This my first boat and it has been a good boat this far. However, I am 53 years old with a spouse who is a reluctant and anxious sailor. She hates it when I go forward to raise the main leaving her in the cockpit alone. For reasons of domestic tranquility, and safety, I would like to be able to raise the main from the cockpit. My boat has boom sheeting, with a traveler that is at the end of the cockpit. I also would like a 150 Genoa with roller furling. I would love your advice on how to set up the boat in a way that will be efficient and cost effective. I would consider doing some DIY if feasible. I see 4 options in ascending order of expense and difficulty. 1. I just run the halyard back to get the line to the starboard winch (there are no winch’s on the cabin top). The obvious problem is that this would leave the reef lines at the mast. I assume that would not last forever, although all of my sailing is on the Columbia River 2. I could run the halyard for the headsail, mainsail and reef lines back. This would probably require me to get two or three winches. This might be the best solution, but probably the most expensive. 3. I have three lines at the mast, one reefing, one outhaul, and the third I do not know what it is for. That would allow me to bring the reef line back to the cockpit. However, would I need to install a winch for these? I have no boom vang although it looks like it had one installed at one time. There is a wire on the back of the boom I think it is a topping lift. I also have a Cunningham. I would appreciate any advice that any of you can give me. I would be delighted to entertain any additional options.
Lines to the cockpit
- Thread starter Roger10073
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Other 27 owners...
will certainly have some better ideas on the package, just wanted to comment on the genoa in particular. I'd consider staying with a 130-135% genoa as it will reef down to a more useable and safer size than a 150. Are there many days on the Columbia that you would need a 150? If wife is "reluctant sailor", a 150 will overpower the boat many more times than a 130-135, and it won't reef down on the furler significantly enough to get her comfortable and you home safely in a blow. Something to consider...
will certainly have some better ideas on the package, just wanted to comment on the genoa in particular. I'd consider staying with a 130-135% genoa as it will reef down to a more useable and safer size than a 150. Are there many days on the Columbia that you would need a 150? If wife is "reluctant sailor", a 150 will overpower the boat many more times than a 130-135, and it won't reef down on the furler significantly enough to get her comfortable and you home safely in a blow. Something to consider...
I lifted this...
from another post to give you some ideas as to how single line reefing should look. Don't know exactly what your 27 has in place on it's boom, that's where you'll need some other owners to chime in. Minimally, I'd want my main halyard and a 1st reef led back to cockpit. Worst case should be 1 additional winch and some turning blocks with a double clutch set-up. Good luck. I promise you one thing, with roller furling you will use your boat a LOT more and will be able to keep the Admiral happier a LOT easier! See the link below.
from another post to give you some ideas as to how single line reefing should look. Don't know exactly what your 27 has in place on it's boom, that's where you'll need some other owners to chime in. Minimally, I'd want my main halyard and a 1st reef led back to cockpit. Worst case should be 1 additional winch and some turning blocks with a double clutch set-up. Good luck. I promise you one thing, with roller furling you will use your boat a LOT more and will be able to keep the Admiral happier a LOT easier! See the link below.
Reluctant Wives and Complicated Rigging
I would just caution that you not try to use your headsail winches for multiple functions, ie. trimming the jenny, tacking, furling or unfurling while trying to raise, reef, or drop the main. It will be unsafe and more complicated to lead the main halyard and reefing line to the side of the cockpit than install a smaller winch on the cabintop with multi position line organizer and clutches to allow multiple uses at that location. Many boats will have a similar setup on each side as needed. This is unfortunately more expensive but one action will not negate the ability to perform another.
I would just caution that you not try to use your headsail winches for multiple functions, ie. trimming the jenny, tacking, furling or unfurling while trying to raise, reef, or drop the main. It will be unsafe and more complicated to lead the main halyard and reefing line to the side of the cockpit than install a smaller winch on the cabintop with multi position line organizer and clutches to allow multiple uses at that location. Many boats will have a similar setup on each side as needed. This is unfortunately more expensive but one action will not negate the ability to perform another.
Lines to cockpit
I agree that the best way is to run the halyards back to the cockpit is along the cabin roof to a multiple rope clutch. One winch behind the clutch will be all that's needed to handle all three lines. You will need blocks at the base of the mast and then a multiple cheek block to turn the corner back to the rope clutch. You can sometimes find some good deals on this stuff on e-bay etc. You will also need longer halyards and you can use your old halyards to pull a smaller line up over top sheve. Then you can measure the length of the old halyards and figure out the added length you will need to get back to the cockpit. When you get the new halyards, use the small line to pull the new halyards through. Before I could afford a roller furling unit, I rigged a jib downhaul line from the cockpit to a block on the bow that was attached to the top jib hank. I then rigged the lifelines with netting or smaller lines running criss crossed over the lifeline and toe rail. Since I had the jib halyard run to the cockpit, all I had to do to get the jib down was to release the halyard and pull on the small downhaul line to pull the jib all the way down from the cockpit and it would lay against the netting and I could put it away when I got back to the marina or when the main was also down and everything was under control. If I wanted the jib back up, just pull on the halyard and let the downhaul line pay out, kinda like a roller furling line. It worked well for me because I was single handed most all the time. If the wind is a little too strong for both sails, just run the jib alone and then if the wind comes up too much, you can drop the jib without leaving the cockpit. For me, if the wind is strong enough to put a reef in the main, you can sail pretty well with just the jib, especially if you have a reluctant sailor on board that doesn't like to heal over too much. Another plus to rigging the downhaul line on your jib is that you can still hank on the smaller storm jib or larger jenny before as conditions warrant. I have a roller reefing unit on my Hunter 31 and you just can't get a nice sail shape when it's rolled up part way, but it is very handy to douse the sail or put just enough out there that you don't have to motor home. There are a lot of older single speed, non self tailing winches circulating out there on e-bay and places like that because a lot of people are upgrading to self tailing type. So, you can usually find good deals on the older winches. I know I would like a self tailing halyard winch, but I get by and if my 65 year old Mom is on board, she can tail line off the winch for me so that I can crank the winch with both hands. The sails on a 27 shouldn't be too hard to raise. The other consideration is to make sure you attach all hardware to the cabin top correctly and with backing plates/washers etc. You can get a plate that your mast sits on to atach blocks to so the you don't have to drill through the cabin top and have that load pulling up. The load from the cheek blocks, line clutches and winch are not as bad because it pulls sideways. Good luck and I know exactly what you mean by reluctant sailor as I have been in that same situation many times. We do whatever we can to make them comfortable and keep them sailing.
I agree that the best way is to run the halyards back to the cockpit is along the cabin roof to a multiple rope clutch. One winch behind the clutch will be all that's needed to handle all three lines. You will need blocks at the base of the mast and then a multiple cheek block to turn the corner back to the rope clutch. You can sometimes find some good deals on this stuff on e-bay etc. You will also need longer halyards and you can use your old halyards to pull a smaller line up over top sheve. Then you can measure the length of the old halyards and figure out the added length you will need to get back to the cockpit. When you get the new halyards, use the small line to pull the new halyards through. Before I could afford a roller furling unit, I rigged a jib downhaul line from the cockpit to a block on the bow that was attached to the top jib hank. I then rigged the lifelines with netting or smaller lines running criss crossed over the lifeline and toe rail. Since I had the jib halyard run to the cockpit, all I had to do to get the jib down was to release the halyard and pull on the small downhaul line to pull the jib all the way down from the cockpit and it would lay against the netting and I could put it away when I got back to the marina or when the main was also down and everything was under control. If I wanted the jib back up, just pull on the halyard and let the downhaul line pay out, kinda like a roller furling line. It worked well for me because I was single handed most all the time. If the wind is a little too strong for both sails, just run the jib alone and then if the wind comes up too much, you can drop the jib without leaving the cockpit. For me, if the wind is strong enough to put a reef in the main, you can sail pretty well with just the jib, especially if you have a reluctant sailor on board that doesn't like to heal over too much. Another plus to rigging the downhaul line on your jib is that you can still hank on the smaller storm jib or larger jenny before as conditions warrant. I have a roller reefing unit on my Hunter 31 and you just can't get a nice sail shape when it's rolled up part way, but it is very handy to douse the sail or put just enough out there that you don't have to motor home. There are a lot of older single speed, non self tailing winches circulating out there on e-bay and places like that because a lot of people are upgrading to self tailing type. So, you can usually find good deals on the older winches. I know I would like a self tailing halyard winch, but I get by and if my 65 year old Mom is on board, she can tail line off the winch for me so that I can crank the winch with both hands. The sails on a 27 shouldn't be too hard to raise. The other consideration is to make sure you attach all hardware to the cabin top correctly and with backing plates/washers etc. You can get a plate that your mast sits on to atach blocks to so the you don't have to drill through the cabin top and have that load pulling up. The load from the cheek blocks, line clutches and winch are not as bad because it pulls sideways. Good luck and I know exactly what you mean by reluctant sailor as I have been in that same situation many times. We do whatever we can to make them comfortable and keep them sailing.
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