Trailer Sailer... Two Jibs ?

[capn_billl]

I have a small 23ft Srailer Sailer that I am redoing the rigging due to extreme deterioration, and missing pieces.

SO far I have managed to raise the jib & main with some difficulties.

1. The new main halyard I bought had a weird wire to rope splice where the rope tapers to the wire diameter, (the old one had a wire thimble, and a rope eye splice), Unless you plan on running the splice through a pulley I don't see the advantage of the taper splice, and see a major disadvantage in that you will be replacing both as a set if the splice fails.

2. The first jib had a wire sewn into the luff??? The second jib did not. There are also two halyards on the front of the mast. Some have suggested the second Halyard was for the spinnaker, (maybe but the boat didn't have one). I have heard that some may run with two jibs instead of a spinnaker, that would explain the wire in the second jib as it would not fit on the forestay. The jibs are substantially the same size.

Question two whisker poles or one long one?

The other question I have is there are two cheek padeyes at the top of the mast near where the main ends, they had clips attached, but only frayed tatters of a few inches of line attached, (not enough to identify)

Last question there is no mainsheet traveler, only one harken pulley on each side of the cockpit, one with a quick cam, and a double pulley on the boom? I am not familiar with this arraingement, and have no idea how to control mainsheet, or run lines.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Bill,
I can help with a couple of questions but there might be more folks that can help with the others.

The wire to rope splice should not let go if it is done professionally. They do that so it can run through a block if needed.

Yes, usually if you have two halyards on the front of the mast the second would be a spinnaker halyard, however, you can use it for a second jib if you want to down wind. One jib could be hanked on to your forestay and the other (with the wire) could be set tacked to the bow and then just raised tightly with the extra halyard.

Your whisker pole should be just long enough to get your jib foot out to capture the wind. If you had two then you could use them to set both your jibs on a run.

The padeyes on the top of your mast could be for any number of things but one might be for a topping lift. If you don't have a topping lift then that's where I'd put one. The other might be for some type of flag hoist.

On your mainsheet if you attach one end of your sheet to the side where your cam is then run your sheet through the block on the boom then through the block on the opposite sid of the cockpit then through the other block on the boom then down to the block where you started and through your cam you should have a pretty effective traveler.

Hope some of this helps.

kind regards,

[capn_billl]

Thanks. yes it helps alot.

There is another pulley on the mast I am using for topping lift, (in retrospect it is kinda a waste to have a full sized pulley for toppinglift), but I can't think of another use for it right now. (maybe for storm trysail?)

I'll try the line traveler, come to think of it I had a laser rigged that way. I haven't seen a bigger boat with a line traveler.

[SkiprJohn]

The topping lift could have a stationary point on the top of the mast to tie the line to and then have a cheek block on the aft end of the boom with a cleat on the forward end of the boom where you can reach it while getting ready to reef. I've seen it a couple different ways on different boats but I like simpler systems the best.
kind regards,

[capn_billl]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

The topping lift could have a stationary point on the top of the mast to tie the line to and then have a cheek block on the aft end of the boom with a cleat on the forward end of the boom where you can reach it while getting ready to reef. I've seen it a couple different ways on different boats but I like simpler systems the best.
kind regards,

Good info, I had the topping lift rigged like a halyard, but this method makes more sense, and eliminates running yet another line down the mast.

[crewless]

Hoping that this pic posts OK, that's how my Balboa 20 main sheet rigs, sounds a lot like what you described.

Ron

[capn_billl]

Balboa bought Aquarius so I'm not surprised they are simular.

[monstads]

capn_billl, if it's an Aquarius 23 you've got, there are a number of ways people have modified them to make the traveller more convenient. Common mod is to put a bracket on the pushpit, which is what the one I just bought has.

I'm going out of town tomorrow, but I would highly recommended looking at the Aquarius owners Yahoo group ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aquarius-owners/ ) for things like the owners manual, and mods others have done.

I'd also be happy to post some pictures of mine once I uncover it for the winter, and figure out how to rig it :-)

[SkiprJohn]

I just checked my old Royce's Sailing Illustrated and it has the Aquarius 23 diagramed. It shows the rigging of the mainsheet using a single block on the boom. I don't think the couble block would be easier to handle or just be more line to contend with.
It's worth a look and a try.
kind regards,

[capn_billl]

Yes it's an Aquarius 23. I am on the yahoo groups website, but there seems to be more experienced sailers on this site.

The manual posted on the aquarius yahoo groups is too blurry to read well. Also it is more of an owners guide than detailed instructions on rigging, (I guess they assume you buy it already rigged).

I'm going to buy a block with a snap clip, the old one is held on with bailing wire.

Doubling purchase doesn't sound bad, and the lines should be parallel anyway. The harken quick cam will be at my fingertips.

I would like to add a popup enclosure, and bimini, I think moving the mainsheet to the transom would leave me with more space, (but I'll try it as is and see).

[SkiprJohn]

If you have a single block on the boom with a bail, tie the end of your sheet to the bail, weave the sheet through the block on cockpit side opposite the one with the cam cleat, then weave it up through the block on the boom and down to block with the cam cleat. You'll have a simpler system and I don't think the mechanical advantage will be compromised... See if you diagram it out to see if there is any compromise in purchase.
Good luck in whatever way you do it.
kind regards,

[SkiprJohn]

A picture is worth a thousand words.