How long does it take to rig a gaffer?

[George.]

In Dalia's case, four years and counting, starting with the raising of the masts... :D

I don't think we have ever gone out for more than a day without fiddling with the rigging, adding or shifting something, or fixing a perennial problem. This last week, on charter with a wonderful American couple, we got the topsail back from its long-overdue re-cut - no more bamboo sticks aloft, no more tangles, no more dread of bringing it down too late at the first puff of a full topsail breeze.

The topsail is much improved, but still needs work. But we did rig a new lead line for it, which worked very well and would stay, if the main boom hadn't chafed it and reduced it to a dwindling bunch of strands. To be fair, it is the old jib topsail halyard, "post-stretched" but much abused before its overdue retirement. But it (barely) survived this cruise, including a twenty mile beat from Ilha Grande to Paraty Mirim (where we passed by the rock that sank Lord Jim). And we did cut and fit a leather sleeve around the boom, where it will save the new gaff topsail lead line when running on the port tack, and the main peak halyard when running to starboard.

In truth, I believe rigging is never done - it just gradually shifts from setting up to maintenance.

[Tom Galyen]

It takes me longer to get the sail cover off then to raise and rig the sail.

Tom G. (Seaweed)

[Kim Whitmyre]

Changes, maintenance, safety, all good things! A couple of months ago, on my little Wharram tiki 26, I mounted eyestraps on the ends of the aft beam to attach blocks for sheeting the 130% jib as wide as possible. With the slot opened up, all is good!

It's work, but it's fun at the same time :)

[Thad]

I've been working over SEA HARMONY's rigging this Winter, servicing the service, new cast eyebolt for the main throat halyard. I will be reworking the topsail set and shortening the yard and the club. Some of the fun of the gaff rig is certainly in playing (maintaining and improving) its parts and its set in use. We have a marconi mizzen and I broke the old stick moving it around. Now I have made a new one but want to lace the sail, if I can convince myself that two upper shrouds will be fine where there has been one just below the halyard sheeve and one about 4 feet down on the mast that is 17 feet high above deck.

[Tom Hunter]

If people are helping me it takes 5 hours.

If I am alone it takes 3

Getting everything "right" goes on forever.

[S/V Laura Ellen]

10 hours to de-rig, to rig ... your guess is as good as mine.

[Nanoose]

If people are helping me it takes 5 hours.

If I am alone it takes 3



hehehehehehehe :) :D

[George.]

And then there is twist - of lines, not sails. On a tackle like the halyards' or main sheet's, where one end is tied off to the spar, all the twist invariably transfers to that end. Braided polyester lines are especially fond of doing this when said end is located at the top of the topmast, for instance. There, they can twist around the other parts of the tackle, and prevent the sail from hoisting or dropping, particularly in a breeze, which is a lovely trick...

Seriously, is there some way to get rid of this twist?

[Kim Whitmyre]

I've heard that trailing the lines behind the boat for a few miles will do it. . .Which, of course, would involve messengers to enable the raising of the lines once the hockles were out.

[George.]

Can't do that if the end of the line is tied off aloft, unless someone goes up to untie it and then to tie it back.

[brian.cunningham]

BTW what size boat are we talking about?

If you take 4 hours to rig this one, you've got problems
http://www.dhylanboats.com/dhbnewzs0.jpg
4 hours to rig this, you'd get an award!
http://history.vineyard.net/photos/vh8/v81604.jpg