Belaying Pin Rack

[John Stone]

I may be in the market for a new mast. If so, I'm considering installing a belaying pin rack, vice winches, right on the mast and using a halyard jig to raise the sails, etc. The boat is 36' long, 16,000 lbs, Bermuda rigged, double headsail sloop with bowsprit. For planning purposes can anyone tell me if there is a standard height the rack should be located above the cabin top? The goose-neck is about 35" above the cabin top. With synthetic riggings there is no good option for installing them on the shrouds and I prefer to have everything right there on the mast anyway. I have seen pictures of racks that are bolted through the deck and are kind of "U" shaped around the mast but that is not what I am talking about.

If there is a information source that might describe the ergonomics for things like this?

Many thanks.

[Joe Henderson]

Dear John,

I just HAVE to ask.

What do you mean by, (and who advised you ) " With synthetic riggings there is no good options for installing them on the shrouds" ?

If I may be so bold, this sounds like some of the "Remember, Dyneema hates compression" type of muddled thinking that showed up on here in a previous thread.

If you just dont want to mount anything on the shrouds, fair enough, but there is nothing concerning synthetic rigging that should put you off mountinmg your pin rail or nav lights or mop and deck scrubber in your shrouds.

You just have to apply the correct treatment, appropriate to the load and duty you are going to expect of the component you are fastening to.

Short lengths of stout serving, correctly applied, may give a good surface for the timber to grip, just like it does for ratlines.

PROPERLY sized Dyneema tension members have such a factor of safety that any perceived lessening of strength is, as I was told by Brion Toss in the aforementioned thread, "A Non Issue"

Regards,

Joe Henderson.

[John Stone]

Joe,
Thanks for sharing that as an option. I have read many posts on Spar Talk about this topic and of course seen your many experienced comments. I have read, as you suggested, that dynex dux "does not like compression" but, I have no personal opinion on it as I have no experience with dux so your observations are very helpful. If I use dynex dux, as I hope to, then the opportunity to install one or two "rat lines" would be a useful option I think.

Thanks again.
John

[Stumble]

John,

I was one of those people concerned about putting Dux in compression from rat lines. But the experience and opinion of those people on here that have done so say it isn't an area of concern.

[benz]

Hi John,

I don't think there is a 'standard height' for a pinrail--it just ought to be high enough that your knuckles won't crack against the deck when you're belaying a halyard really fast. Which takes more clearance when you're in a hurry than not. The higher it is, the larger you'll be able to make the loops when you coil down the fall of the halyards, so there'll be less of a bundle of coiled rope hanging there. I would put them where they'll look best while interfering with other things (stowed dinghy, etc.) least.

[Ian McColgin]

A thought only on height: I often sweat a line and to keep that option open you'll want the belay point as low as practical. I find that about knee height is good as that's high enough for an easy reach, low enough to sweat the line, and high enough above deck than you can hang the coil on the pin and low enough that the coil is not subject to undue blowing about. If you put the pins out on the shrouds, you need to get high enough that your hung coils don't get swept away as the boat heels and goes through a wave. Usually about waist high does it but you might go higher to be away from the lifelines. If you'll need to sweat the line, put a hook on the convering board at deck's edge below and lead the bitter end back up to the pin rail.

G'luck