H23.5....boom lines question

[Hawk4661]

Novice question; All three lines in my boom run from fore boom, w/ finger lock cams, to aft sheves.Colors are white ,red ,and green.
First white line.. I have a fig eight knot tied in this top lift line. I placed this knot below the shackle on the aft end boom. The top lift line is being used to hold boom at near level postion.

Second line is red...I have this outhaul line attached to the mains clew cringle.I have it pulled aft as far as I can get it.I pulled pressure using the red line in the fore boom and finger cam to lock it.
A...Can this outhaul line be loosened to allow curl/twist in sail and thus unload sail power?
Third green line..I use this line for reefing.After lowing the main halyard to allow the correct heigth for reefing.I hook the luff reefing cringle to rams head. I have previously ran the green reefing line from port side aft reefing cringle.To the small bail located in bottom of boom,which I located as directly under aft reefing cringle as possible, and secured it with a knot.
So the line is running from this knot at the small bail on boom. Up starboard side of main sail ,through the aft reefing cringle, now on the port side of main sail,to the aft boom sheves, through the inside of boom, to the finger cams in fore boom.There they can be locked with finger cams.
A..For "jeefy reefing" , can this line be left attached in this reefing configuration even after returning to normal use of main sail?



I hope so ...lol It took me five hours at dock side working lines,and reefing main for first time...boat setting high and dry on trailer....
I had one guy stop and ask me if it wouldnt work better in the water.He was rigth but getting dark by then.It wont take any time, next time.I understand it now.
I will be going out for first singlehand sail first of next week starting with reefed main.
Thank you in advance....fair winds to all.mark<><

 

[Henry Scurlock]

Sounds about right Mark. Hoisting and trimming the main should keep the boom in position and you should have the topping lift setup so you can ease it when underway.

The idea of leading the lines through the boom is to make adjustments easier so yes, you should be able to ease the outhaul when needed.

You should have enough line for each so that easing any adjustment leaves you enough line at the gooseneck to work with. Tie a figure eight in the bitter end of all these lines to keep them from running back into the boom.

 

[Hawk4661]

Thank you Henry.....I will be out on Beaver Lake on sunday if the Lords willing.Like to see how my new baot handels singlehandedly.

 

[Rick Macdonald]

Topping lift

I bought my 1995 H23.5 in 2002. The topping lift was not run through the boom. Instead, it comes from the top of the mast to a couple of feet above the aft end of the boom, and terminates with a little clam-cleat with a sheave. A second short line goes from this cleat, down to the sheave at the end of the boom, and back up to the sheave in the cleat (and around and down into the clam cleat itself, if you can picture that). It can only be adjusted when the boom is over the cockpit, but that's not a problem since that's where the boom is when the main is raised and lowered anyway. Sometimes I forget to ease the topping lift and start sailing. I have to head up to be able to reach and ease the topping lift. Works for me. I have home-made lazy jacks, so I don't go forward to raise or lower the main.

Outhaul

I added a micro block to the clew of the main and another to the end of the boom to give me 4:1 purchase. I replaced the line with a longer one that drops straight down from the goose neck to the mast base where I bolt a fiddle block with cam cleat. It just attaches to a hole in the mast plate. The cam cleat is there, but the line is long enough that it continues aft and just hangs down into the companionway or into the cockpit. The old jam cleat is still in the mast end of the boom but does not interfere when easing. This all very easy: no holes drilled for another organizer and cleat. It works very well for me. I adjust the outhaul constantly now that it's easy to do.

Reefline

I just suffer with the jam cleat in the mast end of the boom. It slips, so I'd like to do something but haven't yet.

Boom vang

Since I have a roller furler and never seem to need to adjust the jib halyard, I tie it off to the mast cleat and hang it there. This freed up a path through the organizer to one of my clutches. I put a longer line into the boom vang, that goes through a little block on a spring that I riveted to the mast just above the boom vang tang, through the organizer to the clutch. I hated the original V-cleat on the boom vang. It was hard to release under load, and the angle required to operate it was awkward. Much easier now.

Rick