Can one of you seasoned ‘ol salts, help out this young buck?
I’ll finally feeling a bit comfortable going out by myself. However- I feel I still not in total control of the vessel! This past weekend while tacking I noticed serious rubbing against the dogger with the back of the wishbone. See photo. What adjustment could I have made to avoid this in the future?
Thanks.
The sail clew needs a strop of say 6 inches length. That will bring the boom back 6 inches and the sheet will clear the bimini.
Various methods of making this were suggested, from lashing to a long shackle. The shackle method tends to damage the aluminum and can’t be cut in an emergency and is heavy so don’t use a metal shackle here.
I just make a soft shackle out of a bit of dyneema. (It doesn’t have to be fancy, don’t go down the rabbit hole with quick release or fancy knots. Simple will do). It can be removed easily, it weighs almost nothing, you can easily make a spare or different lengths. It is hard to cut though. The trick is to carefully file and sand the hole in the aluminum boom and check there are no sharp burrs anywhere that may cut the dyneema.
This will also hold the topping lift slightly further away from your sail. Also a good idea.
Tom
26C #28
We’re entering our 3rd season with Soave… the NS33 is a wonderful boat.
Your situation looks different than ours, but it’s hard to tell from this angle.
We had the same issue on Soave. In our case, our dodger has a connecting panel to her bimini.
Soave’s PO had the bimini setup for maximum shade while not sailing. After fiddling with the frame a bit we realized the designer of the frame intended for it to be easily configured to three states.
- As shown in the photo. Bimini stowed, and covered. Not connected to the dodger. The bimini canvas can be removed easily in about 5 mins… handy is you are away for a few weeks.
- Bimini deployed and connecting panel zipped to dodger. This gives shade for most of the cockpit, but only partial shades the helm. If you look closely at my not so clear photo there is part of the frame that can pivot aft .
- Bimini aft extension pivoted back. In this configuration the mainsheet rubs with the aft bimini frame ( like yours). With a few extra ties, the transition from position 2 to 3 can be done in a couple mins… we keep it in position 1 or 2 while sailing.
There is a safety issue with our boats when jibing. As the boom comes across the mainsheet is slack. If it catches on a person or boat part ( say bimini frame ) it can cause a surprising amount of damage. For this reason we use mode 1 or 2 while sailing.
Smooth Sailing,
Rob…
Well I’m not Captain Sri Racha, but you could reduce or prevent this by hauling in on your choker. That shifts the boom aft. It also changes your sail shape, so I can’t judge whether it’s an overall good idea or not, but it will get the sheet and block away from your bimini.
But during tacking or jibing the sheet is slack and still might drag no matter how you have the choker set. There will also be times when you want the choker to be more slack, causing the interference that you are seeing now. Many, or most Nonsuches with biminis have an exposed stainless tube on the aft side of the bimini which parallels the inside support. It’s kind of like the grab rail that you often see (and might have) across the aft edge of a dodger. The purpose is to prevent the exact problem you are having. I don’t have a photo, but I bet one gets posted soon.
I don’t have a bimini so my boat has a “roll bar” to accomplish the same thing and more importantly to keep the line out of the cockpit while tacking or jibing. Having the line drag through the cockpit while on a jibe or long tack can pull you or someone else right out of the cockpit, so be careful if you take down your bimini.
Being new, have you learned to use the choker while sailing? I’ve found that it can make a significant difference in speed. I don’t usually pay that much attention to measured speed, but I have noticed speed increases of half to 0.8 knots just by fiddling with it. Flattening your sail (hauling on the choker) can also de-power it, allowing you to postpone or avoid reefing. I often do this when passing through a zone of accelerated wind off the tip of Point Loma. It’s worth learning to use, though it’s probably too much hassle when single-handing unless you’ve got a good autopilot. I don’t single hand. It is forbidden by the Admiral, who worries about me, and my friends have been trained to bring and serve good snacks so I don’t have to.
Edit: Oh! See, I knew others would post…even while I was doing so.
You have a few great responses! You can have many more questions answered and you can see many of our beautiful boats in person if you come to the Rendezvous in Greenport in August!
Thank you all for your responses….
Which raises a few additional questions. Choker? Is that the “wish bone”? I tried several cracks on the ‘ol winch… didn’t seem to help. Not sure which way it went- if at all. It seem tight!
“Sail clew needs a strop of say 6 inches length” ??? No idea what you mean, sorry
Bimini? I thought it was called a “dogger”
This boat, in it’s current set up/rigging, has been sailed, by a much more seasoned guy than I, with no alterations. So, I’m thinking it’s ME! I got her moving and was wonderfully excited. I also made it back to the dock. WOOHOO! 
I like the idea about a rub rail on the back of the “bimini” support. Photos of how this was attached would be helpful. But- I’m thinking it has to be as simple as an adjustment that I’m missing. The canvas doesn’t appeared to be worn. So- I’d like to get it figured out before I do do serious damage to the canvas. It’s a great top, lots of shade and rain covering.
Thanks again for the great pool of knowledge that I am tapping!
Cheers
Hi,
In the photo your boom topping lift looks to be tight. It too can pull the boom forward. Give it some slack, but not so much that the boom will hit the bimini when you tack. Mark the topping lift rope at the dock with a indelible black felt pen where it comes out of the jammer, the spot where is just clears your bimini. If the topper is too tight, then it’s difficult to put on the choker. The choker will move the boom aft and prevent it from touching the bimini.
Sorry if I repeated what others have suggested, I didn’t have time to read earlier responses.
Don
We’re planning on RVing there. A bit shocked that I had to pay for my wife (not a sailor) and we’re only able to make it til Tuesday evening. But yes, excited to how these things are to operate!
The bimini is the canvas over the helmsman, the dodger is the canvas over the companion way. The choker is the rope that runs from the front of the boom to the mast, it controls the forward/aft tension on the boom. It serves similar function to an outhaul and vang on a conventional sloop rigged main sail.
I wouldn’t bother with changing the clew attachment “strop” until you have first tried adjusting the topping lift and choker lines.
Don
Don- Good observation! Typically- while at the dock that white cable has slack in it. I crank it up so it the sail cover isn’t rubbing the canvas. Not sure how that got tight? Perhaps the weight of the sail??
David,
The control lines that people have been describing affecting each other. It’s important what order you play with them and also what’s tight or free when you make an adjustment.
For example, if the topping lift is too tight, it will prevent the choker from pulling the sail aft. If the mainsheet is tight, it will fight the topping lift raising the boom as well as the choker. In the latter case, you would instead bend the mast backward in an amazingly large curve.
I don’t know whether your learning style prefers getting a list to follow or picking it up from experimentation. There are folks around who can help either way.
If you don’t already have the INA’s New Owners Quick Guide, you might enjoy downloading it from the website and taking a look.
– Bob
David,
It looks to me that your wishboom is down all the way and being supported by the safety cable from topping lift to boom. That safety is so the boom does not come down on your head in the case of rigging failure or releasing the topping lift to far by accident. Lifting the boom with your topping lift is not going to clear the back of your Bimini unless you can pull the boom back further with the choker. If the front of the boom is touching the mast then you can’t. Is there a way to stow the Bimini while under sail like Rob has said? Remember that when under sail the topping lift should be slack and the boom supported by the cloth of the sail. There is a boat listed on the INA website for sale with a custom wishboom that is 15” longer than standard to clear a full inclosure over the cockpit. I think it’s a 33. Also I have heard of a Nonsuch with a traveler for the lower mainsheet block at stern deck level although I find that hard to wrap my head around. We look forward to seeing you in Greenport. God willing and the creek don’t rise.
Brian and Kathy Cayer
Yes! It will be very helpful.
Hi Tom-
I would like to drill down a bit further down into this “rabbit hole”, if you have a minute. I wasn’t sure if a “strop” was a typo or an actual “thing”. After some investigation, I found that it is a strap that secures the clew of the sail to the boom. I use one on my Laser rig.
So, now that I know what you are referring to, can you educate me on how you attach yours to the aft of the Wishbone (boom). On my Laser, there is a traditional “boom”. On these Nonsuch there is the Wishbone that is basically TWO booms. A bit confused on the configuration of the location of this strap. Photos would be fabulous. I’m a visual learner!
Thanks for your support.
David,
Before making changes, make sure you have setup the boat correctly. If your bimini isn’t brand new or doesn’t have old chafe marks, something must have changed after the boat changed hands. Maybe the PO or broker paid the yard to setup the boat and they didn’t know the Nonsuch specific details ?
Try to figure out what changed and change it back before making new changes. Get some measurements from other 33’s and compare. Photos are a big help when trying exchange boat info. Holding a tape measure up to show an exact measure in a photo is helpful.
To answer your question about the strop. The near equivalent on your laser would be the place where outhaul attaches to the clew of your sail. Unlike your laser boom, the Nonsuch wishbone is not fixed to the mast it is suspended from the mast and can shift forward and aft. Our choker moves the entire wishbone to accomplish what your outhaul does on your laser.
The proposed fix would result in allowing the wishbone to be carried further aft without flattening your sail since your tack is fixed to your mast.
I am not a fan of this approach… but we have proven many times on the forum ask three sailors and there will be 4 answers. All have merit. The answer that matters is the one you decide to use.
My approach to solving the rubbing problem is to adjust the bimini not the standing rig. My logic is that the dimensions of your rig is a delicate balance of factors. Even the slightest change ripples thru the whole system. In this case, extension of the clew attachment to the wishbone does result in moving the wishbone aft… a good thing from the perspective of your bimini… but a not so good thing from the perspective of your ability to flatten your sail.
My opinion is that my bimini is an “add-on” that should be designed to operate without compromising my ability to trim my sail.
Having said that , some folks are more knowledgeable than me and have taken the initiative to modify their rig so I defer to them on what works and what doesn’t.
The one thing we all agree about is that rubbing leads to chafe. Chafe is bad on a sailboat.
I hope you make it to Greenport there will be multiple NS33’s there. I keep my boat in Westport. There are at least 5-33’s, 1-36, and 25-30’s on LIS. All are eager to help other NS owners. If you are on a roadtrip passing along the CT coast you can maybe find a few boats to visit.
There are lots of tips and tricks that are model specific to glean from talking to other NS owners.
Smooth Sailing,
Rob…
The previous owner on my boat installed a wishbone extension which helped clear the stern bikini cover from the mainsheet. It also helped (somewhat) keeping the topping lift off of the leach of the sail. I think it added about 8 to 10" of additional clearance. A large semi-circle loop (hidden in the picture) allowed the mainsheet to be attached.
Mike Quill used to sell these and he still may. https://www.mqyr.com
I’ve used it for the past 4 seasons, but I’ve removed it for the upcoming 2026 season. I might need to re-install it (30 min job) when I cruise again with the aft Bimini
I’m about to install one of these extensions on my boat. I’ve talked to a few fellow owners who have one. The consensus seems to be that it does its job of keeping the lines further back but adds weight that affects light air performance. My impression is that comfort cruisers have liked them, while avid racers tend to remove them.
Installation is easy in the sense that it slips over the back of the original boom, and the holes you see in Jim’s picture exactly align with existing holes on the original boom.
Initial installation is not easy if the screws and bolts already in those holes are seized – a strong probability on many booms.
I believe you’ll find a picture in the New Nonsuch Owners Quick Guide pages on rigging the sail that illustrates a dyneema lashing, on way of doing what Tom called a strap. This places the sail clew further from the boom end. That means that, when the choker’s tightened, it will pull the boom further back than it otherwise would go. Doing this works as long as there’s enough range in the boom’s movement for it to fully tighten the sail before the front bumps up against the mast.
– Bob
Nah, it’s only one boom, it’s just a different shape than yours.
You should probably try not to relate your laser to the Nonsuch. They are apples and oranges. The important thing with our booms is that they are free floating. Most sailboat booms (and gaffs and yards) are attached to the mast and swivel or pivot in some manner. Ours hang from the mast on vertical lines that are a few feet long. They can move forward and back and can swing the clew end way around ahead of the mast if you let out enough sheet. The choker moves the boom fore/aft. This essentially moves the clew of the sail fore/aft and causes the sail to flatten or curve out more. The topping lift lifts the clew end (like most conventional booms). And by manipulating those you have very good control of sail shape without a lot of fussing like sloop sailors are always doing. I mean, you can fuss if you really feel the urge, but you really don’t need to. You can get almost every bit of control necessary just with those two lines.
This is all going to sound weird to a sloop sailor (and many of us were at one time) but it is a very well thought out system which works very well. It’s just very different from what you are used to. I think you’ll like it once you get it all figured out. You should go read the New Nonsuch Owner’s guide the Bob mentioned on the website. I think it might make a lot of things clear.
All good advice but if you add a longer lashing to the aft of the boom, the front of the boom will move further back as well.If it moves too far back the block at the front may contact the mast and can cause wear or eventually a failure.
Rob Powers Respite 26C # 50
Sidney BC
Is it possible too, that the sail might be hoisted higher up the mast? In the event that the main halyard was slack, but the topping lift and mainsheet pulled tight, this could cause the boom to ride lower. If this were the case, it’s an easy fix.