Replacing a topping life,

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macneilga

macneilga

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Jun 27, 2012
9
Hunter 26 Seba Beach, EYC
Have to replace my topping lift. I am lost amongst the suggestions of what is the best replacement material. The TL on the H26 is 35 feet fixed at Masthead with a pulley at the bottom through which the boom topping lift line is passed, adjusted with a cam at the mast.
 
centerline

centerline

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Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
I was checking into this the other day... I wanted a low stretch line and was considering dyneema, spectran, vectran some other type of lightweight non stretch line and found that 100 ft of 1/4" stayset has less than an inch of stretch loaded at about 250lbs .... (my topping lift load is less than 50lbs) so that means 50' of line would be less than a 1/2" of stretch..... its a very long life line and is recommended for topping lift applications and comes in colors to choose from. the tensile strength of 1/4" sta-set is 2100lbs

so im not sure if thats what you want but its good enough for me.....:D
 
macneilga

macneilga

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Jun 27, 2012
9
Hunter 26 Seba Beach, EYC
Someone suggested coated lifeline which sounded interesting. I like your idea and appreciate you have done the research on the type of line. Would you have the hardware spliced in ?
 
centerline

centerline

.
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
macneilga said:
Someone suggested coated lifeline which sounded interesting. I like your idea and appreciate you have done the research on the type of line. Would you have the hardware spliced in ?
Click to expand
you can splice if you want but I dont see the need for splicing a topping lift with 1/4" line.... you can tie a bowline and insert a thimble then snug it up tight.... then use a needle and polyester thread to take a couple stitches to tie the loose end down so it doesnt shake loose yet is easy to undo if needed.... or if you have the desire, stitch/whip the line without the knot so it looks like a spliced eye... there is no real load on the line, but either method will work fine if done correctly even with a good load on it..
there are many other knots that would work equally as well, but the bowline will always be easy to loosen when necessary, so I use it when I can...
 
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Parsons

Parsons

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Jul 12, 2011
1,165
Leopard 40 Jupiter, Florida
Before you replace it, consider a boom-kicker, or other rigid vang. I got sick of setting up the topping lift as one more step in single-handing on a small boat, and found the boom-kicker did the same job with no extra step. You have the same control with your vang. On a 26, one of the smaller kickers should keep the boom out of your lap.
 
Alan

Alan

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Jun 2, 2004
4,174
Hunter 35.5 LI, NY
If you use a good solid boom vang (which is strongly recommended) then you just don't need a topping lift. A vang is a true sail control which is needed for proper sail shaping. A topping lift is nothing more than a means to hold the back of the boom from hitting the deck. If you must have one then the thinnest line to support the end of the boom is all you need. Spectra, dyneema and all the good quality lines are just overkill. Whether the line stretches a 1/2" or 1" is almost irrelevant. However, if you want to replace your wire back stay with spectra I highly recommend it. Spectra is stronger and stretches less than the same size steel cable. It is also ideal for replacing rusted and aged looking lifelines.
 
M

MaestroCT

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Jan 15, 2009
4
2 460 Stonington, CT
macneilga said:
Have to replace my topping lift. I am lost amongst the suggestions of what is the best replacement material. The TL on the H26 is 35 feet fixed at Masthead with a pulley at the bottom through which the boom topping lift line is passed, adjusted with a cam at the mast.
Click to expand
My wife and I own a Hunter 46', and I treat our topping lift as though in an emergency, it could work as a substitute main halyard, so I use the same type of line as my halyard. (Just a thought )
 
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