The Offshore Voyaging Reference Site

Hoisting the Mainsail Made Easy—Simplicity in Action

Hoisting The Mainsail-2

Some time ago I was on a well designed and well tricked-out offshore voyaging boat. When it came time to hoist the main I was asked to take the helm while two strong and experienced guys set the mainsail.

And that’s when the surprise came: it took about three times as long and more effort to get the main up and drawing as it takes me alone (Phyllis or the autopilot steering) on Morgan’s Cloud, even though our mainsail is about double the size and weight and I’m a creaky sixty-some.

Not only that, the boat in question is fitted with a 2:1 main halyard, and one of those “lazybag” permanently installed sailcovers that incorporate lazyjacks; gear that, at least in theory, make sail handling easier.

So why is hoisting the main easier and quicker on Morgan’s Cloud? Do we have:

  • In-mast roller furling?
  • In-boom roller furling?
  • Electric winches?

No, no, and nope.

What we have working for us is simplicity…with a bit of elegance thrown in.

Here’s a video of the geezer in action:


Ninety-five seconds, from start to sailing. Let’s look at the details that make this work:


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More Articles From Online Book: Sail Handling and Rigging Made Easy:

  1. Six Reasons To Leave The Cockpit Often
  2. Don’t Forget About The Sails
  3. Your Mainsail Is Your Friend
  4. Hoisting the Mainsail Made Easy—Simplicity in Action
  5. Reefs: How Many and How Deep
  6. Reefing Made Easy
  7. Reefing From The Cockpit 2.0—Thinking Things Through
  8. Reefing Questions and Answers
  9. A Dangerous Myth about Reefing
  10. Mainsail Handling Made Easy with Lazyjacks
  11. Topping Lift Tips and a Hack
  12. 12 Reasons The Cutter Is A Great Offshore Voyaging Rig
  13. Cutter Rig—Should You Buy or Convert?
  14. Cutter Rig—Optimizing and/or Converting
  15. Cruising Rigs—Sloop, Cutter, or Solent?
  16. Sailboat Deck Layouts
  17. The Case For Roller-Furling Headsails
  18. UV Protection For Roller Furling Sails
  19. In-Mast, In-Boom, or Slab Reefing—Convenience and Reliability
  20. In-Mast, In-Boom, or Slab Reefing —Performance, Cost and Safety
  21. The Case For Hank On Headsails
  22. Making Life Easier—Roller Reefing/Furling
  23. Making Life Easier—Storm Jib
  24. Gennaker Furlers Come Of Age
  25. Swept-Back Spreaders—We Just Don’t Get It!
  26. Q&A: Staysail Stay: Roller Furling And Fixed Vs Hanks And Removable
  27. Rigid Vangs
  28. Rigging a Proper Preventer, Part 1
  29. Rigging a Proper Preventer—Part 2
  30. Amidships “Preventers”—A Bad Idea That Can Kill
  31. Keeping The Boom Under Control—Boom Brakes
  32. Downwind Sailing, Tips and Tricks
  33. Downwind Sailing—Poling Out The Jib
  34. Setting and Striking a Spinnaker Made Easy and Safe
  35. Ten Tips To Fix Weather Helm
  36. Running Rigging Recommendations—Part 1
  37. Running Rigging Recommendations—Part 2
  38. Two Dangerous Rigging Mistakes
  39. Rig Tuning, Part 1—Preparation
  40. Rig Tuning, Part 2—Understanding Rake and Bend
  41. Rig Tuning, Part 3—6 Steps to a Great Tune
  42. Rig Tuning, Part 4—Mast Blocking, Stay Tension, and Spreaders
  43. Rig Tuning, Part 5—Sailing Tune
  44. 12 Great Rigging Hacks
  45. 9 Tips To Make Unstepping a Sailboat Mast Easier
  46. Cruising Sailboat Spar Inspection
  47. Cruising Sailboat Standing Rigging Inspection
  48. Cruising Sailboat Running Rigging Inspection
  49. Cruising Sailboat Rig Wiring and Lighting Inspection
  50. Download Cruising Sailboat Rig Checklist
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Hans

Hi John,
indeed a very good approach, making it simpler whenever possible.
I leave the halyard fastened to the sail, as you do, and to keep the sail from rising and the halyard from banging around I just pull a bight of the halyard down and aft a bit and tie the forward sailtie around it (and the sail of course). That way I don’t need an additional rope and the halyard is away from the mast. Simple and effective.

Taras

Hello John!
Thank you for the article.

Can you please explain / share more details on:
– what kind of halyard you are using? Dyneema? What diameter?
– I can see a white cover on the splice – is this to prevent chafing ?
– How is your topping lift attached? Do you use 2:1 for it?

I also have a dedicated winch on the mast for the main halyard (not self-tailing) on my 39ft sloop, and a direct halyard to mainsail attachment, but it takes me some hard times pulling and winching the last 20%…
So I was thinking how to improve this – maybe with 2:1…
– do you have a self-tailing winch?

Rob Gill

Hi John,
After 2 years of cruising with a topping lift, putting up with it wrapping around the backstay, the sail battens, or flopping around in light winds in a left over swell, and then creating banshee harmonics when tightened at anchor in any decent breeze, we decided to try without it some months ago and use our muscular Forespar vang. So far we haven’t missed it.
For now, we have left the topping lift at the mast as a spare main halyard and dedicated MOB retrieval line – but really we can use the main or spinnaker halyard just as well. We have to move it away from the mast each night at anchor, and it is one more heavy rope frapping on the mast and chafing underway. Can anyone think of a reason why we shouldn’t (in the interests of simplicity) remove the topping lift, leaving a mousing line (in the mast) to haul a spare halyard through in the event of breakage?
Have you left your topper in place John?
Thanks,
Rob

Finbarr Murphy

Hi John, I think the cars play a very big part of your system as on my own as they make raising so much easier.

Stein Varjord

Hi Taras
I support all John says, and would like to add some.
A 2:1 halyard will theoretically give you half the struggle at twice the time. That alone is not too desirable. In reality it also gives you much more friction and a serious risk of trouble with rope twist.

I’ve used a lot of this type halyards on racing multihulls, to reduce mast compression on extremely light rigs. They can work, but are mostly just a pain in the ***. I’ve developed an “allergy” to 2:1 halyards. Masthead locking systems also have problems, but I prefer that if compression is a problem.

RDE

I still own the halyard used by the NYYC to hoist a crew member up to the masthead of their 12 meter and beat on the halyard lock with a hammer when it froze during competition in Australia. Enough said!

Marc Dacey

Good video, John. We just installed a heavier main, but we also installed a slippery track system. So far, so good. Our at mast arrangement is very similar, except I do still use a rope clutch. Maybe I shouldn’t bother.

Marc Dacey

Well, everything’s at the mast and I can certainly give it a try, although my wife cast a baleful eye on the proposition! Regarding topping lifts, why the hate? I have a Wichard tether shackle on the end of mine that, if chafe is an issue, can be moved forward. I use the boom as a crane for getting light stuff like tenders aboard, and the topping lift (which is 1/2 inch Dyneema core) comes in handy for that.

Taras

Also wandering why the topping lift is a bad idea?
I don’t have a rigid vang, and don’t see why I need one (better spend money on a winch).

Marc, do you have 2:1 on the topping lift or a direct line?

Marc Dacey

I have direct lines that goes through mast-mounted clutches at about eye height for all halyards, including the topping lift. It’s easy for me to run the mainsail halyard without going thorough a clutch as a test, because, as John indicates, my halyards exit the mast fairly high. I much prefer the low-friction, “centralized” aspect of handling all halyards at the mast. I have fairly substantial winches there as well, mounted on the mast tabernacle. It can be seen here: https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IIN3WMXc-xw/Vzd2VbhoeqI/AAAAAAAADb4/VcjxpadRHHw2PqwXSybNzwiKoGbLysaRwCLcB/s1600/WP_20160513_002.jpg

Taras

In my case the boom can overhang to the side of the boat so lifting up a “Thing” can be done vertically up, then move the boom back to the boat and lover the “Thing”. In my case the end of the boom is almost on top of companionway, so I can vertically lower down anything into the boat.

I cannot see how this can be achieved only with a halyard from the top of the mast.

Marc Dacey

No real worries, John…it’s just how the boat was rigged! We could use the main halyard as described, I suppose, and use the topping lift as a hoist for an SS wire antenna. The angle’s too tight between the mast base and the leading edge of the pilot house for a solid vang, I suspect. We’re still experimenting.

Nick Kats

The track slides (what do ye call them? attaches mainsl to the track, every few feet) in your vid are far apart. The fewer of them the better, right?
And for hank-on clips for the genoa, same thing – the fewer the better?

Terje M

Nice article with a few good points.

You pointing out one of the areas where we need an improvement on-board Maud. At times, we find it hard to hoist in strong wind and equally drop or set a reef. In our case, there are too much fraction on the sliding cars. We got EPEX sails with total weight of 30 kilos excluding reefing lines for slab reefing. We got a different process, but I agree that low fraction is king.

– High halyard exist point gives the person on the mast a good change to use their body weight when hoisting.
– Easy the reefing lines. Drag out the reefing lines at the end of the boom reduces the power required to hoist the main.
– A clutch is a must. The halyard goes back to the cockpit and through a Spinlock Powercluch. XX0812 using a 12 mm Dyneema line. Sailing two handed, we work in synch when hoisting. I am at the helm, holding the boat to the wind and taking in the slack on the halyard during hoist with a closed clutch. With a high-power clutch, there is hardly any drag on the clutch. My wife can use her body weight when hosting. This require that the halyard is taken in after every pull. This would be impossible without a clutch. I have never timed us, I estimates that a normal hoist should take less than 60 seconds. When the main is almost up, she moves to the cockpit for the final adjustment.

– Self-tailing winch, Harken Performa 46. With eight winches on-board you can say that this winch on the coach-roof is dedicated, at times it is used for other jobs. I am aware of the benefit of locking the halyard of on the mast and removed to strain from the mast, mast foot and coach roof.

Normally, we get a very good and fast hoist. We got Antal Mast Head board and sliding cars. The cars are the problem. I was recommended sliding cars by my sailmaker and not a main track with ball bearing cars. The cars are 1-inch-wide; at times they will not slide! Especially when dropping or when reefing in high wind. At times, we really need to drag the main down. We got our sailmaker to fit handles at the reefing rings. A few times I have had my full weight or 90 kilo pulling down without being able to drag it down.

Low fraction is the key. A main sail track with ball bearing cars is the solution. I have tried everything to improve the sliding cars. I replaced them to wider cars. I grease them with sliding silicon. That allow them to work better for a few weeks.

Saving up to retrofit Antal Main Sail track. My Rigger wanted 2K just for the installation job…..