adamcovell
Can someone tell me roughly what the right length should be for spinnaker sheets on a Sonata (i have up until now made do with jib sheets)?
Also can anybody give me any specifications for fitting lifelines to a sonata for sailing with our young family?
Thanks
Adam
adamcovell
Thank you , yes Jack stays are exactly what I mean. I shall install these but hopefully can do so into the existing cleats(?).
Anybody have any ideas on the length and diameter of spinnaker sheets, as above?
thanks
Adam
Tom Vallois
Thank you , yes Jack stays are exactly what I mean. I shall install these but hopefully can do so into the existing cleats(?).Anybody have any ideas on the length and diameter of spinnaker sheets, as above?
thanks
Adam
I have got 9m long sheets at 10mm, but i havent properly tested the length, its definitely not to short and 10mm is a pretty good thickness if your holding it alot.
adamcovell
Great, thank you
nickdawson
Great, thank you
Do you fly your spinnaker out of a companionway bag? If so you’ll need longer sheets than that. We had tapered 8mm sheets on last year but found them too heavy, now we have tapered 6mm dyneema (Liros) which is fantastic but very hard on the hands in a blow though its light enough to not drag the clews down if the wind drops. We use dyneema shackles to reduce weight too, but they’re fiddly if you need to change things in a hurry – we wouldn’t change them back though!!
Autoratchet blocks are superb additions for the aftmost blocks as they help bear the load when the wind gets up but they’re pricey!! 
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We’re up to the boat this weekend, so I’ll measure them out, but off the top of my head I think they’re 14 or 15m long. You need enough length to go from your forward swivel block (where you hold them from), to the pushpit. right round the outside to the pulpit, then back round the outside of the guardrails and shrouds and back to the companionway. Its easier to see than say so I’ll try to take a pic. Approx twice the length of the boat though if you think about it.
nick
adamcovell
We’re up to the boat this weekend, so I’ll measure them out, but off the top of my head I think they’re 14 or 15m long.
nick
James Dargie
[A] The class rules state on Lifelines:
(1) A minimum of 2 lifelines shall be fitted, one to port and one to starboard.
(2) The lifelines shall be securely connected to bow and stern pulpits and pass through or be attached to two stanchions each side.
(3) There shall be a (third) lifeline between the stern pulpits across the transom of the boat.
(4) The lifelines (or upper lifelines if more are fitted) shall be of stainless or galvanised steel multi strand wire, minimum diameter 4mm. They shall be tensioned such that they shall be a minimum of 460mm above the sheerline.
(5) The lifelines may be sheathed in any material.
However, I think that this is not what you mean, I suspect you mean Jackstays to which a safety line can be clipped, the other end being attached to the wearer’s harness? Most chandlers seem to have these, I had a problem getting any short enough and so had to tie a loop into the length. Mine are Plastimo, but there are other manufacturers. For each jackstay I secure each end to a shackle (the same width as the jackstay) and the shackle is then attached to a U-bolt. I’ve passed the U bolts through the thickened part of the deck (which are re-enforced with wooden fillets) (the bits the mooring/ anchor cleats are mounted on (finished fitting these this afternoon by chance). However, the instructions say fit with substantial backing plates; I’ve used 8mm Delrin (a tough plastic). Interestingly the aft port wodden fillet was sopping wet by the look of the drill casts.
What I have not yet addressed is that the curvature of the deck shape takes a straight line across various other deck fittings so I think I’m going to end up fitting more U-bolts at some point to keep the Jackstays clear of running rigging and shrouds.
I’m also going to add nets, but really I suppose its the jackstays and enforcement of clipping on which will stop us all landing in the swim.