Topping Lift Options

[Jim Lewis]

No pic, but on my cd30k have fixed length of line from top of mast to end of boom....it has small pulley on lower end.....attach same diameter of line to end of boom, run thru pulley and a small cleat on the boom is where you secure that short length of line....the pulley on the end of the line from top of mast is about 2 feet or so above the end of the boom when it is in the low position, allowing to change the height of boom by adjusting length of short line on boom cleat.....adjusting is done while standing front of cockpit for main boom and adjusting for mizzen is done at the aft part of cockpit......topping lift for booms forward of main mast is done at the main mast, same point that you raise and lower fwd and main sails.....that is no more than a line from back of boom thru pulley not too high up on main mast and secured to small cleat.....have never had any wear on fwd boom line, and only once on the short main line......so doesn t require going aloft to fix a wear problem...
as long as lines from top of mast are in good order.....they seem to last 30 yrs like the rigging or longer.......good luck

[Steve Laume]

Anybody playing with high tech line for topping lifts or life lines?

I was thinking that if I was to replace my present set up where I have a fixed line to the mast head it could be 1/8" Amsteel or some other high tech single braid. Would this also work okay if it were brought down the mast and cleated? If it were upped to 3/16" this stuff would be strong enough to be used as an emergency halyard. They do talk about creep under load. As a topping lift I doubt this would be a problem. If it were kept to 1/8" it might make up for some of the windage that all the other junk I have on my mast has added.

Other than cost, is this an approapreate use of this line?

If I have a new main halyard, should I even bother to think about the topping lift as a back up?

The nice thing about the single braid is that I have figgured out how to splice it, Steve.

[Andy Denmark]

Steve,

I replaced the 1/8" SS TL (factory original) with 1/8" Spectra. It's has a SS thimble lashed in at both ends and a small Harken single block at the lower end. The lower end has a 5/16" whip (2:1 purchase) with the bitter end running along the boom a couple of feet to a standard horn cleat. I've never found this arrangement particularly difficult to deal with and it's simple, the mark of a well-engineered product.

My reasons for this are: (1) seriously reduced windage & weight aloft, (2) higher tensile strength than the Dacron, (3) less detuning of the backstay that is the antenna for the HAM/SSB rig, and (4) the light Spectra line will not eventually wear out the stitching on the leech of the mainsail like almost anything else will do over time. The performance of the HF rig with the Spectra antenna is markedly better and doesn't result in getting the SGC-230 Autotuner confused all the time depending on point of sail.

FWIW