Attaching Jib Sheets

[Pblais]

Roller Furling wasn't quick to be accepted nor did the early versions work well. Time and technology make changes. We don't always see them coming quickly except in hindsight. It's also easy to understand why all sailors don't jump at the first idea that comes along too.

[sneuman]

I can attest to the fact that early roller reefing versions didn't work well. my boat had one and I had to go back to the traditional method.

[Mango]

FYI,
Remember to tie a bowline such that the flat is on the side where the knot may hang most often. On most rigs, the flat of the knot faces inward.
Although this isn't a fool proof answer, it's a start.

[bobfromcanada]

OK, old thread, but ....
I'm in the middle of commissioning a 'new to me' boat. I've always used bowlines (latest boat was one bowline in the middle of the sheets, one line), but the new boat has me baffled. There appears to be two sheets, each with an eye splice where they attach to the clew. One eye splice is about twice the size of the first. There's only room for two pieces of line through the clew. Somehow, the original owner tied the clew using the two eye splices. I gave up in frustration, reversed the lines, and tied two bowlines. Anyone ever seen an arrangement like this?

[s/v Jedi]

Okay, being Dutch I have to show off the "Dutch rope shackle" mentioned earlier in this thread: Talamex Dyneema softshackle blauw-4000 kg - KOK watersport

Splice loops in both sheets, connect to the sail with the soft shackle and sail away.

cheers,
Nick.

[bobfromcanada]

Thanks Nick. I already looked up that technique, but that's not what the previous owner did. You can clearly see where the lines pressed against the clew ring and there's no indication that there were any other knots involved. I suspect that whatever he did, it might have been neater and less likely to snag. If I can't figure it out, I'll stick with the bowlines and cut off the eye splices ....

[Jim Mc]

To help stop the genoa sheets catching on the inner forstay my 23 footer has a piece of pvc pipe on the inner stay to allow the sheet to roll over it. works a treat

regards Jim

[FloridaWriter]

Originally Posted by capt lar

i was taught to attach sheets to headsails with a bowline. of course, back in the day, the sail was bagged and the sheets removed and stowed in a locker. with roller furling there is no need. there was a thread a while back about a guy getting caught in a blow and described going forward to "unsnap the jib". i did not know if this was local expression or if he was using snap shackles to attach his sheets - a good way, imo, to lose teeth. the boat we picked up this summer has one piece of line, folded at the center, poked thru the clew as a loop and then the two ends passed thru and each became a sheet. i did not change it this season. it never slipped and we saw good winds several times. i had planned to cut the line and revert to my old method, but thought i would ask - how do you attach your jib sheets ?

capt. lar

Bowlines

[nautical62]

As with so many things in sailing, there are many options and which one is best will depend on your own circumstances.

When I had a slab reefing headsail, I found a big locking carabiner with both sheets tied to it worked very well. Being big and simple, I could easily unclip it from the old clew and clip it in to the new clew in rough conditions. A non locking caribiner or snaplink could catch on the stays.

[s/v Jedi]

Okay, I'll give it a try: Tie a figure 8 knot just behind the big eye splice, put it through the sail, put the small eye through the big eye and the bitter end from that (small eyed) sheet through it's own eye. It'll work but I don't see the advantage.

I find it shocking how many sailors use steel hardware. I encountered a steel sheet-shackle on the foredeck once and it wasn't pretty. I also encountered the "Dutch" soft shackles many times and it wasn't funny either, but not ugly like with the steel one. Also think about it banging into other boat parts.

Every furled jib has to go up and down a couple of times every year so a furler doesn't make a difference really.

cheers,
Nick.

[FloridaWriter]

I think for those folks who use steel shackles of some sort to attach the jib sheets, they haven't had the distinct surprise of getting whacked in the head. But given enough time and sailing, they will learn.

[bobfromcanada]

OK, the mystery is solved. I finally managed to get in contact with the original owner. It turns out that the sheets were originally used on a headsail with a bigger clew ring. What I was trying to duplicate was no longer possible. I've done what he did, reverse the lines and use a bowline in each sheet. I'll cut the eye splices off and whip the ends. Thanks for your time and answers guys.

[Cheechako]

pass the long tail thru the clew cringle and then thru the eye splice.

[Hydra]

I stick to 2 separate sheets with one bowline knot on each one, for the following reasons:
- It allows to reverse the sheets from time to time, for spreading chafe.
- I have hank-on headsails. When changing, it is convenient to bend the idle sheet to the new sail before lowering the old one, it saves time.
- It is much more convenient when gybing the spinnaker, it's very simple to untangle from other lines.
- It's the cheapest solution.

Alain

[bobfromcanada]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

pass the long tail thru the clew cringle and then thru the eye splice.

Well, that would have worked if there was room for four pieces of rope thru the ring (two for each eye splice). Unfortunately, the clew ring is way too small for that.