.....

running rigging

FIG. 5-1-This neatly rigged boat (Glen-L 11) is ready to receive the sails. The running
rigging is clearly shown. This mainsheet rig is like that shown by Fig. 5-4. The clew
outhaul slides on a track with a line securing it to a jam cleat on the side of the boom.
The aluminum tubing boom is held in position by the main halyard. The main and jib
halyards are neatly coiled in position on the mast. Note the tracks with sliding cam
cleats on each side of the centerboard for controlling the jib sheets.

INTRODUCTION

The RUNNING RIGGING consists of the lines used for hoisting

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and controlling the sails directly, or indirectly such as through

control of the boom. The boat in Fig. 5-1 shows many of the lines
used for the running rigging in position. The running rigging
moves about the boat, or can be moved. The LINES are usually
made from ROPE. Once the rope becomes operational in the
boat, it is then referred to as a "line". This then is the difference
between line and rope. Most lines on small sailboats are made
from synthetic twisted or braided rope, such as polyester or
polypropylene. Nylon is usually not a good line because it
stretches too much. Ropes of natural materials such as hemp are
seldom used anymore. Wire rope is sometimes used for some
running rigging, but must be connected to rope at the moving
ends that must be handled. A type of rope made especially to be
easy on the hands is called "YACHT BRAID" or other similar
proprietary name, and is more costly than the normal braided
line. Rope sizes are commonly noted by the approximate
diameter of the rope, even though it was once common to give
the size by the circumference.

HALYARDS

The
T lines used for hoisting and lowering the sails are called
HALYARDS. The halyards run up and down the mast across a
sheave (pronounced "shiv") at or near the top of the mast.
Halyards that are outside the mast are called "external" halyards,
and those that run inside a hollow mast are called "internal"
halyards. Halyards on small boats can be made of rope, and
often stainless steel wire rope is also used. When wire rope is
used, it should be the flexible type such as 7 x 19. In the case of
wire rope halyards, a portion of braided or twisted rope must be
attached to the running end so the crew can handle the halyard
without injuring their hands. The braided rope is then attached to
the wire rope either with a Nicopress eye, or by a special splicing.
On large boats, special halyard winches designed for wire rope
preclude the need for a rope tailing.

Several methods are used to attach the halyards to the head

cringle of the sails. Probably the most common method is the use
of a SHACKLE, a "U"-shaped fitting with an openable pin at the
open portion of the "U" which passes through the head cringle
(see Fig. 6-2). The halyard is attached to the shackle either with
a spliced eye, Nicopress eye, or it is sometimes merely tied by a
knot. A better method when wire rope is used is to use a ball joint
with the shackle fitted onto the wire rope halyard before the ball
has been swaged on (see Fig. 4-2 'a'). When wire rope halyards
are used with a ball joint, a HALYARD HOOK should be used
near the masthead. This fitting prevents hoisting the sail beyond
a predetermined point up the mast. Sometimes an additional
halyard hook is located near the mast base for the running end of
the wire rope halyard with another ball swaged at this end to
secure the halyard.
 Another method used to attach halyards to sails is with
BRUMMEL HOOKS (as shown in Fig. 5-2). These are special
patented fittings used in pairs which allow quick attachment once
you get the hang of using them. The Brummel hooks come in a
wide variety of sizes and types which can be used for other
situations as well as with halyards. One hook passes through the
cringle at the head of the sail, and another goes through the eye
at the end of the halyard, or can be merely knotted to the halyard.
The two connect with a twist of the wrist.

FIG. 5-2-Brummel hooks are patented fittings used in pairs. They are used to secure lines together or lines
to other items such as sails. A twist of the two hooks is all that is required to join or release them.

SHEETS

The lines used to control the trim or position of the sails are
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called SHEETS. The line used to control the mainsail is called

the MAINSHEET, and the line used to control the jib is called the
JIB SHEET. Rope is used for the sheets, and "yacht braid" type
is often used because it is easier on the hands and does not kink
or jam as easily as twisted rope. Because the force of the wind
on the sails is often greater than the strength of the crew, it is
often necessary for the sheets to have a built-in "mechanical
advantage." This is where the various blocks (or "pulleys") and
winches come onto the scene in various configurations to ease
the work of the crew.
 FIG. 5-3 - Various tackle configurations. The power of a tackle depends on the number of
"parts" in the tackle. Actually, 'a' is not really a tackle as the block merely changes the
direction of the line, thereby affording no gain in power. Fiddle blocks are shown for clarity
where two sheaves are used, though double blocks, with side by side sheaves, would give the
same result. The arrows show the direction the line will move when pulled.

When the sheets are lead through a system of blocks, a

TACKLE is formed that, depending on the number of "parts," will
decrease the effort required to do the work. This is called
"mechanical advantage" and is shown by Fig. 5-3. All main sheet
configurations are nothing more than variations on these basic
tackles, even though the location of the various blocks may
disguise the number of parts used in the tackle. In figuring a
tackle, it is usual to deduct 10% from each "part" per block to
allow for the friction caused at the sheave in the block. Also note
that the more parts in a tackle, the more line you must have and
consequently the more line you will have to pull through the
tackle to move the object a comparable distance.

Sheet rig types come in an infinite variety of configurations,

and some of the more common main and jib sheet rigs have
been shown in Figs. 5-4 through 5-13. To run the sheet through
the blocks is to REEVE the sheet, and it is a good practice to
knot the running end of all sheets so they will not inadvertently
pass through and out the blocks, causing loss of control of the
sails.
FIG. 5-4 - Ratio 2:1. A simple mainsheet set-up which uses a rope or wire rope traveler. Although the
traveler is shown deadending to eye straps, one end could be made adjustable by belaying to a jam cleat.
The mainsheet can be held by hand or a block or cam cleat can be used as shown in Fig. 5-5.

Note that in many cases the mainsheet forms, or is used in

conjunction with, the TRAVELER. The traveler lets the
mainsheet rig or unit move or "travel" from one side of the boat
to the other. Travelers can range from the combination
mainsheet/ traveler type, or a simple length of line, or very
elaborate fittings complete with tracks using blocks with ball or
roller bearings and lines to control them.

FIG. 5-5 - Ratio 3:1. The mainsheet is used as the traveler in this rig.
FIG. 5-6 - Ratio 2:1. This mainsheet is also used as the traveler, but requires at least some aft deck
area. The main feature of this layout is the minimum of hardware required. Because the sheeting
lead on the boom is at the aft end, roller reefing can easily be incorporated by hanging the side
shackle block from a swiveling tang on the end of the boom.

FIG. 5-7 - Ratio 4:1. This mainsheet rig is handy to use where roller reefing is desired. It would be
possible to mount the lower fiddle block to a track so it could to move each side with the boom,
acting as a traveler. If roller reefing is not used, the mainsheet arrangement could be located at some
location along the boom, although this would increase the effort required to move the boom.
 FIG. 5-8 - A system similar to Fig. 5-7, but using a rope or wire traveler similar to Fig. 5-4. This
arrangement could also be located at the end of the boom for use with roller reefing. A cam cleat
could be used at the swivel block so that the line need not be hand held.

FIG. 5-9 - A rather elaborate system in that the traveler can be adjusted with lines each side via cam
cleats. The fiddle block with cam cleat is used so that the line need not be hand held.

Winches ease the work required in pulling or trimming the

sheets, such as on jib sheets, as in Fig. 5-13. A winch gains
mechanical advantage due to its gear ratio, diameter of the
handle, and by the drum diameter of the winch. To determine the
mechanical advantage (or power ratio), use the following formula:
Radius of handle divided by the Radius of the drum X the Gear
ratio = Power ratio. This means that power can be gained by
either increasing the gear ratio, or radius of the handle, or
decreasing the drum radius, or a combination of all three. Usually
the drum radius should not be decreased because the winch will
then do the work more slowly. On small boats such as being
discussed here, most winches will not have gears and are thus
referred to as "direct drive" winches such as shown in Fig. 5-14.
Often used on small boats are winches which do not have
handles either, and these are called "snubbing" winches (Fig. 5-
15). Winches are usually relatively expensive items, and because
mechanical advantage can be gained by other means, they are
considered "deluxe" equipment on boats under about 25' in
length.

FIGS. 5-10 through 5-13 show various jib sheet configurations. Jib sheets are usually two part lines
secured at the mid length to the jib clew cringle usually via a shackle. This means that the hardware
to control one side of the jib sheet will be duplicated for the other side; in other words, each side of
the boat will have the fittings shown.

FIG. 5-10-A fairlead on a slide allows adjustment of the jib sheet lead point via the track. The sheet
can be hand held or belayed to a cleat at some convenient point.

FIG. 5-11-Similar to the foregoing but the line is belayed with a cam cleat mounted directly on a
slide which runs on the track.
 FIG. 5-12 - This system provides a power advantage of 2 to 1 (before allowing for fiction) to the jib
sheet. The pad eye is mounted outboard of the track and two bullet blocks are shackled to the sail
(one for each sheet for each side of the boat). The line then passes through a fairlead slide on a track
and then aft to a jam or cam cleat. Optionally, the cam cleat could be mounted on the slide as for
Fig. 5-11.

FIG. 5-13 - This jib sheeting method gains power through the use of a winch. The power of such a
rig is directly dependent on the power of the winch that can be varied to suit. A fairlead on a slide
could be used on the track, however, the swivel block reduces friction and chafe. A snubbing winch
is shown in this example, although a winch with a handle can be used. The line must be belayed to a
cleat beyond the winch. Note that the lead from the swivel block to the winch is fairly horizontal, as
it should be.

FIG. 5-14 - This is a typical example

of a ratchet winch, which uses a
FIG. 5-15 - A typical snubbing winch as used for jib
handle, for controlling jib sheets.
sheets on small sailboats. No handle is used.

JIB SHEET LEAD

The sheet used to control the jib must be lead to a point on the
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boat that affords optimum setting of the jib (if one is used). If a
Genoa jib is used, a separate sheet lead must be determined for
this sail also. Since the jib sheets are in two parts (one for
starboard, and the other for port), a lead point will be located on
each side of the boat. In determining the lead points, the
designer probably uses a formula similar to that shown in Fig. 5-
16, which is at best always an approximation. Because methods
used to determine jib sheet leads are approximations, and
because no two sails will trim the same, it is best to make the
sheet lead point adjustable by using lengths of tracks and sliding
fittings attached to them. Another method for determining the jib
sheet lead, at least on small boats, is to actually sail the boat with
the jib in position and thereby determine the optimum setting in
actual use. When the optimum point has been located, mark with
a pencil and attach the appropriate fittings to the deck.

FIG. 5-16 - A common method used for locating the jib and Genoa sheet leads
is graphically shown. The results are usually acceptable, but it is wise to use
tracks so minor variations in sheet lead can be made.

DOWNHAULS AND BOOM VANGS

Not all boats use downhauls or boom vangs, but they are used
enough to warrant discussion. A DOWNHAUL is merely a line
used to haul down on something, usually the tack of the sail, or
the boom where the tack of the sail is located (see Fig. 3-12). A
boom downhaul fitting or eye is often a part of the sliding
gooseneck, to which the downhaul is attached to prevent the
gooseneck from sliding up the mast. Once the sail has been
hoisted with the halyard and pulled taut to a cleat, the downhaul
can be used to gain further tension along the luff of the sail by
pulling down and making fast to a cleat. Naturally, a similar
downhaul could be used on the jib. A special type of downhaul
called a "CUNNINGHAM" requires that the sail have an
additional cringle usually located several inches above the tack
cringle. The "Cunningham" is usually used on competition boats
where more shape control of the sail is desired along the luff, but
because of the racing rules, the boom cannot be hauled down
below a certain pre-designated point.

A BOOM VANG (also called a "go faster" and "kicking strap")

is a device that performs several functions. The boom vang is a
tackle arrangement (see Figs. 5-17 and 5-18) connected at one
end to the mast near its base, and with the other end preferably
about 1/3 the distance of the boom aft of the mast. The boom
vang helps take the undesirable "twist" out of the sail on all
courses off (or away) from the wind, flattens the mainsail on a
tack (sailing in the direction of the wind), and prevents the boom
from lifting in case of accidental jibes (the boom moving rapidly
from one side to the other when sailing downwind).

FIG. 5-17 & 5-18 - Two boom vang tackles with fittings. The upper block is attached to the boom, while
the lower block is fastened to the mast base or near the mast base on deck. These boom vang tackles
could also be used for mainsheet rigs if desired. Fig. 5-17 (left) has a power ratio of 3 to 1. Fig. 5-18
(right) has a power ratio of 4 to 1.

HOW TO FIGURE A TACKLE

In order to figure a tackle to control a mainsail, for example,

you must first know the area of the sail. Once the area of the sail
is known, figure the "load" caused by the wind on the sail. In
figuring for a mainsail which has the mainsheet lead at the end of
the boom, figure wind load by multiplying the sail area by 1.5 lbs.
per square foot. If the mainsheet leads to the boom midpoint,
multiply the sail area by 3 lbs. per square foot. (For figuring the
jib or Genoa, also multiply by 3 lbs.) Actually, these factors are
only estimates by rule-of thumb and allow a safety factor in
consideration of varying sailing conditions, rig designs, and wind
forces up to 20 knots, but the results will usually be close
enough.

If, for example, a mainsail has 100 square feet of area, the
mainsheet load at the end of the boom would be 100 square feet
multiplied by 1.5 lbs. and would equal 150 lbs. Obviously, in
order to control this sail it would require 150 lbs. of "pull" at times
on the sheet. So to reduce this effort, we devise a tackle. But
how many "parts" should be included in the tackle? Again a rule-
of-thumb is used which says that most people can pull 30 to 50
lbs. on a line BY HAND. If using a cam cleat on the end of a line,
this figure can be increased, say up to 75 lbs. or more for he-man
types! But, in most cases, it is good to stick to the 30 to 50 lb.
range, if practical.

The ability of a tackle to do work depends on the number of

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"parts" or lengths of line BETWEEN the blocks as shown in Fig.

5-3. The more parts, the easier will be the job, but consequently
the longer will be the length of line AND TIME to move the load
or boom a given distance. To determine the effort required on the
line when rigged in the tackle, divide the total wind load by the
number of parts in the tackle. For example, using our 100 square
foot sail, divide the wind load of 150 lbs. by 4 (if we wanted a 4-
part tackle) and arrive at 37.5 lbs. of pull required to move the
boom or load. However suitable this figure may be, we must
DEDUCT a certain amount that will be lost due to friction caused
by the sheaves in the blocks, and other factors that take away
from our gain in mechanical advantage. Again another rule-of-
thumb is used which figures a 10% loss for every sheave used in
the tackle. Therefore, with a 4-part tackle which has four
sheaves, multiply each sheave by 10% for a total of 40%, which
is then multiplied against the total wind load (40% x 150 lbs.) for
a total of 60 lbs. lost to friction and other losses. (While the 10%
figure is not technically exact, it is close enough to use as a
practical short cut, and it does yield conservative results.) To the
result (60 lbs.) add 150 lbs. (wind load) for a total load of 210 lbs.
Divide this figure by the number of parts in the tackle (4) for a
result of 52.5 lbs., or just about the maximum for holding a sheet
by hand in a 20 knot wind. If we use a jam cleat to secure the
sheet, this tackle will prove sufficient to do the job under just
about all conditions short of having to reduce sail area. This
example can be used to figure other tackles as well. In summary:
SAIL AREA X FACTOR (1.5 OR 3) divided by NUMBER OF
PARTS IN TACKLE EFFORT (BEFORE FRICTION LOSS).

To figure power loss in tackle:

WIND LOAD X 10% PER SHEAVE FRICTION LOSS; WIND
LOAD + FRICTION LOSS = TOTAL LOAD IN LBS.

To figure load on end of sheet which crew must handle:

TOTAL LOAD IN LBS. divided by NUMBER OF PARTS IN
TACKLE = LOAD IN LBS. AT END OF SHEET.

Chapter 6
Contents