This is what is on the top of my mast. On goes to a shackel, one goes to a turnbuckle with a shackle. Should i take one off and put a block on?
thanks guys
Not real sure what to tell you just seeing ......
.... that picture. The back one is the backstay and I'm guessing that it is the one with the turnbuckle and is used to tension the backstay and put bend in the top of the mast if needed.
If the other one is long and will reach down to the boom then that is probably a topping lift that is non-adjustable and that fastens to the back of the boom, but that is just a guess.
I think before one installs a topping lift they need to consider how they sail the boat and what purpose does the topping lift fulfill for them.
If you are a racer and don't want weight aloft then you might not want one or want one that uses the lightest line and that just comes down from the top of the mast to the back of the boom and holds the boom up while lowering or reefing the main.
If you are a day or weekend sailor mostly then I think a simple line from the mast top down to the boom that is adjustable there has a lot of merit in that it is an easy mod. I'd say the negative to this vs. controlling the topping lift from the mast is that even if the boom is out over the side of the boat you can control its height from the mast. The positive is that I don't mind going to the mast, but some do and would rather pull the boom in and deal with it from within the cockpit.
If you spend or plan on spending a lot of nights out then I would consider having a block at the top of the mast and a cleat down on the bottom of the mast for a topping lift. It is very easy to adjust and also easily allows you to raise the boom higher out of the way. That makes using the cockpit more enjoyable on anchor. Also as TB mentioned it can be used as an uphaul for other things, like the flag or additional lighting or maybe an antenna for WiFi. When Ruth first made our anchor sail at night we held the boom up with the short wire on the backstay that was talked about above and used the topping lift as the uphaul for the anchor sail. We really like the topping lift though for holding the boom up vs. the line on the backstay as it is a lot more versatile, so changed the block out at the top of the mast for a double block for the topping lift and the anchor sail uphaul.
Our Endeavour has a single line coming down that is adjustable at the back of the boom. We don't need to raise the boom out of the way, so what is there now will probably stay there. So there is no 'right' way. Think about how you are going to use the boat and do what is best for you,
Sum
