We did a five week crossing from Japan to Vancouver and learned a few valuable lessons on the rigging of our1260, Kiskadee. I will address the shaving issues and my solutions on this page. Shaving is only a problem on longer journeys. Special thanks to multiple other Seawind owners and sailing friends for ideas and there solutions.
Luff side on the main sail
The luff on the main sail is rigged to the mast-boom which a d-shackle just above the running blocks in the boom . The amount of space is limited, but oké when the main is fully up.
The problem occurs when the 1′ reef line is tighten. It will always happen on a course over port bow. And most of the time when the reef is put in by tightening the first reef line to get the sail down. The running block of first reef is at the sail on the port side. The first peace of the main will fold to port side, the second part to starboard etc. Zig-zag in the sail bag.
Then the luff of the main, just beside the ring will collide with the reef line. The reef line shaves into the luff of the main and itself. Damage on both ends and the line will at some point snap.
Solution
I don’t know if there is a structural rigging solution for this issue. Things to contemplate are:
- Put a longer hard D-shackle on or replace it with a soft shackle. In general raise the luff eye of the sail. There is not much room on Kiskadee, otherwise the knot of the main halyard will hit the mast entry and start shaving.
- Change the first reef from the middle running block to the most port side in the boom.
- Splice a dynema line with a low friction ring 15cm behind, 5 cm up the the boom to feed the first reef line almost horizontal to its running block.
Outer hauler – Aft of the main
The same construction is at the aft side of the main. Stainless steel eye in the Doyle sail, a d-shackle attached to it, which is rigged to two spliced eyes on a dynema rope around the boom for downward tension. The backward tension is provided by the outer haul.
The outer haul is, via a spliced eye, attached to the d-shackle in between the two dynema ends of the boom line. This construction has two shortcomings in it. The two dynema lines shaved the outer haul eye and it snapped eventually. That is acknowledged by several other Seawind owners. With this low attachment point the outer haul runs horizontal past all the main sheet hardware to the end of the boom. A second place of shaving.
The Solution
There is a relatively simple solution. Rigging of the outer haul directly to the stainless steel ring in the Doyle sail. It will move the line up, out of the area of the dynema lines and above the hardware of the main sheet.
If you want to stay low, use a Halyard hitch (thanks to Ya) the friction will shave the knot and not the line as if with a bowline knot. You loss 30-40 cm each time you shorten the outer haul, so there is more then enough line.
Furler line
Multiple owners acknowledge they have problems with there furling lines. Shaved at the drum window. Mine twice at the top of the feeding window. The drum is constantly moving and the running block on the stanchion is 3.5 meters away. So not steering the line to the middle of the window.
Solution
The obvious solution is to turn the feeding window with the bigger opening to the line. A second rigging solution, implemented by Lance, is adding a extra running block to position the line toward the middle of the window.
Reef lines at the back of the Main
The rigging of the 3 and 2th reef line will shave it on the back of the main, while it’s fully up. The shaving can happen fast. The pockets of the batten are harse, it took about 30 hours on the 3 reef line. We discovered it and secured a backup line aft and front. It snapped in stormy conditions. Ours at 30 knots of wind while deployed and tighten to the max to stop the luff of the main vibrating viggerly.
Solution
The first solution is more slack on the lines itself. With is not easy to control from the cockpit. You need to go up on the rooftop. So not ideal unter all conditions.
The second rigging solution is implemented by Tim and we will do the same. Splicing a low friction ring on the boom. Put the reef line through between the running block in the sail and the running block at the end of the boom. So the line is brought forward and runs allmost horizontal from LFR to boom end.
