Staysail Rigging. Is this proper? Image to show

[fireman182]

Hello
I have a westsail 32cutter and am trying to sort out the rigging. I made up a diagram to show what I have for a setup. I'm not sure if it is proper or complete.

The image is a westsail 28 cutter but that makes no difference.

The staysail has the sheets run to pulleys on the deck. Shown in red

The sheets go from the pulleys to a deck mounted 3 pulley block

The sheets end at a 3 line clutch next to a winch.

Is this proper and strong enough for its application?

I feel like Id rather have the sheets run to their own winch to a dedicated cleat and bypass the 3 pulley block on deck/clutch.

Thoughts?

All hanked on sails

[oregonian]

Hello fireman, That set up is not the normal set up but will work just fine. There will be just a little more friction on the port sheet but it will be very minimal. I have sailed on a Westsail with that arrangement. Use that set up for awhile. You'll almost certainly adapt to it.

[roverhi]

We had a short piece of track on each side of the cabin top with a standup block and a winch on each side for the stay sail sheet. Used the track so i could guarantee a proper lead to the sail but in reality never moved it once we'd found the proper location. If the sheet block is located properly it should work fine. You can change the sheet/sail angle with a pennant on the tank o the sail if it isn't to your liking. We built the boat pre clutch era so had to use individual winches. Actually sailing very seldom needed the winch other than as a snubber to trim the sail as the sail is pretty small.

The set up on your boat will probably work fine as long as you don't exceed the articulation of the sheet block to run the sheet to the opposite side of the deck.

[fireman182]

Thanks for the replies.

I'm just trying to sort out what the previous owner was trying to setup.

That's my biggest concern is exceeding the strength rating of the deck hardware.

Are deck redirection pulleys (no idea technical name) and rope grab clutch stronger then winches and cleats?

The staysail is primarily used as a storm sail in this situation.

[Benz]

As long as the fasteners are the right size, the clutches should be stronger than the largest diameter line you can get in there. Now's your chance to inspect all the fasteners and replace any that are weeping rust, and check the condition of the deck where they go through, and check your backing plates. But if everything was done correctly, with proper sizing for the loads, you'll be OK.

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by fireman182

Is this proper and strong enough for its application?

It is not ideal.

The deflection on the port sheet block and on the 3 block deck organizer are rather higher than typical, which means the loads (and friction) on the hardware will be higher. And clutches tend to have relatively low working/slipping loads and are not typically used on sheets.

Whether it is "strong enough" depends on the specific hardware that you have. You have a relatively small boat and the absolute loads will not be huge, so if you have good hardware it may well be strong enough.

What to do sort of depends on your cruising plans. If you plan to round Cape Horn and continue on the southern ocean, I personally would shift it around to a more conventional/ideal set-up. But if you are dong costal cruising, it is probably (depending on the Specific hardware you have) ok, and does keep the staysail sheets tidy in one location.