluminium T-bar, 2" each side and one foot long. I rebated the vertical part of the T-bar  for  the half-length sitting on the mast, drilled six holes for screws and epoxied and screwed it to the mast top. At the forward end I installed a U-bolt to which I fastened the swivel bloc. That way my halyard is a safe distance from the furler top swivel. Dr Dave? suggestion is all right if you have hanked-on foresails but risky if you have a furler

john

pampero iv

 

My 8.7 has wire and rope halyards and I would like to switch to all rope do

you know if I can do this without refitting the mast head? I have not

climbed to the top yet.

Dan

 

tim,

I've always used a fixed block at the masthead, to reduce wraps. I

believe that if you want to take the halyard aft, it should be a little

longer, say 2  forestays plus twice the distance to the winch.  never

hurts to buy too much line, you can always use a new dinghy painter! Are

you going to run assymmetrical? or racey-round?  launching turtles

sometimes require a little extra halyard, because one sometimes wants to

launch from further aft, say in the lee of the main, even aft of the

chainplates when short handed . nothing more ego restructuring than

carefully figuring it all out, and then buying a brand new, expensive,

and too short halyard! (except, perhaps when your wife is pointing out

that the light you positively identified as Upolo Point was actually

Kumukahi!)

cheers

DR Dave

 

Dan,

I'm not absolutely certain, but I believe that PSYCHE was rigged with spinnaker gear at one time Look aloft at the forward part of the chicken head.  there could be a semicircular fitting there, looks like a horseshoe with the bunt forward.

this would be sparcraft's version of John's crane. if it IS there, all you'd have to do is attach the pulley!

By the bye..I salute you on your completion of a difficult delivery from Biloxi to Savannah, mostly singlehanded in a time of year when most of us were cursing the snow and recounting British sports cars we had owned!

I really am glad that PSYCHE  ran off with a sailor!

Cheers

DR Dave

 

My 8.7 has the horseshoe at the front of the masthead with a swivel

pulley holding a 3/8" halyard. I fly an asymetrical on it although I do

have a track with double cars on the front of the mast. I use the cars

for whisker poles when poling out a genny. The boat was rigged this way

when I bought it although I see no provision for topping lift and no

spinnaker was included in the sale. I also have only one set of sheet

winches which doesn't mean a whole lot except that some boats that make

constant use of spinnakers do have an additional set.  So, I'm not sure

if this boat ever flew a symetrical chute or not. It has been to Mexico

twice and it could be the additional halyard was redundancy although it

locates the halyard forward of the head stay and would make using it as

a jib halyard a bit cumbersome. Who knows, I guess I'll look at an 8.3

at the club that's set up for cruising and see what he has at his

masthead.

 

Mark and Kathi Banks

1977 8.7 # 168

 

Sashay, my 1978 8.7 was delivered from the factory with a main and jib halyard. The masthead had 2 sheaves for each halyard in line, 4 sheaves total. Each sheave was as Dr Dave writes, was for 1/2" line and scored for wire. There are 2 sheaves to share the halyard load, not one. The load on each sheave is is not doubled as some have assumed, but it is still more than just the vertical component. I bought new halyards with wire to rope splices (did not need to change the sheaves) and ran each halyard over just one sheave and dropped the tails down the mast. I used exit boxes near the base of the mast and led the tails to the cockpit. Now, my original sheaves do see a doubling of the vertical component, but in over 23 years I have not had a problem.

 

At the same time I added spinnaker gear. I had a friend bend up a stainless elongated "U" rod that was welded to a plate that was bolted to the top of the masthead so the closed end of the "U" is forward. Used a non-swiveling block shackeled to the "U". The "U" piece can be purchased, it also needs to extend far enough forward to avoid interference between the roller furling genoa and spinnaker halyard. The block needs to be able to follow the spinnaker depending if your running or reaching. You dont want a swiveling block as this can make it even easier than it already is to suffer a spinnaker wrap.

 

Before you start any work you really need to do a survey of your masthead to see your current configuration, who knows how Columbia delivered it, at various times the used different vendors to supply the rig, also a previous owner might have made some changes. The owners manual has a rigging list that gives wire and rope sizes, lenghts etc. A great place to start.

 

HTH

Bob Kavanaugh