Re-installing a self tending staysail

[Adamhagan]

Some recent club mates have re-energized my desire for a self tending staysail. Many times I've gone with a reefed/rolled jenny, but I've always been nervous about using it in high winds. I added a Harken low-friction lead block kit which has made rolling very easy (I can easily manage single-handing in 25+knots...but still makes me nervous.

Since most of the components were removed from my CD30K I have a few questions for the group.

1. When my bowsprit was replaced a windlass was added, which might present a clearance problem for the boom. I've also seen some systems that don't require a boom. Pros/cons? ie: is the boom necessary to provide enough outhaul tension?


2: Where should the solent attach on the mast (other photos of CD30K it seem 3/4 the mast. I will go back up when it's time to reattach the triatic (had to remove for hauling this season). Here is my current set up.


3: If I need a boom, where should I start looking, and the solent hardware?

Thanks OceansPoem for giving me inspiration!


Thanks in advance.
Adam

[Jim Davis]

Just to get you started. Go to Home Depot/Lowes/or the like and pick up a length of 1 1/4 PVC pipe and a couple steel straps so you can make a temporary boom to play with. This is strong enough for experimenting and becomes a template for making up a real boom later if you decide to continue. Find out what will actually work above your windlass and if you have to have your staysail re cut to fit. Use the tangs to make a temporary gooseneck and simply seize the sheet block and topping lift while you are playing. Also I wouldn't cut the pipe until you have a good idea of what fits.

An alternative to using a boom would be to make it club footed. This would improve pointing, but not as much as having it on a boom. For short tacking a boomed staysail can do wonders in simplifying sail handling. To me the real drawback to any self tending headsail is that they don't lend themselves to heaving to. For this you have to go forward and tie it to a strong point in order to keep it back winded.

To reduce the clutter on my foredeck I use the topping lift to raise the staysail boom so people can walk under it when I am at anchor or rafted.

Side note From your photo I now know who made the pedestal I have on my staysail.

[Hud Smith]

Hi Adam,
We have a CD30K with the self tacking jib on a boom. The clew of the jib attaches to the end of the jib boom. Our jib is hanked on, and has a jackline that goes up the luff about 7 feet. I had the sail made this way so I could raise and lower the sail from the cockpit with a halyard and downhaul. It's a nice sail - because the pivot mount for the jib boom is astern of the forestay, the sail develops more belly as you turn downwind. However, if we want to increase or decrease sail, we have to drop the jib, and raise another sail above the furled jib. This is fine going to a large genoa, but more difficult reducing to a half jib, which needs to have the clew tied to the boom (which means the regular jib needs to be dropped and tied off to the side).
I like it, but it's work changing, and the anchor seems to get heavier every year.
Hud

[Neil Gordon]

However, if we want to increase or decrease sail, we have to drop the jib, and raise another sail above the furled jib. This is fine going to a large genoa, but more difficult reducing to a half jib, which needs to have the clew tied to the boom (which means the regular jib needs to be dropped and tied off to the side).

Why not just reef the jib? It seems easier than hanking on a half sized sail.

[Klem]

Whether you use a club or boom or whether you go loose footed is a personal preference. With a club, you get a self tacking sail that is very easy to use. Without it, you get potentially better sail shape and a foredeck that is much less cluttered. With a club, the club acts as an outhaul and the sheet lead is less critical (usually to a track just ahead of the mast). Without one, you will need leads on your cabintop so that you get proper sail shape. If you already have the track, it will only work if you get a club footed sail.

The good news is that you still have the bronze casting that the boom mounts to. This mount appears to be in a different place than it was on our boat (I removed it when the new bowsprit was installed), ours was just ahead of the chain pipe. What matters is that the top of this mount is higher than the top of the windlass so that the boom clears the windlass (it should never go lower than horizontal).

As to finding a boom, see if someone local has one that they don't use any more. If you ever drive up this way, let me know as I have the one off of our 30k which I have been meaning to sell for several years and just haven't gotten to yet.

As to where you attach the stay to the mast, it depends on what you are trying to do. If you want something that you will rig temporarily in heavy air, then a solent stay which goes from the masthead would be the easiest to install. If you want something that can stay rigged more often (as in you can still have the genoa up) and provides more structure to the mast, then an inner forestay which attaches ~2/3 of the way up the mast would make sense. Be aware that with an inner forestay, you really need running backstays or you could do serious damage to your mast. The advantage is that once you have the running backstays, your rig will be much less likely to pump. I have seen some of the 30C's with permanent backstays running to just aft of the aft lowers which are nice because you don't have to tack them when the inner forestay is being used but they do decrease the amount that you can sheet out the main.

[Hud Smith]

Neil,
I would reef the jib if I could figure an easy way to deal with the Jack line that runs through the hanks. This jack line pulls the sail tight to the fore stay. If I drop the sail partially to reef it, the jack line goes slack and I have zero shape to sail.
Usually we reef the main sail down as needed and let the jib and mizzen balance each other, but at times I would like to be able to reef the jib.
I was considering having the reef point moved up to where the jack line starts- 6 or 7 feet- - then I could just take the tack to a wire leader (to give some clearance) and reef normally.
Hud

[Steve Laume]

I wish I had a jack line on my current stay sail. The lack of one creates one more step when dealing with it as I have to release the out haul each time I lower the thing.

Couldn't you splice or tie a reef point directly into the jack line? I have reefed my stay sail a number of times but if there are large seas associated with that much wind, it isn't that much fun, Steve.

[stephen bowen]

I have a bronze staysail fitting and boom from a cd 36 if you are interested. Stephen s/v namaste cd 36