How to keep prodder up when the screecher is down

[Dave_S]

I use a clumsy rope tied to the cross beam hoop to stop the prodder dropping in the water when I drop the screecher but I don't like it.

There must be a neat way to do it, especially one that doesn't need me to walk the prodder to fix it.

What's the best system ?

[Privilege]

I don't know if it's the best system but I have a small line running from the end of my bowsprit to the top of my seagull striker. It's attached to the bowsprit just below the block so it doesn't get in the way and can stay there permanently. Most of the time, when not sailing, the weight is taken up by the halyard.

[thinwater]

F-boats typically have a bracket at the butt of the prodder.



In my case, I back this up with an uphaul line that goes over the pulpit. On cat I had years ago, I used the gull striker, like Privilege. A pair of jammers tension the bobstay and the uphaul, allowing for easy hinging.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Privilege

I don't know if it's the best system but I have a small line running from the end of my bowsprit to the top of my seagull striker. It's attached to the bowsprit just below the block so it doesn't get in the way and can stay there permanently. Most of the time, when not sailing, the weight is taken up by the halyard.

Yep, same here.

[FabioC]

If you want to be really fancy, you can copy the way some skiffs (e.g., Laser Vago) rig their bowsprit (it is the same concept): splice the prodder control line to the bottom of the halyard (you'll need two extra blocks, just see how they do it), so when you hoist, the prodder comes out, when you take down the prodder goes in, "automatically". Works like a charm.

[Seaslug Caravan]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

I use a clumsy rope tied to the cross beam hoop to stop the prodder dropping in the water when I drop the screecher but I don't like it.

There must be a neat way to do it, especially one that doesn't need me to walk the prodder to fix it.

What's the best system ?

Dave, whilst the system you have is very simple, the problem with holding the
prodder up with line to the seagull striker is, that if you accidentally drop
your kite in the water the resultant down load on the prodder can bend the seagull striker forward leaving the fore beam vulnerable to being folded in half by the forestay, possibly bringing the mast down.

Check out Farrier f-44 setup , and Schionning latest design prodder setups.

A close friend escaped with just a bent fore beam when this occurred . Lucky.

[44'cruisingcat]

of course a sensible person wouldn't use cordage strong enough to bend the seagull striker, given that It's intended duty is to simply support the weight of the prodder.....

[Jim Cate]

would Viagra help?

Jim

[44'cruisingcat]

Something else I have is an additional line from the seagull striker to the tack release on the prodder, slightly longer than the prodder support line, in the event the prodder is being dragged down it should release the tack of the spinnaker.

[Factor]

Originally Posted by Seaslug Caravan

Dave, whilst the system you have is very simple, the problem with holding the
prodder up with line to the seagull striker is, that if you accidentally drop
your kite in the water the resultant down load on the prodder can bend the seagull striker forward leaving the fore beam vulnerable to being folded in half by the forestay, possibly bringing the mast down.

Seriously? I have never seen anything bigger than about VB cord size (3-4 mm) on literally hundreds of cats with prodders. To transfer bending loads you would have to use something ridiculously large. You may not understand, all that is required ius for the cord to take the weight of the prodder nothing more, so all that is needed is very light cord.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by Factor

Seriously? I have never seen anything bigger than about VB cord size (3-4 mm) on literally hundreds of cats with prodders. To transfer bending loads you would have to use something ridiculously large. You may not understand, all that is required ius for the cord to take the weight of the prodder nothing more, so all that is needed is very light cord.

You may not have seen it, but it exists - just walk any dock with cats.

When we bought our boat it had a length of 10mm polyester double braid between the bow prodder (actually a tripod with netting - makes a nice seat but has quite a lot of surface area) and the seagull striker. Didn’t change it prior to our first ocean passage. Oops. We have VB cord there now and an easy way to lift our prodder out of the way when there’s no sail on it.

3 days into our passage from NZ to Fiji we buried the prodder during a mid-teens surf. We had a full jib (self-tacker) and triple reefed main with 30 knots apparent just behind the beam. Seas were 4-5 m with breaking crests and a 2 m cross swell at 90 degrees. Unfortunately the furled screecher had been lowered and lashed to the tramp during the night and we hadn’t yet replaced the halyard to the end of the prodder.

The prodder was pulled down and ripped away by the force of the water and that 10mm line pulled the seagull striker far enough forward to break it right off. They were dragging between the hulls from the two whisker stays and bouncing around enough that we worries they could damage the hulls and main beam.

The front beam visibly pumped with each wave but thankfully did not break. We immediately turned downwind, then fully furled the jib. Then we pulled up the prodder and seagull striker and lashed them to the tramps. We completed the rest of the passage (another three days) with spinnaker and screecher halyards winched tight to either bow, kept the main double or triple reefed, and found we could unfurl the jib about 2 m before the beam started to move. Fortunately the breeze stayed moderate and behind the beam for the entire passage.