Rigging the Banshee Sailboat- PART II
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Some images are imagemaps with pop-up Alt tags for various parts.
Making sure that the halyard does not wrap the mast-- thread the halyard through the deck block and cleat it as shown.
| My
halyard is 32 feet long and seems just the right length.
OTHER
LINE LENGTHS:
|
Position the boom within the cockpit with the outhaul track of the boom to the rear.
| You may notice that my boom is on its ninth life. The plug in the mast connecting end has been pulled clear on a few occasions. I was not using a boom vang in my early sailing days. In those first 4 years of sailing I was caught twice in a sudden thunderstorm. On both occasions my boom went nearly verticle in anything but a luffing heading. Like an idiot I tried to run using only the mainsheet to control the boom. Major mistake! On both occasions the boom was yanked from the "gooseneck" mast attachment and nearly taken my head off. VERY scary to have a whipping mainsail, mainsheet, and boom to contend with. Get a Vang! |
More detail on gooseneck design
Connect the boom lift line to the aft end of the boom. I've made my boom-lift line about six inches longer than the distance offered when the mainsail is hoisted.
| This line does nothing while the sail is hoisted (maybe a rather large tell-tail?). The length of boom lift line is 19'4" including clips and I've just jury rigged a short length of line (white nylon rope) on the aft end of the boom to provide a connection. Another view of the opposite side. Here is another boomlift image showing sail both hoisted and lowered. The boom lift should be long enough that is does not distort the shape of the leech edge of the sail, but not so long that the boom does not stay clear of the cockpit when the sail is lowered. |
Tie the main sheet to the thwart block using a bowline knot (user-controlled bowline Quicktime movie). Make the loop large enough so that the tail of the mainsheet (rope) will not get "pinched" in the main block.
| My mainsheet is either 5/16" or 3/8" poly single braid. It is soft and very pliable. A stiffer rope will tend to tangle. My mainsheet is 25 feet long. |
Slip the clews outhaul shackle onto the boom track while pulling the outhaul line aft. The outhaul line should be above the shackle. Make sure that you do NOT twist the outhaul portion of the sail here (Don't worry, you'll know pretty soon if you make this mistake)! Pull the foot of the sail tight to determine which end of the shackle slips onto the track first. The outhaul is attached to the clew gromet with another bowline knot. You will need to adjust the outhaul tension after hoisting the mainsail and cleating the downhaul and vang. A tuned mainsail will have a slightly bowed mast.
| My outhaul line is about seven feet long. Five would do. |
