Leopard 48: Halyard connection to square top mainsail

[LauraMarie Cat]

My question for the forum is a bit esoteric, so I'm hoping for comments from sailors that understand this dilemma.

I purchased my L48 used, so I don't know how it was originally rigged to properly raise its large square top mainsail. A square top main creates a special challenge in that when lowering, the head ring must be dropped into the stack pack about ten feet aft of the mast, which is necessary to allow the large battens to lay flat. The head ring must be pulled snugly to the top slider when the main is raised and then allow the head ring to fall away from the top slider when the main is lowered.

Is there a known standard halyard rigging solution sailors use to manage a square top mainsail?

What I've done to allow the square top mainsail to both pull up tight and lay nicely in the stack pack is to connect the small block on the halyard directly to the head ring of the sail and route one side of the halyard loop to the top of the mast through a shackle which is attached to the top triple slider.

Does anyone see an issue with my solution? Do you know a better way to do it?

s/v Laura Marie

[Tin Tin]

I suggest you ask this on the Leopard Owners Facebook page. There are a couple of ways to do this see this article:
https://outchasingstars.com/square-t...nsail-rigging/


We used the Lagoon system, to adjust the dyneema control line, tie off the third batten car to the goose neck, raise the main and tighten the control line until the sail sits out and upper luff is tight.

[LauraMarie Cat]

Thanks Tin Tin.
The link you provided was excellent. I was aware of the Dyneema line solution, but never had enough detail to see exactly how it was done. The other problem I have is that the mainsail head car on my Leopard is an Antal triple slider connected together with a three-legged yoke with only one ring to attach to.

I home engineered my simple solution of passing one side of the halward loop through a shackle on mainsail head car and it seems to work well, but I'd like to hear the thoughts of more expert sailors.

[Tin Tin]

Originally Posted by LauraMarie Cat

Thanks Tin Tin.
The link you provided was excellent. I was aware of the Dyneema line solution, but never had enough detail to see exactly how it was done. The other problem I have is that the mainsail head car on my Leopard is an Antal triple slider connected together with a three-legged yoke with only one ring to attach to.

I home engineered my simple solution of passing one side of the halward loop through a shackle on mainsail head car and it seems to work well, but I'd like to hear the thoughts of more expert sailors.

It does not have to have 2 rings, this is from a Lagoon 450 manual

[LauraMarie Cat]

Well, that Lagoon diagram you provided is news to me and far easier to rig on my Antal slider car than the first drawing you provided. I'll definitely give it a go.

I've attached a picture of my current main Halyard rigging, which appears to work fine as I previously noted. I wonder if it would work even better if I put both halves of the main halyard loop through the shackle on the top slider car?

There are apparently other fancy headboard solutions for Square top main sail out there as a cruiser on Groups IO sent me this video. It seems to me that just by adding a large shackle to the head ring, that I could do this without any other special hardware.


https://youtu.be/fdJbXAvdci0

[theBigKahuna]

I don't know if your square top is rigged like this, but these pics are what we came up with.

[toolbar]

Originally Posted by LauraMarie Cat

I've attached a picture of my current main Halyard rigging, which appears to work fine as I previously noted. I wonder if it would work even better if I put both halves of the main halyard loop through the shackle on the top slider car?

I think the setup is the picture is wrong. On the sail it looks like there is a Tylaska shackle (https://www.upffront.com/shop/produc...e-ty1508-14035), that should be used for a 2:1 halyard, but I can only see one blue line going up.

Maybe the 2:1 halyard broke, and was replaced by 1:1?

Paul

[fxykty]

Since you have an Antal car, how does Antal suggest the connections are made?

[Tin Tin]

Can you post a photo or diagram of you solution, it sounds like the halyard has to pass through a shackle, which if any twist develops may be a problem.

[dhenline]

I recently was on a Cat that had a 2:1 Halyard. I actually didnt like it since it requires alot of rope. Obviously it gives 2;1 but any other reason I need that on a 44 CAT?

[T. Lee]

I have used an “Anomaly” headboard and car arrangement on a Gunboat. Simple, clean and works well on my single part harlyard.

[meirriba]

Lagoon 400 mainsail head

[fxykty]

We have a round top main so no direct experience with square tops. We are thinking of a square top main when we next get a new main (many years from now I hope).

When slacking the halyard to lower the sail for reefing, does the head of the sail come out of the car? Or does it stay in the car?

If it does stay in the car with a slack halyard, that’s good for reefing. But then how does the head come loose when dropping the sail all the way?

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by fxykty

We have a round top main so no direct experience with square tops. We are thinking of a square top main when we next get a new main (many years from now I hope).

When slacking the halyard to lower the sail for reefing, does the head of the sail come out of the car? Or does it stay in the car?

If it does stay in the car with a slack halyard, that’s good for reefing. But then how does the head come loose when dropping the sail all the way?

The head is not in the car
It is connected with a line. See picture in my post above.
When you release the halyard this line looses tension and there is no problem with reefing

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by meirriba

The head is not in the car

It is connected with a line. See picture in my post above.

When you release the halyard this line looses tension and there is no problem with reefing

So the head of the sail is loose while lowering the halyard? That seems to me to be quite risky, especially in stronger winds when reefing is required. Or is it not a problem?