Raising the gaff

[weheritage]

Attempting to rig Leeway and having a problem with raising the sail all the way. It is very difficult to raise the sail and we were unable to get the gaff all the way to the top. It seems to be binding but I'm not sure why. Could the parrels be too tight? It will go up with a lot of work about 75% of the way.

[Kim Whitmyre]

If the gaff is raised above horizontal, it can be very hard to raise the main. Let it hang below horizontal and it should be easier.

[John B]

Do you have seperate throat and peak halyards?

[weheritage]

There are seperate throat and peak halyards. Tried several configerations of the angle of the gaff without success. Again, we could only get it about 75% up using allthe strength we had.

[John B]

Sounds like the lacing/parrells are binding. You should be able to haul it up easily and lean on it a bit to swig it tight.
Every now and agin we get caught by something. Reefing line getting caught around the end of the boom or cheek block perhaps. This year I rigged a hank on the topsail to hold the luff in to the halyard. The hank was racking and jamming but it had me stumped for a while.( changed it for a small block.
Which part of the sail is trouble? the luff or the peak, or both?

[weheritage]

The Luff. I can get the yoke within 3 or 4 feet of the SS chafing plate and that's it.

[Ian McColgin]

I'd bet JohnB's diagnosis is right.

How big is Leeway's sail" Rigged with hoops or laces?

When you get to the sticking point and belay the hallyards, is the luff slack down where you can reach it? Can you poke the luff with an oar or something to see if it's slack higher up.

Hoops sometimes bind. A light line down the foreward side to keep them horizontal helps.

[johngsandusky]

Can you see your halyard between blocks? Is it twisting? If it does it will bind when hauled.

[George.]

Could it be that you need to top up the boom before hoisting? You might have it riding too low, in which case once you get to those last couple of feet, you are hoisting gaff, sail, and boom - heavy work, and impossible if the mainsheet is tight.

[waters'l]

I would look into your bead/hoop/lacing sytem. I had the same problem on PEARL with the parrel beads when I first got her. It was even worse when lowering the gaff. A couple of experiences with getting pounded while trying to reef and not being able to bring down the luff convinced me to go to lacing. It is a much happier thing now.

[Hwyl]

She's an Angelman Ketch (from another thread)

http://www.gulftel.com/boomer/AtDock.jpg

[Dave Thibodeau]

A common problem with rasing a gaff rig is the outhaul on the boom is too tight causing a strain on the sail that binds the hoops.

Loosen the outhaul on the boom and see if this helps your problem

dave thibodeau