Jib tack attachment at bow

[MitchK]

All, please take a look at the attached picture and let me know if my forestay is connected to the correct point on the bow. This is the way it was when we got the boat. Seems to me that the forestay should be forward of the jib tack point. As you can see, the jib is currently set up to attach forward of the forestay. Anyway, when I re-step the mast, I plan on attaching the forestay to the forward most attachment point, unless someone can educate me as to why I should not.

Thanks
Mitch

 

[justsomeguy]

I plan on attaching the forestay to the forward most attachment point

I believe you're right.

 

[DrJudyB]

You can probably make it work, but that's not ideal for hank on headsails, IMO. I would guess that the stem fittings are not original equipment.

That stem fitting will work fine with a furler, but not a hank on jib. The vertical plate on the stem fitting is the right place to attach the forestay. But the place for the jib shackle should be aft of the vertical plate and is missing.

Maybe somebody who knows Newports well can comment.

 

[DrJudyB]

I just found these in my archives.
Pictures are from a 1984 Newport 28.
There is a horn aft of the chainplate for the forestay. Your boat is missing this part.

 

[DrJudyB]

One more picture

 

[SG]

I believe the forward Block is for the spinnaker or drifter tack connection.
I think the rigging anticipated a roller furler.

As noted, with a hank-on jib, you can make it work - but it's a bit odd.

You can watch this little video:

or just search <"Newport 28" AND Sailboat>

 

[jssailem]

@MitchK You are right to question the setup.
Based on your bow configuration it appears that some changes have been made to the riggin by the previous owner. In my boat/sailing experience the set up is not normal. For hanked on sails the attachment point is aft of the fore stay.

1. The confusion is multiple. You have a bow roller, generally used for an anchor. Yet there is no fairlead for anchor rode/chain to a cleat or anchor locker. You put a line on the roller and it appears it will chafe on the base of the forestay and sail tack fitting. Not good.
2. The sail tack fitting is in front of the bent up forestay. The sail will rest on the forestay turnbuckle. This will result in chafe of the sail and sail luff. Not Good.
3. The raised attachment for the forestay appears to be a part of the bow roller metal plate. It appears to be held down my the aft end of the U-Bolt which is used as a sail attachment point. This is extended back from the bow (a strong point in most boat construction) to several inches away to the deck (a weaker point of boat construction). NOT GOOD unless there is a strong backing plate beneath the fiberglass deck to spread the forces of the mast as the forestay comes under pressure.
4. Perhaps this is not supposed to be a hanked on jib rig?

I looked on line at images of Newport 28's and of the 30 plus images all had roller furlers managing the foresail. Here is a link to a similar boat. Note the foresail is on a furler.

This leads me to think the previous owner may have removed the furler prior to selling the boat.

Options for you include:

1. Install an new roller and bow plate to accommodate proper fairleads for the rode and anchor. Proper base plate attachments for the sail and forestay. And solid backing plates to manage the potential stresses.
2. Install a furler for the sail. Then figure out an anchoring system.

Hope that helps, ask questions if this does not make sense.
Best of luck.

 

[jssailem]

You can watch this little video:

SG we must use the same search engine.

 

[Bill Roosa]

It is for a asymmetrical spinnaker or drifter/reacher head sail. Can't use is for a jib as it will only work on either a starboard or port tack but not the other. Imagine what the sail will look like after you tack her. Asym spinnakers are not tacked. you have to jib them every time for several reasons one. Which is why you can get buy with its leach being forward of the forestay

 

[MitchK]

Here is a picture from below the bow showing a portion of the chain plate that extends below the deck and is attached to the leading edge of the bow.

 

[SG]

What happened to the bow with area below covering the chainplate with that blue paint?

When was the roller furling removed?

 

[MitchK]

I do not know what caused the paint to be rubbed off of the bow. It is just paint scuffed off, no fiberglass damage. It is plausible, that the previous owner came into the slip a bit fast and ran the bow onto the dock, probably more than once. The boat did not have roller furling when we got her. It does have three hank on head sails, so I did not question it.

 

[SG]

Do you sails have anything on the tack fittings? How high off the deck is the tack at the designed full hoist of the sail? Do the have head pennants?

I'm pretty sure you can jury-rig something that will work with a Specta strap(s) and a little right sized pennant(s). It may not be pretty, it might require you to watch it and replace the Spectra after some chafe, but...

 

[DrJudyB]

Here is a picture from below the bow showing a portion of the chain plate that extends below the deck and is attached to the leading edge of the bow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On Edit: Mitch posted some additional pictures which caused me to change the assessement I wrote in this post. After seeing the pics and reading his further description, it sounds like the UBolt will be strong enough because it is attached to and properly aligned with the tang on the v of the bow. Disclaimer - I am not a professional rigger, so use your own judgement or consult a qualified professional.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi Mitch,

Looking at you pictures,it’s clear the forestay is intended tobe attached to the chain plate, where it is presently. That is strong enough to bear the loads and to transmit them to the bow of the hull. The loads on the forestay are quite large. If you were to attach the forestay to the u bolt which is forward of the present forestay, you might lift/peel the deck right up, off the hull. The u bolt is not adequately anchored to the hull.

In comparison to the loads on the forestay, the load on the tack of the headsail are quite small, just a fraction of the load on the forestay. You could add an attachment point on the deck aft of the existing vertical chain plate. Be sure to put a backing plate behind it.

 

[MitchK]

Here are additional pictures I took today. Looks like all I need to do is make a new tack attachment point out of a piece of stainless bar with one end turned up and drilled for the shackle and U bolt. From appearances, the U bolt is all that is holding the chain plate to the deck. The ends go al the way through the deck and through another stainless bracket that is bolted to the leading edge of the bow. Judging from the how the U bolt is configured, it looks like a bow eye U bolt, so it should be easy to locate a replacement if necessary. It looks like it is 3/8" thick. That much stainless should be plenty strong. Still do not know if it is OEM, but as long as it works, it doesn't matter.

 

[DrJudyB]

Here are additional pictures I took today. Looks like all I need to do is make a new tack attachment point out of a piece of stainless bar with one end turned up and drilled for the shackle and U bolt. From appearances, the U bolt is all that is holding the chain plate to the deck. The ends go al the way through the deck and through another stainless bracket that is bolted to the leading edge of the bow. Judging from the how the U bolt is configured, it looks like a bow eye U bolt, so it should be easy to locate a replacement if necessary. It looks like it is 3/8" thick. That much stainless should be plenty strong. Still do not know if it is OEM, but as long as it works, it doesn't matter.

Here’s my two cents on the existing setup. Thank you for posting the pictures.

Forget what I said in my earlier post in which I recommended attaching the forestay to the vertically bent section of that fitting. I was wrong because I assumed the vertical part was directly aligned with a tang on the v of the bow.

You state in your description that the u bolt is aligned and Connected to the tang on the v of the bow. That’s the right place to connect the forestay. The shackle for the jib tack can attach to the vertically bent section.

That setup is a little unusual, but theoretically, it should be okay if everything was initially strong enough, installed properly and there is no hidden corrosion to the UBolt.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional rigger, so use your own best judgement.

 

[MitchK]

No problem. I plan on dismantling the bracket and U bolt to rebed and inspect the components. I have looked at a number of other N28's. None have a real clear picture of the attachment. On two of the pictures I could see a little of the bracket, and they looked like they were attached to the U bolt location. Looking at where the fore stay was attached on mine, the metal appears pretty thin, and what should be the clevis pin hole is pretty large. Close to 3/4". So I was pretty sure the bracket was not the correct place to attach the fore stay.

 

[SG]

Mitch:
Steel is fine in tension in that application. In bending, you need to be more careful. simplistically, watch out for that on the stay. Are you owing to have a real marine metal shop our rigger make a piece?

 

[jssailem]

@MitchK Here are some images of my bow plate connection. You might be able to do something similar.
Bow... Side image. For stay with furler attached to first hole (at bow).

Foresail gets attached to pin in 3rd hole. The bow has a chainplate that extends down the bow to distribute the load to the hull.

This image shows the relationship of the old manual windlass to the bow


This next image is looking at where I am going to install the new bow roller and the fairlead it will need to the area for the new windlass. New windlass to be right behind the cowl vent. The cowl vent is being removed.

I plan to add a bow roller to provide a way to anchor my boat and retrieve the anchor using a windlass.

 

[DrJudyB]

Rigrite sells stemhead fittings
http://www.rigrite.com/Hardware/Chainplates_&_Stemheads/Stemheads.php