Hardware for gennaker sheets

[MarkSF]

I have a gennaker in a bag (with dousing sock) but no hardware each side of the cockpit for the sheets. So I'm wondering what to get, considering I'm starting from scratch.

Would be particularly interested in any pics of people's setup.

Thinking about a block at the rear of the cockpit then cam cleats near to the jib winches.

[sailortjk1]

What is your toe rail made of?
If you have an aluminum toe rail, simply attach a swivel block on a snap shackle to the toe rail. I use the same winches I use for my genny. I roll up the genny and take the sheets off the winches when I am planning on using the asymmetrical sail.
I realize this is not the ideal set up, especially if you are racing, but for getting out and using the asymmetrical sail it works for us.

[Faster]

Agree with Stjk1... that's an adequate setup when you're not racing. If no slotted toerail, then you can bolt a stand-up block to the deck, or perhaps use a stern pulpit base if strong enough, at least for a trial you could lash a block to that to try out the setup.

We have so-called secondary winches, but they are quite small and single speed so we switch to the primaries and use them for all spinnaker work too.

Once you get the basics for handling the sail, adding 'twingers' and help greatly with trim and changing apparent wind angles making a fixed turning block just fine. Like genoas, the lead block location can be varied to account for different apparent wind angles.. this can be a problem with slotted toerails, and obviously with fixed blocks. The twinger is a lightweight line with a small block or ring through with the sheet passes. It runs to the deck amidships, and pulls at an acute angle to relocate the 'clew height'.

Like so: (thanks to zz4gata for the graphic elsewhere here on SN )

[blt2ski]

I do as above with a block in the toe rail with the sheet lead to a primary, or I have secondary's if you will on the top of the cabin that are dual speed, so those work with crew racing, primary's when DH'ing or if the wind is up a bit. If cruising, ie 1-3 of you, I have a cleat with a jam end that will hold the spin/jib sheet.

For a tack line, I attached a sheave to the bow at the anchor pulpit, run a lin to a cheak block at the aft end of the anchor locker, then thru bulls eyes back to a cabin top winch for adjusting the tack. I have a pic of this run if that would help.

marty

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by blt2ski

I do as above with a block in the toe rail with the sheet lead to a primary, or I have secondary's if you will on the top of the cabin that are dual speed, so those work with crew racing, primary's when DH'ing or if the wind is up a bit. If cruising, ie 1-3 of you, I have a cleat with a jam end that will hold the spin/jib sheet.

For a tack line, I attached a sheave to the bow at the anchor pulpit, run a lin to a cheak block at the aft end of the anchor locker, then thru bulls eyes back to a cabin top winch for adjusting the tack. I have a pic of this run if that would help.

marty

Hi Marty,

Yes I would be interested to see the pic.

[jackdale]

For convenience (and expense) there is nothing like snatch blocks. Because gennaker sheets are so long, I like being able to open the block, rather than feeding all that line through.

Another option for the tack line is to feed it along the toe rail through blocks to a sheet stopper mounted near the cockpit. That way you avoid a tripping hazard across the foredeck. One of the boats I use has a 2:1 purchase on the tackline at the bow fitting - nice touch.

[bigdogandy]

Has anyone here rigged a continuous sheet for their gennaker? I haven't flown mine yet, but Moon has the chute in a sock and snatch blocks on the toe rail at the stern. I've thought that having a continuous sheet might reduce the amount of spare line getting spooled up in the cockpit......

[Faster]

When we bought our sheets last summer I got enough length for two, but left them in one piece.. it worked but because it was all overlength there was still a lot of clutter in the cockpit.

I do think it may be workable though, and might avoid losing a lazy sheet over the side now and then.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by bigdogandy

Has anyone here rigged a continuous sheet for their gennaker? I haven't flown mine yet, but Moon has the chute in a sock and snatch blocks on the toe rail at the stern. I've thought that having a continuous sheet might reduce the amount of spare line getting spooled up in the cockpit......

I would be reluctant to have a continuous line for the same reason that stopper knots are not used in spinnaker sheets. When all hell breaks loose you want to be able to release everything.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by Faster

When we bought our sheets last summer I got enough length for two, but left them in one piece.. it worked but because it was all overlength there was still a lot of clutter in the cockpit.

I do think it may be workable though, and might avoid losing a lazy sheet over the side now and then.

We have been using a single continuous sheet on our boat since the early 1990's without difficulty. With that, one's sheet(s) can be about 1/3rd less in length so there is little clutter and one never has the problem of loosing the lazy sheet over the side. I do not understand the argument that one needs let the sheets go if something goes amiss. The last thing I want is to have a 1300 Square foot Pennant blowing off my masthead. If poop happens, one eases/frees the tack pendant and hauls in on the blanketed side sheet, hauling the clew aft and under the boom, and easing the halyard once one's got a grip on the bunt of the sail. In fact, however, we've never had an issue like this. On a worst case basis, if one does need ditch the sail, we have a cobalt knife in a sheath strapped to the binnacle guard that is sharp enough to shave with, and one can cut the sheet--and halyard if necessary-with one stroke. If I'm about to ditch a $5000 sail, I'm not going to be concerned with a few hundred dollars worth of line.

Further, a valuable addition to the rig is a snatch block snap-shackled on the end of the boom. With a foreguy/preventer on the boom, the boom-end makes a much better lead for the assym/gennaker when broad reaching than does a block on the quarter and, with a trip line run along the bottom of the boom to the mast, one can trip the snap-shackle on the block, releasing it from the boom and allowing the block to run down the sheet where it can be removed from the line from the cockpit.

FWIW...