Continous control line position

[Peteelite73]

Hi guys

1st time asking a question so be nice.

I was wondering with regards to adding continous control lines to my mk1.As I already have an eye infront of my mainsheet block would this work instead of going from the strop up to behind the centreboard case, I could just go straight across the cockpit?

Yes I'm sick of running out of control line and having to lean in to leeward to release more line haha. Bit I'm loving the boat and class just need to learn to sail again now coming from a gp14.

Cheers in advance

Pete

[Pete1177]

Hi Pete

Welcome to the Class - hope you're enjoying your boat.

To answer your question - yes you can! In fact this is what I've done on my boat. I have put in slack take up blocks on all the control lines (see Gavin's tech notes - Matt Bigg's improvement) and I have use the lacing eye used for the ratchet block mounting to run all the control lines through. See the picture below. I used a nylon ring attached to the lacing eye with a short-spliced dyneema loop. The detail picture is taken before I changed the mainsheet arrangement from off-boom to off floor (so it doesn't show the ratchet block which is now attached to the eye also).

The other detail picture shows the improved kicker attachment to the mast step where the load is shared between the mast step and mast approximately 50:50.

New control line arrangement - one colour - no slack!

IMG_0919.jpg (102.67 KiB) Viewed 9785 times

Detail

IMG_0915.jpg (72.28 KiB) Viewed 9785 times

Detail: Kicker attachment to Mast Step

IMG_0917_Kicker Mast Step.jpg (93.98 KiB) Viewed 9784 times

I also changed my bridle to port and starboard lines that are self-centering with a single adjuster. This means that the bridle can be adjusted between 450mm and 550mm (nominally 520mm on a Mk 2) and will always stay centered no matter what adjustment is done. This also runs across the cockpit through the same lacing eye. The single adjustment tail is just visible in the picture above.

Hope that helps.

Pete
Class Secretary
SN1177

[Peteelite73]

Hi

Thanks for the reply, great pics and notes taken on the kicker

Than you very much

[Kevin]

Hi,

I’ve done a similar thing with my kicker using a shackle.

Kevin
1226

[Pete1177]

Kevin,

I prefer your arrangement as it gives you a method of re-attaching the kicker hook if either the dyneema or the shackle breaks. My dyneema snapped last week in R3 at the point where the line goes through the mast step link and I had nothing to attach the kicker to. I guess I must have exceeded the 500kg breaking strain of the dyneema (I used 2mm). I did try continuing to race with no kicker but is was futile as there was hardly any sail power.

I'm going to change to your arrangement tomorrow with 4mm pre-stretched dyneema (Marlow D12 Max SK78 Grand Prix with 2250kg breaking strain).

Pete
SN1177

[Kevin]

Hi Pete,

I must admit, the shackle idea came from Chris Gould. Since taking that photo I’ve moved the mast back to the last available position.
It was a simple enough fix, you just need a bolt long enough to go through the mast bridge and hold the shackle in place. There’s a couple of stainless steel washers keeping everything nice and secure. The dynema has the added function of holding the mast to the deck (like you find on a Laser). Plus it’s easy to take apart when it comes to dropping the mast.

Kevin
1226

[Pete1177]

Hi Kevin,

I've now done the mod with a shackle and Marlow Dyneema SK78 (4mm). I did the Dyneema at home around a spare mast section with an eye splice at one end and another eye splice at the other with a stainless thimble to help take the loading of the kicker hook. The thimble is removed so that the Dyneema can pass through the eye splice after wrapping around the mast (and lacing eye riveted to the front of the mast), through the shackle and then re-attached for the kicker hook. The kicker hook is passed round both thimble and shackle - This is nice and strong.

The shackle spreads the load to the mast step and is attached to the mast step with an M5 bolt and nyloc nut - 40mm length. I had to drill out the thread of the shackle with a 5.5mm drill bit. I also used 2 M6 nuts and an M5 washer/shim which was a tight fit between the cheeks of the shackle to prevent any distortion.

I believe new boats are supplied without a kicker hook - the wire block is attached directly to the shackle with no dyneema around the mast. I think this arrangement puts a lot of strain on the shackle when the boom is out wide. The dyneema also helps prevent the mast unstepping as you suggest.

I have seen one boat supplied recently by Hartleys with a chock of Acetal fitted in front of the mast in the mast step which is meant to stop the mast coming out of the step. As I recall, it was very crudely hand cut (not machined in any way).

Pete
SN1177