Asymetrical Spinnaker running rigging
 

I thought I had found the perfect solution in the rigging of my spinnaker, and in fact it is easy to rig and works well.

What I do: The clew of the spinnaker has a short line spliced it it, and the sheets are composed of a single continuous line which I middle, and sheet bend the clew line to. Works great :) .... except.....

After a boisterous sail that sheet bend is chinched so hard there is no hope of untieing it. :mad:

Does anyone have an fix more elegant than two seperate sheet lines bowlined to the clew of the sail? That will obviously work, and will always (almost) untie, but I just have a feeling in my bones that there is a neater solution out there I just haven't had enough experience to hear of...

Is a double sheet bend less likely to jam tight?

The boat is 40 feet LOA, with an I of 49.3 ft, J of 14 ft and the sail is about 600 sq feet.

Bill Kinney
http://www.geocities.com/bill_knny

A snap shackle is typical for attachment of spinnaker sheets.

Another idea
 

I have used the following method with great success...

-Splice a small eye in the end of each sheet

-Splice up a small pendant (3' long?) with an eye on one end and a Tylaska Spool (or alike) on the other.

-Ring hitch the sheets to the pendant eye and spool the pendant to the clew.

The whole assembly is light and smooth.

Bob

Asymetrical Spinnaker running rigging
 

Thanks Bob,

I know under most conditions people don't think of the metal snap shackles being as nasty on a spinnaker as they are on a flapping jib, but I know that as I pull the sock down to douse the sail, the clew flies around a lot in the general region of my head. On my sail the sewn clew ring itself is meaty enough to give a good wack, the last thing I want to do is add more metal to it. Although I have been called hard-headed, I doubt it helps much in the regard!

I am thinking also of making the "pendant" (Is there a "proper" name for this short line from the sail to a sheet?) of a stiffer line (stayset X?) which seems to be easier to untie after cyclical loading of a knot.

Bill

Spool Shackle
 

I understand your aversion to metal on the clew, but are you familiar with spool shackles? These are not snap shackles, but a small cylinder of aluminum that weighs less than an ounce.

I would venture to guess a knot (maybe 2) would be heavier than a spool -- though admittedly the knot would be a bit softer.

Bob

Asymetrical Spinnaker running rigging
 

Bob,

Actually the spools are appealing. The "hard parts" are very lightweight and are pretty well covered in soft rope when in use! I was more trying to justify not embracing the "typical" solution that was suggested earlier in the thread.

Bill