The Offshore Voyaging Reference Site

Jordan Series Drogue Attachments And Launch System

OK, enough about why we selected the Jordan Series Drogue. On to the nuts and bolts of our deployment system.


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Graham Hughes

I found your series on the Jordan Series Drogue very interesting. I have bought a drogue, but now am faced with the problem of attachments.

My boat, a Victoria 30 (aka Morris Leigh), is an aft-cockpit, 30-foot double-ender. The drogue’s instructions indicate the attachment points should be at the stern and as far apart as possible. To separate the attachment points would mean coming some feet forward, I think. I seem to have two alternatives: mount a plate on top of the cap rail, with bolts through to an interior backing plate; or mount it on the sides of the boat (solid fibreglass) just below the cap rail with bolts again through to a backing plate.

Have you any thoughts on these alternatives or other suggestions as to attachment points given my boat’s profile?

Phyllis

Or attach to a single point on the stern, as close to the centerline as possible, and skip the bridle? Ask Jordan manufacturers about this, they might have useful input. It will be simpler without the bridle.

Bill Ebling

Graham:

Did you ever solve your attachment point problem with your double ender? I also have a double ender (a Tashiba 40) and I trying to figure out how to construct bridal attachment points

Max Fletcher

John, did you put spacers on the pins of the shackles that attach the bridle to the hull? If not, might any yawing put an awkward stress on the pin where it goes through the tabs?

I’m asking because I am purchasing a JSD from ACE and plan to make tabs similar to yours (a bit less beefy, as I have a Nordic 40, ~11T displacement). I am considering making a slot in the tab so that a shackle can be inserted and have the rounded part of the shackle ride in the tabs. This would allow the shackle to turn laterally as the boat yaws. The downside is it would weaken the tab somewhat. Also, perhaps a boat running on a bridle doesn’t yaw all that much and my concern is moot.

Your JSD series of articles have been tremendously useful, thanks.

Max Fletcher

Thanks, John. After looking at this a little further, and getting feedback from a couple folks on the CSBB forum, I think I will follow your design but with the following modification: I will triple (or so) the surface area of the tabs aft of the hull, using sealing welds, to build the thickness up to the width of the shackle. This will hold the shackle in alignment so that the entire length of the shackle pin will bear on the surface of the tabs (it also strengthens the tab). I’m afraid that if the shackle pin has room to turn athwartship in the hole, the pin will only have a thin corner surface to bear on. I’m still hoping to get an engineer to look at it and will post what I find. Look forward to any further thoughts you may have. Thanks again, Max

Max Fletcher

I communicated with a sailor who has deployed the Jordan on three occasions. He encouraged me to install heavy duty cleats to secure the drogue (along with heavy chafe gear obviously). He likes to be able to adjust the bridles to square the boat to the oncoming seas.

I also consulted with Dave P. at Ace Sailmakers, and with a structural engineer, and will likely go this route. I found a pair of solid 316SS cleats, way oversized for my boat, that look very similar to those in your pic above, and will bond in backing plates of G10. My cleat is right at the transom, with no toe rail or other obstruction, so I may have a cleaner run for the bridles than do many boats.

This attachment method gives up some advantages of the tangs, and introduces more danger of chafe. On the other hand, it requires no shackles or thimbles, which was one of my concerns as noted above.

Phyllis

John:
Thanks for the reply. I may ultimately have to take up the engineer option. The drogue is a piece of kit I hope never to use, but if I ever do, I’d like it to work.

Nick:
Thanks for the suggestion. A single point mounting might be workable, but likely would come in conflict with my Aries wind vane. I did contact Ace, but they replied that they didn’t get into this area.

Richard Isted

Nick did you figure the attachment point out for your boat. I have a qbaba 30 with a monitor vane and have just started working out how to do it. Rich

Rob Gill

Hi Rich,
Not sure if this will help you or others with hull shapes that make side mounted plates problematic. We have a complex curve on the hull side on each quarter, meaning any side mounted plates would need to be twisted, and then bent, to fit snugly in place without movement. We thought this would be way too hard to achieve.
Our solution, was to cut off the last 400 mm of top mounted teak cap rail, that covers our hull / deck joint and then mounting the new plates in their place. My boat builder friend who did the work and fabrication for us recons we could lift the whole boat on just one of the plates.
By sizing these new stainless plates to match the dimensions and radius of our cap rails, and with recessed bolts concealed under the plate and through bolted and secured from under the deck, they look just like “bought ones” and we have had as many admiring comments about how smart they look, as we have had questions about what they are for!
Perhaps if you have a similar cap rail or hull deck joint, you could fabricate similar top mounted insert plates that protrude outside the line of the hull, providing the lugs that could take a bridle?
I hope my description makes sense.
Rob

Richard Isted

Thanks Rob can you please email photos to moc.liamg@09detsidrahcir

Rob Gill

Sure, I will have to take some close-up photos when I am next aboard – it’s summer here (down-under) so shouldn’t be too long.
Rob

Richard Isted

Thanks Rob. I live 30 miles from Ace sailmakers so making a trip to visit Dave this week. To see the drogues. My boat is small with a very bust cockpit so appreciate your effort. Rich

Jack Price

Rob,
I like the sound of that design, also. Would you send me a copy of the photos as well?
Thanks,
Jack
moc.liamg@ecirplj

Richard Isted

Hi Graham did you ever figure out your attachment points. I have a 1978 ta-shine baba 30 footer and am tackling the install of attachment points for a jsd and what to use. Any thoughts and pictures if you have them, ps can we post photos here at ACC thank you, Rich s/v Lily Bermuda