According to the manual the Safety line on the topping lift should be 4’5" long.
At that length the boom will be dangerously low, almost on the binnacle.
How long are people making their topping lift safety lines?
Randy Gadikian
Phoenix
NS 26C #37
Buffalo, NY
Sounds like something is out of whack, Randy. Maybe the topping lift is too long?? Here’s a shot of part of mine -
Joe Valinoti
S/V iL Gatto NS30U #221
Sea Harbour YC
Oriental, NC USA
Hi Randy,
The length of the safety assumes the static topping lift is the correct length. This was an incorrect assumption on Soave.
I suspect a new static topping lift was installed a few years ago that is longer than the original spec. As a result, the old safety was too long.
I determined Soave’s, safety was too long by slowly lowering the topping lift. Before the safety was loaded, her wishbone was touching our bimini and would have engaged the head of someone standing at the helm. Not good.
For this season, I spliced a length of Dyneema to use as a safety that loads up about a couple inches before the wishbone engages our bimini. My new safety is about 14" shorter than the old one.
The static portion of Nonsuch topping lifts needs to be short enough to permit raising the wishbone during reefing. It’s a common practice to use the topping lift to raise the wishbone to make it easier to secure the aft reef lines. I’m going to experiment a bit with reefing to determine if I like the length of Soave’s static topping lift.
It is not clear if the topping lift length stated in our manuals reflects that the topping lift would be used during reefing. The old marketing videos do not mention using the topping lift during reefing.
Rob
s/v SOAVE
NS33 #009
Cedar Point YC
Westport, CT
I think the topping lift safety line should be about few inches longer than the distance from the end of the main cable to the boom shackle where it is attached when the sail is fully raised and the topping lift is lowered to put the full tension of the wishboom on the clew of the sail. In other words the topping lift is slack. That could differ according to the sail dimensions and age related stretching or shrinkage.
Brian Cayer
Spirit~Wind
N30U 419
Westbrook, CT
Thank you all for your comments. I never thought that the topping lift could be too long, but I suspect that is the correct answer. I wonder if I can have the too long topping lift shortened as it is only a couple of years old.
My dyneema safety line will be 32 inches long for the remainder of the season.
Joe, I don’t know about for everyone else, but your picture did not come through for me.
The point of a safety strap is safety. It is there to keep the boom from injuring someone or damaging your bimini or other equipment should the running topping lift line fail or come loose. I think considerations such as how the topping lift hangs when sailing or what the manual specs out are irrelevant. If the boom is hanging at the right (safe) height when the running topping lift line is slack, then the length of your standing topping plus safety strap is correct. If you cannot slack the topping lift without the boom hitting something important (your bimini, your binnacle, your head…) then it is too long and the easiest way to correct that is with a shorter safety strap.
If the safety strap is the wrong length you can measure how much to add or remove by first supporting the boom with the topping lift line, disconnecting the safety strap, setting the correct (safe) boom height with the topping lift line, then hold use a tape to measure how much too long or short the safety strap is. Adjust it (or make a new one) accordingly, then re-check it.
I recently had some mast work done and while it was down I had the wire topping lift standing part and the safety strap replaced. I asked the rigger to make the topping lift 6" shorter to give me a little more adjustment range. I also asked him to make the safety strap longer so that the overall length was the same, but he missed that part. So my safety strap is 6" too short. This is what happens when you hire a professional. They are always in too big a hurry to pay attention to anything unusual. I partially fixed the problem by adding in a soft shackle, but the sailing store only had one in stock, so I’m still a tad high. I’ll get it dialed in soon. Or maybe I will attempt to make my own safety strap from some leftover Dyneema cored line. But Rob’s skills must be better than mine because I am not sure I can splice an eye with sufficient accuracy to get the length I want. 
BTW, with my topping lift safety set a couple of inches too high, the topping lift is still very slack when the sail is set and the boom is fully supported by the sail. This was actually just pointed out to me the other day when out sailing with some friends. (“Is that line supposed to be so loose?” “Yup.”) That may not be true for every boat, but on mine the safety role of the safety strap does not interfere with anything.
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Rupert
joe’s posting has been fixed. It looks like Joe’s posting come over with a photo link and not the actual photo. Maybe it’s his fancy signature…
Randy, I can’t see why the standing portion of the topping lift can’t be made shorter provided the new end is past the old loop. They have to be able to work with clean straight wire. Remember that if you have 4:1 purchase on the topping lift tackle, for each foot you shorten the standing part you will need an extra 4’ in the tackle. Also when checking lengths you need to have the choker fully hardened since that is when the topping lift needs maximum length. With the choker fully hardened (the sail fully flattened) the safety strap needs to be long enough so that the topping lift is slack. It should be short enough that when the sail is not supporting the boom and the tackle is released the safety strap stops the boom hitting anyone ore anything else. On La Reina the range of length the safety line can be is very small. Remember when you are sailing in any amount of wind the top of the mast bends usually making the topping lift go even more slack. That is an observation, not something you take into account when setting lengths. Accurately splicing lines in bare Dyneema to get the correct length is fairly easy. I think it is much harder covered Dyneema.
Mark Powers
The overall combined length of standing topping lift and safety strap is the critical dimension as far as safety is concerned. The length of those two parts can vary. Because it bypasses and limits the extension of the running topping lift block and tackle, the length of the safety strap is going to dictate how much adjustability you have in your topping lift while sailing. Frankly, 32 inches seems like a decent length to me, but I’m sure there’s someone out there who really knows how much range of adjustment you actually need. So if your overall length is too great I think it sounds more sensible to shorten the standing topping lift by as much as you need to make it safe.
Maybe think of it in reverse. Use the topping lift line to set the topping lift at the correct safe height. Measure how long the safety strap extends beyond its usual attachment point. That is how much you need to shorten the overall length of standing part + safety strap. If you are happy with the 32" range of topping lift adjustment, then shorten the standing part by that much. If you would like more than 32" of topping lift adjustment, then make a new safety strap as long as your desired range and then compute the desired length of the standing part to achieve the desired overall length.
If your standing part is only 2 years old it seems like it could be shortened without any problem. The catch is that the rigger will need to put a new eye in it and so there needs to be enough material to do that. I imagine that if you are shortening it 6" or more, it should be possible. But you’d have to consult a real rigger to know this.
I don’t know if there’s a catch with what I did, so I’ll offer it for comments rather than as a recommendation.
Using a halyard to position the boom at the lowest possible point I considered acceptable for safety, I shortened the fixed topping lift pennant to well above that, then set up my topping lift safety line to be taut in that position. After that, I set up the adjustment line and tackle to lift the boom to where I felt it should normally be, then marked the adjustment line to reflect that.
I used to put a stopper knot at that point so the adjustment line couldn’t go further past the sheetstopper, and I think that’s generally the right thing to do. In all honesty, I didn’t the last time I changed the topping lift adjustment line, though. Since I only singlehand or sail with one other person, I’m the only one who handles it and I decided I trust me.
Hmmm – having read that last sentence, I think I should put in a stopper knot the next time I’m on the boat.
– Bob
