Hi,
My 26C has the topping lift cleat on the aft end of the wishbone. I have not found the specifics of the hardware involved in the C or U manuals on what is needed to rig it to the cabin top. Would you all be so kind as to point to where I have overlooked it in the manuals or provide me a show and tell on how it is done.
Thanks,
Jerry & Becky Ehrlich
26C ZHYN2016M81J
Olympia
Puget Sound
Jerry,
Tis done with magic of the blackest kind, involving a long line and too much friction.
Go to the MEMBERS tab on the homepage, scroll down to MANUALS. There you will find a manual for a 26C.
Basically you snake a long line up the starboard wishbone tube, run it through a block and then down a mast, through a block attached to the mast collar and them back to a cleat on the starboard cabin top. You will curse this system for how difficult it is to raise the boom. Try using a thinner line than the one recommended in the manual.
Randy Gadikian
Paisley Moon
NS26C #37
Buffalo, New York
I’m using 8mm Marlow Doublebraid. It pretty much eliminated the friction problem and I can raise the wishbone by hand (no winch) quite easily.
Paul M
NS30U #211, Sandpiper
Cowichan Bay B.C.
Jerry -
In all of this discussion about the track of the line and the line itself, it is a foregone conclusion that you’ll have a 4 to 1 block arrangement from the topping lift steel cable to the aft end of the boom, right ? To greatly assist your efforts to raise the boom …
I’ve included a photo of my arrangement but there are many good variations of this.
Ernie A. in Toronto
Ok, I found it in the Ultra manual .
It appears that after the cheek block near the aft end of the wishbone. It runs unsupported to the block on the forward end where it turns to the mast collar?
Thanks
Jerry
Jerry,
It’s not covered in the manual, which also specifies the blocks you need on four assumptions that many owners don’t accept: (1) that the topping lift control will terminate on the cleat on the wishbone; (2) that no one ever wants to adjust the topping lift with the boat in motion; (3) we all are possessed of superhuman strength; and, (4) single blocks give you enough leverage.
Here’s how I ran mine.
If you look closely at the “Solar Wind ringging (9)”, you can see that I used two fiddle blocks, one with a shackle and one with a becket and a shackle, instead of single blocks. You’ll also spot holes filled in where the cheek block (and, not shown, the cleat) were removed from the wishbone. To run the topping lift line forward along the wishbone, I used a small block attached to a soft shackle to turn the topping lift line so it could run on the underside of the starboard part of the wishbone. There’s a different kind of fiddle block that’s better if you choose to keep using the cheekblock on the outer side.
Below are the GarhauerMarine.com part numbers for both approaches.
Topping Lift Purchase Blocks at aft end of boom
One fiddle block with becket and shackle (goes at end of topping lift pennant) PLUS one Fiddle block with shackle (attaches at aft end of boom):
Either one Garhauer 30-02 Series plus one 30-01 Series OR one 40-02 Series with one 40-01 Series (choice depends on topping lift turning block used)
Topping Lift Turning Block at aft end of boom
Originally a cheekblock on wishbone aft starboard outerside; some prefer a block w/ shackle attached to aft boom end between the two boom pieces.
If upgrading the cheek block, consider using a Garhauer 30-21 Stainless Steel cheekblock, although it will require a pad to adapt to the boom curvature. If replacing it with a block to go between the wishbone pieces (as in the picture), use a Garhauer 30-13 Series single block with a soft shackle.
Boom lead blocks for aft 2nd reef and topping lift control line
This is a double block w/ shackle hanging from the forward end underside of the starboard wishbone half. A suitable Garhauer block is one from their
30-17 Series .
Hope this is helpful.
– Bob
Solar Wind
Nonsuch 26C #143
Perfect! Exactly what I was looking for.
Thank you very much, truly appreciated.
Best,
Jerry
Jerry,
It’s not covered in the manual, which also specifies the blocks you need on four assumptions that many owners don’t accept: (1) that the topping lift control will terminate on the cleat on the wishbone; (2) that no one ever wants to adjust the topping lift with the boat in motion; (3) we all are possessed of superhuman strength; and, (4) single blocks give you enough leverage.
Here’s how I ran mine.
If you look closely at the “Solar Wind ringging (9)”, you can see that I used two fiddle blocks, one with a shackle and one with a becket and a shackle, instead of single blocks. You’ll also spot holes filled in where the cheek block (and, not shown, the cleat) were removed from the wishbone. To run the topping lift line forward along the wishbone, I used a small block attached to a soft shackle to turn the topping lift line so it could run on the underside of the starboard part of the wishbone. There’s a different kind of fiddle block that’s better if you choose to keep using the cheekblock on the outer side.
Below are the GarhauerMarine.com part numbers for both approaches.
Topping Lift Purchase Blocks at aft end of boom
One fiddle block with becket and shackle (goes at end of topping lift pennant) PLUS one Fiddle block with shackle (attaches at aft end of boom):
Either one Garhauer 30-02 Series plus one 30-01 Series OR one 40-02 Series with one 40-01 Series (choice depends on topping lift turning block used)
Topping Lift Turning Block at aft end of boom
Originally a cheekblock on wishbone aft starboard outerside; some prefer a block w/ shackle attached to aft boom end between the two boom pieces.
If upgrading the cheek block, consider using a Garhauer 30-21 Stainless Steel cheekblock, although it will require a pad to adapt to the boom curvature. If replacing it with a block to go between the wishbone pieces (as in the picture), use a Garhauer 30-13 Series single block with a soft shackle.
Boom lead blocks for aft 2nd reef and topping lift control line
This is a double block w/ shackle hanging from the forward end underside of the starboard wishbone half. A suitable Garhauer block is one from their
30-17 Series .
Hope this is helpful.
– Bob
Solar Wind
Nonsuch 26C #143
Perfect! Thank you Bob. Truly appreciate it.
Best,
Jerry
Hi Paul,
8 MM is .31 inches or about 5/16ths. Are you using the original blocks on your topping lift or something smaller? Enquiring minds need to know!
Randy Gadikian
Paisley Moon
NS26C #37
Buffalo, New York
The line I replaced was 3/8” so the original blocks were fine. Marlow Doublebraid has really good strength statistics and is likely as strong as the line it replaced.
Nice explanation Bob,
Mike Quill sells 3 eye bails, he calls them “Reef Line Guides” that replace the single lazy jack hangers on the boom. the_stores.html These lets you separate the reef lines, choker line and topping lift line. This reduces friction in the system. You can also use bare Dyneema for most of the run with a join to a covered line for a tail to handle in the cockpit. Dyneema is slippery and will reduce friction. Finally, you can stick with a 3:1 system at the boom end and add a doubler at the mast effectively giving you 6:1 purchase. These last tow ideas I got from Dave Sverre. He should get the credit not me.
Oh yes, some people use small blocks hung from the last jack eye straps and run the topping lift through the blocks. I believe John Newell ran his topping lift line inside the boom. Again the idea is to reduce friction.
The boom on the 30 hangs flatter than the boom on the 26 so the 30 has a better lifting making lifting relatively easier.
Mark Powers
When I added a boom extension to accommodate a bimini, I routed the topping lift inside the port boom to reduce friction and found that a 1/4 dia. line fine for the task
See the enclosed photo for the arrangement of fiddle blocks. This makes the boom tidier while removing a haven for spiders. Suggest you remove the cleat at the end of the boom. It has been known to catch ordinary yachts rigging with disasterous consequences.
Mascouche 26C #1
Sailing out of lockdown on May 24th.
Toronto
