Cruising chute rigging question

[Bob]

I am going to be buying a used cruising chute (from someone who advertised on this site!) in the next two or three weeks. I've already installed a block and halyard at the masthead and have three snatch blocks ready for the sheets and haul-down. But my question is about the halyard. I'm planning to connect a block to the toe rail (for the halyard) and install a mid-ship cleat (the 285s never came with them) just like the forward cleats are connected to the toe rail at the bow. Then it would be just a matter of raising the chute and tying off to the mid-ship cleat. I figure with the chute in its sock it shouldn't be too hard to haul the sail up or drop it. But I'm concerned that the toe rail may not be "beefy" enough to handle the strain. Do I need to reinforce it in some way?Sound like a plan or is there a better way? I want to make the set-up as simple as possible and I think I can raise the chute without using a winch.

 

[David Foster]

Cleat on the Mast?

Our '77 h27 has a winch and cleats on the mast to handle halyards.I would contact Hunter, and see if they would OK bolting new hardware to mast. If so, that is certainly the cleanest solution.DavidLady Lillie

 

[Bill O'Donovan]

Find a cleat

I agree with David, use the cleat on the mast. It can also double as the cleat to hold up the chute (one tie is all you need, since it won't fall down).I recommend a permanent tack line and permanent sheets, to encourage flying the spin as often as possible. For a set of pix and plans on throwing an 8-foot bowsprit, email me at bodonovan@vagazette.com. If you thought sailing was fun, wait till you fly the spinnaker.