Securing Turnbuckle Barrels

[Parfait's Provider]

Is there a "Cape Dory" way to secure open turnbuckles? I have found a site that describes many methods for closed aircraft turnbuckles, but maybe something simpler is sufficient? The studs have cotter pins, so they aren't going to come off, but they could get very loose.

Thanks,

Ken

[mattlydon]

My closed turnbuckles have locking nuts, top and bottom

[Oswego John]

Hi Ken,

Hmmmm. I don't know about the official "Cape Dory" way.

Two ways came immediately to mind when I read your post. How orthodox they might be is debatable.

#1 Set the shroud or stay where you want it. Mark the threaded stud inside the barrel with a fine point Sharpie marking pen. Drill a new hole for a cotter ring at the mark.

#2 Slip on an adequate number of silicon bronze flat washers to fill in the space between the barrel threads and the existing cotter pin.

#2A Use one or two jamb nuts on the stud inside of the barrel. Some people use a jamb nut outside of the barrel, too.

Have fun,
O J

[Cathy Monaghan]

Hi Ken,

I know others won't like this, but we use cotter rings on ours. The ring goes around the outside of the turnbuckle and through the stud then everything is taped over.

With the rings in place, the turnbuckles/studs can't turn more than a tiny fraction of an inch and there's no pointy end sticking out - though the tape takes care of any pointy bits too.

Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

[Markst95]

I use the Cotter rings as well.

[bottomscraper]

I'm not sure if this is true for all open body turnbuckles but if I use the correct size cotter pin, the body will only turn no more than about 1/4 turn before the head or legs of the cotter pin hits the inside of the body. Maybe if you took a wrench and really cranked on it you could bend the head or legs over enough to turn the body beyond that point but I can't imagine that happening by itself.

Do some open body turnbuckles have wider openings that would allow the body to rotate without hitting that head of a cotter pin?

[Parfait's Provider]

Thanks Kathy. That sounds like a good idea. I am going to buy a bunch of rings. Messing with safety wire at least six, probably eight times, is not high on my list of fun.

[Jim Walsh]

I also use cotter rings on all turnbuckles, cotter pins on everything else. No more getting stabbed and fooling with rigging tape is a good thing.

[Oswego John]

Yep, that's it. I have to say that using a cotter ring passed around the turnbuckle frame makes a lot of sense.

I do use rings in some places instead cotter pins. Now, I'll use them in a different way.

Wish I thought of that.
O J

[Angela and Tom]

Switched to rings two years ago. Like them much better for all the reasons already mentioned above.

[Parfait's Provider]

Rich,

My rigger claims your method works, but I think he didn't use the right size cotter pins if that is correct. I am going to take some pictures the next time I am there.

He recommends Calder's book and I have Brion Toss's on order.

Ken

[Dalton]

I copied my hi tech racer friends. I pin my stays with cotter pins but use a strong piece of line, like Spectra for the shrouds. A bowline on one, two hitches and taped, through the middle two and a clove hitch on the other with 2 half hitches and taped. After a while I can see they have turned slightly but the line stops them.

[Mathias]

I talked to my sailmaker about using rings instead of those infernal pins. The pins have to be taped. They are hard to remove. They are, well, infernal.

He said the reason that pins are still preferable to rings is that if a sheet catches a ring, it can pull it straight and possibly out. But a sheet could never pull out a pin.

Hmm. Makes sense.

Now, I just have to decide on what the odds are that a sheet will catch a ring just so, AND then pull it out, AND I won't notice, AND the clevis pin will dislodge.

Not likely. But I still think I will stick with those infernal pins.

Then I won't have to lie in my berth and wonder about all those ANDs and IFs.

-Mathias

[Neil Gordon]

Now, I just have to decide on what the odds are that a sheet will catch a ring just so, AND then pull it out, AND I won't notice, AND the clevis pin will dislodge.

1,000 times more likely to happen in big weather rather than on a calm day. Especially the clevis pin falling out if the cotter pin is lost... leeward shrouds lose lots more tension than otherwise when the windward side is feeling a strong breeze.

[Maine Sail]

I actually use both. I use rings on my lowers as I am more likely to tweak those during the season than I am my uppers and intermediates,
and they are far easier to remove for adjustment than pins.

My uppers and intermediates are furthest outboard, and I have had a genny sheet hook a ring. Because of this I have gone back to using properly sized and bent cotter pins. As much as I don't like tape on my turn buckles I then tape over the pins as a just in case snag preventer, taping a ring is a PITA.

Both work well..

Of course I have also seen this on a boat that was heading for Bermuda the next morning.. Doh'!~



He also decided to not use them on the studs too...


When I mentioned this to the owner he was oblivious and didn't even want to examine it. "been like that for a while"....

Please bend your cotter pins appropriately or they WILL back out!!

Some boaters just scare the heck out of me....