Asymetrical Spinnaker running rigging

[billknny]

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.

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.

[Bob Pingel]

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

[billknny]

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

[Bob Pingel]

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

[billknny]

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