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Topping Lift

34K views 17 replies 15 participants last post by  Totuma 
#1 ·
Can anyone help me with details of how one is supposed to use and rig a topping lift? I believe(?) it serves no purpose while under sail, but am I supposed to leave it attached to the boom (but loose) while sailing, or remove it? If removed, what should I do with it then? What is the most efficient way to rig a topping lift? Am I better off with something like a Boomkicker?

Thanks--
 
G
#2 ·
Much of this answer depends on whether you are a racer or a cruiser. On cruising boats the boom is often used for a variety of functions. They are sometimes used as a cargo boom to haul people and gear and sometimes dinghies aboard. In that situation the topping lift needs to be sturdy. Having it rigged permanently means that you can reef on the fly and not worry about dropping the boom into the cockpit. In that case the topping lift should be chosen to be low chafe to the sails.

On a race boat the topping lift is really pertty temporary and efforts are made to reduce weight aloft so you see a lot of things. Often the main halyard is used as the topping lift on smaller race boats. Even when there is a topping lift on a race boat it is unhooked from the end of the boom and run to the base of the mast and tensioned in the the lee of the mast to reduce the windage of the lift.

There are a lot of ways to rig a topping lift. On a cruising boat, my favorite way to rig a topping lift is to rig it as a spare main halyard. This has the disadvantage of a lot of extra weight aloft so alternatively it can be rigged to serve as a messenger line for a spare main halyard.

You also see a set up where there is a fixed wire rope to the end of the boom or to a block and tackle at the end of the boom that is lead forward to be adjusted.

To some extent a rigid boom vang can do some of the functions of a topping lift such as preventing a boom from dropping completely when the sail is dropped. But in general it is not a great idea to leave the boom suspended for long periods of time on the rigid vang. In race boats with rigid vangs the main halyard is often used to hold up the end of the boom.

Jeff
 
#3 ·
You are right that under sail the lift serves no purpose. You''re fine to leave it a bit slack, so it is not fighting against the mainsheet or the vang. You just have to remember to re-tension it before you drop the mainsail.
You don''t need to replace it with a solid vang, but I prefer a solid vang (not the boomkicker) for the sole purpose of getting rid of the lift and the required adjustments when dropping the main. I disagree with the previous post in that I would not be worried about leaving the weight of the boom, even when tensioned by the mainsheet, against a solid vang.
Regards,
Chet
 
#4 ·
My last boat was a 25 ft Cape Dory rigged with a topping lift. The best function this set up had over a rigid vang was to raise the entire boom high up out of the cockpit,(raising the gooseneck up the boom while leveling the boom with the topping life)so we could more comfortably entertain guests while at anchor or dockside without hitting our heads on the boom. Also helped avoid hitting our heads while scrubbing the topsides, . I don''t believe a rigid boom vang would have given us this range of height adjustment..
 
#5 ·
I replaced the topping lift on my sloop rigged Bermuda 40 with a custom solid vang built by Garhauer. They will work with your measurements and send you extra springs of varying strengths so that you may obtain the lifting moment and degree of motion you desire. I can raise my boom some 10-12 feet above the cockpit (aft cockpit if you''re not familiar with the B-40) although that should never be necessary and I can retract it almost down to the helm using the springs for lift and a multi-purchase control line lead through a variable release line stopper for retracting. I have used the rig in winds of 20-25 knots w/o use of a winch although, if necessary, I can run the control line to one of the unused secondaries in the c/p. At the present I am using a 24:1 purchase but can easily double that by doubling the end of the control line if that proves to be necessary. When cruising I usually leave the boom (and flaked main) supported by the vang for ease of use. However, if I leave the boat for any extended period, say a week or two, I will generally support the boom weight with the main halyard lead to a bail for that purpose. I heartily recommend a solid vang for sail shape control...so much easier and precise than fussing with other methods.
 
#7 ·
If you have one rigged with a masthead sheave, a topping lift can function as an emergency mainsail halyard, with a tagline they be used for hoisting flags, lights, radar reflectors etc. they make a good safety or tool bucket line when using a bosun's chair, when run through a block at the end of the boom, they can be part of a MOB retrieval system. etc etc. So. . . a topping lift can be a very useful thing.
dony s/v "Pretty Girl"
 
#8 ·
dony, my undrestanding of of topping lift is: a line attached to the end of the boom to hold the boom off the top of the house. There are better ways to control twist and sail shape ie; vang, out haul, cummingham main sheet and halyard.
 
#9 ·
luck: the topping lift is used to add a little fullness to the sail when sailing in extremely light air. The boom weight will pull flatten the sail in the leech (like pulling the vang very hard). The topping lift is used to counteract that.

Most of the time I leave my topping lift looser than the main sail's leech, but tight enough to keep the boom off of the dodger when the sail is lowered. This means it basically doesn't need to be touched. However in light air I will use it to adjust sail shape.

If your main sail has a lot of roach then you may need to loosen the topping lift even more to prevent the sail battens from hanging up on the topping lift during tacks.

My topping lift is a fixed piece of 1/8" amsteel with an eye splice at each end. The lower eye splice goes around a small block, and 1/4" line goes from the boom, up to that block, and back to the boom and forward to a cleat. Amsteel is very soft on the sail leech (so chafing isn't a problem) and this setup is inexpensive, light weight, and easy to adjust.
 
#10 ·
This is definitely a zombie thread - 2001.
 
#11 ·
Alex, Thanks for the info re:topping lift. I did know you could put bag in a sail using the topping lift to aid light air sailing. I am not set up the way your boat is, always good to know new tricks.
 
#13 ·
So I will ressurect this thread yet again with my .02 on using the topping lift for sail shape. I don't have one on this boat but did on my 16 footer.

That boat did not have a traveler and so I would use the topping lift to counteract the main sheet forces when going upwind in lighter airs. This would let me sheet the main in hard to the middle of the boat but then use the topping lift to lift the boom and avoid flattening the sail too much. It also moved the boom in another inch or two. Seemed kind of wrong but it did work for me.
 
#14 ·
Another good reason to have one in place, If you are sailing without a rigid vang and the mainsail halyard broke free you will love the topping lift. If it is rigged properly it will prevent the boom from dropping on your head or on your crew. just like when you see inexperience sailors dropping the main without following the proper procedures.
 
#17 ·
Once again (as old as this thread is)... a topping lift serves 2 purposes, to hold the boom up when nothing else is, and to counteract the forces holding the boom down (for sail shape).

As others have said, a top lift adds complications (drag, and trailing wind disturbance) while sail is up, and some prefer a rigid vang or a boom kicker instead. These two devices ARE NOT a complete replacement for a proper topping lift, however, the biggest issue is merely while transitioning between sail up, and sail down (kicker doesn't provide enough upwards force to support leaning on the boom).. this is usually mitigated once the main halyard is moved from the head of the sail to the boom end.

I personally hated dealing with the topping lift, and would frankly prefer the boomkicker (as I've had 3 on 3 boats, removing topping lifts on each boat). But that's just my preference. The boomkicker must be used with a vang (boomkicker provides upward force, vang provides down)... a rigid vang usually includes a downward force adjustment along with upward.

These are preferences and are completely up to the skipper. Some even keep a top lift as well as a rigid vang or kicker. On a larger boat this makes some sense to me, especially if you aren't racing.
 
#18 ·
...zombie thread rises again!

I recently saw a mini vang-like setup - fiddle block attached to topping lift line and a block with cleat at end of boom. Looked great on smaller boat (this one was a 26' Morris Frances). Anyone have any idea where I can find one? The nice thing is it was not too big - sort of a mini 3:1 setup, I think?
 
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