O'Day Javelin Forestay

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O'Day Javelin Forestay

Postby HanksDad » Sun Jul 18, 2021 1:57 pm

So I just bought an O'Day Javelin.

The one I sailed in the past had the standard 3 stays and then the jib clipped on to the forestay.

On this one it has the clips on the jib but also a cable up the jib and a harken roller furling system, so the forestay is essentially just the cable in the jib which travels up to to furling swivel at the top. This swivel then clips to a wire which runs through a pulley and then turns into rope which you cleat off half way down the mast. So it's missing the traditional forestay.

Will this be OK?

The shroud's aren't particularly taught, is there any guidance on how tight they should be?

There's also there's no boom vang? There's no fixture's on the boom where one could do so I presume it never had one.
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Re: O'Day Javelin Forestay

Postby HanksDad » Sun Jul 18, 2021 2:00 pm

See picture below of the pulley the jib 'forestay' runs through - note the empty forestay attachment which is normally used.
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jib2.jpg
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Re: O'Day Javelin Forestay

Postby jalmeida51 » Sun Jul 18, 2021 4:42 pm

The wire inside your jib is called a luff wire and when the the jib is fully hoisted it becomes your forestay. You need a secondary forestay to hold your mast vertical after stepping it. After stepping the mast the second forestay will be rather loose. The bottom furling drum attaches to the stem head. The top swivel attaches to the jib halyard. You can only furl with this system you can't reef with it.

I owned a Apollo sailboat with this system about 20 years ago. To increase the purchase it had a Harken magic box on the side of the mast and it increased the purchase to at least 6 to 1 on the jib halyard. That got the shrouds and the forestay to the right tension. Harken stopped producing the magic box but Holt Allen makes them. You will need some type of hardware to increase your purchase on your jib halyard if you don't use a system like a magic box. Maybe someone else on the forum has an idea on getting the right tension on your rigging? Just pulling down on the halyard will not get the proper tension on your shrouds and fore stay. ( luff wire )

I did my best to remember how the system worked on the Apollo and I hope it shed some light on your rigging. Many other small dinghies use this system.

John
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Re: O'Day Javelin Forestay

Postby jalmeida51 » Sun Jul 18, 2021 7:46 pm

Try this, Step your mast, one person steadies the mast. Cleat off your main halyard, with the other end connect it to trailer winch. Put tension on your halyard with the trailer winch and this should tension up your shrouds. Connect your furling drum to your stem head. Tension up your jib halyard. Release tension from your main halyard and this will give you tension on the shrouds and forestay. (luff wire ) I believe this is how the previous owner didn't have a secondary forestay and tensioned up the shrouds and luff wire without a magic box or some other means.

I used this method on a old Blue Jay it had no turnbuckles just shroud adjusters.John
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Re: O'Day Javelin Forestay

Postby HanksDad » Sat Aug 14, 2021 11:28 am

Thanks for the suggestions all.

I ended up adding the forestay and having the jib hanked on.

Sailing with a young daughter and novice sailer of a wife I'm worried they could release the jib halyard by mistake and drop the mast. It also means the jib is removed and stored out of the sun.

I also had a leak in the boat which was a very loose center board bolt, hand loose, so that's tightened and seems to have stopped the leak.

Cheers
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