Clew tie down required?

J

Jason Cosler

New Member
Anyone know if you have to use a clew tie-down, or can it be part of the outhaul line? And if so, does the loop around the boom count as a turning point? There's a very simple way to use the outhaul as the tie down which would tighten itself to the boom, but I have to assume it's probably illegal. Anyone else ever try this?
 
This would technically still be a clew tie down, just not a separate one. It uses the outhaul primary looped around the boom and connected to the cringle with a stopper ball. Confusing to explain but very simple to rig. Maybe I'll try to post a picture...
 
I THINK that if the line is, in my terms, 'deadended' than it should be legal. what i mean is, have some slacked line between the two functions (outhaul-tie down) and that might make that possible. but than again, im PROBIBLY wrong. What is the tacticts in haveing an outhaul-tiedown line?
 
Howdy Ya'll,
The reason you tie down your clew is... (to the best of my knowledge) if you don't tie it down you will lose power from air/wind bleeding off of the bottom of the sail/boom gap when your beating up wind, same reason you tension the vang when sailing upwind... your pulling down on the boom, the closer the boom is to the deck of the boat the more power you'll realize from the sail... Less bleed off of pressure, better linear flow across the sail, hence better boat speed.
I don't have all of the scientific & sailing mumbo jumbo at hand to back that up. but that's my two cents worth.
Good night folks,
Fishingmickey,
150087/181157
 
Agreed. And this would still be a tie-down, but it wouldn't be a separate line. It's strictly a convenience in rigging idea, with no really benefit to performance and, hopefully, no detriment to it either. I'll try to post a picture.

Overall, I think it's great that the Laser class has allowed the level of fine-tuninng and purchase-making that they have with the new rules, but they certainly haven't made the boat any easier to rig. That's my only goal with this setup (and the one I came up with for the cunningham) - to minimize the time it takes to get in and out of the water. Trying to do that within the framework of the rules has been a lot of fun so far.
 
I've just bought one of the velcro clew straps, which you keep attached to the outhaul cleat with a length of shockcord, so it's quick to setup and also acts as an inhaul.
 
As I understand things, if you don't tie the clew down to the boom, you lose power. Simple enough. To understand why, well I'll take a mathematical approach;
Having the clew tied down makes the forces applied to it liner. which means they act in the same referance plane. Now lets suppose you get rid of the clew tie, and just have the outhaul. this setup will result in a large number of three dimensional variables. The one with the biggest effect on that equation would be the varying angle between the foot of the sail, the lead (direction of pull) on the outhaul, and the boom angle. This angle would vary with each outhaul seeting, and even depending on the type of line you use in your outhaul, it will strecth with each puff and gust. You also lose the ability to place tension on the leach of the sail which really hurts upwind performance.
Anyway, sorry for being long winded, but the simple fact of it is the closer the the clew is to the boom, the better. I prefer to use a curved stainless steel hook with an eye at the end. I tie the eye of the hook to the boom and then hook the clew of the sail to it, makes life great when rigging in heavy weather. I then tie a bowline in my outhaul to the padeye at the end of the boom, run that to the eye of the hook, then back to the padeye and then forward to the clam cleat midpoint on the boom, forward of that I have a guntakle purchase system made with eye splices and rove for advantage.
 
Hi,
we already have threats at TLF about possilities for the Clew-Tie-down. Related to a Clew-Tie-Down that is classlegal (in the moment) the Clew-Tie-Down-Strap seems to be the one that is most prefered (when we let the oldstyle Clew-Tie-Down-Rope byside).
The John Christianson-Clew-Tie-down-sleeve (JC-Sleeve), I guees, is not already classlegal in the moment, but hopefully in the future. TLF-"wabbit" posted a description of his (cool-)version of such a sleeve at TLF last year:
http://www.laserforum.org/showpost.php?p=5820&postcount=24

Here is a TLF-reply with link to a nice Clew-Tie-Down-Strap from Mr. Cockerill what I would like to call the "Bentley"-Version of this straps:
http://www.laserforum.org/showpost.php?p=5688&postcount=16

In the country I live in, it is not easy and not cheap to get the Rooster-Clew-Tie-Down-Strap, so I think about other ways to get such a strap. Last year a member of TLF made public some nice pic´s of his selfmade Clew-Tie-Down-Strap and I would like to thank him on this way for his idea for a selfmade strap. I think its the VW-Beetle-version of such:
http://www.laserforum.org/showpost.php?p=8216&postcount=4

I´m working also now on such a selfmade Clew-Tie-Down-Strap (a "Trabbi"-Version of such straps ;)...), but my one isn´t ready in the moment and not tested (it´s winter here...). ASAP, aft my tests, I make also some pic´s here of my idea.

Another (professional) idea is to be seen in an advertizing somewhere in the newest journal of the ILCA-NA Laserclass "The Laser Sailor". Here is a link to that system:
http://dorsalgear.com/performanceouthaul.htm

Ciao
LooserLu
 
Hi LooserLu,

I'm all for the Trabbi, in fact If I can ever find a way to get one sent to the states I will :cool: . (I got an ecclectic taste in automobiles. '23 model 'T', a couple Dauphine's, and a Subaru Baja).

James
 
James, still working on getting the digital camera thing figured out. for now you may wanna check out www.APSLTD.com they have a kit which is similar to what I jury-rigged, as soon as I can I'll post pictures.
 
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