Pendant on Mainsheet--pro and con

[thinwater]

I added a pendant to the main sheet on my Stiletto 27 ~ 30 years ago. Several reasons:

• It made attaching the mainsheet easier. The tackle had to be removed every time the sail was hoisted or reefed; grabbing the pendant made this easier.
• Saved line. I increased purchase from 6:1 to 8:1 and this avoided needing a new mainsheet.
• Smoother swivel. Swivels can jam, the pendant twists easily and smoothly.

What are the downsides? If the pendant is too long the angles change between the blocks and friction could increase. With certain tackle styles (fiddle blocks) twisting could increase--I would avoid those.


I've been thinking of adding a pendant to my current boat. Just musing.



Pendants are common on Stilettos

[Joli]

The downside is the floating block smacking someone in the face and knocking out 3 teeth. Not that we would know anything about this occurring.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Joli

The downside is the floating block smacking someone in the face and knocking out 3 teeth. Not that we would know anything about this occurring.

Good point. Obviously, mine was way to low for that to be a concern, but off the wind, maybe. Also, mine was pretty far aft, on the back of the cockpit. Come to think of it, all of the boats that I have seen use pendants on multi-blocks have either extreme aft sheeting or cabin top sheeting.

Of course, having your head near the mainsheet during a jibe can be fatal in a number of different ways. Just the sheet can do it.

Another plus; in some cockpits a big tackle can bock visibility--a pendant won't do that.

[Cheechako]

Why does the tackle have to be removed every time the sail is hoisted or reefed? You raise the sail or reef with the boom thrashing around untethered?

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Why does the tackle have to be removed every time the sail is hoisted or reefed? You raise the sail or reef with the boom thrashing around untethered?

It's a boat-specific design thing. I'm not suggesting it applies to other boats, but it worked well for this one.

You unhook the tackle and lay it down, then unhook the boom from the sail and lay on the deck, then do your thing. You could leave the tackle on, but this is easier. It is really much easier than it sounds on this boat taking only seconds. The boom is really light and does not "thrash."

To reef for example, you lower the boom as described, lower the sail, and then hook the boom to the reefing cringle. There is a ball bearing adjustable outhaul, just like a traveler. Then hook the down haul and yank. Because the cockpit includes the mast, this is really easy.

No topping lift. the halyard supports the boom when the main is off. The sail does not stay on the boom at anchor. Far more like a big beach cat than a dinghy or cruising boat. Most of the owners are ex-beach cat guys.

Boat specific need. Not relevant to the thread.

[Benz]

A pennant will mean less line in the tackle, so less weight and expense, as well as less stretch. As long as you're not two-blocked when sheeted in tight, it should be fine.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Benz

A pennant will mean less line in the tackle, so less weight and expense, as well as less stretch. As long as you're not two-blocked when sheeted in tight, it should be fine.

Stretch in a hand-tensioned tackle is always trivial. The load is only about 1% of the BS, so even with polyester, the stretch will only be about 0.2% of the tackle length, or about 1.5 mm on a 30-inch tackle. However, the pendant will be at 6-8 ties higher load, so unless something very low stretch, it will stretch...


Which brings up an interesting point. If you used a nylon pendant you get a significant amount of cushioning during a wild jibe. I tested that once using load cells. I'd forgotten, because I would prefer using nylon for the traveler line. There was a company selling shock absorbing pendants.

[Jim Cate]

We've used a pendant in the mainsheet tackle for years. Only possible drawback I've noticed is that sometimes I'll get a loop of sheet between the two double blocks that fouls the lower block when the sheet goes quite slack. Not sure if it is related to the pendant, but IIRC it never happened before I added the pendant... but memory is fickle!

Jim

[dfelsent]

Ive got a 4:1 tackle on the boom end. No pendant. I sometimes get exactly that foul loop.