mainsail outhaul

[Guest]

Just rigged my "new" 1971 DS1 for the first time and have not sailed for 20 years. I am wondering about fastening the clew of the sail to booms end. I do not seem to have an outhaul, only a shackle fixed to a point on booms end . The main is fixed here .The posts I have been reading all seem to indicate that an outhaul should be pulled around a block on booms end , then cleated halfway back down the boom. What is the advantage of this "adjustability" ? Will my arrangement work ok ? Will I need to adjust the foot in high winds ?

Thanks for any replies , Ken

ken (kenjarg-at-sympatico.ca)

[Roger]

Rig as follows: Attach the shackle to the clew of the sail. A line goes from the shackle through a block secured to the top of the boom end, then to a cleat at the side of the boom about 18 inches forward of the end. The higher the wind gets, the tighter you should set your outhaul to maintain a flatter sail. Same goes for the main halyard and downhaul, and boom vang if you have one. Loosen them all up in light winds.

[Guest]

To add a little purchase to your outhaul, attach a small block w/ becket on the end of boom. Run line from becket, through clew, back through block, and then to a cleat. This will get you 2:1 purchase. I have my outhaul cleat mid boom, which means it's never far from amidships, and makes it easy for the crewmember to adjust from their forward position.

Tim Dowell (pastor_tim-at-mindspring.com)