A neat thing I saw

Jan 19, 2010
12,936
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
My point is that if you are leaving the sail hanked on.... you don't need any help from the downhaul line.... I know I tried it that way and it gave no advantage .. there could be more opportunity for jamming... plus it took more time to rig it... again for no advantage, because the downhaul line is only attached to the top hank... and not any other part of the sail. Even if you disconnect the halyard, the downhaul line and the top hank provide the sail's security, not anything in between. You might try it without the weave next time out to see what I mean.

As far as using a pendant.... there is a very excellent article in a book I have where the author describes keeping each of his sails' hanks connected to a short pendant. When he brings a new sail on deck for a change the pendants keep the hanks organized in order when bringing down the old sail and attaching the new..... It's a neat way of keeping things organized at night or in busy seas..... I'll try to find the article ... If you like the security of hanked on sails, which many cruising sailors prefer... you'll want to see this system.
I'd like to see that article about the pendent. But don't kill yourself trying to find it. I'll give it a try without the weave but it will be a few weeks. My new-2-me boat has a roller furled genoa but I jut purchased a set of two head sails... and medium and a small "storm" jib. I'm fixing up a solent stay system for these two. My idea is to have the next sail already set up on the solent and then roll up the genoa and fly the smaller sail when things get heavy. The main already is set up with lazy jacks so if I can get it all to work smoothly it should be a great system.
 

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
8,319
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
I use a length of very thin spectra line with an eye spliced into the end when I'm single handing. I put the eye onto the uppermost hank (which is below the head of the sail) and run the length of it through the hanks alongside the forestay. It works perfectly with virtually no drag and no binding, and it takes about 30 seconds extra to rig. I've tried it outside the hanks and when the sail is up the line flops around and just seems sloppy. Through the hanks it works perfectly and is virtually invisible. Different methods work on different boats differently. Saying one way is the right way for everyone is just kinda stubborn and not necessarily correct.
Who's being stubborn? Look, friend, I made a statement and supported it... that's all. Oh, and thanks for letting us all know that the top hank is below head of the sail.
 
Feb 5, 2009
255
Gloucester 20 Kanawha River, Winfield, WV
thanks for letting us all know that the top hank is below head of the sail.
Personally, I avoid attaching hanks above the top of my headsail, but everyone has his own preference...

I just remembered another mod that helped a lot with getting my jib up and down: I replaced my luff wire with a dyneema rope.
 

worane

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Apr 20, 2014
8
Catalina swing keel 25 geelong
downhaul

I think you will find Maurice Griffiths a UK. yacht designer and writer spoke of this idea back in the 1920's.