Main Halyard Truckers Knot

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DarylA

DarylA

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Mar 23, 2012
61
Im now preparing to take our new Mac 26m and get it wet for our first time this weekend.

Looking at the owners manual the instructions advise tensioning the main using a truckers hitch. I can't imagine that this is how you are all raising the main. Id expect that after not very long you'd have substantial ware on the halyard.

Please enlighten me, what does everyone do in the real world?

Many thanks.
 
justsomeguy

justsomeguy

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Feb 20, 2011
8,048
Island Packet 35 Tucson, AZ/San Carlos, MX
My main haulyard goes from the headboard up the mast to a block, down to another block at the mast base, to a deck organizer, then back to a cam cleat on the cabin top.
The only knot is at the headboard, a bowline.

You don't suppose they meant your clew outhaul tension?
 
Freedom77

Freedom77

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Jul 29, 2010
1,392
Macgregor 76 V-25 #928 Lake Mead, Nevada
Seems to me a trucker hitch is a little overkill. Justsomeguy is right. fair winds and Full Sails....
 
DarylA

DarylA

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Mar 23, 2012
61
Yeh, they defiantly mean this for the main halyard. I am guessing that its just this way on the "m"'s due to the rotating mast.
 
DarylA

DarylA

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Mar 23, 2012
61
Glad you've now seen the hitch in question. Horrible isn't it!

Re: Rotating mast. Its not that it needs more force to haul it. Mealy that I'm not failure with the set-up on X's and S's to raise the sail. I didn't know if you took the halyard back to a winch by the cockpit. This must be harder to accomplish if the mast rotates.

Maybe if I need a 2:1 ratio I should just get my wife on the job too ;)
 
Doc_holiday

Doc_holiday

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Nov 19, 2011
1,489
MacGregor 26S Hampton, VA
I like the truckers hitch, I am not sure this is wise as a final haul down for the sake of wear. Now if they used a bowline to attach to a small block, you would gain the 2-1 advantage without wear on the halyard or your back. Halyards are too expensive to replace or wear out for no good reason. .
 
timebandit

timebandit

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Jun 3, 2004
1,863
Macgregor 25 So. Cal.
I have these mast cleats down low--

and these up at 6 feet


If I cannot generate enuff pull by dangling my 200 pounds then

I just run the halyard under the lower cleat horn and then back up and over the top cleat horn and sweat the line and tie off to the upper cleat.

Make sure everything is working ok because sweating can generate a lot of force, just watch a 100 pound woman pull in a large boat to the dock sometime.

No sweat.:dance:
 
DarylA

DarylA

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Mar 23, 2012
61
I'll have a look to see if I can rig some temporary way of doing this. Long term I think I may install a jammer on the mast, then run the line through a block to a winch. Im thinking the jammer needs to be on the mast so it may then rotate without the sail going up & down ;)

I did find a thread where someone had attached a jammer to a line with two pulley blocks and a bit of free line. This way they could just fasten it on to the main halyard whenever required.

image-183885988.jpg
 
Freedom77

Freedom77

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Jul 29, 2010
1,392
Macgregor 76 V-25 #928 Lake Mead, Nevada
timebandit said:
Just be sure you do not ruin the sail with to much tension with this
Click to expand
Timebandit has a good point. Not to "stretch";) a point but too much tension can stretch the luff rope. Fair Winds and Full Sails....
 
DarylA

DarylA

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Mar 23, 2012
61
Don't worry, I won't stretch it... For the time being I'll just use my body weight, just without the truckers knot!

My brother lives in Portsmouth & has had to work with the navy. They are not allowed to tie a truckers knot as its a slip knot. If they use one it is considered to be mutiny! Sometimes they will tie the load onto a lorry, but using naval knots. However when the lorry drivers return they untie them all and replace them with truckers knots! Just thought Id through this in as general interest.
 
DarylA

DarylA

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Mar 23, 2012
61
Thats great thanks.. I watched it three times & think i can remember how to tie it! Really useful knot to know.
 
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