Topping Lift

[Abrain]

A lot of people love the new small diameter line [spectra].

I really am starting from scratch. I have a boom with nothing on it but a few hundred holes for tracks, blocks and pad eyes.

I initially wanted to run all the rigging across one side of the boom, as in reefing line/s, topping lift, and out haul. That makes a total of four 3/8" lines running across "one" side of the boom. The lines fit but the ceeck blocks and cleats dont fit.

My boom is about 4" wide tapering down to 3 at the end. Frankly I may be forced split up the lines and run some on the other side of the boom.

Thanks for the back stay help, I think for now ill simply splice up a 3/8 double braid.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Before you get to starting to attaching things, & drilling new holes, etc. I'd highly recommend filling, and or sealing the menagerie of those which you already have. And if you happen to have all of the old hardware stripped off of the boom at the moment, were it me, I'd lay on a light layer of fiberglass cloth set in epoxy. Filling it's weave with the same until it was smooth, & then doing some UV protective varnishing.

About organizing all of this hardware. I'd say to try to look into running just the reefing gear (blocks, lines, & cleats) down one side of the boom, & put your other systems on the opposing side.
- It'll help you keep things organized when your dog tired. And it'll make it a little easier to direct newbies on your boat, what line to pull or cleat, etc.
Also, if you color code your lines it'll do a LOT in these regards also. Just make sure to keep the ones at the tack, & the clew, the same color for each reef or application.

As to your reefing issue. Is there any reason why you can't mount 1 cheek block per line, staggering their mounting vertically enough so that the lines don't interfere with one another?
You may need to form small shimming pads for one or two of them, so that they all fit, horizontal space wise. Given that your boom's svelte, & likely with a fair bit of curvature. Though there are cheek blocks made with some curve pre-built into the base.

Note: There are plenty of high pressure, high strength, pretty much weather & UV impervious materials out there to make such shims out of.
I state as much, since in some instances wood doesn't work too well for shims, if they have to be real thin, & the load is high.

Back to cheek blocks, there are some which are designed to be track mounted (by Schaeffer maybe). And were you to mount the track on your boom at a small angle, so that it wasn't 100% horizontal, that should give you enough clearance for your reefing lines to reach a winch at the forward end of the boom without interfering with one another.
- You can do exactly the same thing for mounting your cleats.

Just a tip. Get ALL of the sailboat hardware & rigging guides which you can get your hands on - BOTH the hard copies, in addition to the E-versions.
For the most part they're free. And unless one's an expert rigger, they always have useful information in them. - Harken, Ronstan, Lewman, Antal, Schaeffer, etc.
Ditto on the WEST System guides. They'll help you to mount things, so that you don't wind up with rot headaches down the road. Not to mention being a wealth of knowledge. Download their book "On Boat Construction" also.

One of the big perks of & reasons why I recommend the guides, is that there are lots of pictures & schematics. Which, for me anyway, are kinda' far more explanatory than words, when it comes to things like the finer points of where & how to mount hardware.
And my apologies on this, if it's something which you already know/have done, or I'm being redundant.

[Roy M]

There's no reason the topping lift can't be as strong as the main halyard, and therefore, a backup in case you bust the halyard, accidentally take the halyard to the masthead, need an accessory halyard to take you aloft, pull the dinghy aboard, etc., etc.

Also, to keep the accessory halyard from slapping the mast, just lead it outboard to a shroud-mounted cleat, located where it won't impede your walking past it going forward or aft.

[Suijin]

Unless you already have the necessary double braid in hand I would counsel you to use spectra. It's performance and ease of splicing is superior to double braid at a
Argon cost increase, if any. The he only reason I'd use double braid is because of its hand.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Abrain]

I considered spectra (and still am) I just worry about chafing. The stainless wire that poses as a topping lift has a plastic cover that has chaffed off. Now how it chaffed I have no clue so would spectra hold up to this chafing?

I have no problem splicing spectra or double braid but stainless wire is out of my league without serious tools.

[Roy M]

If chafing is your only fear, simply slip a piece of the outer shield layer of your choice and secure it with a seizing at the spot where you are concerned may be vulnerable. Dyneema and technora covers

[Hudson Force]

For the purpose of throwing another possible option in the mix, consider a topping lift that is fixed at the masthead without a halyard and leaving the masthead sheave for other applications. It can be suitable to have your adjustment for the topping lift only at the boom.

I can adjust my topping lift from the boom to a variety of positions, but I keep two frequently used positions by the use of half a yo-yo that forms a stop in a loop from a backstay and therefore functions like a boom gallows when all has been put away.





I would freely admit that some might find my plan simplistic and, for some, less than conventional, but it's worked well for us for thirty years. Don't hestitate to try something unique that works for you.

[Cheechako]

Unless you already have the necessary Spectra in hand I would counsel you to use Double Braid. It's performance is superior to double braid as it's unaffected by sun and far easier on the hands.