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I personally love the topping lift the Bill put on my boat at boats 4 sail. its an eye bolt run into the tip of the boom, and a lil carabiner attached at the end of the TL that's simply tied at the masthead. to adjust the height all i do is wrap it around the cleat at the end of the boom. i let it slack all the way when under sail, and it will raise as high as you can handle when you want. also with the eye bolt on the end of the boom, i find it a good place to clip small items to. the length isn't a huge issue, because i keep it long and use the extra line to practice knots if i cant find something else to do.

If your Bimini is up, you have blocked access to the tip of the boom. But you still can adjust the topping lift if it is rigged from the tip of the boom, up to the masthead ( sistered a block next to the main halyard's ) down the mast and back thru the "halyards aft" system, to the cockpit. I just cleat it off to one of three added rail cleats added to each side on the mid-pulpits.

Why is commom sense and basic knot and seamannshipe edited from this site?

Waterbear wrote:Why is commom sense and basic knot and seamannshipe edited from this site?

Sometimes you just can't find an editor who wants to deal with SEAMANNSHIPE. (sic)

Waterbear wrote:Why is commom sense and basic knot and seamannshipe edited from this site?

I guess I must be dense, but what are you referring to.

~Rich

I think it means an experienced sailor can just use different kinds of knots for traditional specific purposes, and minimal hardware for simplicity.
Maybe a valid point of view but phrased in an insulting manner.

[quote]If your Bimini is up, you have blocked access to the tip of the boom./quote]

Not really.
Our 's topping lift, as provided by SuperSport Marine, is a plastic-covered wire that it secured to a small hoop on the aft side of the top of the mast. Its lower end has a small captive-line clam cleat attached with a couple of feet to 1/4" line tied to it that goes through another small hoop on the top of the aft end of the boom and back through the clam cleat, where it is "jammed" at the desired length. A knot in the end of the line keeps if from escaping. Just pull down on the line and the end of the boom goes up until the boom essentially meets the clam cleat. Let go, and it stays at that height [the setting we use whenever the sail is not hoisted - for maximum headroom under the boom]. When hoisting the main, keeping the topping lift engaged until after the halyard and the outhaul have been secured makes it easier to get just the right tension [you are not hoisting the weight of the boom, since it is supported by the topping lift, so sail raising also requires less effort]. Then just grasp the topping lift line and snap it out of the clam cleat; the boom will drop into sailing position and the topping lift will be slack. If it's a light air day, just pull on the topping lift line, raising the end of the boom until you have the desired mainsail shape - the clam cleat will hold that setting. All of this can easily be accomplished with the bimini up on our by standing on the bridge deck by the traveller. I would think that such a setup would be even easier to reach on an with the bimini up, since the front edge of the bimini has to be further aft in order to clear the mainsheet [I presume you'd have to stand on one of the seats].

This rig requires only one "moving part" - the 1/4" line, adds minimal weight and windage aloft, is always attached to the boom so it can't escape from reach and the boom can't drop onto the cabin roof, and provides infinite adjustability for light-air mainsail shaping. Since it was provided as a dealer option, I suppose that I've taken it for granted, but it sounds like it is clearly not the "norm", so next time we're aboard, I'll take a photo. FYI - I think this is the clam cleat http://tinyurl.com/clamcleat

yeah, picture .... sounds like you still need to have access to the tip of the boom, unless the line is led forward along the boom. It also sounds like the clam cleat has a block to turn the line back down into its cleat jaws. Seems that relatively heavy device attached to the topping lift could involve some sail chafing at or near the leech, when the line is slacked and flopping around against the sail.

I had a line rigged from the masthead down to the back end of the boom, thru an eye, and then forward to where it was reachable in front of the bimini along the boom, to be cleated on a small cleat of the boom, but you had to push up the boom with one hand before taking up the slack. Just pulling the line was not very effective in raising the boom without the manual boost. Not a big problem there, but the excess line had to be dealt with also.

As for the X bimini having to clear the mainsheet, .... I mounted an alternate bail to the boom, forward to where it is clear of the Bimini, so the Bimini can cover a normal amount of the cockpit. Yes the mainsheet loses a bit of leverage by being clipped (captive pin hinged clip) further forward, and by the angle back to the pedestal, but its an acceptable compromise, especially since in a hard wind, the bimini is better left collapsed and out of the way. Then the mainsheet can be clipped to the boom's bail directly above, for maximum performance.

Actually the clamcleat is only a couple of inches long and made of aluminum, so there isn't much of a weight factor. It does have a little built-in sheave to turn the line, so you get a 2:1 advantage when using it to hoist the end of the boom.

It sounds like your alternate bail location would work well in terms of being able to sail with the bimini up -- you must be a fellow shade-lover

Since my boat has the BWY "halyards led aft" hardware on the mast and cabin-top deck, and has a furler Genoa, so there is only one halyard rigged thru the turning blocks and clamps. Having an empty path, I attached a longer than usual topping lift line, from the eye at the end of the boom, thru a sister block next to the main halyard block at the masthead, then down the mast, and thru the BWY turning hardware next to the main halyard on the mast and deck. Keeps the line accessible always, whether bimini up or down, and avoids any other boom rigging.
The boom rigging already involves the clew lines for reefing, so I didn't want the added stuff for topping lift attached also.

Parrothead wrote:{quote/}...... -- you must be a fellow shade-lover

Wife is a red-head. 'Nuff said.

[quote]This rig requires only one "moving part" - the 1/4" line, adds minimal weight and windage aloft, is always attached to the boom so it can't escape from reach and the boom can't drop onto the cabin roof, and provides infinite adjustability for light-air mainsail shaping. Since it was provided as a dealer option, I suppose that I've taken it for granted, but it sounds like it is clearly not the "norm", so next time we're aboard, I'll take a photo. FYI - I think this is the clam cleat http://tinyurl.com/clamcleat/ [quote]

Here's the promised photo of our topping lift clam cleat in action.