Daggerboard shock cord...

Esteroali

Esteroali

Member
Where do you attach it....through the bow handle or around the mast? I have had it around the bow handle but it doesn't slide freely. Is a block attached to the bow handle legal?DL is Estero
 
esteroali,

APS lists the shock cord at 9' and thats what I use. I put sister clips on each end (hooks that have little slots that need to line up to connect or disconnect), run the line thru an eyestrap on the daggerboard, go on each side of the mast and connect it thru the bow handle. I can slide the board up and down with out a problem, just a little stiff getting it in at first. The cord holds the DB in any position up or down and also acts as a DB retainer.
 
I currently use it around the bow handle. I tied a 4" loop of cord around the hole in the daggerboard that stays on there. The shock cord has a big plastic clip that I pull and hook onto this loop. This works much better than the sister clips when you have to unhook fast like at a heavy air beach landing.

I also see many who use a shock cord tied to the front of the boom that acts like a JC Strap pulling the boom out in light air. Another variation is a 1/4" shock cord loop put around the splash coaming forming a triangle. tension holds the board in or up. This method doesn't have a provision for keeping the board on the boat though. Try them all and keep what works for you.
 
I run my shock cord through my dagger board, outside of all my rigging (my halyard, and vang) then i wrap it around the tack where the two spars join and back to the dagger board. I just use a square knot to keep the two ends together. Like Scott said this is to help keep the said out in low winds but i just do this every time to i don't have to mess with different lengths of shock cord. I really don't see why there is a need for the shock cord to go all the way up to the bow handle.
 
So many clever ideas! Just to add to the possibilities, one of the top Radial sailors (Paige Railey), simply has the shock cord running straight from the bow to the board on the port side (no loop).

http://paigerailey.com/html/picture...iles/Clark Mills Regatta-laser & 420s 054.jpg

Presumably, she (178310) does this to prevent the shock cord from getting hung up, which is more of a problem on a Laser than a Sunfish (and forgive me from using the L word). Note that the other boat (to windward) has the shock cord looped (with sister clips) like many of the Sunfishers.
 
A question about the option of rigging the shock cord to the tack of the sail where the upper and lower booms connect. I've seen this recommended (Sunfish Bible?) as a way of both tensioning the cord and providing a J.C. strap that keeps the boom at 90-degrees on a run.

My question: Doesn't the increased tension from the opposite side of the cord (i.e. the side that's being stretched from the board handle and around the mast) exceed any tension from the direct-to-the-tack side?

Just curious...

Kevin
 
Sure does, that's why you don't mount the shock cord to the daggerboard but run it throught the hole on the plastic fantastics and around the daggerboard on the old style. That allows you to pull it around where it'll hold out the rig.
 
What I do..... I have a bungee cord, about 3 ft in length ( I think) It stretches enough so I can fasten it around the lower mast then bring it back and fasten it to the dagger. The metal hooks are big enough to just grab around the hole in the top of the board. Works for me!
 
I have a 4' bungee cord with a carabiner at each end. I added a stainless steel u bracket to the top of my old style wood daggerboard and connect one carabiner to that and then wrap the other end of the bungee around the mast, using the 2nd carabiner to connect back to the bungee. That works fine for me.
 
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