Topping Lift Safety Feature added in 1984

[James Blackwell]

hi All

I recall the 1984 had a safety feature added to the topping lift ostensibly to keep the boom from accidentally falling. 

What was the feature exactly and can Nonsuches prior to 1984 be retrofitted with one?

Many thanks for thoughts

James

[Fred Rachwitz]

James - I have assumed that all Nonsuches had this from the beginning. It has to be the short cable which goes between the lower end of the long topping lift cable and the boom end. It is something like 3 ft long and in any normal circumstance is slack. If there were a problem with the topping lift control mechanism, the tackle setup which raises and lowers the lift, this cable will take over and stop the boom from falling. 

It certainly would be a simple addition to an older boat. 

Notice the information we give to show where we are and what we have. 

Fred Rachwitz

Concerto

NS 30 U #445

Harbor Springs, Michigan

Northern Lake Michigan

Sent from Fred's iPad Air Gen 3

On Mar 5, 2021, at 9:00 PM, James Blackwell <windshi...@gmail.com> wrote:

hi All

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[Ernie Abugov N22 - #56 "Moustaches" Toronto]

Hi James -

Well, now we CERTAINLY know who you are !!

Fred is right on. We are simply talikng about a safety cable that is tied from the end of the permanent steel cable of the topping lift to the back end of the boom. It's a few feet long. You could use a made-up steel cable but, I think, most of us use a piece of 1/8" Dyneema or Spectra (breaking strength around 2500 lb. - plenty strong enough). Cost - around $3.00 give or take. Buy a slightly longer piece than you'd need, just in case.

Might I suggest that you tie one end through the loop at the end of the steel T/L cable and run the other end through "the end of the boom" (meaning that YOU decide where, on the boom, you wish to tie it - that way, you can keep it out of the way of your T/L blocks, etc., so it won't snarl things up.). Then, using your T/L rigging, slowly (maybe with someone's assistance) LOWER the end of the boom until YOU establish how low you can permit the boom to "crash down" if the T/L tackle breaks. At that point, TIE the lower knot of your piece of Dyneema. 

Congrats. You now have a safety line. Raise your T/L to its normal height off the cockpit and your safety line should hang loosely, waiting to stop the boom from hitting your head or the cockpit floor or ... ???.

Have fun !!

Ernie A. in Toronto

On Friday, March 5, 2021 at 9:42:14 PM UTC-5 windshi...@gmail.com wrote:

Thanks, Fred. I have been a member of the association for a couple of years while I look and learn. Hope to have a Nonsuch signature this season!

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[Mark Powers La Reina 26C Vancouver, B.C.]

I always thought the short safety line was called a pigtail. 

La Reina did not come with one. In the first year we owned her we had tucked a reef in the sail. When we were coming back into port and after we had lowered the sail I asked one of the crew (not the First Sea Lord) to release the reef line. Instead of the reef line he cast the topping lift off of the cleat. Fortunately the boom was slightly off to the side so it hit me on the shoulder, not the head. I can tell you it hurt. After that I installed the pigtail.

On a calm day I hoisted the sail. I then eased the topping lift so the at the sail carried the weight of the boom. I then harden the choker. After that I measure for the length of the pigtail. I wanted to make sure it did not compromise the sail shape. I then lowered the sail to make sure the pig tail would keep the boom high enough. I hope that explanation makes sense.

Mark Powers

[newelljc9]

Mascouche is the prototype for the 26's (26C #1 1981) was equipped with the safety line. One has to remember it is a safety line only for anything attached below it. If the failure occurs above it, the boom will crash. This happened to me when a sleeve failed on the cable from the mast head to the safety line. The wishbone on my 26 had the Cressman stainless steel 18" extension so the total weight of the wishbone was around 130 lbs. plus the weight of the sail (approx. 50 lbs.). Fortunately the major impact was absorbed by the binnacle and wheel. I was standing, but slightly crouched, between the binnacle and companionway and received a glancing blow that nearly sent me down the companionway. The binnacle and my thick skull saved me from more serious damage. 

I was well aware of the hazard and replaced the T/L cable when I bought the boat in 2006. I checked it every year for wear, but it is hard to spot when a sleeve is about to fail and a good reason to remove the mast for inspection annually.  In my case, the sleeve might have been weakened by a gybe during the sailing season and chose to give way at the end of it after I had removed the bimini to enjoy more sun in September. My advice is DON'T! It is the ultimate safety feature to guard against a heavy crashing wishboom.

For my declining years I have switched to a 15' boom that weighs 30 lbs. that does not intrude into the cockpit.
John Newell

Mascouche 26C 1

Toronto

[Bob Neches (Solar Wind, N26C #143)]

In addition to the safety line that Ernie and Mark have described above, and the note about the importance of regular inspection of the topping lift pennant attachments, historically there's a third measure that some members have added.  It's a design advocated by Eastland Yachts, which was the broker for many of the boats early on, for what they called a "crash bar" (see attached).  It looks like a particularly strong part of a bimini cover.

-- Bob

   Solar Wind

   Nonsuch 26C #143

[Ernie Abugov N22 - #56 "Moustaches" Toronto]

Hmmmm ...........   and what if you don't have a bimini (or that smart "roll bar"), eh ??

Well ........  nutty as it may sound, after reading all of this good info, I may spend the big bucks on a length of 1/8" Dyneema that is as long as the PRESENT length of both my steel T/L cable combined with my present safety line.

You know what's coming next ........

I might tie the top of this new line to the same pin that the steel cable is attached to, right at the top of the mast, then have this new line travel loosely down, right to the end of the boom, such that its total length is the same as the entire rig was i.e. the previous length of the steel cable + safety line.

And all of this because John Newell's point is very well taken. Why have a safety line (or pigtail) when it's doing half the job ?

I don't think that a length of thin Dyneema (that parallels the T/L steel cable) is in the way of anything. If the pin at the top of the mast let's go ..... then it's curtains. Otherwise, I think this would work and be quick, neat and cheap.

I won't do this tomorrow - I'll sleep on it and wait until launch  in mid-May.

Ernie A. in Toronto

[Mark Powers La Reina 26C Vancouver, B.C.]

Ernie,

 Why not take the line down from the top of the mast to the end of the standing part of the toping lift. Put an eye in or a knot and then take the tail the rest of the way to the end of the pigtail.? That way both the standing part of the topping lift and the pig tail will have a back up. You could tape the new line to the topping lift in a few places to keep everything nice and tidy.

Mark Powers

[Ernie Abugov N22 - #56 "Moustaches" Toronto]

Hey Mark -

Obviously, I was less than clear. That is exactly what I was proposing but with just one long line - all the way from the top of the mast to where my present safety line ends.

Taping it to the existing T/L cable makes sense, too. The thing is that it would be a little longer (floppier) than the steel cable but that wouldn't matter. Obviously, the only time that it would be taut is if the T/L let go and it was doing its job as a safety.Taped to the T/L, it would stay with the T/L and not flap around freely. Good thought.

Thanks !!

Ernie A. in Toronto

[Mark Powers La Reina 26C Vancouver, B.C.]

I think you were clear in your explanation, I was not.

I was thinking one continuous line but two parts. The first part as long as the standing part of the topping lift that it attached in the same two locations. The second part would be the same length as the pig tail and attach at the same two locations as the pig tail. That way neither part would be floppier than the original lines they are backing up.

Mark Powers

[Ernie Abugov N22 - #56 "Moustaches" Toronto]

Mark -

You are absolutely right. We just may have hit on something here. All thanks to poor John Newell getting conked by his boom.

Ernie A. in Toronto

[Tim in STL]

Thanks guys, this is a great idea.  I am somewhat concerned about the attachment point at the top of the mast though , is there some other place to attach the Dyneema?

Tim in STL

White O’morn NS26U

Harbor Point Yacht Club

West Alton, MO

[Ernie Abugov N22 - #56 "Moustaches" Toronto]

Hi Tim -

This  brainwave is truly a work in progress. I, too, will take a careful look at the masthead before attaching a length of line to it. I hope/think that I can sneak in a piece of thin Dyneema around the same pin/attachment point where the T/L steel cable is attached without it getting in the way of the cable or jamming up on something.

We shall see ......

Ernie A. in toronto

[newelljc9]

Thanks Ernie, I survived, but I am pre-war. I was well aware of the 20' "guillotine" overhead when I bought Mascouche, but it reinforced the need to pay full attention to keeping the whole topping lift in top condition. I am past thinking about it now for Mascouche but am concerned that all Nonsuch skippers are made aware of the hazard and how to mitigate the risk.

A bimini with a strong frame is the best solution for added protection while killing two birds with one stone. It reduces UV exposure too, a win-win plus a great spot for solar cells.

John Newell

Mascouche 26C 1

Toronto

[John Alexander Stewart]

Boom and topping lift talk.

I'm a bit of a "check twice and always be ready for the worst" type of person; e.g. fire extinguishers up to date, propane detector and auto shutoff going in when I get the boat uncovered... but I digress.

1) Last summer I was sitting on our NS26 Cat's Whiskers, doing my general "how's this looking" when I noted that the shackle on the bottom of the topping lift setup, *where it attaches to the boom* was about 1/4 turn of the shackle pin from letting go.

Now, I do have a bimini, hopefully strong enough, and I can assure you that said pin was well tightened within about 20 seconds of noticing. 

This year I'll get a shackle which I can mouse with a little bit of wire. The shackle came with our 26 when it was purchased; maybe last spring I did not tighten it enough when masting? I don't know, but I'll accept blame.

2) Last summer I found a shackle pin on the foredeck. For a smallish shackle; obviously the tang had been tightened with pliers a few times as it was fairly well chewed up.

I spent more than one session on the foredeck wondering where *that* came from, but nothing amiss. I came to the conclusion that either it was launched from a neighbouring boat in our rough-water marina, or (more likely) someone thought "let's give John something to keep him busy and out of our hair for a while" and placed it for me to ponder. ;-)

--

John, NS26C 046, looking to getting her back in the water in Kingston ON in 2 months...

[William Evans]

I have a question in that regard. I assumed that the topping lift guard stayed unconnected when sailing and attached when not sailing.

Is that not correct? I now think it should stay connected and that it should not interfer a lower boom when off the wind or reefing?

Bill Evans

"companionship' 30 U #465 

[Bob Neches (Solar Wind, N26C #143)]

Bill,

The safety line should be installed at all times, IMHO.  Accidental topping lift releases and standing rigging failures can also happen at the dock.   The length should be long enough to allow the boom to drop sufficiently for sail shape control, but not so long as to allow the boom to hit anyone's head.

The blocks added between the boom and the topping lift pendent (which increase purchase for the lines lifting the boom) run the biggest risk of interference from the safety line.  In my experience, that risk is minimized if those blocks are attached by fixed shackles and the control line running through them is downsized to a higher-tech, smaller-diameter line.  Since I made that change, my blocks have still "eaten" the safety line a few times when I've tightened the control line.  But, because all the lines are small, there's been no jamming and the safety line simply gets spit back out when the control line's eased.

There's one other source of snags you may be thinking of.  

I think originally many of the booms were set up with a single block at the end of the topping lift pendent, with the control line simply running from the boom end through that block, and back to a turning block on the outside of boom.  Originally, from there, it went just a few feet forward to a cleat that was also on the outside.   Many people bypassed that cleat and ran the topping lift control line forward along the boom, down to a block at the base of the mast, and back to the cockpit.  At least, that's how my boat came to me.  The next upgrade after that was to replace that single block at the end of the pendent with a multi-part arrangement between a pair of double blocks, one attached to the boom and one replacing the single block on the pendent.  If you still have the turning block and cleat on the outside of boom, those are major safety line snaggers.  I removed them, and arranged the block at the boom end so that it instead fed the control line forward via the inner side of wishbone.  

Having eliminated the outer turning block and cleat, and switching to smaller line, has made problems with safety line pretty much go away.

-- Bob

   Solar Wind

   Nonsuch 26C, #143

[John Gialanella]

The never-ending topping lift safety line question.

I rigged one on my 22 from the end of the topping lift wire to the boom.....used three feet of ⅛" dyneema.

Under sail, however, the length was insufficient to allow the wishboom to fully extend the sail's leech so I added a foot.

Still not long enough!

Would have to go to five or six foot length of "safety line" to not interfere with sail shape.

Is this right or am I doing something wrong?

Thank you.

John

Tourmaline

Nonsuch 22 #8

Bolles Harbor, Michigan (Lake Erie)

[Bob Neches (Me Gusta, Nonsuch 26U #233)]

John,

Can't offer a specific opinion without seeing your rig, but I'm assuming you have some kind of adjustment for the boom angle between the end of the topping lift wire, right?

If so, then the correct length for the safety line is whatever length is bounded by (a) longer than needs to be to for the boom to drop to where the sail's leech is extended, but (b) short enough to keep the boom from hitting anyone in the cockpit if your boom adjuster fails and the sail isn't stopping the boom end from falling.

In the same spirit as a person's correct height is long enough for their feet to reach the ground, there isn't a fixed number that's the right answer. 

It all depends on what's safe for how your boat is set up and who needs to be protected from a falling boom.  If you routinely sail with basketball stars, and their insurance policy doesn't name you as a beneficiary, then you probably should have the stop line shorter than if you sail with short people. 

I have a sailing buddy who is still alive today because my stopper line was the right length when I accidentally released the boom adjustment.  So, unfortunately, I've tested this theory but, fortunately, no one was hurt.

-- Bob

   Me Gusta

   Nonsuch 26U #233

[John Gialanella]

Thanks Bob.

Your approach is the one I finally took (hoist sail, lower topping lift so leech is carried by wishboom, and length of safety line is that distance + any margin of error) although that resulted in my safety line being 5.5’ long which I thought excessive.  It works.  Just seems weird.  Further research also indicated that it’s “normal” to keep some topping lift tension on during light winds which I’d not done before; hence, my preoccupation with the safety line length.

John Gialanella

Tourmaline

Nonsuch 22

Bolles Harbor, MI (Lake Erie)

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[newelljc9]

The safety line works as long as the break occurs below where it is attached to the fixed line going to the masthead. If there is a failure further up, watch out! Mine did. The binnacle took the brunt of the force. I was standing between the binnacle and companionway and received a glancing blow which nearly sent me down below backwards. Fortunately I have a solid scull and was not knocked out. In this instance, it was a failure of a nicopress sleeve that was not crimped sufficiently allowing the topping lift wire to slip through. 

When I bought Mascouche, one of the first things I did was to replace the topping lift wire as I was very concerned about the damage a wishboom could do. Please check all shackles and fittings above the safety line as well as the wire or line used for the T/L every spring or when the mast is down.

 .

Photo courtesy of Phoenix a Nonsuch 30

I no longer have this worry with the standing gaff rig. The boom does not protrude past the dodger and is supported by lazy jacks and a topping lift. This leaves the bimini as a good safe place to install solar cell(s)

John Newell

Mascouche NS 26C 1

Toronto

[Bob Neches (Me Gusta, Nonsuch 26U #233)]

John is correct in pointing out that the safety line is only as good as the fixed topping lift lets it be. 

Checking the condition of the topping lift, its attachment point at the top of the mast, and its eye at the lower end, has long been recommended as an important part of routine annual inspection, first by the Hinterhoeller factory, later by its former rigger and long-time Nonsuch parts supplier Mike Quill, as well as the International Nonsuch Association.

Another historical approach is a "roll bar" design developed and sold by an early Nonsuch dealer, Eastland Yachtbrokers, which looks like a particularly well-reinforced aft component of a bimini, and is certainly compatible with being used as such.  They're no longer operating, but it's not hard to reverse engineer.  The design puts a crossbar up far enough forward to catch a dropping boom before it hits anyone. 

Regular inspection is by far the cheapest of these three approaches.  On the other hand, the others give more satisfaction to those of us who like to tinker on, experiment with, and/or customize our boats.

-- Bob

   Me Gusta

   Nonsuch 26U #233

[Thor (26C Brentwood Bay BC)]

All shackles should be moused with wire. Some smaller ones do not have a hole in the key but that is easy to do. Stainless is drilled with a carbon bit at very slow speed

Cheers Thor