Cape Dory Staysail Rigging Question

[David Feibush]

All,

I tried rigging the staysail and boom yesterday on my CD 31 (hanked on, not roller furling), but it just doesn't look right. The tack is attached to a shackle at the base of the inner forestay, as it looks like the only place where it can be secured. The outhaul sheet attached to the clew runs through a block on the aft end and is then secured on a cleat on the boom itself. I purchased the boat last fall and perhaps this just isn't the right sail. Below are several photos of how it's currently set up.

Does anyone have any photos of how they rigged a hanked on staysail for a Cape Dory cutter? Jim W. said that a jackline on the clew should be attached, as well.

Thank you so much for your guidance!

Regards,

Dave

[jbenagh]

That looks like the same setup on my CD30. My sail goes much closer to the outhaul block though. I don't have a picture handy though.

Jeff

[Steve Laume]

You might want to add a short pendant at the tack. A foot is probably about right. You can use a loop of line and adjust it to you taste. This will get the tack of the sail, up and away from the boom pedestal. It will also move the sail back a wee bit on the boom. It will make it easier to tuck the sail into it's bag as well. Once you get things to where you like it you could make up a wire or Amsteel pendant or just continue to use double braid, Steve.

[John Stone]

I agree with Steve. You want a pendant on the tack of the sail to the tackfitting. The only thing that limits how long the pendant can be is the hight of the forestay juxtaposed the length of the stays’l luff. I’d think about a foot or so to start with. I don’t have a club boom on my boat but I still use a pendant on the stays’l. And all I use is Dacron 3 strand so I’d start with 3/8” double braid and play with it and see how you like it. You don’t need any fancy splices for this. Just a bowline on the tack of the sail down to the deck fitting back up to the tack of the sail and a coupe half hitches. Then, just as Steve recommended, either stay with the double-braid or go to Dyneema or a nylon strop (webbing) with sewn SS or bronze ring.

[Dana]

Hi Dave,

I had a staysail problem like yours on my CD30c. I wanted the clew to stay closer to the jib boom so when I slacked the outhaul, the sail maintained better shape in light air. So I added a slide to the boom and a shackle to the clew. This system is also helpful when flaking the sail for storage under it's cover. Send me an email address and I will forward photos of the clew and the tack of my staysail.
Dana Sewall

[David Feibush]

Jeff/John/Steve/Dana,

Thank you very much for the helpful responses! You were absolutely right about the tack. Several other lessons learned about the staysail on the first trip this year down the CT coast. I do question how much value the staysail boom really adds, versus tying directly onto the clew. But, I'll play around with it this season. It does add a lot of clutter on the foredeck. I'll rig it like Dana's and with a quick release lever from a local CT manufacturer named C. Sherman Johnson.

Thanks again everyone.

Fair winds,

David

[John Stone]

Hi David
You can certainly keep the set up you have and make it work just fine. However I got rid of the club boom and am happy I did.

I use a 9mm dyneema (dynex dux) forestay with a low friction ring spliced into the end. I use an adjustable Dyneema pendant to tighten it, usually to the top drum on my anchor windlass. You can also do this with a hifield lever. The advantages are it clears the for decknup and it’s easy to remove the forestay, with the stays’l still bagged to it, and pull the whole mess back to the mast and quickly open the slot up for short tacking with the jib. With a Dyneema forestay you don’t have to worry about it banging into the mast like you do with a wire forestay.

To use the stays’l without a club boom you need two additional sheet winches (#16 STs are ideal).

I have been very happy with it having sailed many thousands of miles rigged as such. I’d never go back to a club boom. Of course there are many Cape Dorians that are very happy with a club stays’l.

Here is a link to our removable forestay: https://farreachvoyages.wordpress.com/2 ... se-device/