Questions about Topping Lift

[eliems]

So still on a steep learning curve here and wondering something about the line running from the end of the boom to the top of the mast.

1 What happens if this line breaks? Boom smashes the cabin top?

2 Doesn't the Boom Vang pull down harder and harder on the topping lift as you crank it? How do you know when to stop?

3 Do I need to remember to always slacken off the Vang when getting back to the slip in order to prevent stretching of the topping line?

4 How many years does a line like this last and how do you know when it is stretched out and ready to break?

5 Does the topping line end at the top of the mast or travel over a pully and down the mast to exit out at the bottom? Is that how you adjust it?

Thanks for your advice in so many of these newbie questions!

 

[FastOlson]

So still on a steep learning curve here and wondering something about the line running from the end of the boom to the top of the mast.

1 What happens if this line breaks? Boom smashes the cabin top?

2 Doesn't the Boom Vang pull down harder and harder on the topping lift as you crank it? How do you know when to stop?

3 Do I need to remember to always slacken off the Vang when getting back to the slip in order to prevent stretching of the topping line?

4 How many years does a line like this last and how do you know when it is stretched out and ready to break?

5 Does the topping line end at the top of the mast or travel over a pully and down the mast to exit out at the bottom? Is that how you adjust it?

Thanks for your advice in so many of these newbie questions!

1. Boom falls down and hits cabin or your head. Unlikely unless line is extremely undersized or the attachment hardware breaks.
2. Always slack off the boom lift enough to allow full sail adjustment and boom positioning with the vang. You are right about the power of the vang. If you arrange a fight between the two, another possible outcome is a bent boom.
3. Yes. And see answer to #2.
4. As long as any of your other running rigging. It should be a good grade of low stretch line like StaSetX.
5. Sometimes, or will be dead-ended at the top and run thru a small block at the end of the boom and forward to a cleat on the side of the boom.
6. Since these are notorious for snagging batten pockets, far better to save up a few coins and replace it with a rod vang (Garhauer makes a solid product at an excellent price point, FWIW)

For your first season, just sail the boat a lot -- and just get used to adjusting the lift.


Cheers,
LB

 

[captainpat]

1. If there is no rigid boom vang, the boom will crash down to whatever stops it; cabin top, dodger, bimini, or heads.
2. Yes, tightening the vang will stress the topping lift. However, except for some special circumstances, you should always loosen the topping lift after raising the sail. Just remember to tighten it again BEFORE lowering the sail.
3. No. Just remember about tightening the TL before lowering the sail
4. The life span of these lines is quite long. Replace them when you see evidence of broken or heat glazed and crushed fibers. Usually, the lines accumulate dirt, salt and mildew making them feel stiff and hard to the touch and can be self serviced. Your TL line is probably a low-stretch Dacron line. It, along with your halyards, can be self serviced each year by removing them (using a CAREFULLY AND SECURELY attached messenger line) for washing and storage. This removes any accumulated salt, dirt, etc. and keeps them pliable. In fact you could use a little laundry softener and just a touch of bleach during the cleaning. If you elect to use a washing machine it's a good idea to put each line in a pillowcase, or better yet a mesh bag, to prevent a tangled mess (which you'll probably get anyway) and, more importantly, chance of fouling in the washing machine agitator.
5. It can be secured at the masthead at a fixed length or run through a sheave and down for adjustment. If a fixed length, you can add some sort of adjusting tackle at the boom end which would be a good recommendation, but probably would involve shortening the TL to accommodate the extra adjusting line and associated blocks.
BTW: the vang, weather hard or soft, is a great secondary control. It's basic purpose is to keep the boom down when your course takes you more and more off the wind until dead down wind. When at the slip or close hauled it should be just snugged and as you bear off the wind it will pretty much automatically "take up" as the boom swings out keeping it level. There are times, however, when you may not want this to happen and, as with your mainsheet, cunningham, outhaul and particularly the traveler, there are a lot of adjustment possibilities, depending on wind strength and other factors, but basically it is used as I outlined.
Hope this helps.

 

[navigator97]

Eliems, The basic function of the topping lift is to hold up the boom from the aft end when the mainsail is NOT hoisted and set. When the mainsail is up and set, you don't need the function of the topping lift. So, after hoisting the mainsail and winching it up the last foot or so, and securing the main halyard, then ease off the topping so it has some slack and doesn't snag battens. Later when you are ready to lower the main, first tighten up on the topping lift and secure the deck end of it. Then lower and flake the mainsail - the topping lift will continue to hold up the boom till next time. I then snug up on the main sheet, after centering the traveler. This keeps the boom pretty secure.

 

[JoyRide28]

On almost every boat I've ever sailed it is possible to adjust the topping lift so that it will be slightly slack when the mail is hoisted and will be just right when the main is doused. In other words, once you find the right spot you may not need to adjust it every time (except for special things, like clearing the bimini, etc.).

 

[Wanderer138]

The topping lift supports the boom when the mainsail is down. When the sail is up, the leech (trailing edge) of the sail holds the boom up by going into tension. The topping lift should be slacked when sailing so it won't oppose the other mainsail controls. Otherwise the mainsail cannot be trimmed properly. Remember to re-tension the topping lift before dousing the mainsail.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Another thing that will make this easier to understand is that most mainsails are cut with a less than 90 degree angle at the tack. so when the sail is down and you put the boom at about 90 degrees to the mast the topping lift is tight. Once you hoist the main the sail will cause the boom to rise automagicly and the topping lift will go slack.

 

[Steve Dion]

Another option for a topping lift is to use a vinyl coated wire. This prevents any sail chafe and most of the line that is holding up the boom is protected from the sun.

Another option is to purchase a rigid boom vang. We have one on our HV'36 and it will hold to boom up without the sail or topping lift/halyard attached. Our boat DOES NOT have a topping lift so we attach the main halyard to the end of the boom when the sail is down. Our boom is 18.5 feet long and is VERY heavy.

 

[wflowe2]

Although I have a rigid vang, I still use the topping lift to limit the vertical boom travel so that it won't ride on the bimini.

 

[FastOlson]

Although I have a rigid vang, I still use the topping lift to limit the vertical boom travel so that it won't ride on the bimini.

Yow! I believe, and I am unanimous in this, that eliminating the old topping lift is the best part of having a rigid vang.
However, Your Boat : Your Rules.

More seriously, you are right to want to control the boom height when the main is lowered, and that's where the main halyard comes in.
Since you should keep that halyard stored away from noise and chafe on the mast anyway, you just clip it to the end of the boom and take up as needed to keep the furled sail off the dodger/bimini.
As soon as you set the halyard, you can then sock up on the main sheet so the boom will not wander back n forth.
"Works like a charm" as they used to say.... or "Bob's your Uncle".

(Truth to tell, I never did find out who "Bob" was, although I betcha someone here knows...)

Cheereo,

LB

 

[rardiH36]

Topping Lift Can Greatly Aid Main Sail Hoisting Effort

Another use for the topping lift (or rigid boom vang) for me -- not yet mentioned in this thread:

Before hoisting the main sail, I use the topping lift to raise the boom high enough so that after the sail halyard is tensioned, and the topping lift is then slackened, the boom will fall down a few inches -- the sail will keep it up from there. (And obviously the main sheet needs to be slackened to allow the topping lift to raise the boom.) Doing this takes all the pressure of the weight of the boom off the sail when hoisting and allows the sail slides to remain much freer of tension and friction as the sail is raised. Its amazing to me that when I raise the boom like this, I can pull the main sail right to the top by hand. Conversely, if the boom is in a further down position, I can't. And then even some hard cranking in on the halyard with my cabin top winch won't be enough to tension the lower luff enough to avoid the dreaded "scallop" look when the wind freshens during the sail.

I have wrapped red electrical tape around my topping lift line to mark the position that gives the right amount of boom height for hoisting. As my outing ends and it is time to drop the sail, I raise the boom to this mark. Then drop the mainsail. The topping lift stays at the same position to be just right for next outing's sail hoisting.

 

[gpd955]

We've used it to hoist tools and equipment when going aloft so whoever is up there doesn't have to worry about it. If they forget or need something, someone on the deck can take care of it.

Mine used to be the Dutchman system but I have removed it.

 

[Ron20324]

Also not mentioned is if you use the end of the boom to lift a MOB out of the water or hang the dinghy from it, the topping lift supports the load.

 

[wflowe2]

LB,
Since I have in-mast furling, I don't have a big roach that hangs up on the topping lift so there is really no benefit to getting rid of it. It also has other uses; an extra line to the mast head comes in handy.

 

[FastOlson]

LB,
Since I have in-mast furling, I don't have a big roach that hangs up on the topping lift so there is really no benefit to getting rid of it. It also has other uses; an extra line to the mast head comes in handy.

Good point. IIRC the thread was started by a sailor with a 28 foot boat.
You seldom see in-mast furling on a boat that small.

Best,
L

 

[oldiesrocker2001]

Similar to PeterC's suggestion, my topping lift is set with enough slack for all main controls to work without change(though I would likely ease the lift if I found I really needed to tighten the soft vang a lot more than usual). My 21 came with a pigtail on the back stay and even when it broke, I repaired it and still use it when not sailing which further eases the strain on the lift. I found that if the lift was slack while the boom was on the pigtail, it would still be slack enough for control lines to work when sailing. Still tight enough to prevent concussions, though.

 

[robertsapp]

Here's a topping lift lesson learned. We have a rigid vang, and I never gave much thought to the topping lift. Whenever we'd leave the boat, I'd always snug down tightly on the mainsheet to keep the boom under control so that a passing thunderstorm wouldn't blow it all around. I thought I was tightening the sheet against the upward force of the rigid vang. Not so. I was apparantly tightening the sheet against the pull of our lazy jacks. I went to check the boat after a particularly nasty front with gale winds had moved through and found my starboard lazy jacks laying on the deck. The bail on the lower spreader that they were attached to had failed. Probably due to the strain I was putting on it by tightening the mainsheet. It required a trip up the mast to repair. Now before I leave the boat, I use the topping lift to raise the boom end a foot or so, and then snug down on the mainsheet. The topping lift is now taking the strain, and not our lazy jacks.

Why wasn't I loosening the lazy jacks before leaving the boat? We have a huge, full roach main with full length battens. I need to keep the jacks tight to keep the sail mostly on top of the boom. If I loosen them much, piles of sail start spilling off the boom.

 

[wflowe2]

L
Your right although My Beneteau Oceanis 281 also had in-mast furling so they are out there.
Bill

 

[FourPoints]

I was apparantly tightening the sheet against the pull of our lazy jacks.

That's why I installed retractably lazy jacks, and a rigid vang, then got rid of the topping lift.:dance:

 

[Wendelin1]

My friend has a Catalina 30 tall rig. He is aprrox. 6ft tall boom hits his head when in cockpit under sail .Is there a method for raising boom height without using topping lift when under sail or is boom height on mast luff track plate one position only? Thanks for any comments etc. captainwen@optonline.net