How to safely adjust the topping lift under sail?

[rupert (Rupert Deese - NS30 Spray - Swampscott, MA)]

This is my first season sailing a Nonsuch. Now that I have the basics of handling her and working the rigging figured out, I’m moving on to reefing, adjusting sail shape, etc.

Botts’ guide and others require adjusting the topping lift while under sail. But compared to how convenient everything else is on a Nonsuch, the topping lift is intimidating. The outboard end of the boom is only reachable when sailing upwind or luffing, and even at my 6’ tall I don’t feel very comfortable standing on the seats, reaching up to that cleat.

There is one easy improvement for me, which is to add a second pulley that I believe my setup is missing – to give me more mechanical advantage. But that won’t change the basic ergonomics – reaching up there to adjust things while the boom swings about.

So, what am I missing? Are folks comfortable adjusting the topping lift under sail? If so, what is your approach?

Rupert Deese
NS30 Spray
Swampscott, MA

[Vela33 (Brian Godfrey - Vela - NS33 #77 - San Diego)]

Hi Rupert,
I just looked at the drawings in the 30C manual and I see what you mean. Having that cleat up on the boom seems inconvenient and inefficient at best and could be unsafe under reefing conditions. Must be at least part of the reason why the advice is often to reef at the dock and then shake it out if you don’t need it.

The 33 has a much improved arrangement and so I took a look at the manual for the 30U and it has a similar setup. Instead of a cleat on the boom, the topping lift line is run forward along the boom. Maybe outside of it on the 30U - I couldn’t tell for sure - or inside of the boom tube as on the 33. In either case, it leaves the boom near the mast, drops down to a block on the fairlead collar at the base of the mast, and then aft into the cockpit where it is operated by a winch.

I’m sure you’ll get more feedback from NS30 owners, but it seems like you could adapt your boat to this updated rigging without major difficulties. And then you can operate the topping lift from within the cockpit.

Also, make sure your topping lift has the safety cable which bypasses the block/tackle in case the topping lift line is accidentally released. You don’t want that boom falling into the cockpit and maybe braining someone.

[Breezin (Don - '87 NS30U #369 Vancouver BC)]

Rupert,
Maybe you could post a photo of your reef lines at aft end of the boom. I’m not quite understanding your problem. On my NS30U, all the reef lines are led into the cockpit.
Don

[rupert (Rupert Deese - NS30 Spray - Swampscott, MA)]

Thank you @Vela33, I do have an NS30C so that clears everything up nicely. I do not have the safety cable. If a safety cable is pictured in the 30C rigging manual I have overlooked it multiple times. Maybe that was another detail added in the 30U and later.

Is the cable stainless steel? and goes to a pre-drilled hole in the end plate of the wishbone?

Now I have some things to follow up on. Thank you very much.

@Breezin I can add a picture next time I’m at the boat. But Brian’s answer I think clears everything up regarding the classic vs ultra’s topping lift differences.

[NS233 (Bob Neches, Me Gusta, Nonsuch e26U #233)]

Rupert,

Most folks make the “safety cable” out of Dyneema line, with a spliced eye at each end. One end is shackled to the topping lift. The other to one of the existing eyes at the aft end of the boom.

If you haven’t already, and assuming you’ve joined the International Nonsuch Association (www.Nonsuch.org/join-us), log on to the website and download the New Nonsuch Owner’s Quick Guide. (Open the MEMBERS tab, click on MANUALS, and it’ll be the second option in the first row.) Pages 15-28 deal with rigging and have a lot of pictures.

The easiest and safest way to make your topping lift adjustable is to interpose a three-part pair of blocks between the end of the fixed topping lift and the end of the boom. This requires one double block with a fiddle on one side and a shackle on the other, plus another double block with just a shackle.

If you go to the STORE tab at www.Nonsuch.org and select REPLACEMENT BLOCKS, that will get you to a list of appropriate GarhauerMarine blocks for your boat. Garhauer is not the only manufacturer you can select, but many have found them a good price/value deal and they were kind enough to help the INA in assembling this list.

Instead of the topping lift adjustment terminating at a cleat on the mast, what you’ll want to do is route a much longer line forward along the boom to a hanging block on forward end. What most people do, if they don’t already have it, is replace one of the forward mast turning blocks for a aft reefing line with a double block that takes both that reefing line and the new topping lift adjustment line. Route the topping lift adjustment line from there down to the mast base, and add another turning block there to route it back from there to the cockpit. Depending on your strength, you may find that you have enough leverage to adjust the topping lift after that. However, better to route it to a winch. Even if you’re not old now, someday you will be.

All this is covered with pictures in the Guide I mentioned. The necessary blocks are also identified in the block list I mentioned.

Should anyone tell you that they’re comfortable adjusting a topping lift that cleats on the mast while under sail, my three suggestions would be:

1. Ask them what asylum they’re posting from
2. Get enough additional identifying information to be able to take out a hefty insurance policy on them naming yourself as the beneficiary
3. Disregard any further advice they might offer

Final notes: the safety cable is strongly advised to do sooner rather than later.

Less so for the topping lift adjustment. The topping lift adjustment is something that you can defer until convenient. The boats will sail better with the ability to adjust, it can ease raising and lower the sails, and it can help with reefing. However, our boats are also pretty forgiving and will sail pretty decently until you get around to this one. I have a friend who sailed a 36 for close to 20 years before I talked him into setting his up for adjustability. I’d like to believe it made his life better, but he survived just fine beforehand.

– Bob
Me Gusta
Nonsuch e26U #233

[Vela33 (Brian Godfrey - Vela - NS33 #77 - San Diego)]

The safety cable on my boat is made of stainless wire, same as the standing part of the topping lift. (Are we allowed to use the word “standing” on a Nonsuch? ) I’m sure Dyneema is great, too. It is attached to the same eye on the topping lift and on the boom as the topping lift block and tackle attach to.

If you have a bimini or a rollbar and don’t want the boom to fall onto it in an uncontrolled moment, then pay close attention to the length of the safety cable. If not, then make the cable as long as you feel comfortable with. It’s normally slack, but if the topping lift control line somehow comes loose, then it should catch the boom before it bonks someone - which sounds funny, but could be fatal.

I suppose it’s possible that your boat doesn’t have the safety because of your boom cleat setup. On boats rigged for adjusting the topping lift from the cockpit there is a definite possibility that a helpful crew could mistakenly throw off the topping lift when they meant to adjust some other line or because they needed the winch or something. That isn’t an issue with your setup, but I really think you should add the safety in case something else happens to the running line. It’s very cheap insurance.

[jonlewit (Jon Lewit - N26C #115 - Inua - Kingston, NY)]

I checked my 26C today, and from the length of the safety cable it appears that some PO was concerned about preventing the boom from hitting the wheel but didn’t care about the person behind it. Something for the short list.

[rupert (Rupert Deese - NS30 Spray - Swampscott, MA)]

Thanks everybody! @NS233 your instructions, plus comparison of my original-to-the-boat NS30C manual with the one on the INA website, got me ready to make a step in the right direction.

I was able to assemble the correct tackle by buying a Shaffer fiddle block on clearance at West Marine, and relocated the existing single block in my topping lift to a new position on the wishbone rather than attached to the topping lift wire.

To make the adjustment I brought the main halyard back to the outboard end of the wishbone, made it fast there using some spare dyneema (no good place to attach the halyard shackle, despite all the holes and hardware back there!), and using the halyard winch raised up the wishbone until the topping lift was slack. Then I disconnected the topping lift and walked it forward to the mast, where it was at waist level and much easier to work on. I assembled the new tackle, fastened a 3/8 dyneema safety line using a figure-8 follow through (best knot I know that preserves working load limit to ~80%), and then walked it back to the stern to attach the shackle, block, and safety line to the end of the wishbone.

This setup is much better than the original NS30C topping lift. Although it takes most of my body weight, I can now lift the wishbone all the way up using the topping lift. Before the only way to get it up was to hoist the sail.

I’ll eventually want to add a much longer topping lift line and the double blocks as Bob describes, to run it back to the cockpit. However, looking at the wishbone I’m unsure what hardware I should add to lead the topping lift forward on the wishbone. My existing eyelets are not wide enough to accommodate another line in addition to the outboard reef line. Could somebody with an NS30U send a picture of their setup? And, if anyone reading this has experience with “aftermarket” hardware for this purpose on the wishbone – your input would be appreciated.

New block & safety line.

Safety line attached at bottom, showing slack.

Full setup from aft. Looks good!

[NS233 (Bob Neches, Me Gusta, Nonsuch e26U #233)]

@rupert

looking at the wishbone I’m unsure what hardware I should add to lead the topping lift forward on the wishbone. My existing eyelets are not wide enough to accommodate another line in addition to the outboard reef line.

Nice looking installation, Rupert! (And a good looking boat; I can see you’ve got one with several nice upgraded features.)

What I did to lead my topping lift adjustment line forward was lash a set of low-friction rings along the boom to lead the line through.

I’ll take some pictures when I’m down at my boat this week.

– Bob

[NS233 (Bob Neches, Me Gusta, Nonsuch e26U #233)]

As promised, pictures of leading the topping lift adjustment line forward along the mast. First picture shows the full adjustment line block set-up. Because I don’t have a turning block on my boom, I’m set up with the becket on the lower block, which gives a fairer lead into the first low-friction ring.

You can see that a bit better in this close-up.

From there, it’s just a series of low-friction rings, lashed with paracord or thin dyneema to the boom.

– Bob

[rupert (Rupert Deese - NS30 Spray - Swampscott, MA)]

Thanks Bob, this is extremely helpful. I also admire the tidiness of your outboard reefing lines. Are those secured with bowlines wrapped twice around the wishbone and through the pad eye?

I look forward to getting this set up sometime soon. Looks like I’ll need a few hundred $ in the budget for blocks, rings, & dyneema. But totally worth it.

[NS233 (Bob Neches, Me Gusta, Nonsuch e26U #233)]

Two ways to lash a low-friction ring to the boom:

You can use a shear lashing knot. It’s illustrated here:

Lashing Knot – Shear

They show it used to lash two spars together. To understand how to use it for tying a low-friction ring on, imagine that the lefthand piece isn’t a spar but is the ring set perpendicular to the righthand piece so that you’re wrapping the line around between its two outer sides.

The other approach is to take a long piece of paracord, place it over the ring and boom so that there’s equal lengths on each side. Now, take turns alternately wrapping one end of the paracord a full turn in one direction around both ring and boom on one side of the ring, followed by the other half in the opposite direction on the other side of the ring. When you have 2-4 turns on each side, take both ends over the ring – but instead of continuing around the boom, make a few frapping turns (see step 9 in the AnimatedKnots demonstration for the other approach). Pulled tightly, these will pull under the ring, tightening the wraps around the boom while pulling line between the ring and the boom to protect both from metal-on-metal rubbing against each other. End by tying the two ends tightly together in a reef knot.

Either way, I recommend using paracord. It’s cheap, has good friction for the wraps and knots to hold, and provides sufficient holding. If you measure the distance for a line to go fully around both boom and ring once, then multiply by ten, you should have more than enough line.

– Bob