Backup Forestay

[Salty19]

The past couple of months I've been considering fashioning a backup forestay, solely for the purpose of keeping the mast safely upright, should the forestay fail. After reading a few demasting stories of the years, and seeing backup forestays on larger craft, this little extra bit of insurance could save my life, expensive repair bills, etc.  So after some consideration of mounting options, I decided to go ahead and make one this year before spring launch.

Bought a 10" x1" shaeffer chainplate with a bent end to be mounted at the top of mast, bent edge leading forward and down about 4" from the mast (about 2" forward of the mast ring). To this chainplate will be a swivel shackle and a length of New England Ropes' V-12 Vectran Single Braid 4mm size line. This line will be foreward of the existing forestay due to the chainplate "extension", and forward of a soon to be installed Harken furler for clearance sake. It will extend foreward and over the bow pulpit and terminate to a snap ring (quick release) shackle.  I'll put some leather or chafe tape on the area where it will rub against the bow pulpit. The shackle will attach to a 5/16" ID thread/5/8" ID ring Wichard eye that will mount to port of the anchor roller, on the foreward face of the bowsprit.  A quick single drill hole in the stainless portion of the sprit and short 5/16" thread bolt and some minor filing of the wood sprit should make it easy, strong and secure. 

Eventually a backup bobstay and backstay will be put on, but perhaps without add'l hardware, or minimal. Main concern is the mast failling backwards.

anyone else done this?  I would think yes but havne't seen it mentioned over the years. Comments?

There are a lot of other ways to do this including just wrapping a line around the masthead ring and extendeing to bow pulpit. 
No pics, boat is in storage.

[BobK]

Salty,

I have had the bowsprit break on a new to me Allied Seawind ketch on its trip in the gulf about 70 miles outside of Tampa while I was sailing it home to Mobile.  Fortunately I was on a reach at the time and did not loose the main mast.  I learned something real important that night.  Do not trust anyone but yourself to inspect your boat and rigging and make sure you do it.  I had hired a certified marine surveyor to inspect the boat and obviously he missed the fact that the bowsprit was rotten.

Since then I examine my rigging at least twice a year and replace anything that does not appear perfect.  I pay particular attention to the stay and hardware that connects the bowsprit to the boat.  I have been known to kiss a dock with it on occasion.  I no longer worry about loosing my mast.  If you inspect what you have and replace what is needed I think doubling up is over kill.  Com-Pac does not scrimp on the size of their rigging - it is over sized for the size of our boats. 

When I walk around docks looking at other sail boats I find it amazing how many have not wired or at least used clevis pins on their turnbuckles or have wires sticking out their stays.

[capt_nemo]

If this is a done deal, what I have to say might benefit someone else who may consider a "backup forestay" in the future.

If not, since you did say that your "Main concern is the mast falling backwards." , I have an alternative for you to consider.

As a "backup" mast support for an emergency, instead of running it from masthead to forward of roller furling drum on the bowsprit, rig what is sometimes called a "babystay". This would be a stay running from about spreader height (or lower) on the mast to a point several feet forward on the cabintop, forward slope of cabintop, or on the foredeck. Just kep in mind that you don't want to obstruct too much of the foretriangle which would make tacking a large lapper or Genoa difficult but not impossible. You should of course cover the stay with a plastic shroud cover slightly larger than the stay diameter to roll and minimize friction when the jib brushes by. With quick release/tensioning lever on the deck end, in light or moderate conditions (less risk of forestay failure) you could release the stay, securing it to one side, thus removing the obstacle to the roller furling jib when tacking. If you make the "babystay" strong, come forward enough with the lower attachment, and have the upper end secured on the mast level with lower shrouds (for load support) you could have a "double duty stay" which not only can support the mast but also be suitable for attaching a small storm (heavy weather) jib to complement a single or double reefed main'sl.

I once had a cutter rigged sailboat with quick release/tensioning lever on the stay'sl stay. It was great to release the stay, quickly secure it to one side and fly a cruising spinnaker, tacking the sail with ease. My stay'sl stay when attached also served as additional mast support as well as support for the working staysail.

[Salty19]

Thanks for the comments. Thought about the babystay too.  Great idea no question.

Being just a lowly lake sailor, and don't want to complicate tacking (which occurs very frequently on the lake), or have another wire in the way of a genoa so I chose not to go that route. If circumstances were different, ie sailed out of site of land where a storm sail would be of benefit, took longer tacks, maybe a larger boat, it would be a consideration for sure as would a stay'sl. 

A 23 with a babystay with stay'sl, sort of a cutter rig, would be just cool

Bob, your comments about checking equipment is excellent.  I'm diligent about that, but hey there is always room for improvement and (gulp) error!
You just never know when something will break though. I figured the $90 or so is a type of whole life insurance policy, both for the deck and the crew's noggins!

[Bob23]

    I'd be concerned also about a bobstay failure. If that fails, the bowsprit could be pulled up by the force of the rig and cause a dismasting. I'm a salt water guy so this year I'm replacing my bobstay with chain...it'll be a nice retro look!
   Very good idea about the spare forestay. I just read an article in Good Old Boat by Lin and Larry Pardey on rig inspection . They make a note about the loads placed on the bottom of the forestay by a roller furler. I pulled mine off this fall to inspect it.
   Year before last, on the haul-out proceedure, I discovered the clevis pin on the forestay had no cotter pin in it. That really gave me the willies...I had no idea how long it had been missing. Since then, I check over everything often. The Pardeys recommend a twice annual complete inspection.
Bob23

[Allure2sail]

Inspect all of it.....
Had a incident a few years back that made me more more prudent in the inspection of all rigging components. I was on my way back from a week cruise to the Vineyard when I heard of an approaching front. I went to furl the head sail when it jammed, then noticing that the furler line was wrapped around the the shank just above the furler drum (a Harken ll). It confused me as to how it managed to get outside of the spool itself because it is caged in by four vertical legs 90 degrees apart. Being solo I could not spend much time up front (not having an autopilot yet....I do now) so I left it as is and made a run for a cove to anchor in and ride the storm front out. Just as I got to the cove and brought the boat into the wind, locked the wheel and then I went up front to investigate the jammed furler more. The storm front hit like a wall of water and wind, and before I could get back to the wheel the boat had gotten sideways and was almost getting knocked over. I powered up and got the boat under control but it was scary for a moment or two, I really thought I might be going for a swim. I made two mistakes that got me into that jam that day, Number one, is I should have dropped the main sooner. Second mistake was, once I realized I couldn't furl the head sail I should have released the halyard and pulled it down the extrusion by hand and tied it to the lifelines right away. I thought I could beat mother nature to the safety of the cove and it proved me wrong.
NOW FOR WHAT CAUSED THE FURLER TO JAM, once back at the marina (I motored the rest of the way) upon inspect of the headstay and furler I realized the the furler along with the extrusion had stared to unscrew itself from the tang and threaded shank on the bowsprite!!! If it had continued to unscrew it would have disconnected the head stay and guess what's most likely to happen next, the mast comes down, for sure not something I want to ever experience. Needless to say, I have marked the flat on the nut facing the stern with red paint to see if it has turned, and often check it for tightness. It's a given all turnbuckles and rigging hardware is now pinned, clipped or wired securely and checked regularly. Check that rigging...all of it.

[Pacman]

I jammed a furler once during high winds on a charter boat in the Virgin Islands.  The sail beat itself up and the boat was very difficult to control.  When I hear stories of jammed furlers, it strengthens my distrust of them.

I have become a fan of the safety and simplicity of a jib downhaul with hanked-on foresails.

When I need to douse a headsail, I simply release the halyard and pull the sail down to the foredeck with the downhaul. 

When I cleat the downhaul I know the sail will stay in a lump on the deck even in a blow.

Twin forestays are a great idea.

You can change sails easily by raising the new sail on the leward stay before dousing the old sail.

It can aslo allow you to sail downwind wing-on-wing with two headsails.

I would rig downhauls on both forestays.

[Billy]

Pacman,
How do have your jib downhaul set up? With just a block at the base of the mast?

[ehall686]

Did you ever make that back up forestay.

I was thinking of making a bowsprit,  would you hook up the back up to the bowsprit?

[skip1930]

"Accidents don't happen. You have to let them happen."

Hummmmmm, a back stay in addition to what is on the boat from the get-go...
If all the 'get-go' stuff is in good shape then an additional back stay is not required.

It is what it is from the factory and the fertile mind of the designer. How good is good?

skip.

[ehall686]

No, not an additional back stay this thread is about two fore stays.

I was wondering if Salty19 ever did make or rig up a twin fore stay? if he did where did he attach it to the bow?

[Salty19]

ehall-

Nope, I ran out of time during the spring commissioning.   Always too much to do and not enough to get it done.  That's the story and stickin' to it!

[skip1930]

" I was wondering if Salty19 ever did make or rig up a twin fore stay? "

Wouldn't that make her a cutter?

skip.

[ehall686]

I was wondering what a cutter was so I went looking for it and found this on  http://www.jordanyachts.com

A sloop is defined as a yacht whose mast is somewhere between stations 3 and 4 in the 10 station model of a yacht. This definition places the mast with two thirds of the vessel aft and one third forward.

Cutter
A cutter has one mast like the sloop, and people rightfully confuse the two. A cutter is defined as a yachts whose mast is aft of station 4. Ascertaining whether the mast is aft or forward of station 4 (what if it is at station 4?) is difficult unless you have the design specifications. And even a mast located forward of station 4 with a long bowsprit may be more reasonably referred to as a cutter. The true different is the size of the foretriangle. Most people just give up and call sloops with jibstays cutters. This arrangement is best for reaching or when heavy weather dictates a reefed main. In moderate or light air sailing, forget the inner staysail; it will just backwind the jib and reduce your pointing height.

[Salty19]

No cutter. It would be a BACKUP forestay just to hold the mast up should the rigging go. No sails will be attached.  Too much tacking to deal with two headsails, not to mention KISS.