Cow Hitch For the Jib Sheet.

[BarryL]

Hey,
I have been using the cow hitch for 10+ years and I has worked great. I do remove the sheets at the end of the season (I sail May - November). The next year I shift the position of the hitch 6" or so, this way the hitch is in a different part of the line.
If you use different headsails you should have 2 separate sheets so you can quickly remove them, etc. For a boat with a single headsail I find one long sheet with a cow hitch is simple and effective.
Barry

 

[Jackdaw]

@Jackdaw , we obviously use our boats for different reasons, but I have dabbled in racing on other people's boats and am eager to learn. How is marking the foresail sheets an advantage for racers?

Like most boats that race with a symmetrical spinnaker, out fore-deck is a maze of lines 2 jib sheets, 2 spin sheets, 2 downhauls, 1 topping lift, and 1 spin halhard. When the kite comes down in particular, each line has to be in the correct spot to make sure that 1) the boat can tack as soon as possible, and the kite will go back up correctly. Colors on control lines or tracer markings on the sheets to distinguish port from starboard sheets really helps here. Our jib sheets as well as our three sets of spin sheets are coordinated like this.

 

[Jackdaw]

On the FarEast 28r I sail on, the owner originally tagged the one long sheet to the jib. After crew encouraged him to go to 2 sheets and knots, he had to cut the tag off. No amount of effort with the marlinspike would get it off. While bowlines are better in that regard, no knot can be undone while under the pressure of the sail. That's what a knife is for. On you at ALL times. If its not on you, you don't have a knife.

 

[Snorri Eriksen]

[QUOTE="BobbyFunn, post: 1467295, member: 137776" i. I like the splice and soft shackle technique. But that is actally super risky, imo. Undo that shackle and you lose both lines if not your shackle too. Now you are on a lee shore playing monkey in the middle on you bow.



I don’t get it. I’m open to a better idea but I don’t understand the problem with soft shackle. Possibly because I’m on a smaller boat? 22ft. Why would I lose my lines or my shackle? I guess it could happen but so could a lot of other things.

I have Hank-on headsails. Interchangeable for different sizes. One set of sheets led back to the cockpit which are always left in place.

 

[Jackdaw]

Previously tied bow lines which sometimes hung up. As an experiment I tried two eyesplices and a soft shackle. Works so well I’m still using the thrown together prototype from a year ago.

We use soft shackles tagged to decovered fliteline as our lightweight spin sheets. While I had reservations about the possibly of them somehow shaking lose and coming off, they never have. That being said, they are almost always in tension.

 

[BobbyFunn]

I don’t understand the problem with soft shackle.

Theres no problem. Just increased risk. I dont swap headsails so from my perspective, i absolutly never wsnt the jib to come loose. I can cut if off if need be.

If it is safe to assume the headsail is resting on the deck while it is being swapped out then single soft shackle connecting to multiple eyes is a great idea since that is how heavy loads are lifted. Seems quick and there isnt a jib mace whacking anyone

In an emergeny situation where the headsail is powered releasing the shackle means all jib lines are free and the shackle is free too. Good luck getting that soft shackle back on while holding two jib line eye splices.

In an emergency your soft shackle might be too resitant to cutting so you might need to cut both eye splices off

Youd probably want a temp line to control the jib, get the jib down, then reshackle.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

Take another look at the system I use, post in Number 8. Stays put, quick to change and no hardware to clonk you in the head

 

[Joe]

This is a pretty elegant solution from the google search link; double becket hitch to a spliced tail. I would be nervous about it shaking out.

I agree with you BobbyFun. My experience with a becket hitch is that is they can shake loose.

 

[BobbyFunn]

We all saw that. It looks like a malignant tumor on a stick. Glad it works out for you. Just kidding, that is really cool and bonus points for salty. Does the whipping need to be inspected often?

 

[Gene Neill]

I don’t get it. I’m open to a better idea but I don’t understand the problem with soft shackle. Possibly because I’m on a smaller boat? 22ft. Why would I lose my lines or my shackle? I guess it could happen but so could a lot of other things.

I have Hank-on headsails. Interchangeable for different sizes. One set of sheets led back to the cockpit which are always left in place.

That's our method as well. Makes for the quickest headsail changes of any method we have tried. The same sheets (one continuous line with a loop in the middle) work for all sails from storm jib to 180, and are not prone to snagging shrouds. I too am always eager to be shown a better way, but this one ain't bad.

Not sure how to reply to the suggestion that a soft shackle might be "resistant to cutting".

 

[jviss]

I just don't like the idea that I can't take a sheet off if something goes wrong. I had a sheet jam hard under the edge of a hatch once, and was able to untie it from the clew and yank it out, then put it back. I also end-for-end my jib sheets annually.

 

[BobbyFunn]

Not sure how to reply to the suggestion that a soft shackle might be "resistant to cutting".

By nodding in agreement . You might be used to working with diy soft shackles from home depot clothline braid. With dyneema like fibers the blades dull super fast and witj a large diameter shackle it takes longer than cutting yatch braid.

 

[Gene Neill]

By nodding in agreement . You might be used to working with diy soft shackles from home depot clothline braid.

Or, you might need a better knife.

 

[BobbyFunn]

Or, you might need a better knife.

Lol. I do need better knives.

Want to know the worst knife ever created?

Wenoka dive knife. 8544 stainless steel. Blacki colins. I got it 30 years ago as a gift so its still attached to my tank harness. Both unused. I tried to sharpen it a few months ago. It doesnt sharpen. But gets dull af from sunshine and smiles.

 

[Jackdaw]

Or, you might need a better knife.

The stuff is hard to cut, even with a good knife. All of BlueJs lines are dyneema cored, so everyone on board carries one of these.

 

[jssailem]

Those are great knives.

 

[TomY]

The only downside to the cow hitch for the genoa sheets (for me) is removing it in the fall. But that's a small problem as I only do it once a season(pliers help).

I just bought new sheets. The last genoa sheet had some wear spots but mostly it was overall wear that had me replace them. I never cut that old sheet in half. They came with the boat so at least 20 seasons use.

Compact, doesn't hang up on stays, sure, looks good in the lens.

 

[All U Get]

Since we just dropped all our sails off to get cleaned, [we don't do winter anymore], we are washing all the running rigging in the interim. We had used a soft shackle on two eye splices for our 135 and it was easy to remove after three years. It was a little green from algae but that washed right out. I do have a little Velcro strap on the soft shackle to hold it in place and might have to replace it, but those are cheap. Murphy doesn't sail with us anymore, I think my wife scared him off.

 

[Gene Neill]

Lol. I do need better knives.

Want to know the worst knife ever created?

Wenoka dive knife. 8544 stainless steel. Blacki colins. I got it 30 years ago as a gift so its still attached to my tank harness. Both unused. I tried to sharpen it a few months ago. It doesnt sharpen. But gets dull af from sunshine and smiles.

I'll trade you a good knife for the ability to splice double braid.

 

[jviss]

I'll trade you a good knife for the ability to splice double braid.

Splicing double braid is fun! Seriously, Gene, if you follow the steps methodically, are careful and patient and don't get distracted or discouraged, you can do it. That's for folks like us who aren't doing it often. I have spliced double braid and also parallel core line (and of course, three strand). You might need to use a winch for the final pull.