This setup is thanks to Phill Brander and Tony Jenkins who devised this one at the DCC after I brought back a stainless steel backstay plate of a sailyacht as that was the only plate I could find that day to act as a Bridle plate.
I must say that I'm very happy with this setup. This particular implementation is a little bit crude due to demands of time. And I'm done tuning the boat up I think I will use this very same setup in the permanent setup.
However I spend no more than 16 Euro's on this particular setup and my jib, that comes down all the way to the spi pole sits just fine with it.
Of course the midsection pole lines are there at the eyestrap to prevent a crease to run through the bottom part of my jib. They are no really necessary from a strength point of few but they are preferred when running a jib that comes down to the spi pole.
See the pics in the next post to see how it the strut was made from
-1- one stainless steel backstay plate for 20-30 foot monohulls yachts (8.50 Euro's)
-2- one plain alu 15mm by 2 mm tube
-3- one plain eyestrap
-4- two blind rivets
Wouter
here you see the stainless steel backstay plate.
We didn't drill a 4th hole in it to take the bridle strut pin so I'm still using a piece of line to hold up my spi pole.
However when the jib it fitted than the luff tension in the jib pulls the strut against the plate and this piece of ine goes more or less slack.
Later I intend to drill the 4th hole and use a pin to remove the need for the line alltogether.
Wouter
here you see the eyestrap on the spi pole that will take the bridle strut.
The lower end of the tube (strut) needs to be squashed in a vice to be able to fit over the eyestrap. Squash with the eyestrap in the tube to get a nice fit.
Wouter
Here you see the lower part of the strut fitted over the eystrap. It takes a little effort to get the height of the pin hole just right but a vile will do wonders. And in my case the strut sits very nicely when the hole is just right. There is surprisingly little play in this way of fastening.
Wouter
In my case, we just cut a slot into the top end of the strut and shoved this end over the plate and between the two bridle wire tangs. Surprisingly is fits nicely and there is no play here as well. A pin fastening here would be nice but this does work really well. The top of the bridle strut can't move sideways because of the tangs and it is pushed against the plate by either the line holding up the spi pole or the luff tension of the jib.
See the next 2 pictures
Wouter
Wouter
Thanks for the photos. I'm guessing that you lowered the jib tack to to the spin pole to allow more jib area with the short-footed self-tacking jib. How will you pole-mount your jib, with a second eyestrap behind the one that holds the strut? And will you have a furler? If so...how?
Think simple !
>>I'm guessing that you lowered the jib tack to to the spin pole to allow more jib area with the short-footed self-tacking jib.
Correct. It is the only way to get the F16 jib area in when using a selftacker on a Taipan.
>>How will you pole-mount your jib, with a second eyestrap behind the one that holds the strut?
Right it is very simple. It is a line with a bowline loop on one end. I arc the loop behind the pole and pull the other end of the line through it. I do this just in front of the strut. Now the line is fixed to the pole. Than I run the loose end through the eye on the tack of the jib and run the (still) loose end through the part of the loop coming of the pole. Than I tension it and finish it off with two or three hitches. This works very well as the this line pulls the tack of the jib forward and thus resists the pull backwards ot the jib sheet. I can pretty much get my jib to set well that way.
For the season 2005 I'm think about using a standup block on the pole to the rear of the strut. I'll then extent the line I'm using now and run it like this.
Up from the pole to the eye in the tack
Down to the standup block
back to a jam (clam) cleat near the mast
With this I can adjust the tension in the luff while sailing
>>And will you have a furler? If so...how?
No. I can't. That is the drawback of a jib tack that is brought down to the pole. Besides I have a fully battened jib as well so furling isn't an option anyway. Furling a jib is bad for the shape of the jib as well. I decided that I didn't want furling as that will hold a jib design back from being performance oriented. All the competitive F18 crews here will only furl if their life depends on it.
Just put your boat head to wind and pull the jib sheet on and the jib will set there quietly. Often I put the bows on the dolly or through a mount of sand against the bow to make sure the jib can't pull the bows around. Apart from that I have no issues with the non furling jib. If I go for lunch and the wind is unpredictable than I just take my jib down. With two persons this is easy enough. When I'm alone I don't use the jib of course.
Maybe I can make some more pics this coming weekend. Maybe !
Wouter
Hi Wouter
One other option that you might think about for the base of your pole strut is a small dinghy bow fitting. They usually have a couple of holes available and 4 rivet points serve to distribute the load nicely on the top of your pole. I use one hole for the strut attachment. Same idea as your eyestrap. I use a rear hole in the fitting for the 4 to 1 jib sheeting system. It's important to have this attachemt point as close to the tack as possible so that the self tacker will swing properly. You could use an eye strap again but you are putting a lot of holes in the pole close together. Lastly, I run the jib downahul from a butten riveted to the side of the pole up through the jib tack cringle down to a small cheek block mounted on the side of the pole back to the dolphin stricker, around the sricker and to a small cleet mounted on the deck just behind the front cross bar. You can double end this if you want to go to either side. The advantage is that this allows the tack to rotate properly when you are sailing really deep.
I have a halyard shackle that attaches to the strut and then to the jib tack cringle. This keeps the jib sheet tension from pulling the tack aft.
Sorry I don't have any pictures though.
Take care
Mark
Currently I use my selftacker with just two simple blocks tied to the shackle that currently replaces the pin holding the strut to the pole. The plan was to have two cheek blocks on either side of the strut and run the line through that. How ever I never got the cheek blocks when I ordered them.
So I was never thinking about a second eyestrap to take the jib sheet blocks only to take the jib downhaul. However I'm also thinking about just tying this downhaul block to the pole or even to put an eyestrap to the strut and fix the block to that.
However I will not do anything before the season of 2005. I have to pack it in now and get everything to the winter storage. So my boat is 95 % finished (and ready to sail) but it will take another season to get everything just right.
Thanks for the tips Mark. One question though what do you mean by double ending it ? Does this mean you have two cleats behind the mainbeam as well ?
Wouter
Yes...
I can adjust the jib down haul from either the port or starbord hull. The line I cleat goes from the front beam take up bungee ... through the cleat mounted on the deck just on the inner shear of the hull directly behind the front beam... under the tramp around the dolphin stricker forward through a 16 mm block which will travel along the pole and back around the dolphin stricker to the other side of the boat. I use a small dynema line spliced to the 16 mm bock which runs forward along the pole through a cheek block mounted a bit forward of where I want the jib tack to be to help keep it forward up through the jib tack and back down to a button... ... I have an eye splice in the dynema so that i just slip the eye over the button and its made.
My only caution would be to find a system that doesn't put too many holes in the pole at the same place... when you shrimp the chute... it can bend at this point (been there... done that) the dinghy bow tang can be bent to conform to the pole and it spreads the loads to 4 widely spaced holes.
PS.... NEVER believe you have finished rigging... there is always a slightly better way to do something.... The fun never quits! The Tornado guys are DAMN clever... and you just borrow what works for your budget.
Take Care
Mark