Lavezzi 40: Running Rigging

[Dragon Lady]

Hi guys,

Cab someone tell me what the standard size is for the Genoa sheets on a Lavezzi 40?
My boat has 16mm which is a pain because the self tailers have trouble fitting it in.
I believe the main halyard should be 14mm, but I would like to go to 12mm low stretch poly or 10mm spectra.
As the block on the head is only rated to 2000kg the breaking load is not an issue just the stretch and of course the handling of lower sized lines.
Again the 16mm that I have a the moment is a huge pain because it is too tight going through the blocks and clutch.

[Weyalan]

Are you talking sheets or halyard?
I'd suggest (based on what works on our 40' yacht) that 12mm double-braid would be fine for sheets - a little bit of stretch in sheets is ok, and 12mm is big enough to not be too hard on the hands. For halyard, 10mm Spectra would be good. In fact, if you can afford it, 10mm Vectran would be better (less stretchy than Spectra and stronger). Either would work.

[Dragon Lady]

Thanks Weyalan, but I'm seeking info specific to my Lavezzi 40.

[DtM]

DL,
My observation is that the original running rigging that FP put on is too big and although seemingly not that good quality it does last. The one thing is that it seems to grow "fatter" over time.
When we replace our sheets and halyards we will be going down in size but up in strength which is easily do-able with modern cordage.

[Dragon Lady]

Yes that Usacord that Whitworths sells looks like the go, 12mm 2800kg for $3.50 a meter is hard to beat.
I think going to spectra is overkill, 8mm would do the job but a bit hard on the old hands.

[Weyalan]

For what it is worth, running rigging, be it sheets or halyards, is rarely boat specific. The loads experienced by sheets and halyards depend ostensibly on the sail area and the wind speed, not the boat - your boat has very similar sail area to ours, hence I based my opinion on what works with out boat. With sheets it is always best to go with a rope diameter that you are happy handling even if the load requirements would let youuse a smaller diameter. Halyards see less "manual handling" so you can go with a smaller diameter. Using double braid for sheets is good in another way too... that little bit of stretch reduces the peak loads experienced by blocks, winches, cars, etc. On a monohull, weight aloft is important, so high strength "exotics" of smaller diameter make more sense than relatively low strength double braid of larger diamter... however on a cat you probably don't have to worry about weight aloft so much.

[Dragon Lady]

Thanks Weyalan, good advice you are quite right. I was just wondering what the factory sizes were.

[Weyalan]

Fountaine Pajot
That gives a link to Fountaine Pajot's contacts in australia. You could call or send an e-mail asking for the factory specc'ed sizes.

[Dragon Lady]

Thanks I've asked them, but they are a bit busy at the moment.
It seems they have a lot of new boats to prepare for delivery.

[Le Doume]

Originally Posted by Dragon Lady

Hi guys,

Cab someone tell me what the standard size is for the Genoa sheets on a Lavezzi 40?
My boat has 16mm which is a pain because the self tailers have trouble fitting it in.
I believe the main halyard should be 14mm, but I would like to go to 12mm low stretch poly or 10mm spectra.
As the block on the head is only rated to 2000kg the breaking load is not an issue just the stretch and of course the handling of lower sized lines.
Again the 16mm that I have a the moment is a huge pain because it is too tight going through the blocks and clutch.

Hi DL
On my Lavezzi the Genoa sheets are 12 mm which I beleive is more than sufficient due to the small size of the sail in comparaison to what I have on my Beneteau 440.
My main halyard is 12 mm spectra which once again appears to be adequate as it is a 2 to 1 purchase, these are the original running rigging and she is a 2007 boat .
I trust that " Poupre" is now in OZ waters and that you are enjoying some decent sailing
Cheers

[Dragon Lady]

Thanks LD, I was hoping you would respond, unfortunately my HD crashed and I lost your email address.
Yes thanks, very much enjoyed the fast ride down the Qld/NSW coast.

12mm spectra ouch that sounds expensive especially 50 metres worth LOL.