Topic: Indoduction and question about jack lines

Re: Indoduction and question about jack lines

Re: Indoduction and question about jack lines

I have jacklines that run along the cabin sides from the side of the winch base to the front of the cabin. (U-bolts) I use webbing rather than cable or rope since it will not roll if you step on it. But I also keep it tight so that would not be a problem anyway. Do not use the Canadian tire type webbing. It does not have the required strength. I do not have a problem with it getting caught on the winow bolts. The webbing gets longer when wet so there is room to slide. I also have jack lines in the cockpit. It is easy to unclip from the cockpit and clip onto the desk lines before leaving the cockpit. If you are sailing singlehanded, keep the line from you to the jack line as short as possible. It is better to be hanging half overboard than being dragged along side or behind the boat at cruising speed. I know of several people that did not survive that experience.

Re: Indoduction and question about jack lines

Carolyn, seeadler

Thanks for the replies. At this point I think  I will go with webbing  I was going to order from sailrite but the outdoorspirit website looks promising. When u-bolts were installed did you install backing plates or just use washers? At this point I am considering installing ss or aluminum plates to help spread the load(on both the deck and under side). When I drill holes in the cabin roof/deck I am considering drilling the holes  slightly over-sized and filling with epoxy. Then re-drill for the u-bolt. All in an attempt to prevent deck rot, any suggestions?

I had a great day of sailing today 20-25+ knots, warm wind and blue skies, very nice. Many people may be wishing for a warm summer, me? I prefer what we are getting, un-settled weather means more wind smile

Thanks,
John

Re: Indoduction and question about jack lines

Hi John:

I have ss backing plates that I will use with the folding padeyes. 

Carolyn

Re: Indoduction and question about jack lines

Does anyone have pics of their jack line set up that they'd like to share??  Or suggest where I might find them in the gallery.  Nothing specific came up when I searched "jack line".  Suzeh

Re: Indoduction and question about jack lines

Documentation:
I've gone to the USCG vessel documentation site and using the interactive simplified measurement form I find that the co26 isn't eligible for documentation using the "integral keel" hull shape (which I would say it is).  Check "distinct keel or no keel" and she measures 5 tons. This works but this is not really a co26 hull.
What have  other documented co26 owners done?

Re: Indoduction and question about jack lines

Re: Indoduction and question about jack lines

10 (edited by john_co26 2009-08-31 15:56:47)

Re: Indoduction and question about jack lines

suzeh

Great article, the sentiment  of it is something I have given some thought to. Let me play devils advocate for a moment. I sail primarily alone  so if it is a choice between dragging along side the boat or treading water as the boat sails away I'll take  dragging along side.
Not really the point of the article or yours I think. The point being,  I think, that jack lines need to be installed as close to the centre line of the boat as possible used with a short tether. I will be running mine along both sides of  the cabin deck, ending  just forward of the hatch. I will also be tying  a short line of webbing to the forward cleat to clip into. As to the cockpit I am planning on installing two u-bolts on the port side only, 2-3 inches above the floor. Port side only because the engine throttle prevents me from running a webbing line down both sides.
The tether will be a dual tether and as short as possible.  I am thinking that it will be sewed from hollow webbing, using elastic to make it "stretchable" with a max length of 4 feet.
As well I will be developing the habit of strapping a blunt-ended knife to my body, for reason mentioned in the article. The idea of un-doing a quick release buckle when loaded up with my body weight seems doubtful to me.

All of the pieces I need to install will be here by the end of the week so  I hope to have the jack lines installed before season end.

Any thoughts you, or others have on my approach would be welcome.

Thanks again for posting the article, it got me to thinking in more detail about my proposed setup.

John

Re: Indoduction and question about jack lines

I too would rather be dragged.  Once you are "underway" it's good to have something to pull yourself up with.  I have an outboard which can stand in as a ladder though you get a lot of bruises.  And it helps if it's not running.  For those with diesels it wold not be an easy heave to pull your self up right into a CO26 even with the low freeboard.  I once did it ten times in a row just for practice in 5 degree water while carrying sunken treasure....ok I confess I can't do it.   Maybe with a burst of adrenaline I would.  But I take the easy way: into the tender, into the boat.

I like the idea of a central jack line but there's that big stick thingy in the way.  I have run jacklines from the forward pulpit to the aft pulpit, lying flat on the side decks.  I use the webing kind.  I have not put any padeyes inplace because I wanted to experiment with different placements.   Instead I just used the shackel at one end and did a very firm knot at the other.  This works ok but it's easy to get fouled in the jib sheets and also around the winches. 

I use the jacklines mostly when sailing alone or when my son wants to go forward.  One thing I always try to do is crawl forward, even with the jacklines on, unless I'm close to shore.   It's just too easy to be pitched around and the lifelines will ensure you are catapulted several feet away from the boat.

I've wondered if it would be possible to have some sort of system that is attached to a ring around the base of the mast.  You'd avoid jib sheets and winches, could go either side and around the mast.

12 (edited by Virago Deb 2009-10-15 05:13:49)

Re: Indoduction and question about jack lines

Hi all,

Back on line for a wee bit.  Been working on the harness and tether question too.  I used a similar technique to Andrew's idea on a previous boat where I had a long tether looped around the base of the mast and I ran around the boat like a dog tied to a tree.  I recently put together a similar rig for Virago where I have an 8' tether shackled to the mast step plate.  I can snap the free end of this onto my harness for moving out of the cockpit and onto the deck. This time I'm also keeping a 3' tether on my harness for a short hook-up when I get to where I'm going, and for in the cockpit.   I'm not keen on jacklines and prefer to be hooked to a fixed point.  This system worked well before but that boat didn't have rope clutches on the deck either - they may be coming off.  The 8' length is only just enough to let me reach the forestay - 10 feet would have allowed for some slack, but I want to keep the run of webbing as short as possible.  Eight feet lets me get to the bow pulpit where I can then hook on with the short tether.  I had considered a ring around the mast too, but I can forsee two problems: 1) it will foul on the boom vang and antenna coax etc.  2) in the very remote chance the mast comes down....

At work we use a system with two tethers and zillions of attachment loops all over the boat and we go hand-over-hand, clipping and unclipping in such a way that we're never not attached.  This is a very secure way of working as you can only ever travel a few feet in any direction (or barely at all if you're hooked to two points at once).  I've tried to figure out a way to do it on a Contessa but it is cumbersome.  The next best answer for me is the central fixed point at the base of the mast.

Been puzzling about re-boarding too.  I'm not going to bet that I can reach my swim ladder or deploy it.  Some books suggest a simple rope ladder on either side that you can flip down into the water if needed.  I'm thinking of something like the becketted lines you see on lifeboats - the slack ropes that hang down along the sides.  Becketted lines draped between the stanchion bases might at least give me a place to plant a foot or a knee and heave myself up, or a place to hang on while I try to manoever to where I can climb up.  I haven't tried this yet.

Another idea I had is not unlike John's: Run jacklines along the cabin top by the hand rails as usual.  Run two more, one on each side, from the stanchion bases next to where the upper jacklines end to the bow cleats.  This way you can move forward to the end of an upper jackline then hook on to a lower one and move all the way to the bow.  This lets you keep a short tether and it also keeps the foredeck clear of tripping hazards.  I'm all about staying on the boat.

Re: Indoduction and question about jack lines

This is an interesting discussion and it has me brainstorming.

As for reboarding, I was thinking about adding a couple of simple folding steps to the rudder.  I suppose that my odds of reaching these steps are about the same as being able to deploy a swing ladder but something is better than nothing, especially for lifesaving.

Re: Indoduction and question about jack lines

“You get a boat for only one reason, because you want one.  If you’re worried about being practical, forget boats.”

Re: Indoduction and question about jack lines

Re: Indoduction and question about jack lines

Hey John;

I had a caribiner at one end only, and then tightened the heck out of the other end as I tied a bowline into it onto a padeye...that way I could retighten if it loosened up. 

And, if you have a double tether (like the offshore ones) just clip the smaller one in as you unclip and reclip the longer one in.

Would love to see pics!!

“You get a boat for only one reason, because you want one.  If you’re worried about being practical, forget boats.”