A1: Spinnaker halyard exit block.
A2: The upper set is for an external jib halyard lock, the lower for the spinnaker pole uphaul turning block or fairlead.
A3: Spinnaker pole uphaul cleat.
A4: Hook for the jib halyard tail.
A5: Yes. It holds the mast up and tensions the rig.
A6: Not really. See A5.
These were the fast answers. It'll take some more time to come up with good solutions. (The jib halyard is rigged in a way I haven't seen before.)
The jib halyard replaces the forestay when the jib is raised and tensioned. Very similar to a 470 I had years ago.I'm not yet understanding how the jib halyard supports the mast.
The jib halyard replaces the forestay when the jib is raised and tensioned. Very similar to a 470 I had years ago.
Here's a rigging video of a 420 that shows how this works. The raising and tensioning of the jib halyard begins at around 7 minutes.
You'll have to watch this video on YouTube, not on this forum. The owner of the video won't allow it to be played when embedded.
Cheers,
- Andy
Thanks, this is actually fun - I'm learning myself all the time.As always, thanks LaLi!
Looks like the old Vanguard parts locator: it describes the later North American layout which is slightly different than yours. It has a top exit block for the jib halyard, and a horn cleat for an all-rope main halyard. Your main halyard is the original wire+rack system, which the European layout had till the end. You're not missing anything here.I found helpful diagram online with a mast setup very similar to mine. (attached)
Looks like I'm missing a horn cleat for the mail halyard.
Maybe. The bottom section isn't watertight anyway. Water will come in as soon as the joint between the sections submerges. Taping the hole for the spinnaker halyard top block might help a little. The holes close to the mast foot actually should make it drain faster!I suppose with the unused holes, water could enter the mast rather quickly in the event of a capsize.
Seems to me it would better if these were taped off (closed) until I'm ready to install the Spinnaker. Yes?
Ok, it's time for the Laser 2 forestay talkI'm not yet understanding how the jib halyard supports the mast.
My mast is "held" in place at three points: the forestay and two side shrouds.
What you're missing is that the halyard should be very tight (see previous point), and that the mast bends. There's a real risk of catastrophic consequences with a highly tensioned wire on the outer surface of a bendy mast. Of course, a cleat/lock that's placed close to the top of the sail solves this, so I think that an external halyard is still a choice for you.It seems to me, that if the jib is raised up to the block/pulley, and secured at the base of the mast, I'm not sure what difference it would make if the halyard was inside vs outside the mast.
Am I missing something?
Thanks, this is actually fun - I'm learning myself all the time.
Looks like the old Vanguard parts locator: it describes the later North American layout which is slightly different than yours. It has a top exit block for the jib halyard, and a horn cleat for an all-rope main halyard. Your main halyard is the original wire+rack system, which the European layout had till the end. You're not missing anything here.Maybe. The bottom section isn't watertight anyway. Water will come in as soon as the joint between the sections submerges. Taping the hole for the spinnaker halyard top block might help a little. The holes close to the mast foot actually should make it drain faster!
Ok, it's time for the Laser 2 forestay talkQuite a few get this intuitively wrong.
The Laser 2 forestay supports the mast only when the jib is down. It's just a rigging help and a safety device, doesn't have anything to do with tuning (except when helping to tighten the jib halyard), and its effective length is more of an aesthetic than a practical issue (it should be just long enough). It should be totally slack when the jib is up.
The jib halyard/luff wire is what tensions the Laser 2 rig, against the shrouds. And it should be as tight as practical. (We'll probably get to the tuning itself later.)
Compare the jib halyard and forestay wires: which one is thicker, intended to take higher loads?What you're missing is that the halyard should be very tight (see previous point), and that the mast bends. There's a real risk of catastrophic consequences with a highly tensioned wire on the outer surface of a bendy mast. Of course, a cleat/lock that's placed close to the top of the sail solves this, so I think that an external halyard is still a choice for you.
Yes - 7:00 to 9:00 shows it all. The difference is that the 420 jib halyard is hooked to a 6:1 tensioning system, while the Laser 2 has just a rack. To get it tight enough on the latter, someone needs to pull the mast forward at the same time, with the forestay or a trapeze wire.Here's a rigging video of a 420 that shows how this works.
You'll have to watch this video on YouTube, not on this forum
Depends on how comfortable you are with working with wire and rivets, and if you have access to the required tools. I'd probably turn to APS as they're so close.Do I take this to some kind of a rigging shop to have this done or is it a DIY project?
The frayed end of the wire isn't the cause. It might cause problems when taking the jib down, but not the other way. What the picture doesn't show is the whole wire/rope connection, which has something else that gets caught inside the mast.Here's a pic of what pulled through. I attempted to clean up the frayed wire and tape it tight
It sounds like that's the location. However, the spreader is just a round tube which should let most things slide past.my hypothesis = the spreader bar is the culprit.
The rope loop should really be spliced or sewn. Any knots are very likely (as you've seen) to cause trouble on the way, unless you go for an uncomfortably thin (like 2mm) rope.At the bottom end of the Jib Halyard there is a roughly 4 inch loop of wire. Someone has tied a roughly 4 inch bowline to it.
That's great if it runs now, but don't tape the wire loop! It has to be open all the way to fit on the rack.I used tape and snugged up the loops on both halyards and they slide up and down the inside of the mast with minimal resistance.
For what?I may need to install one small cleat near the bottom of the mast
Good, but see again the second point in my previous post (#15).The loops where the halyard wires attach to the halyard lines were getting caught on things protruding inside the mast. No matter which direction I'd turn the mast, hoping gravity would assist, no help. I bought some heat shrink cable wrap to greatly reduce the size of the loops. It appears to have stopped the hang ups and I can raise and lower both sails with the mast in vertical position.
Lube won't do much good there. How big is the hole now? Enlarge it at least vertically, and round the upper and lower edges so it looks like the hole for the spinnaker halyard block (original Q1).At the base of the mast there's a small rectangular hole where the wire loop exits the mast. Currently, getting the wire loop "out" is very difficult. It's a tight squeeze. Spray lube helps, but I'm wondering if I opened that hole even a tiny bit if it would be better.
Believe me, those rack teeth are secure, at least if you make the wire sit as deep as possible in the notch between them. (Don't leave the rope loop squeezed between the wire and the rack.)I was thinking of adding a small cleat as a backup to the jib halyard. The little teeth on the base of the mast that catch the wire loop don't seem to be very secure. I can envision the wire slipping off and the jib crashing down. In addition to hooking the wire on the teeth I think I'll rather try lashing the remaining line against the mast with a small bungee to help hold it secure.