Attaching the damn clew. Yet again.

[Chris123]

This brought on by the "launching from powerboat ramps" thread -- and by the fact that until Saturday I had always launched my boat off the dolly fully rigged and had never before rigged on the water. It wasn't super windy (16 knots) but still it took me a good 10 minutes to corral the flogging clew and tie it to the boom.

I've read all the discussion about whether 'tis nobler to attach the clew to the boom first and then the boom to the mast, or vice versa -- I'm just looking for a few hints on how to make it happen smoothly -- where to sit, how to hold the clew while attaching it, etc.

I have a dinghy clew hook, but ever since it let go on me once last summer I've been tieing the clew down as well. And besides, it doesn't seem to work well with attaching the clew first and then the gooseneck --- with the outhaul loose enough to push the boom back and have a prayer of attaching the gooseneck, the flogging invariably flips the clew hook right out of the grommet.

Pearls of wisdom, anyone?

 

[WestCoast]

Use clew hook and clew strap.

Leave clew strap attatched to sail (it'll make sense the first time you use it)

Rig boat, boom on gooseneck and all.

When you are ready to launch, attach the clew strap ONLY to the boom. Let the clew strap and sail slide all the way back to the eyestrap that the mainsheet runs through.

Boat in water.

Ready to go, pull sail back (it will slide along boom w/clew strap) hook in clew hook. Go.

That's how I do it every race day. Works like a charm.

 

[49208]

Haven't been following the ramp launching threads that much, but I am familar with the clew hook getting flipped out of the clew. The solution that works for me is to use a clew strap. Besides trapping the hook, "tying" the strap is a 5 second task, and if you have to unhook when coming in, "un-tying" the strap is just as fast and then you pop the hook off and the clew is free (the alternative is to pull the mainsheet out and let the boom run free).

The strap in the picture below is the one made by Greg M (48111) - see this thread http://laserforum.org/showthread.php?t=1747&highlight=Clew+strap for more info

 

[LooserLu]

Hi,
I always have to use the powerboat ramp to launch my 46438 here. I lunch my Laser full rigged (but the rudderblade and the centerboard are stored in the cockpit), no matter what the wind direction is and the transom is the first that goes into the water, because of using my TRD-dolly. If the wind is blowing strong from the backside, I open the brummel-hook of the traveller blocks (and aft launch and turning the boat to the best side I close that hook and save it with some duck tape). The advantage of the Laser-rigg is, that it can be turned around .
I not can put the rig to the hull if the hull is already thrown into the water. The reason is, that I use the PTFE-tubes for the maststep and that makes its diameter nearly to small to put easy the mast into the maststep when it is blowing.


I made some bad experiences with the builder-supplied outhaul-clew-hook from Harken. I use modern sails that have the modern (fat) Outhaul-grommet (made by RWO) and I also use my old sails (from Haarstick) that have a flat Outhaul-grommet. But, for the last sails, the Harken-clew-hook is not optimal and sometimes the hook suddenly disconnect and the LooserLu has to fall into the water during he hikes out hard... ))
In Summer 2004, one member of this forum, made the advice to use a special sort of shackle, like they use it at SF Bay. I bought one and it fits for all my sails and works really good. A picture I have attached to this reply.

I a reply of the beginning of this year I promised (see here: http://laserforum.org/showpost.php?p=9379&postcount=11) to tell, what the “Trabbi”-Clew-Tie-Down-Strap of the LooserLu is about. It is a cheap velcro-strap with a red "D-ring" made of polyamid (holds much force) and is sold by a company that deals with electronic stuff here. It comes in a bundle of 5 straps and is “ready to sail”. If you distrust the short red velcro-connection, you can make a little belt of duck tape around that connection (same system that is used for the tiny “safety-belt” of your wrist-watch). Here is the link (sorry, all is in German language) to the data-sheet of my “Trabbi”-Clew-Tie-Down-Strap:

http://www.conrad.de/scripts/wgate/...99&insert_kz=TX&p_page_to_display=fromoutside


I guess you also have such a company at your country, that offer that stuff.
My “Trabbi”-Clew-Tie-Down-Strap works good up to gusts of full force 5, is the result of my tests with it during the season 2005. So, it is perfect for recreational sailing Laserites, that do not want to spend the money for the professional Velcro-straps (that are better if the wind is really blowing strong, probably to strong for recreational sailing Laserites). The strap is also shown at the picture, mentioned above. [P.S.: The Outhaul-control-system I use, is the “legacy” of our esteemed beeing-offline drLaser-Shevy: The drLaser-new-Outhaul-Control-System of Spring 2004.]

Ciao
LooserLu