Advice on securing outhaul and topping lift led to cockpit

Davidasailor26 · Sep 2, 2021

SoSound said:
I'm looking to run my topping lift and outhaul back to the cockpit. The topping lift is currently secured to a cleat at the mast, the outhaul is currently just long enough to adjust at the mast and tuck back into the sail bag. I will get a longer outhaul to bring it back to the cockpit.

My question has to do with securing the lines once led back to the cockpit; the topping lift should not be a problem, it's a small diameter line, maybe 1/4", and I only want to be able to take up the slack when sailing, to prevent it from swinging around and wrapping around the spreaders . I was thinking of using a Ronstan medium V-Cleat with fairlead for the topping lift. The outhaul is larger line, though, and I'm not sure that it will fit or work with the medium sized V-Cleat, and the large V-Cleat is not available with an integrated fairlead. I'm also not sure if the V-Cleat would provide enough holding power for the outhaul... do I need something stronger, like a cam cleat to grip the outhaul? If so, I might just use a pair of cam cleats instead of mixing different types of hardware.
Thanks!

On the models with roller furling mains the outhaul is brought back to the cockpit and secured with a clutch there. There’s probably already a solid glass section of deck in front of the cockpit to make installation of clutches easier.

This is the starboard side; our outhaul is on port, but same idea -

sail sfbay · Sep 2, 2021

Ditto other posts.........route the lines through turning blocks through a clutch on the cabin top close to the ccockpit.

sailme88 · Sep 3, 2021

Not sure if this will work for you, but I re-positioned my topping lift to the cockpit. I shortened up the topping lift line and added a block. The block is about 3 feet above the boom. I tie a line to the right side of the boom and it rises to the block, passes through and descends to the port side of the boom, Here I added a cheeking block and forward of that a cleat. In most conditions I leave the lift line along. But when beating hard and close to the wind when the boom is over the cockpit, I release the lift from the cleat to allow me to flatten the main.

Davidasailor26 · Sep 3, 2021

SoSound said:
I have a conventional main, with a bit of a strange arrangement for the traveller, which occupies one spot in the area on the cabin top. I'm not opposed to replacing the cam cleat that is being used for the traveller line, but if there is a smaller pair of cleats that could handle my two additional lines, then I'd prefer to go that route. One obvious partial solution is to move the spinnaker halyard to the mast, but I'm really trying to move lines off of the mast, not just swap one for another.

(Topping lift is the grey line, the role of the outhaul in this photo is being played by one of my lazy jack lines.)
View attachment 197934

On mine the cams for the traveler lines are integrated into the ends of the traveler itself. Downside is that to control the traveler you need to stand in the conpanionway and keep the dodger zippers open a few inches. But it does free up the space where you have that extra cam.

My spinnaker halyard is led back too, but I think I would actually prefer that one to just end at the mast. My spinnaker has a sock, so usually I hoist the sock first and need to be standing on the foredeck to see when it’s all the way up. Also when we’re not sailing we store the halyard on the bow pulpit, and bring it back by the mast only when we go out, to keep it out of the way. Each time we move it we need to walk back and forth to the cockpit. So having the clutch for that one in the cockpit is more out of the way than anything. Depends on how you run things though.

DougM · Sep 3, 2021

On my boat the topping lift is rather redundant since it has a rigid boom vang. I leave the lift clipped to the end of the boom with enough slack to allow the vang to be adjusted with its line led to a block at the base of the boom, through a turning block on top of the cabin to a rope clutch on the cabin top. The outhaul is routed the same way. I had to install a longer outhaul line to reach the cockpit area. Fun job to rethread that line through the block inside the boom without fouling the reef lines which are also internal to the boom. really quite easy if you think it through beforehand.

Joe · Sep 5, 2021

All you need for the larger clam/vee cleat's fairlead is a simple stamped metal eye strap or bullet fairlead mounted to the deck just ahead of it. You see that all the time.... my outhaul exits the boom about midway to a large clam cleat mounted upside down with the eyestrap fairlead solution. Works fine... mid boom exit means access to the tail is convenient from the cockpit.
If you choose cam cleats, go with the small ronstan basic C cleat with wire fairlead.... or... an eye strap. that cleat will take up to 5/16 line... so if your outhaul is larger you'll have to go up to the next cleat size.... or reduce the line size.... (replace the tail of the control line with a smaller diameter dyneema line). When you mount the C cleats, you can stagger them to minimize the footprint's width.
I'm not a fan of using clutches for this application, because it eliminates complete one handed operation from a distance. The topping lift especially is a PIA so convenience adjustment is a must...same with the outhaul but it's also part of your mainsail trimming sequence where clutches and winches can slow you down. Remember the eye strap!