Outhaul modifications

dlochner · Mar 18, 2025

Out hauls are typically inside the boom on larger boats because it is necessary to use a block and tackle to develop enough tension. There are different arrangements and cascading systems are often used. When located inside the boom the pull on the sail will be in a straight line along the boom. In order mount the outhaul blocks outside the boom they would need to be mounted beneath the boom, not along side to maintain the straight pull, that would leave them dangling and in the way.

smokey73 · Mar 18, 2025

If you can get the forward end cap off the boom you could mount a cascading block and tackle system inside the boom. How you make the turn at each end of the boom is a different story though. Do you have sheaves on both ends of the boom?

Foswick · Mar 18, 2025

Just want to suggest that, while an internal outhaul is better (in general). They weren't very common until relatively recently, and boats bigger than yours have sailed just fine without them for years. A 30-foot boat can sail just fine with an externally-rigged outhaul.

But ... that said, going external might not really be any simpler. One consideration is what you mean by "loose footed". The sail can be rigged so the clew is still attached to a car that runs along a track in the boom. If that is your intent, you have more options. If the clew is also loose, held only by the outhaul, that changes the picture a bit. (People that know more about rigging than me will have to expand on that. It is just that, in such a setup, we no longer have good control over the direction of forces. When the clew is on a track, the outhaul only gets tension in one fixed direction.)

If I am understanding your setup correctly, you have a sheave at the clew end of boom that is used by a wire rope that runs through the boom, and exits presumably near the tack end and some kind of winch? Or, more likely, a synthetic line exits the boom at the tack end and there is a system of one or more blocks inside the boom that ultimately tension the wire rope.

Assuming it is that latter (as I've never seen the former), it sounds like your complaint has more to do with the winch end. Am I understanding correctly? That is, the wire rope mechanism, itself, is fine. It's just that you don't have good control over tensioning, right?

That could be easy to address, but I'm not visualizing your setup very well.

I would say, though, that if you are considering modifications, don't forget to think about how you will want to handle reefing. Now is the time to make those modifications, as well.

jssailem · Mar 18, 2025

Fred, Pictures of your current rig will help us understand what you are facing. The discussion will make more sense.

Tally Ho · Mar 18, 2025

The outhaul on my O’Day is just a single rope tied to the outhaul crinkle on the sail. Over a sheave at the aft end of the boom, through the boom, and then down to some turning blocks to route the outhaul back to a rope clutch and cabin-top winch. I can get the sail pretty tight with that set up.

Greg

Don Guillette · Mar 19, 2025

I'll get to the outhaul in a minute but first a story about the importance of that sail trim control for a fractional rig (the main is the engine) but for any sailboat. Over the many years I worked with sailors on sail trim on their boats in LA, Ca there were 2 things I looked at immediately upon boarding their boat especially if was a Catalina.(my favorite sailboat). The first was the jib lead and generally it was frozen in place. Since the Catalina is a masthead rig the jib is the engine and if the jib car hasn't been adjusted the existing setting is like the broken clock. It's right right twice a day or for a given point of sail/wind condition and wrong for all other conditions. That observation was done upon the first step onto the boat. The next thing I looked at was the outhaul. The outhauls main function is to control draft depth - it secondary function is one aspect of draft position but it's main job is draft depth, which is the boat accelerator. Next I casually look at the main & jib to see if there are telltales - without telltales I don't know how a sailor can trim his sails to 100% efficiency. I can't and I know what I'm looking for. So, in about 30 seconds I have a good idea why the owner is not getting what he wants out of his boat. Next question for the owner is do you understand what ALL the sail trim controls for the main and jib are adjusting?

The internal outhaul is a nice idea but the Catalina system was a mess from inception. Once it bound up it was difficult to fix and even if repaired it would mess up again. One additional problem with the system was the end of the jib was attached to a alum slug in the track. The outhaul line coming out of the end of the boom was attached to the end of the slug and when you cranked on the line the pulling motion of the line on the slug caused it to dig into the boom creating a lot of friction. After bringing the boom home, no easy feat, and cracking the alum end cap to get to the internal mess I decided there had to be a better way, which turned out to be two Harken triple blocks ( expensive little buggers) and a couple of shackles and turning blocks. I now had a horizontal pulling system that worked great for the 6" to 8" I needed to adjust the draft depth and the outhaul line extended to the cockpit for easy adjustment.

Once I figured it out it was an easy fix but I spent a lot of time (and a few beers) sitting on the deck and contemplating the problem,

Bottom line is go for a external setup especially if you're converting to a loose footed main.

Joe · Mar 19, 2025

I would leave the existing system in place until you've modified the sail. I is certainly acceptable to attach the tackle externally on the boom. But if possible, using the existing wire in some way would save you a lot of work. You really only need 2 or 3 to one purchase. And if you use dyneema line you won't need any thing more than 5/32, or even 7/64. The smaller line mean smaller blocks... which means it can go just about anywhere. Here's how you handle it...you attach a larger softer line, 1/4 to the last few feet. That will be easier to hold and cleat. do a search for outhaul systems. you'll find some diagrams in the hardware sites like Harken and Ronstan. Using the existing wire as part of a cascade arrangement will give you mucho purchase. rememeber the clew only has to move a few inches.... and it will move much easier once you've incorporated the loose foot main. Bood luck.

Hayden Watson · Mar 19, 2025

On my Catalina 30 I increased the purchase from the pothetic 3:1 to 12:1 by using two single blocks as cascades. One was at the end of the internal 3:1 tackle and the other was on the outhaul car. Works great and make trimming the foot effortless.

stickinthemud57 · Mar 19, 2025

I don't think Dyneema is necessarily the best choice. I have found it slips in clamcleats and camcleats.

I'll try to pull together some pics of my arrangement after this upcoming meeting.

stickinthemud57 · Mar 24, 2025

Sorry, got distracted. Here's a photo with callouts for my rig before installing inside the boom.

I know I did not recommend Dyneema. What I should have said is for the line that you will adjust the tension and cleat off. I used Dyneema to attach to the sail clew, but secured it with SS hognose clips covered in shrink tubing.

kappykaplan · Apr 9, 2025

Can you move the photos to your computer, resize, then post here?

kappykaplan · Apr 9, 2025

Text the photos to yourself - that will reduce the resolution. Then save the images with a new filename and try uploading those.

Outhaul modifications

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SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John

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