Parrel Beads vs. Mast Hoops?

[Neeltje]

Originally Posted by ryon

I'm jumping in a little late here. I'm familiar with parrel beads at the gaff and boom jaws, but can't recall seeing them used in place of sail hoops. Two-inchers you say? Any photos?

No photos, but there were 7 strands of 1/2" rope with a dozen 2" diameter cylindrical parrel beads on each holding the luff to the mast. Most of the beads exploded the first (and only) time I tried to raise the sail. The remaining ones are soaking in boiled linseed oil as we speak.

[Wattsailing]

My schooner has golf balls threaded onto ss wire Attched to the jaws and poly pipe over rope on the sail it works well

[ryon]

Originally Posted by Neeltje

No photos, but there were 7 strands of 1/2" rope with a dozen 2" diameter cylindrical parrel beads on each holding the luff to the mast. Most of the beads exploded the first (and only) time I tried to raise the sail. The remaining ones are soaking in boiled linseed oil as we speak.

Wish I would have known your question when I was at the recent Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival. Sail attachment is an interesting topic to ask around about. Maybe the photos here can be helpful. Here is one example with a LOT of parrel beads. Wish I knew which ship this is. We're probably looking at 150+ foot and maybe it's necessary.

AFAIK the best method is to roband the luff to bamboo hoops and slush the mast. There just isn't enough vertical friction to require anything more than that. Evolution in boats tends toward simplicity. Could those 100+ parrel beads have been a post-1900 "improvement" to the design that really wasn't necessary?

[Neeltje]

Originally Posted by ryon

Wish I would have known your question when I was at the recent Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival. Sail attachment is an interesting topic to ask around about. Maybe the photos here can be helpful. Here is one example with a LOT of parrel beads. Wish I knew which ship this is. We're probably looking at 150+ foot and maybe it's necessary.

AFAIK the best method is to roband the luff to bamboo hoops and slush the mast. There just isn't enough vertical friction to require anything more than that. Evolution in boats tends toward simplicity. Could those 100+ parrel beads have been a post-1900 "improvement" to the design that really wasn't necessary?

I never thought of that, but you're probably right; the strands of parrels could have been added for Prettiness' sake when Neeltje went from a manure barge to a "Gentlemen's Yacht". I'd Googled the thing to death before my initial post, and while I too saw several pics of the same setup, most of the big wooden masts were using hoops. What I never picked-up on at the time was the use of lacing on the smaller Dutch Tjalks and Skutzes. That only came to light on this thread.

Jacques

[Neeltje]

One last thought: both of Neeltje's sails are made of really heavy canvas (it took 3 grown men to haul the main off the boat). Could that have incited the use of parrel strings? The laced luff Skutzes you see on the racing videos all seem to have Dacron sails.

Jacques

[ryon]

Originally Posted by Neeltje

One last thought: both of Neeltje's sails are made of really heavy canvas (it took 3 grown men to haul the main off the boat). Could that have incited the use of parrel strings? The laced luff Skutzes you see on the racing videos all seem to have Dacron sails.

Jacques

How big is Neeltje? I get the impression it's around 50-60 feet, but don't see in this thread. EDIT: Oh! There it is, under your avatar. 63 feet, three men to carry. Sounds about right for a heavy canvas. Probably a b---h to raise shorthanded in the rain! That might be why someone added the parrel beads, though I suspect their contribution is minimal.

We might not talk about it much in public, but most of us use synthetics for our sails and lines.

[Neeltje]

Originally Posted by ryon

How big is Neeltje? I get the impression it's around 50-60 feet, but don't see in this thread. EDIT: Oh! There it is, under your avatar. 63 feet, three men to carry. Sounds about right for a heavy canvas. Probably a b---h to raise shorthanded in the rain! That might be why someone added the parrel beads, though I suspect their contribution is minimal.

We might not talk about it much in public, but most of us use synthetics for our sails and lines.

Actually, I managed to raise the main (solo, in a cross wind and in the rain) without too much effort. The hard part was getting it to come down again. The only reason I raised it in the first place was to see if I could. From what I've seen, many of the other tjalks of this size have a 2-speed manual halyard winch. At over $5000 + shipping for a bronze one, I was happy to see that I could manage without...

The hardest part was singlehandedly keeping the gaff angle "just so" whilst raising and lowering it. The gaff angle is controlled by a separate line, and pulling on it at the same time as the halyard takes some pretty strong teeth. While I'm proud to say that I've never had a cavity, I'm sure there's a better way of doing this.

Jacques

[ryon]

Originally Posted by Neeltje

Actually, I managed to raise the main (solo, in a cross wind and in the rain) without too much effort. The hard part was getting it to come down again. The only reason I raised it in the first place was to see if I could. From what I've seen, many of the other tjalks of this size have a 2-speed manual halyard winch. At over $5000 + shipping for a bronze one, I was happy to see that I could manage without...

The hardest part was singlehandedly keeping the gaff angle "just so" whilst raising and lowering it. The gaff angle is controlled by a separate line, and pulling on it at the same time as the halyard takes some pretty strong teeth. While I'm proud to say that I've never had a cavity, I'm sure there's a better way of doing this.

Jacques

If Neeltje is like most wooden gaffers, she will have two halyards, a throat and a peak. I'm not sure about your winch system. I've always used block and tackle to a simple belay. They will need to be coordinated, and there are times when someone will have to lay aloft and jump on the jaw once or twice to make the gaff boom come down. That seems to be the the nature of the beast. A good coating on both surfaces with petroleum jelly should help a lot.

[Neeltje]

Originally Posted by ryon

If Neeltje is like most wooden gaffers, she will have two halyards, a throat and a peak. I'm not sure about your winch system. I've always used block and tackle to a simple belay. They will need to be coordinated, and there are times when someone will have to lay aloft and jump on the jaw once or twice to make the gaff boom come down. That seems to be the the nature of the beast. A good coating on both surfaces with petroleum jelly should help a lot.

Yes, that pretty much describes my setup (although I'm not quite sure what a "belay" is). When Neeljte's gaff got stuck on the way down, it was due to the upper most parrelled roban getting caught up in its throat. I'm hoping that replacing the robans by a luff lacing will eliminate the risk of a repeat performance, cause watching a 65-year old man shimmy up a wet wooden mast in short shorts is not something I'd care to treat the neighbors to again.

BTW, you're the second one so far to recommend "petroleum jelly". You guys aren't getting kinky on me, are you?

Jacques

[ryon]

Originally Posted by Neeltje

Yes, that pretty much describes my setup (although I'm not quite sure what a "belay" is). When Neeljte's gaff got stuck on the way down, it was due to the upper most parrelled roban getting caught up in its throat. I'm hoping that replacing the robans by a luff lacing will eliminate the risk of a repeat performance, cause watching a 65-year old man shimmy up a wet wooden mast in short shorts is not something I'd care to treat the neighbors to again.

BTW, you're the second one so far to recommend "petroleum jelly". You guys aren't getting kinky on me, are you?

Jacques

My favorite task of the sailing season is choosing which pretty young thing to invite aloft with me to slush the mast. We have had some great conversations, while slapping on handfuls of Vaseline. You might investigate adding ratlines, battens, or some other way to climb aloft. Shimmying up a wooden mast sounds kind of dangerous to me.

[Neeltje]

Originally Posted by ryon

My favorite task of the sailing season is choosing which pretty young thing to invite aloft with me to slush the mast. We have had some great conversations, while slapping on handfuls of Vaseline. You might investigate adding ratlines, battens, or some other way to climb aloft. Shimmying up a wooden mast sounds kind of dangerous to me.

Unless I'm not doing it right, I find shimmying up a wooden mast especially dangerous for the family jewels, and even more so on the way down...

On your recommendation (sic), I bought 8 jars of Vasaline Petroleum Jelly (the big ones) for the mast. When the check-out girl looked at me as if I must be Alzheimered, I gave her my best Jack Nicholson smile, and she turned almost purple. The encounter wasn't quite as nice as you'd depicted it, but it still made my day.

I then went out and bought some thick cow hide and brass tacks to replace the thread-bear leathers on the gaff throat, but since the old leather was dried-up and worn paper thin, I don't know if I should put the smooth (outer) side of the hide in or out. Seems to me that with the smooth side out, the leather would last longer, while the more porous inner epiderm would do a better job of absorbing and holding the Vasaline, and thus slide more easily. Any suggestions?

Jacques

[ryon]

Originally Posted by Neeltje

Unless I'm not doing it right, I find shimmying up a wooden mast especially dangerous for the family jewels, and even more so on the way down...

On your recommendation (sic), I bought 8 jars of Vasaline Petroleum Jelly (the big ones) for the mast. When the check-out girl looked at me as if I must be Alzheimered, I gave her my best Jack Nicholson smile, and she turned almost purple. The encounter wasn't quite as nice as you'd depicted it, but it still made my day.

I then went out and bought some thick cow hide and brass tacks to replace the thread-bear leathers on the gaff throat, but since the old leather was dried-up and worn paper thin, I don't know if I should put the smooth (outer) side of the hide in or out. Seems to me that with the smooth side out, the leather would last longer, while the more porous inner epiderm would do a better job of absorbing and holding the Vasaline, and thus slide more easily. Any suggestions?

Jacques

I'm not sure. Anyone here good at leather chafe protection? It will take me at least a week before I can ask around.