What is this item?

[RobinScurr]

A relative used to own a Endeavourcat 30 catamaran. He has since sold the boat, but all his sailing items did not go with the boat, so he gave it all to me ...

One item he had was in the picture below ... he said it was for "flattening the jib to make the boat go faster?" While I think flattening the jib would take power out of the sail, does anyone know how this item was rigged and why?

A wire rope running through a block, with a block and tackle attached to one end of the rope and a shackle on the other ...

Thanks!

[Wotname]

Looks like a Barber Hauler to me; Google for various ways on setting it up.
Here is one Barber Haulers - MySailing.com.au

[Snore]

+1 on barber haul.

They should be standard kit on all cats. On end to the beam cleat and snatch block on the jib sheet. Good for at least 1/2 knot

[John_Trusty]

PO's comment "flattening the jib" - Barber hauling is a general term for changing the angle of a line. In this case, it's for allowing you to bring the clew closer to the centerline of the boat because most catamarans have jib sheet lead WAY out from the center. It's a temporary line you set-up, then remove when you're done with that angle of sail. Personally, I prefer using snatch blocks and snap shackles for all these temporary control lines because it's such a pain to unscrew things for a half-hour of use. Then again, I've been called the laziest SOB to grace a sailboat, so take that for what it's worth.

[atoll]

looks too complicated to be of any use on a jib,more like a down haul for the boom given it has shackles and not quick release clips to attach to the clew and toerail.

[dfelsent]

My guess is boom Vang. The screw shackles imply that the set up is meant to stay in place for long periods of time.
The single block would go on the boom a the fiddle block and end of the wire on the mast or mast collar.
8:1 purchase is more than needed for Cunningham or Barber hauler.

[michaelratinter]

Looks like a running backstay to me.

[michaelratinter]

On second look it's too short for a running back stay.

[Sailorbob8599]

I believe that thing is now obsolete & you should send it to me for disposal.

[Djarraluda]

Either a Barber Hauler, for adjusting the clew position laterally, or it could have been a Cunningham - basically does the same job as increasing halyard tension, but allows for fine adjustment whilst sailing a lot easier. Cunningham runs from the stem head where the tack of the sail attaches, to an eyelet on the luff, perhaps 1 metre (3 feet) up from the tack.
Roger

[Adelie]

It’s a cascading block system with 8:1 advantage which suggests boom Vang or back stay tensioner.

[Snore]

To those who say bang or backstay tensioner- why would it have a snatch block?

Eliminate the snatch block and ignore the OP comments and it is a vang.

OR loop the wire through the beam cleat and back, then clip the snatch block to the job sheet.

[dfelsent]

I don’t think I see a snatch block...

[thinwater]

The Endevor 30 doesn't have a backstay.


All wrong for a barberhauler. Besides which, cats haul out, not in and use low purchase.


With 8:1, either downhaul or vang. Since the Endevor does NOT have a traveler, that makes the vang. Seems obvious.

[hellosailor]

Robin-
What it was, is pointless. It is now just a batch of spare hardware, some light lines and pulleys and shackles. Take it apart or use it as it is, it is nothing special or specific.