I set up a downhaul for the jib

Moderator: GreenLake

I set up a downhaul for the jib

Postby zeroready » Fri Dec 18, 2020 6:00 pm

Got tired of the jib blowing back up the stay when motoring. I wanted to make something simple and accessible from the cockpit, that can easily be rigged since I have to trailer it to the marina. So here's what I came up with, it works really well. The line is hooked to the stay above the top hank, follows the stay down to a small block I screwed in next to the stemhead, goes aft over the deck to a cam cleat by the chainplate. It slides really easily and doesn't bind or anything. Only takes a second to rig and take apart.

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Re: I set up a downhaul for the jib

Postby GreenLake » Fri Dec 18, 2020 7:45 pm

Nice. That's almost exactly the setup my fried John Alesch had on his boat. He used to a be strong contributor here before his sailing career was cut short. Works well.
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Re: I set up a downhaul for the jib

Postby TRWXXA » Wed Feb 10, 2021 11:39 pm

I am planning on a jib downhaul too. Has anyone tried a 1/8" or 3/16" line going through the hank grommets alternately -- through to the right on one, then through to the left on the next one up, etc.? Would this help "flake" the jib as you pull it down, or just make it real difficult to pull down?

Thanks.
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Re: I set up a downhaul for the jib

Postby Fly4rfun » Thu Feb 11, 2021 3:02 pm

I used some 1/8th in paracord as a trial downhaul, I went thru each hank but every other might work well. I did not have any blocking , it easily pulled the jib down. Will add a block and fairings to route it to the top of the cuddy. since I solo sail this will be a must for me.
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Re: I set up a downhaul for the jib

Postby TRWXXA » Thu Feb 11, 2021 8:22 pm

I thought about going through the hanks too. I guess it's no big deal to try different configurations, as the hardware required stays the same. Now I just gotta wait for the temperatures to get above freezing to try them out. :roll:
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Re: I set up a downhaul for the jib

Postby zeroready » Fri Feb 12, 2021 3:36 pm

I tried a couple different ways of rigging the line. in the end, since it's a trailer sailer and everything has to be put together and taken apart every time I go out, this was the quickest way to rig it. I just clip it to the stay as I'm attaching the jib, run the line down through the block, then aft to the cleat. My main goal was to have be quick to rig and take apart to maximize time on the water. If you're going through the grommets then you may want to find a way to more or less permanently attach the downhaul to the sail so you don't have to run it through all the grommets every time you set up. As it is the way I have it, the quick link slides really smooth up and down the stay, nothing gets jammed or knotted, and the sail piles up really neatly and stays put once you tighten the sheets after its down.
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Re: I set up a downhaul for the jib

Postby TRWXXA » Fri Feb 12, 2021 5:15 pm

I just pulled the jib out to have a look at it. There is not room for much else in the luff grommets other than the hanks. Looks like even a 1/8" line would jam in them. I guess I'll just run the downhaul line through the hanks, or every other hank, and see how that goes. The swivel block for the downhaul will be attached to the captive pin of a halyard shackle attaching the tack to the stemhead. The downhaul will stay in the hanks and just be removed with, and stay with the sail. I'll just have to hank the jib on, and lead the downhaul back and secure it in the cockpit.
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Re: I set up a downhaul for the jib

Postby Fly4rfun » Fri Feb 12, 2021 5:20 pm

I saw some place that someone attached it to the halyard, if the halyard came off the jib head they could retrieve it using the down haul. could have been on a larger boat where you don't step the mast every time you go sailing. this was to eliminate the need to climb the mast to retrieve it.
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Re: I set up a downhaul for the jib

Postby tomodda » Fri Feb 12, 2021 10:11 pm

As usual, I'm going to be a contrarian, please have patience with me.

First observation, for what it's worth, is that I've not been able to get a jib downhaul working thru the hanks. I've tried every hank, every other, I've used 1/8 inch line, I'm now using 2mm Robline Dyneema (great stuff). But it always jams, so I just run it outside the hanks and it works fine, doesn't get in the way at all. I think the problem with running it in the hanks is not that it gets caught in the hanks themselves, but inevitably you get loose bights of line between the hanks. Those get caught up on the OUTSIDE of the hanks and you get a jam. Having your jib stuck 1/2 way up teh forestay is no fun! Anyway, try it and see, your mileage may vary. There's really no advantage, though to running it inside the hanks. The jib won't "flake" any better than it does just pulling the sail down and bringing in the jib sheet to keep everything tight.

Next observation is that I set up a 2:1 reverse purchase downhaul. Details here:

https://forum.daysailer.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=4274&p=20359&hilit=reverse+downhaul#p20342

You'll need a double-block where your jib halyard meets the mast, and two bullet blocks at the stemhead, but it's a small investment. In return, you get a jib that goes down in a flash, one yank on the downhaul and it's down. Very useful during that last minute rush to the dock (I usually sail up to the dock). Also, the downhaul goes down your mast to a spare cleat, rather than cluttering up your foredeck, and you don't have to use any fairleads.

I did use the 2mm Robline for the RED line in the diagram, its' cheap - 36 cents a foot. I had to put a sleeve on both ends to tie a knot in it, but that's easy work - pretty sure I used a small barbecue skewer. For the GREEN line, I use some ultra-cheap polyester 1/8" line from Harbor Freight, something like $2 for 100 feet, my all purpose "boat string" for anything that doesn't take any real load (topping lift, some tie-downs). Anyway, I'm very happy with it, and once I took the downhaul out of the hanks, no jams at all. I leave the whole thing rigged on the boat, even when I take down the mast. The only thing that needs to be rigged/unrigged is fastening the end of the RED line to the end of the jib halyard - I have a bowline at the end and just put it into the halyard shackle when I'm hanking on the sail.

Good luck with your set up! Keep experimenting, it's fun.
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Re: I set up a downhaul for the jib

Postby TRWXXA » Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:14 pm

Fly4rfun wrote:I saw some place that someone attached it to the halyard, if the halyard came off the jib head they could retrieve it using the down haul. could have been on a larger boat where you don't step the mast every time you go sailing. this was to eliminate the need to climb the mast to retrieve it.

As someone who, in a skinnier lifetime, had to get hauled up the mast a couple times to retrieve a flailing halyard, I can appreciate that. :wink:
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Re: I set up a downhaul for the jib

Postby TRWXXA » Sat Feb 13, 2021 5:23 pm

tomodda wrote:Good luck with your set up! Keep experimenting, it's fun.

Thanks! That's an interesting set up. I do like how fast dousing the jib would be with that.
Chris S.
DSII #10220 -- "Uisge Beatha"
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Re: I set up a downhaul for the jib

Postby Acornrunner » Tue Feb 16, 2021 5:24 pm

Next observation is that I set up a 2:1 reverse purchase downhaul. Details here:

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=4274&p=20359&hilit=reverse+downhaul#p20342


Wow, I'm impressed

I would love to see photos of the actual installation, I'm thinking this is brilliant.

thx tomodda

Smooth Sailing
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Re: I set up a downhaul for the jib

Postby tomodda » Tue Feb 16, 2021 6:50 pm

I'm planning to set up my mast and rigging again on Friday. Will try and take some photos.

Tom
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