Jib halyard tensioner

[jeadstx]

Sounds like a block is the way to go on the barber inhaulers. I plan to use 3/16" line.

The main sheet on my boat when I got it it was 1/2" and didn't pull through the blocks well. I relaced it with 3/8" line (as I recall the specs call for 5/16"). 3/8" felt better in my hand. I kept the jib sheets at 5/16".

John

[Salty Dog]

I think I will use blocks. I do not have a good feel for the size of the lines. I thought 1/4 was too small for my hands but found out my out haul was 1/4 and it seems good. I ordered 5/16 for my jib halyard tensioner and it came in larger than I thought it was going to be. I will have to get used to ordering on line I like to look and feel of things when I buy. I will probably replace all my running rigging I just have to deside size and color.

[GreenLake]

I I do not have a good feel for the size of the lines. I thought 1/4 was too small for my hands but found out my out haul was 1/4 and it seems good. I ordered 5/16 for my jib halyard tensioner and it came in larger than I thought it was going to be.

Mainsheet and jibsheet are lines that you operate continuously. Having those at the upper end of a size range for ease of handling makes some sense, for all other lines, you can probably "think small" quite effectively. I find that I've moved halyards, outhauls, reef lines etc. down in size over the years.

Most modern rope is stronger than you need for a DS at sizes that may be too uncomfortable to handle, so you'll always be using more or less oversized lines from the point of view of the loads that they need to support.

From the point of view of handling a line, the design makes a huge difference. Some rope will be very slippery and gripping even larger sizes will be uncomfortable because you need to use so much hand strength to get a grip. Other ropes are the complete opposite. For an example of a really "grippy" rope, there is FSE Robline's Racing Sheet. At the same time if feels soft and pliant, but holds well in ratchet blocks. Their "dinghy control" is a smoother/stiffer rope that I found works well at rather small sizes for many of the auxiliary tasks. (I use the smallest size, where it almost looks like a heavy yarn for lashing blocks to places where I don't want or cannot use metal shackles.)

I will probably replace all my running rigging I just have to decide size and color.

For main (and perhaps jib sheets) you could use ratchet blocks in your rigging. That would transfer some of the holding power from your hand to the block, even when you are running the sheet out of your hand. That would allow you to go towards the lower end of the size range.

I've never paid much attention to colors, I did things piecemeal and bought or used lines that worked for the purpose. The one place where I wish I had real color-coding is for spinnaker sheets. I ended up with two red ones (and now I am too cheap to switch one of the to green, but it would make life easier.)

Speaking about "cheap". Some of my lines are from the remainder bucket at the local marine store. Needless to say, they're never really ideal for the purpose, but definitely good enough to get by. When i put the ratchet block in, I used the same rope as the store had in their ratchet block display. That was a good choice, even though not the cheapest. The combination does work really well.

In general, by going to the smallest diameter that works for the purpose, you can be "cheap" without sacrificing performance.

[jeadstx]

I've gone to colored lines. Really helps if your teaching someone to sail to have lines of different colors. They can figure out which line is which. Helps me sometimes too.

John

[Mike Gillum]

A couple of winters ago I beautifully spliced in a pair of SS Thimbles in Spectra with the Thimbles commonly used for Spinnaker Twings on 470 & 5o5 replacing the heavy clunky Big Dinghy Harken Blocks on the Barberhaulers for #2772.
Sailing out to the race course my wife Mardi commented that she had apparently lost a lot of strength over the winter as she couldn't easily pull in the Jib after a couple of practice tacks?
Breeze starts to pipe up and as Mardi is donning her life jacket I went to trim in the Jib and I too found that I had lost a lot of strength over the winter as the Jib was virtually impossible to trim to its proper setting upwind in 8-10 knots!
I physically helped Mardi trim the Jib throughout the first race and during the lunch break ashore I ripped out the pretty spliced SS Thimbles and quickly reinstalled the heavy clunky Big Dinghy Harken Blocks that remain today!
My Barberhauler Controls are a pair of cleats sandwiched between the inside aft edge of the Cuddy Cabin at the Deck and the mesh bags that we stuff the Spinnaker into with both cleats cross-linked to the other side of the boat allowing both of us to easily adjust the leeward Barberhauler.
The leeward Barberhauler is released by Mardi as soon as the Spinnaker has been set and is drawing allowing me to trim the Jib while running and reaching with the Big Dinghy Harken Block nearly out to the leeward Shroud.
Dave Keran has a nifty central cleat on the side of the centerboard trunk just below the Mainsheet Cleat allowing him to release and reset both Barberhaulers with one control line.
While I'm tempted by Dave's set-up I still like my current location as I'll trim the Jib upwind in light air using the Barberhauler control line rather than the Jib Sheet if we're on a layline situation and the wind is bouncing around.

[Salty Dog]

One of my problems is I live in the desert, and there is no place to buy line or look at line. So I have to order on line or when I'm at the lake go into San Antonio. We have several boat dealers but all are power boats and do not handle line.

I just got back from going over to my DS and took a set of calipers and found out my out haul that I thought was 1/4" was 3/16. So I guess I will make my baberhaulers 3/16 after all. My sheets were 5/16 that I thought were 3/8. They all calipered exactly except my halyards which I thought were 5/16 turned out to be a 9/32?????? the only thing I can figure out is they must be some of that metric line. At first glance I thought it was 1/4 and I guess 1/4 will work.

My toping lift is 1/8 and I am going to make my jib down haul 1/8. My cunningham is 3/16. and it doubles as boom vane.
It has a hook and when I'm closehauled I hook it in the cunningham grummit and when I'm reaching I hook it in the boom vane hound.

As it turns out all my lines were smaller than I thought.

I like the look of the small lines I see on some of the raceing boats on this site. It makes them look fast. Like they are a kite or like they are aircraft control lines or something.

Right now all my lines are white, or were at one time. I like the idea of color coded lines. the guy that introduced me to sailing used color coded lines, and I guess I thought that was the way it was supposed to be. They are all colored on my other boat.

[K.C. Walker]

While I'm tempted by Dave's set-up I still like my current location as I'll trim the Jib upwind in light air using the Barberhauler control line rather than the Jib Sheet if we're on a layline situation and the wind is bouncing around.

Mike,

You've done it again. When ever you write something, and fill in the details, I give myself a dope slap upside the head, "why didn't I think of that". Playing the Barberhaulers is a very interesting idea, it makes sense. It's going to be a while before I get to try this out. It will be fun experimenting.

[jeadstx]

Salty Dog, Duckworks sells line and they are in Harper, Texas which is probably closer to you than San Antonio. http://www.duckworksbbs.com/line.htm

John

[Mike Gillum]

K.C.,
If I'm sitting on the weather deck (light to medium) or weather seat (light) and Mardi is sitting to leeward on the deck (light) or seat (light to medium) the Jib Sheet Cleat on the thwart of #2772 is usually behind or below her making it difficult for her to easily and quickly adjust.
Since the control line for the Barberhauler on both sides of the boat is either directly in right of me if I'm sitting on the seat or at my knee if I'm sitting on the deck I don't need to look away from from what's really important and that is what's ahead of me!
I just have to make sure Mardi doesn't feel left out of the equation and where I find I adjust the Barberhauler most frequently is Morro Bay dodging sandbars, eel grass, kelp and assorted wildlife while dealing with effects of flood & ebb tides in tight confined spaces.

[Salty Dog]

Jeadstx

When I'm down at the lake. Its about 20 min. to West Marine in San antonio from my house. The only problem is I work and live in Midland. We have miles and miles of beach but no water. and no sailboat supplies. I am keeping my DS in Midland so I can work on it. I think I got it figured out on the line size enough to order on line now.

I used to be off between jobs on occasion for a week to some times 2 weeks and I would spend the time at the lake.
I just changed jobs and now I work mon-fri. and only the week ends off. and its 5 1/2 hrs to the lake

I am not going to make it to the TEX200 due to the change , but I'm still going to try to race in the Wurstfest Regatta Hope to have my DS fixed up by then Have to November.

[Salty Dog]

Mike

How was the one line BH rigged up. I was thinking of doing that but was not sure if I could pull it off on my boat

SD

[Mike Gillum]

Each Barberhauler runs to an opposing SS Bushing Thru-Deck fastened to the aft vertical lip of the Cuddy Cabin about 6" off centerline with the Barberhauler trimmed to 10" off centerline in normal upwind conditions.
I have a pair of Black Permanent Marker Lines at 10" off of centerline allowing Mardi and I quick visual reference when one of us (usually Mardi) pulls the Barberhaulers back to their proper upwind location prior to rounding the leeward mark.
The fairlead for the Barberhauler runs forward towards a Harken Micro Bullet Block about midway in the Cuddy Cabin that in turn is connected to a Harken Micro Bullet Block with a Becket hanging from a SS Eye-Strap bolted to the inside of the forward face of the Cuddy Cabin and then comes aft to the Cleat sandwiched between the side of the Cuddy Cabin and Mesh Laundry Bags we use to stuff the Spinanker into.
Effective purchase for each Barberhauler is 2:1.
Upwind after I've exhausted the usual means of depowering #2772 that usually start with hike, hike harder, hike even harder (might makes right?), tighter outhaul, more boomvang, Cunningham cranked down and repeated easing and trimming of the Mainsheet then it'll dawn on me that I need to have Mardi ease the Barberhauler outboard 2-3" to help depower the Jib while also opening the slot between the Jib Leach and front of the Main which in turn helps to keep #2772 from getting down in each puff/gust that comes along.
Surprisingly easing the Barberhauler actually helps pointing as we're flattening the entry angle of the Jib while depowering. Runs counter to what everyone thinks would happen going outboard with the Jib Lead but it is what happens!

[Salty Dog]

thanks Mike

I was wandering if I could make a single line BH work. I will have to play around with my Vang. I've only used it to keep my boom from riseing when I'm sailing off the wind and have my sheet paid out. I've never used it sailing close hauled. Ive got a lot to learn sailing my DS. On my bigger boat When I'm sailing to weather I use my sheet and traveler.

SD

[Mike Gillum]

I've had a 2:1 Barberhauler system the past twenty-five years in several Thistles so it wasn't a stretch to rig out #2772 with a 2:1.
Being able to easily adjust the Barberhauler while going upwind makes 2:1 the only choice.

[Salty Dog]

What I meant by single line was to rig up one line that adjust both sides and it could be on a double purchase. I think that is what you described some times I have trouble following a written decription