Typhoon Topping Lift

[Jim1945]

I need to add a topping lift. There is room on the same pin that attaches the backstay to the mast head fitting. Is there some reason not to do this? Maybe the two attachments would ware excessively by rubbing against each other? Or, should I just drill another hole for a pin to attach the topping lift?

[Markst95]

I mounted a cheek block on the port top of the mast so I could run a line down to a cleat near the base. Works well and allows me to adjust the line while sailing or when I'm using a boom tent.

[Jim1945]

I mounted a cheek block on the port top of the mast so I could run a line down to a cleat near the base. Works well and allows me to adjust the line while sailing or when I'm using a boom tent.

Thanks for your thoughts, Mark. I think maybe you had a picture of that setup somewhere on the forum. On past boats I've just placed a small block at the boom end of the lift for adjustability. Once I set the proper length I didn't very often have to change it. I may just drill another hole in the mast head fitting for the lift as I wouldn't want the lift line and the backstay rubbing against each other when the boom is out to the side of the boat when running downwind.

[Paul D.]

Most Typhoons had a short wire rope swaged to the backstay about head level. There was a clip on the end of that wire rope that would clip to the end of the boom. It worked well.

If you want to add a proper topping lift that is adjustable under sail you can do what the previous post suggests. I might use a line instead of a wire rope though. Less chafe on the sail. Another way would be to make the line fast to the top of the mast crane and run down to a cheek block on the end of the boom and run that line forward to a cleat on the boom about 2 foot aft the tack. That is more of a big boat solution but this way you don't have the added line running down the mast.

[jim trandel]

I use a boom kicker. It's always there and it never gets in the way.

[Jeff D]

My topping lift runs through a block at the masthead.

[Dick Villamil]

The pigtail on the backstay is traditionally used by the Ty however after having a difficult time dropping the main while approaching the dock in a pretty good breeze and fumbling with the pigtail to hold the boom while trying to corral the flogging main while going downwind to the dock (whew ! I cringe while thinking of this experience) it took me less time to figure there was a better way. So I attached a small harken block to the top of the mast - stbd side and ran a line from the end of the boom (with a shackle) through the new masthead block and then down to a cleat on the mast. Now I can adjust the height of the boom after the sail cover is put on and achieve a level boom (looks more like a yacht than a small Ty). I used a 1/8" dacron line and it has been doing great service for the past 5 years. I still have the pigtail on the backstay but use it only when I want to get the boom up and out of the way while working on the boat. When I am sailing I slack the topping lif\t and when I am reefing it supports the boom. Total expense was around $20.

[Markst95]

Wow Jeff thats quite a masthead for a Ty. Do you think it is original to the daysailer?

[Jeff D]

Yes, I believe that is the original masthead for a DS. While I haven't looked in a while, it was in the RigRite catalog. A long time ago I had a CD22 that may also have had the same fitting