: Beneteau 35S5 – Replacement Jib Sheets & Main Halyard

[KGarvey]

I'm getting ready to replace the running rigging on my 1989 Beneteau 35S5, and would appreciate hearing from anyone who has already done this.


I'm planning to replace:

• Jib sheets
• Main halyard

From measuring my existing lines, it appears I have:

• Jib sheets: 5/8" diameter, my current sheets are 37' however I think they may have come off a Pearson Flyer so what is the recommend length
• Main halyard: Approximately 1/2" diameter (I'll be measuring the exact length before ordering.)

I'd appreciate any feedback on:

• What diameter and length did you end up using?
• Did you stay with the original sizes or change them?
• What brand of line did you choose (Samson, Marlow, New England Ropes, etc.)?
• If you race, did you switch to a Dyneema-core halyard?
• If you use a whisker pole to wing out your genoa, how did you rig the pole attachment on the jib sheets?

If you have any recommendations or lessons learned, I'd really appreciate hearing them before I place my order.


Thanks in advance!

 

[dlochner]

In general jib sheets are sized to 1.5x the boat length. ½" line works for my 36' Sabre. It is large enough to have a good hand and small enough to run through blocks easily. High tech low stretch lines are not necessary for jib sheets as the actual loaded length is pretty short when going to weather which is the condition with the highest load on the sheets. How the sheet feels in the hand and works on the winch are more important. Order the jib sheets as one length and then connect them to jib with a cow hitch (aka luggage tag hitch). This makes a small light attachment, helping to prevent the clew from hanging up on the shrouds and reducing weight at the clew.

 

[KGarvey]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Stu Jackson]

If you do so, tie it on the proper side to avoid the hitch from hanging up - you'll see when you tie it before tightening it. Also be aware that to end-for-end your sheet, you'll have to cut the knot and then use bowlines or other knots to re-tie it.

Our 34 footer uses 7/16" for jib and genoa sheets.

connect them to jib with a cow hitch (aka luggage tag hitch). This makes a small light attachment, helping to prevent the clew from hanging up on the shrouds and reducing weight at the clew.

 

[JRacer]

Not sure this will help completely, did not see details listed for the F35S5 but you may be able to draw on information shown for those close to the 35S5 i.e. F35.7

 

[shemandr]

There is an inside and outside Bowline. I have problems reversing things but the Bowline holding the sheet to the clew should be tied so the tail faces outside the shrouds.
I've used both Bowline and Cow Hitch for jib sheets and find each serviceable. The Cow Hitch is lighter and cleaner. But it is also much more difficult to untie.

 

[Joe]

The primary consideration with your headsail sheets, IMHO, should be how it feels in your hand and how it fits in your winch. You can look at strength charts to determine if stepping down in size is advisable. With your halyards, the most important thing is how the line runs through the blocks. Unlike sheets, which normally run through just one lead block at an obtuse angle, your halyards will be making a 180 deg turns up top, and probably 90deg down below if they runs aft, not to mention any deck organizers and clutches that can add friction to the operation. The winch fitting is important also, but less critical, while the hand I think is not that important, With that said I am a strong proponent of dyneema cored halyards. They allow you drop the line diameter, allowing smoother operation by vastly reducing friction. On my boat I built my own halyards by purchasing a single braid dyneema for the core and sheathed it in a dacron/polyester cover. The conver can be purchase separately, but it's more inexpensive to buy a lower quality double braid and use its core to fish the new dyneema core into position. I also only cover the back half of the core, since it's the only part that is handled, wrapped on the drum and cleated. I prefer Samson rope, but most any of the popular brands do the job. I use Samson Trophybraid for my sheets. I has a fuzzy spun polyester cover that feels good in the hand and hold well on the winch and cleat.
running rigging size chart
As far as size goes, I can't imagine putting anything larger than 7/16 on a 35 foot boat. Google "running rigging size chart" for more detail. On my 27 the owner manual pretty much recommended 3/8" for everything. After converting to the dyneema cored halyards, and researching the actual loads on other applications, the only 3/8 I have now is the jib sheets, because it feels better. Everything else was downsized to 5/16... even less for cunningham, outhaul, etc.

Finally, I am not a proponent of the "cow hitch" attachment for your headsail sheets. If you think it will make your tacks smoother, well, not really, only proper tacking procedure will solve that problem. Two separate sheets with bowline knots.... call me old fashioned. If you cow hitch your sheets, it is highly likely that you NEVER remove them. Which means they are in the elements 24/7 which means it won't be long before they start looking faded and become puffy and swollen like your existing sheets (which is why they are measuring 5/8" Okay, good luck. Be smart.... remember .... two sheets, bowline knot.

 

[dlochner]

Cow hitches can be released with a marlin spike or a #2 Phillips screwdriver.

The big sailing advantage to a cow hitch is in light air, there is considerably less weight on the clew which allows the sail to take a better and more efficient shape.

 

[BigEasy]

Thanks for the info!

I use 7/16“ jib sheets (approximately 42') and 3/8" halyards on my Beneteau 343.

 

[Joe]

Cow hitches can be released with a marlin spike or a #2 Phillips screwdriver.

The big sailing advantage to a cow hitch is in light air, there is considerably less weight on the clew which allows the sail to take a better and more efficient shape.

Why on earth would you want that inconvenience? If you're sailing in air so light that the knot's weight difference affects performance, it would make way more sense to change to a smaller diameter, light air sheet. Which is super easy if you have separate sheets and use a sailor knot, like a bowline or buntline hitch. The one continuous line is a PIA to change because you have to completely disconnect the old sheet from the sail before attaching the new. With two sheets you change the lazy sheet before tacking over. You can run the new sheets ahead of time, connect when convenient and never stop sailing the boat.

One long sheet.... think about it and what it takes to change it. That's exactly the reason that folks who use the cow hitch never end for end their sheets, or bring them inside when the boat is dormant. Heck, the previous owner of my boat had a set of sheets for all three upwind sails..... except each was a one continous line/cow hitch configuration that was stowed in the bag still attached to the sail....which is a super NO NO. Talk about a great way to ruin the stiffness in your sails. It's like putting a tennis shoe in the dryer to make the towels fluffier.

The exceptions are dinghy sailors, who often use the single sheet, cow hitch method....but we're talking about much, much less weight and inconvenience and they never leave the sails on the boat.... 'cause everything goes in the boat box/trailer at the end of the day. They will fold the sail properly and the sheets are like 25 ft and 1/4" diam or less.

When using your spinnaker, how do you connect the sheets and guys? Don't we all use snap hooks or clips of some kind because of the nature of its use? Does the clip weigh more than a knot? .................... okay.... I'll stop... wow that was quite a rant. I'm sorry Dave, I'm turning 80 tomorrow...... I must be going through some kind of hormonal adjustment. Folks, Dave is a great panel member and I value his contributions to this forum. Thankyou Sir. For all that you do.

 

[jssailem]

I often use the cow hitch on new double-braid jib sheets. Simple attachment to the sail and works fine for a couple of seasons. The only issue is that when I take the sail down during the winter, I have to store the long line in the cabin.

When I see the cowhitch beginning to age, I cut away the cow hitch and terminate the now two sheets with small and compact eyesplices. I then attach the sheets to the sail using a soft shackle. If you have ever seen the imprint of a metal snap shackle on the side of a crew person's face, you will understand the value of soft shackles. My current sheets have seen 10 seasons. They are being replaced this year with a pair of eyespliced sheets.