E34-2 spinnaker crane?

[Jason G]

What is the concessus on adding a spinnaker halyard crane to the mast head? My boat did not come with a spinnaker but I am planning to buy an A-symeterical this coming season. I'm guessing I may have to re-route the halyard through a halyard mast exit plate below the sheaves and up around the block which would be attached to the crane. Since I do not plan to use the spin pole topping lift I was thinking about turning that exit plate around and using what was the pole topping lift exit plates for my spin halyard. As a side note I also would like to get a whisker pole for this boat and I've not used one on a boat this large before. Does a whisker pole for a boat the size of an E34-2 need a topping lift?

For those of you with the later 80's boats what experiences do you have flying kites with out a crane? Any issues performing outside jibes and wrapping the halyard around the top of the forstay? Any signs of wear or chafe? Any damage to the mast head sheaves?

I do intend to change the sheaves from wire to rope and install new amsteel core halyards this spring as well.


-Jason

 

[Loren Beach]

hi Jason,
Sidebar: You ought to update your site bio -- still sez non owner.

If your Kenyon spar is like my '88 rig, you have a sheave on either side of the forestay attachment and a SS "guard" that keeps those "wing halyards" from laying on the stay at the top -- usually after a jibe when it has crossed to the other side.
When we did the total re-rig back in '02, the "cage" was removed and polished back to a mirror finish; sheaves were all machined smooth. This is stuff you need to do when the spar is down.

A crane might be nice, but that's a major change in the masthead layout. As noted, if you do that you then have to add a sheave box to bring that halyard into the spar.

FWIW, I did that for our prior boat and it was a bit convoluted to figure out the route of least chafe on that halyard to get it around the forestay and then into the spar.

Have you or the prior owner converted to all-fabric halyards?

Loren

 

[Jason G]

Boat still has wire/rope halyards which I plan to change. At this time my thinking is to go with 3/8 warpspeed

I've seen the pics of the chrome cage at the top of the mast and perhaps that's all it needs. I would like my spin halyard to stay at the mast and not be routed back to the cockpit. In the past on other boats I've used snuffers and like having control of both the halyard and snuffer line from the mast.

Jason

 

[bgary]

Another option...

...might be to add a swivel-block on a crane and go with an all-external halyard. Shackle end of the halyard would stay in front of the headstay, so no problem in outside gibes and peels. Running end could come straight down the front of the mast to a turning block at the deck (or to a fairlead and cleat on the mast itself, if you prefer.)

Simpler installation, plus the benefit of being able to easily unrig (and re-rig it, without fishing thru masthead sheaves and exit-boxes). Plus it doesn't require changes to any other halyards or fittings. It's an old-school solution, from back when Transpac boats used to replace halyards every couple of days...

 

[Loren Beach]

Boat still has wire/rope halyards which I plan to change. At this time my thinking is to go with 3/8 warpspeed

I've seen the pics of the chrome cage at the top of the mast and perhaps that's all it needs. I would like my spin halyard to stay at the mast and not be routed back to the cockpit. In the past on other boats I've used snuffers and like having control of both the halyard and snuffer line from the mast.

Jason

IMHO, way overdue for the changeover to rope. Our rig is about the same size and I found that 3/8 was a little too fat for the masthead sheaves. It works, but with noticeable drag/friction. I went with T-900 5/16", and as a bonus it holds in our factory clutches.
That cage at the top is not chromed, but rather polished SS.

You are right about the virtues of having the halyard cleated at the mast where you can control the snugger line too.
(All of our halyards are led aft to the back of the housetop - that works well when using the chute with crew... and a foredeck person.)

Let us know what you decide.

Cheers,
Loren

 

[Grizz]

A Freshwater View...

At the prompting of our Moderator Emeritus (Loren), the COO/CFO/Chief Cook of Fresh Air, who sent me the following:

If you have some time to write a little something….
you are one of the few people I know actively racing your boat hard with flying sails.
If you have some comments about the Kenyon “wing halyard” arrangement your thoughts would be appreciated.

Because Loren asked, I have this:

Spring of '11 was the 1st time this Olson had either of the 2 'wing halyards' run with a halyard, both untouched previously, both appearing to be virgin. The 2 PO's were strictly JAM sailors, with the most recent PO apparently using the boat primarily as a party platform and an in-harbor stabbin' cabin.

5/16" T-900 was the material of choice when deciding "what to use?", fitting the sheaves perfectly.

This was the 1st experience with 'wing halyards', previously it was 1 external halyard on a gooseneck. Lots of questions were asked, most in the vein of "how the heck do we use these?".

The use of these in buoy racing differs from distance racing in that time is compressed on a buoy course and we're forced to remember "how many gybes?" in order to keep the halyard fair, the wrong answer usually presenting itself when it's time to douse, as the cross of the halyard across the face of the mast at the masthead adds resistance not expected and certainly not needed. This 'complication' is always accompanied by loud suggestions in unprintable language from the cockpit to the foredeck, with immediate and even more unprintable language redirected from foredeck to cockpit. It's the good-natured tension amongst friends that makes the boat go...

A 'peel' using the off halyard has not been needed, but we could do it if pressed.

The off halyard IS used in big winds + big wave 'off-wind' conditions, used when the backstay is 100% eased and the mast needs to be 'defraculated'; this word will be challenged if used in a Scrabble game®. Basically, the off halyard is taken forward to the stem, hooked onto the same-side horn of the forestay base and that halyard winched tight, simultaneously pulling the mast forward and stabilizing it from pumping/movement. We argue about the definition of 'tight'.

This does create another component to remember to disengage pre-douse, especially if there have been 2,3 or 4 or more gybes (see the question "how many gybes?" listed previously) while the kite has been flown.

Ratchet the 'pucker factor' potential when faced with pitch dark conditions; double ratchet in rain & lightning conditions.

Smile, laugh and re-tell the tale when safely back at the dock/harbor.

Clear as mud? This ripped onto the keyboard while snow & sleet are pinging the windows. Ugh.