Newbie with launching and rigging shortcut questions

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Newbie with launching and rigging shortcut questions

Postby db4570 » Tue Jul 24, 2018 1:44 pm

Hi, everyone.

I just picked up a nice DS2, and am eager to get it out for its first sail. I sailed a bit when I was a kid on my dad's DS1, but it has been a long time. I also have been fooling around on Sunfishes lately. So I'm not a total newbie, but close to it.

I will be trailering this boat to a nearby lake. I have practieed stepping the mast and raising the mainsail in the driveway. It has a tabernacle, which makes that fairly straightforward.

I have a bunch of questions. (Forgive me if I butcher your secret sailor nomenclature!) Here are the first few:

The stays are a pain to rig, especially with those circular cotter pins. Is there any reason I can't leave everything attached except the forestay where it attaches to the stemhead? I'd probably bungee taut everything to keep it from flopping around while trailering.

I'm thinking about getting one of those forestay quick release pins from APS (http://www.apsltd.com/quick-pins-push-b ... lar-2.html) to make attaching the forestay adjuster easier. The holes on the adjuster are only 3/16", while on the stemhead there are two holes: 5/16 and 1/4. Why two holes? Does it matter that a smaller pin is going through these larger holes? Any reason not to use the QR?

Again, for ease of launching, can I leave the spreaders attached, all taped up, with the stays running through them?

I imagine I pull up to the ramp, quickly raise the mast, put in a single quick pin, and I'm ready to go. Is this realistic?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks for any help. I look forward to hanging around here.

David
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Re: Newbie with launching and rigging shortcut questions

Postby GreenLake » Tue Jul 24, 2018 4:48 pm

with a tabernacle that scenario should be possible.

On the stemhead - if you have two holes, one is for the tack of your sail, the other for the forestay. Normally.

And you wrote "stemhead" --- if that's not a bit of very secret sailor terminology ;)

Whatever you use in the front to secure the stay better be very secure. You don't want the rig to come down.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Newbie with launching and rigging shortcut questions

Postby hsubman » Wed Jul 25, 2018 6:16 am

David, I leave my shrouds rigged while raising and lowering the mast. I secure the slack when lowered and trailering with bungee straps. In fact, after I set the tension on the standing rigging, aka, shrouds or stays, the only time I remove them is to put the cover on the boat at season's end.
The forestay goes in the forward hole in the stemhead. The jib tack goes in the aft hole. That is because the jib luft attaches to the forestay with the little brass shackles that are part of the jib. I have the quick release on my forestay and it makes tensioning and rigging the standing rigging a one-man operation. I love it. You just have to remember to keep your fingers clear while releasing the tension. I almost cut my finger off the first time I opened it under tension!
I would practice completely rigging the boat a few times to make sure you have everything you need to go sailing. Welcome to the forum. John
John
'83 DSII, 12279, MARY RUTH
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Re: Newbie with launching and rigging shortcut questions

Postby db4570 » Sun Jul 29, 2018 10:49 am

Thanks for the replies.

We have taken it out twice, now, and it's great. It's in very good condition, and is easy to sail. My kid and I can handle it easily just the two of us.

There are two pins that hold the mast on the tabernacle. They don't seem very strong. Should I not trust them to hold the mast up while arranging the rest of the rigging?

I had a bit of a scare yesterday while sailing. I noticed that I had forgotten to insert the cotter rings on those pins. Luckily the pins hadn't worked loose.

Are there any tricks for getting that forestay attached more easily? It is all we can do with my boy pushing on the mast and me pulling the stay, to get the pin in. I somehow need a little more leverage.

Thanks, again, for the help. I am going to post some more questions under a different subject title.

David
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Re: Newbie with launching and rigging shortcut questions

Postby GreenLake » Sun Jul 29, 2018 5:41 pm

Generally, as I understand it, you really never use the second pin.

It should be strong enough to handle the loads from stepping the mast - after the mast is stepped and the rig tightened, most of the loads experienced at the tabernacle should be compression along the line of the mast, which would tend to hold the tabernacle parts together, so the pin has less to do. There's some sideways load, of course, transmitting some of the sideways force from the sails (but not all, as the windward shroud does part of that job as well.

Some people connect jib or spinnaker halyard to their trailer winch . . .
Thanks, again, for the help. I am going to post some more questions under a different subject title.


You're welcome, and thanks for trying to keep things organized, roughly, by subject.

Glad you are enjoying your DS.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Newbie with launching and rigging shortcut questions

Postby Alan » Mon Jul 30, 2018 11:12 pm

The winch, as GL mentioned, is necessary for bigger boats and might be easier if you're raising the mast while the boat is still on the trailer.

Here's how I do it:

I avoid the pins-only moment at the tabernacle by inserting the aft pin, then with the shrouds attached, raising the mast in one continuous movement until there's some tension on the shrouds.

In the meantime, my crew is belaying the mast with a rope I've installed temporarily. (Sailing vocabulary note: It's a rope until it has a specific purpose, then it becomes a line. Maybe I'll call this the mast-raising belay line. Or the hoistyard.) Anyway...

The rope is attached around the mast at the spreaders (this being the highest point I can reach to untie the rope once the mast is up, and the spreaders keep the rope from slipping down the mast).

The rope runs through a turning block (just a simple one-sheave pulley) attached to one of the forward cleats. My crew tugs on the rope (towards the stern) while I align and install the forestay pin and forward tabernacle pin. The attachment point of the rope is high enough to give more leverage than you can get by pushing on the mast.

For safety, I'd really like to install a cleat/fairlead that the rope could pass through aft of the turning block, so the rope could be cleated off and the crew could let go of the rope if someone slipped, or got tired, or ...

And finally, big-deal WARNING re personal safety: Be very aware of where the shrouds are as you boost the mast. My crew pointed out, accurately, that they are tripping hazards. I didn't mention to her, but I will to you, that if you slipped in a bad way they might realistically become strangulation hazards.

On that happy note, have fun and please keep us posted on your adventures.
Last edited by Alan on Wed Aug 01, 2018 6:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Newbie with launching and rigging shortcut questions

Postby klb67 » Wed Aug 01, 2018 3:52 pm

I'll add a few things. I leave the shrouds connected and just disconnect the forestay. Make sure your trailer is parked in a flat and level spot to minimize gravity causing the mast to lean to one side in the middle of raising the mast. I use a short bit of line tied with a bowline through the hole where the jib tack is attached and put a loop in the other end and attach my jib halyard. When raising the mast, I keep some tension on the halyard and then cleat the halyard once the mast is raised, thereby holding it in place while I install the front tabernacle pin and cotter pin and also attach the forestay. I can also put more tension in the halyard to assist in installing the forestay, either by having someone pull on the halyard, or I usually just pull or push it parallel to the ground, which increases the tension enough and can be done solo.
1976 DSII - #8039
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Re: Newbie with launching and rigging shortcut questions

Postby Alan » Wed Aug 01, 2018 6:25 pm

I think I like klb67's method better than mine. The jib halyard block is well above the shrouds so you'll get more leverage than with my method. You've also got a cleat (the jib halyard cleat) already built in.
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Re: Newbie with launching and rigging shortcut questions

Postby GreenLake » Thu Aug 02, 2018 5:07 pm

Nice, that works. You can push the mast in the direction you want to get it to lean as far forward as the shrouds will permit, before cleating the jib halyard. That puts some tension on the shrouds and should making attaching the forestay easier.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: Newbie with launching and rigging shortcut questions

Postby ndet42 » Sun Aug 05, 2018 6:35 am

For solo: I use a small ratchet strap around the mast. Put it about 3-4' up and fasten the other end to the bow chock and a couple clicks and you should pull it forward enough to do up the forestay. And this is done after the forward pin of the tabernacle is secured.
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Re: Newbie with launching and rigging shortcut questions

Postby db4570 » Tue Aug 07, 2018 7:56 am

Thanks for the suggestions.

I like the ratchet strap idea. I think I'll try that next time.

David
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Re: Newbie with launching and rigging shortcut questions

Postby Signalcharlie » Fri May 10, 2019 9:16 pm

Congrats on your new boat!

1) We leave the sidestays connected, coil them into a loop. Then use bungees and a few small lines to secure the side stays, halyard, etc...
2) Make sure any pins are rated for the load put on them. Forward hole is for forestay, aft hole for jib tack shackle.
3) Leave the spreaders attached.
4) We have a crutch in the stern of the boat for trailering and mast raising that supports the mast high enough so that the mast does not rest on top of the cuddy when attached to the tabernacle. If it does it can crack the cuddy. Capn Jack cut it high enough that when the mast is down it rests level across the lower tabernacle fitting and the mast crutch, makes a nice ridgepole for storage.
5) If I am alone while the Skipper is frying chicken, I raise the mast, put in the forward tabernacle pin then shinny forward to secure the forestay/furler.
6) Tape the bottom of your sidestay shackles so they do not bind as you raise the mast, lest you bend the turnbuckle screws.
7) Always do a ramp recon to check for power lines and trees, in the rigging area, on the drive over to the ramp and at the ramp.

We have a Mast Raising Prep video on our youtube page https://youtu.be/7KEo7jkM6p4

If I have a helper, I always raise the mast and let the Skipper keep light pressure on the forestay. You could rig up a light line and put a clip on the end of it so it could be secured to the stemhead or trailer or somewhere while you repositioned. I don't let anyone under the mast except for me.
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