Hanging a hammock

[MarquezDLS]

Hey all! Long time lurker, just getting into posting. Thanks in advance for the help.

My lovely wife got me a hammock for my birthday which I'd like to hang on my boat. I've searched the forums and seen suggestions that I attach it to the forestay at one end and the mast at the other. I have roller furling, but with a couple of loops of rope or webbing I'm sure it would snug tightly enough.

My question / fear is this: doesn't that put an enormous amount of pressure on the forestay? And would the rope or webbing damage the sail?

Forgive any ignorance, learning as I go.

Thanks again!

-Marquez

[Suijin]

The jib when flown exerts more force on it than your weight will. It won't hurt the jib unless it chafes.

If you have a spare halyard, attach it to a loop of line around the furled jib and the end of the hammock, then pull it up to the height you want.

[Painted Skies]

We also use the spare halyards to hang our hammock. On the forward end we utilize a short piece of webbing/line around the furled headsail or the ATN Tacker from the asymmetrical (which eliminates any chafe). On the mast side we just use a sail tie to keep the halyard at the correct height (above the sailcover).

As mentioned, the forestay is designed to take a lot of strain/flexing so that isn't an issue.

Cheers, Katherine

[toddster8]

I have used the ATN tacker more times to rig the hammock than I have to rig the spinnaker

[MarquezDLS]

Awesome, thanks folks! I don't have a spinnaker, and thus don't have an ATN, but it seems to me a loop of webbing would work as well, especially if held aloft by the spinnaker halyard.

Very eager--bringing my girl home Saturday, after a long winter's nap.

[mogulskibum]

Originally Posted by MarquezDLS

Awesome, thanks folks! I don't have a spinnaker, and thus don't have an ATN, but it seems to me a loop of webbing would work as well, especially if held aloft by the spinnaker halyard.

Very eager--bringing my girl home Saturday, after a long winter's nap.

A loop of webbing works just fine, and honestly, just about any line will work (I usually use about 24 inches of 3/8 XLS looped around the furled genoa). Hook an extra halyard to it to keep up from sliding down, and good to go.

As others have noted, the force put on the forestay by the jib/genoa under a wind load is *far* greater than what you'll put on it laying in your hammock.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Attach the hammock to the mast by tying it to a ring or car on the spinnaker pole track. Or barring that by making a long loop out of a piece of webbing, & putting a big Prusik Knot around the mast. Ditto with the end on the forestay, meaning use a webbing loop to put a Pruskik Knot around the furled jib. And if you like, you can also connect a halyard to where the hammock connects to the Prusik Knot around the jib, so that there's zero vertical strain on the sail/furler.

The Prusik Knots when done with webbing should spread the loads out over a fairly decent sized area, thus minimizing the point loadings on anything. Plus webbing will give the knot a better grip than if you make it out of rope. And if you like, use 1.5", or 2" webbing. But regardless of webbing size, tubular should grip better, & more evenly than will flat webbing.
Or in a pinch use some double braid with the core removed. It grips like crazy when used in friction creating type knots like the Prusik Knot.


BTW, it's easy to DIY your own "Tacker" using sail cloth, or canvas/Sunbrella, some webbing, & a pair of D-rings. Or have your sailmaker sew one up for you. As similar type "fittings" were used to connect the main sheet, & vangs to booms on racing boats not too long ago. Just prior to Spectra becoming common.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Marquez.