Genoa Sheets Catching on Shrouds

[CAELESTIS]

Originally Posted by GILow

I'm in favour of splicing eyes on the ends of the jib sheets then attaching with a soft shackle.

But that Dixon clew looked pretty interesting.

The above works perfect. Also easy to change. Have the soft shackle knots face outboard so they never catch.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by Billy Buck

Our headsail sheets are large diameter and where they come together at a knot attached to the flew by a single shackle things get quite gangly. It also snags on the shrouds every light to moderate wind tack.

Don't want to purchase new sheet rope at the moment. Any DIY genius out there to smooth our tacking future?

1. Get rid of the shackles and use a bowline knot. The shackle is just extra weight holding the sail down/back during the tack. Tie the bowlines (port/starboard) from the opposite side so that the tails are opposite.

2. When tacking, don't start pulling on the new side until the sail breaks and begins to luff. Let the wind move the sail, you just bring in the sheet.

3. You don't say the size of your boat, rig, or the diameter of the lines. Sounds like the lines are too big diameter for the boat and that is why you are using the shackle. Any of the rope manufacturers/marine catalogs will recommend the appropriate size for a given boat length and sail...to go bigger is not efficient or cost effective. Buy the correct size line for your boat/sail and use the old lines for some other purpose; you won't be sorry. I had the same issue when I bought my boat and I turned the old lines into dock lines (they were way over sized, too big for any other purpose).

Good Luck.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[smacsdesign]

Try a cone shaped deflector tied to clew, covering bowlines and snap.

[stnick]

Just one long sheet and shroud rollers help it all work a little smoother

[ebsail]

Cow hitch and the forward lower shrouds covered by 1" PVC pipe (or larger), split the long way and then tape top and bottom to keep them in place. The larger the PVC pipe the easier the sheets get around

[Clivevon]

Put cheap plastic plumbing pipes over your shrouds when re-rigging to protect sails & make sheets less likely to catch. Meanwhile I believe you can buy purpose made plastic mouldings which clip together around an existing shroud to do the same job.

[zeehag]

shackles caught
bowlines caught
i said screwit and now use cowhitch so my huge driving sail, aka genoa, can move freely.
works perfectly and no hardware to buy or look for and /or lose overboard when (not if) it breaks/fails/quits

ps...i donot wrap my shrouds with a pvc tube which WILL slide and help you lose it --perhaps even overboard--when needed to be grabbed. btdt not again. no covers for my shrouds for any reason.

[sagablu]

[QUOTE=GILow;2957107]I'm in favour of splicing eyes on the ends of the jib sheets then attaching with a soft shackle.

[/QUOTE

I second this. As I also have older large diameter sheets I had the same problem, solved 99% with eyes ( sewn together) and a soft shackle. Cheap and easy fix.

[roverhi]

Normally only fly two different headsails so have dedicated sheets for each of them. Use a single line with a Brummel splice in the center. That's a straight Brummel splice not the locking brummel used in exotic line. Pass each end of the line through the other line like at the beginning of this video.

https://www.metacafe.com/watch/6620796/brummel_splice/

Very clean set up that slides off everything like it wasn't there. The

[StuM]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

Get rid of the shackle and tie bowlines onto the tack. Now, what you will notice about the bowlines is that whether or not they snag depends on which side the double-back of the bitter end lies.

Bowlines attached to the tack will NEVER snag.

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by StuM

Bowlines attached to the tack will NEVER snag.

Oops,

Definitely solve the snagging problem but you wouldn't get much drive out of the sail.

[caffel]

Splices and knots aside, do slip some PVC tubing rollers over the offending shrouds.

[bimini blue]

Bowlines no shackles
Backwind the jib while tacking it will throw the clew to the new tack

[GILow]

Originally Posted by CAELESTIS

The above works perfect. Also easy to change. Have the soft shackle knots face outboard so they never catch.

OK, this is slightly messing with my head...

Outboard on one tack is inboard on the other tack...

Isn't it?

[Tetepare]

Wrap sail tape around the knots to reduce places where the stays can catch.