Jack lines for H34

[YVRguy]

I recently posted a thread on single handing and one of the themes that came out of it was the need for a jack line and harness. Fortunately all of my pfd's have the D-ring harness built in but I'm curious about the jack line. Have any of you H34 owners rigged your boat with one and if so how/where did you put it?

 

[Bob 04 H260]

On our H356 we made our own jacklines from tubular webbing used by climbers, rated at 4000 lbs. Purchased at MEC, http://www.mec.ca/product/5020-829/web-source-124mm-tubular-webbing/

I bought a piece long enough to go from the bow cleats down each side deck back to the arch. The tethers were purchased at a local chandlery.

Bob

 

[Stu Jackson]

What Bob described is how most skippers do it, regardless of boat manufacturer.

 

[BayMan]

I haven't actually installed jack lines but have a different thought. Wouldn't it be better to run the lines down the center of the boat so that when harnessed you would fall down but never go over the safety lines. I thought about extending the lines from the winches (at the companion way) and around the mast and to the other winches. This would let you go up to the mast and beyond (to the distance of your tether). With roller jib I hopefully do not need to go up to the bow but modifications could be made to permit that. They could even be extended aft along the edges if one needed to be tethered at the helm. As long as the jack lines stayed clear of the halyards and sheets (which should not be hard as they are all snug to the deck) there should be no tangling of lines.
No?

 

[Hunter voyager]

I rigged a line from the bow cleat to the hoop over the cabin. Keeps the safety lines short. I keep one safety line on the jack line back to the cockpit and clip on when going on deck.

 

[Mark48]

It would be nice to see some pictures if anyone has some to post. Thanks in advance.

 

[markwbird]

Thoughts on jack lines

I recently read the book by Andrew Evans on Single handing and he has some good tips on jack lines: They should be of flat webbing so they do not roll under your feet. They should run from the front of the cockpit to the bow along the sides but not all the way aft. If you go overboard and are dragging behind the boat you will not be able to pull yourself to the boat. Make sure you can go from back to front without having to unclip. Use a non-locking carabiner that you can operate with one hand. Replace nylon webbing every year.

 

[David in Sandusky]

Dock lines become jack lines

We leave two bow and two stern lines on their cleats through the season. When we get under way, we pull each bowline back down the deck. Then we pull a loop of the stern line forward and tie a loop of the bow line around the stern line. Then we pull the stern line loop tight on its cleat and make it fast there.

The result is a jack line that runs from the cockpit to the bow on each side. We also have a hard point on the forward bulkhead of the cockpit. Although round, it hugs the side of the cabin, so no problem under foot. Our rule is that the captain must be tethered, unless there is another helms person who has practiced the MOB drill on Lady Lillie. Despite her qualifications, the Admiral has declared herself unqualified, so I am tethered unless I go below while we are under way. We use inflatable PFD's with built in harnesses, so this is not a big deal. In rough weather (waves over 3 ft.), all crew use a tether to go forward.

I agree that centerline jack lines are the best, but haven't rigged the necessary hard point(s ?) yet. One issue is how to work around the sliding hatch. Always something! The solution for single handing is to secure the aft ladder with a piece of light yarn, so I could pull on the ladder and break the yarn to deploy the ladder from the water.

 

[YVRguy]

On our H356 we made our own jacklines from tubular webbing used by climbers, rated at 4000 lbs. Purchased at MEC, http://www.mec.ca/product/5020-829/web-source-124mm-tubular-webbing/

I bought a piece long enough to go from the bow cleats down each side deck back to the arch. The tethers were purchased at a local chandlery.

Bob

Bob, what do you mean by the "arch?" I have sturdy handles on either side of my dodger so I'm thinking of running two lines, one port and one starboard, from the bow to these handles. Only problem is with that length it might be difficult to cinch them up enough to feel secure.

 

[Allan12210]

YVRguy,

Took a while but I found a photo showing our safety lines just prior to an ocean trip. We use the webbing purchased from West Marine that has a snap shackle on one end only (6000 lbs breaking strength). That end is wrapped around the bow cleat and clipped to itself. The rest is run back on the inside of the rigging (under the jibsheets) and tied very tight to the aft rail. It allows clipping on as soon as we come back into the cockpit. Sometimes instead of tying off at the stern rail I secure them to the cleat in front of the winch on the coaming. That makes it easier to step over when getting on and off the boat.

When done I always wash the webbing in a bucket of fresh water to get the salt out (salt crystals are very abrasive) and hoist them up the mast to dry. Then I roll them up and keep them in a Ziploc bag.

 

[Dave Groshong]

We offer jackline material here:

http://shop.hunterowners.com/prod.php?2689

 

[Bob 04 H260]

Bob, what do you mean by the "arch?" I have sturdy handles on either side of my dodger so I'm thinking of running two lines, one port and one starboard, from the bow to these handles. Only problem is with that length it might be difficult to cinch them up enough to feel secure.

Most Hunter sailboats have an arch over the cockpit making it a great hard point to attach a jack line. If you do not have an arch on your Hunter I would look at using a cleat or add a padeye with a good backing plate.

Bob

 

[Stu Jackson]

I have sturdy handles on either side of my dodger so I'm thinking of running two lines, one port and one starboard, from the bow to these handles.

No, no, no, no....clear enough?

Those side grab handles on your dodger, even if it was a hard dodger, are simply not made for attaching jacklines. Please, think about it.

Also, please, use cleats or padeyes safely bolted to the deck for jacklines.

I tie my jacklines onto the big beefy bow cleat, through the hole in the leat with a bowline, then back to a stern cleat with a horn hitch to be able to cinch it up tight.

 

[YVRguy]

No, no, no, no....clear enough?

Those side grab handles on your dodger, even if it was a hard dodger, are simply not made for attaching jacklines. Please, think about it.

Also, please, use cleats or padeyes safely bolted to the deck for jacklines.

I tie my jacklines onto the big beefy bow cleat, through the hole in the leat with a bowline, then back to a stern cleat with a horn hitch to be able to cinch it up tight.

Roger that Stu. Appreciate the clarity

 

[thinwater]

While I have lots of thoughts, today I will stick with three:

1. Whatever you decide, practice with it in fair weather! Think about where you need to be and which way you will be thrown. Think about what will tangle with what. I once saw a guy get tossed in a jibe because he had his tether around the traveler.

2. Also remember that they either need to be VERY fast to rig or rigged all the time. Night comes every day and bad thunderstorms come quickly.

3. Tether length. Though 6' is common, 2-arm tethers are better. Better yet, customize the lengths to YOUR boat.

 

[Jackdaw]

It would be nice to see some pictures if anyone has some to post. Thanks in advance.

Ideally jacklines run from the aft edge of cabintop near the cockpit to a point forward on the deck, but not to the very bow. Keep them as inboard as possible. The idea is to minimize places where someone could fall down and go OFF the boat while clipped in. That can be a death sentence. Mount D-rings specifically for this purpose if need be.

In the cockpit, have one or two VERY SOLID D-rings on the cockpit floor, forward. Test so full tether stretch keeps you from falling off the transom.Clip here if you are in the cockpit. You do NOT want jacklines going anywhere near the transom.

Here is a pic of a 40 foot shorthanded ocean racer. On nice days like this, we do not always clip in the cockpit, but they are always ready if someone has to go forward.