rigging and sails for F28 CK

[numbknots]

I am going to set up for mizzen stay sails on my 28ck. I have a drifter and also a blade sized sails. No running backs are on boat right now so that will have to be installed also. I have a question on the blade, when and where to attatch it. When as for a s wind speed and would you use it on a broad reach and down wind? Weather rail for tack or the attatchment hoop in front of the fwd hatch? What about the drifter, what wind speed would be its limit?
Running backs, what kind of blocks and purchase are recomended? Thanks
Numbknots

[Michel]

Numb, that's lot of questions in one go. Let's see. what I know works on an F33 and F44 catketch.

Running backs: one mounted to the front of the masthead or two on each side. simple tackle at the lower end. Attach to aftmost eye on toerail or on mooring cleat. 4 mm stainless wire or dyneema is okay.

The blade: use on courses higher than 100* to apparent wind. Tack on the centreline or a bit to leeward, one third of the distance between main and mizzen mast. Sheet to the toerail. Make a barbour hauler on the sheet to pull it inwards if necessary.

The drifter: have a look here for different configurations: http://picasaweb.google.com/michcap5/Fr ... AtHerBest#

[numbknots]

Michel,

What weight is that staysail? The Queen, "one bad Mother, shut your mouth.". Numbknots

[Michel]

The tri-radial gennaker staysail is 1.5 oz, ripstop, the cross cut striped nylon drifter is 0,75 or 1 oz cloth. The gennaker is an off the shelf sail by Momentum Sails. They are made in Asia; very well made from Bainbridge (USA) cloth with ATC stripper. Saves you a lot of money compared to custom made sail. I don't know if Momentum is active in the USA.

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I have no interests in Momentum Sails

[phildowney]

hi,
one good trick with the running backs is to put a shockcord return on them to pull them forward out of the way when released.
i take the 6mm shockcord from the upper block on the running backstay through a becket block lashed to the toerail where you want them to end up, then right aft to a block on the base of the pushpit then back to the becket .
this gives enough length of shockcord for the system to work.

i would size all hardware the same break load as the dyneema i use for the runners (i used harken 75 airrunners which are awesomely free running but thats only because they were 100 pounds the pair second hand.) i would advise against ball blocks because of the high static loads. a good strong plain bearing block is all you need. i would aim for a 2:1 taken to a winch using a becket block on the boat and a single on the runner to go for the minimum amount of line to let out . if you cant use a winch a 4:1 is probably enough purchase.
either way it must be made off securely ie camcleats on a block are not safe as the rope can get flicked out and these things load up bar tight. the consequences of it coming un done dont bear thinking of.

i usualy set my sails up on the toerail using loops of webbing through the toerail to take the snap shackle on the sail this stops scratching the anodising off the rail a bit of 8mm cord does the same job if you cant make up webing strops.

as to the drifter it sounds like my mizzen asymetric spinaker and among other ways, could be set to leewrd any time the main is winged out to windward ie from 100 app and below. tack it down forward then i put it on the bowsprit (which has a 12mm dyneema bobstay just in case)

hope thats some help, phil

[Michel]

I mostly agree with Phil's approach. Good thought about scratching the anodising; never thought about that.

About tensioning the running backs: Freedom specified in its manuals to tension them by hand. It's not like on shrouded sloops; our running backs only need to counteract the sideways loading on the top ends of the mast. First tension the runner firmly by hand with a tackle (I had/have 3:1 tackles on my F33 and F44), then hoist and set your mizzen staysail and you'll be fine. I have no shock cords like Phil; I set the backs back to the toerail just forward of the mizzen when they are not needed. I put the snapshackle on a piece of shockcord which goes through the toerail. This is to prevent a rattling runner in my ear at night and to allow the mast to flex without being held by the unused runner.

[Castaway]

On Castaway, the PO set up a single running backstay with a 4 part tackle which I lightly tension by hand, and set with a camcleat. I've only knocked it off by accident once (as Phil says, it's easily done), but I didn't notice for a while since, like Michel, I don't pull it up tight: the mast is, after all, still going to flex laterally, and it is important not to restrain it too firmly.

I hadn't thought to use shock cord to pull it back, but since we only have one runner, it has to go port or starboard round the mizzen depending on the tack. When not in use, it clips to a mooring snubber shackled to the toerail amidships. The tackle is a real pain when stowed there, and I need to think of something better. Perhaps a short line fixed at each quarter, with a spinnaker style snapshackle, and forget the four part tackle. If it's set up before hoisting the staysail, then it would be tensioned when the halyard is winched in? Comments, please!

I'd love to use Dyneema for the rigging, but it's so expensive for a cruiser. I do have a Spectra main halyard, but getting the knots right is hard, and I can't manage to splice it myself. No doubt I'll be back to hemp in a few years!