Cut short the outhaul line?

[saltypat]

Still working on an old Endeavour 33... the outhaul line must be 15-20 feet long coming out from under the boom near the mast. I want to cut it off to no more than 5 feet (this allows me enough to wrap it around the main sheet winch if I am having trouble tightening it....). Does this sound resonable?

(I tried to attach a pic. The pic was the right file size and small enough(32 kb, jpg) , but my upload failed- anyone have a clue what might be the problem?)

Thanks, SaltyPat

[Sailormann]

Do you mean that it is 15 to 20 feet long after it goes through the turning block at the foot of the mast, or when it coes out of the boom at the gooseneck ?

[saltypat]

It is 15-20 feet coming out at the tack end (near the gooseneck) and is rope. It must be a wire to rope splice, as the clew of the mainsail is attached to a fitting on a wire which goes to the aft end of the boom, and into the middle boom sheaf/track... the outer two sheaves are for sail reefing lines.

[Sailormann]

It should come out of the boom on a sheave and then be led through a turning block at the foot of the mast, and then either directly to a rope clutch or through a second turning block and then through the rope clutch, and then back to the cockpit.

This is the reason that it seems long right now.

[Sailormann]

It would be a good idea to find the Endeavour Owner's Group and log on. There should be a few other people there with the same boat who will be able to help you figure things out.

http://www.endeavourowners.com/

[sailingdog]

SP-

The photo upload function has never seemed to work properly, even if you down size the files to the point of uselessness. What you need to to do is get an account on a photosharing site, like flickr.com and post the photos there, and then use the icon to post a link to it.

The outhaul may have originally been led down the mast to a turning block and then back to the cockpit. That would explain why it is so long. Being able to control the outhaul from the cockpit is very useful, as it helps you depower the main in heavy air, powerup the main in light air. Does your boat have the turning blocks at the base of the mast for this??? Does it have the fairleads and a line clutch or cam cleat for the line at the cockpit? If so, then I would run it back to the cockpit and leave it the length it is. If not, then it might be a good winter project to run the line aft to the cockpit.

Originally Posted by saltypat

Still working on an old Endeavour 33... the outhaul line must be 15-20 feet long coming out from under the boom near the mast. I want to cut it off to no more than 5 feet (this allows me enough to wrap it around the main sheet winch if I am having trouble tightening it....). Does this sound resonable?

(I tried to attach a pic. The pic was the right file size and small enough(32 kb, jpg) , but my upload failed- anyone have a clue what might be the problem?)

Thanks, SaltyPat

[saltypat]

Thanks to sailormann and sailingdog - I now see the logic for the long line.
Also thanks for the photo tip from sailingdog.

And I have looked for an Endeavour owners group, but I haven't found one which appears to be active......

Thanks again - SaltyPat