Proper use of Sliding Goose Neck

[geehaw]

When I bought my boat I had no instruction of rigging from previous owner. Now after two seasons and reading here I realize I have a sliding Goose Neck. So far I have just locked this so it's movements are minimal by placing screw in holes in the track. So I wonder how to use this correctly. Should I raise the sail then pull the goose neck down to tighten the luff? Or should I tie the goose neck down pull the luff tight with the halyard? Or does this replace the use of a Cunningham? My sail is equipped with one. And does this require a block at the mast base?

 

[Stu Jackson]

Either way will work to get a tight luff to begin with. The cunningham will be helpful to avoid having to either tighten the halyard or pull down the gooseneck as the wind builds and as the sail luff stretches. A block to run the cunningham back to the cockpit would be helpful.

 

[Vic H.]

My 1967 Shark 24 had the sliding gooseneck. I think this was the technology of the time. I had locked mine to the "Black band" height and used the cunningham, much easier to operate under a load. I eventually switched out to solid mounted gooseneck.

Vic H.

 

[Joe]

According to my little book of sailing.... you have what is technically called a "downhaul". Here, rigging a line to pull down on the boom will not only tension the luff, but put action on the entire front 1/4 of the sail... if the sail's foot is attached. If the sail is loose footed....... then the down haul will only affect the mainsail's luff.

A cunningham acts directly on the sail...and in my mind.... is preferred to the downhual. The purpose of the cunnigham being to tension the mainsail luff to move its maximum draft position forward and would not affect it's depth by stretching the foot down also. But.... there may be others who think differently.

If your mainsail is loose footed, then the downhaul is redundant and unnecessary if you have a cunningham. If your mainsail has an attached foot, and the outhaul is difficult to work, then there may be some benefit to the downhaul over the cunningham, but I think a working outhaul and cunningham are far more effective tools than a singular downhaul with an ill working outhaul.

 

[Indysailor]

I've also wondered about this set up. My Oday 23 is rigged the same way with a down haul, cunningham and attached foot. The sail has a cringle for a cunningham, but no line, except what is attached to the down haul. Also, there is one cleat. I use the jiffy reefing line as the cunningham, since it's attached to the mast anyway, but the lack of a cleat is puzzling, so I've been thinking I'll add one to make it more convenient.

Anyway, I wonder whether to leave the down haul off, or tie it down? The PO always tied it down when she sailed, so I've pretty much done the same thing.

 

[Joe11688]

My 1986 O'Day 222 came with Z-Spar mast and boom and the goose neck is fixed to the mast. I don't think that a down haul is really needed. If you have a way of locking the goose neck, setting the main halyard shouldn't make a difference in the shape of the sail than using a down haul. I'm really no expert on sail control but I know what has always worked on my boat through experimentation.