freedom 25 rigging question

[R. Bush]

I had a look at the masthead fitting. The only place I can see to attach the lazyjacks would be at the very peak at the front - the absolute top of the mast, above the main halyard. The only other fitting in can see on the mast is a shackel point just above where the spinnaker halyard exits the mast. That seems like kind of a dump place to attach the lazyjacks to me. Can anyone tell me what this fitting might be used for?

I have attached a few pictures of my masthead and also one of the mast base area of the deck. There isn't a whole lot of the original running rigging left on the boat so I would like to see what a properly rigged boat looks like if anyone has a picture they can post here. The diagrams from the manuel posted on this site are not the best for those of us with limited rigging experience working from scratch.

Any help or pictures of proper rigging would be appreciated.

[shaka2]

Small Axe;
Why not attacch the lazy jacks to either side using the bolt that runs thru your main haylard. As long as the bracket has an offset, it should clear the top of the mast.

JP
"Louise B"
Bear Island, NH

[peaceandfreedom]

The correct attachment point for the lazy jacks is indeed the fitting just above the spinnaker halyard. If you attache the lazy jacks to the top of the mast, raising the main will be a bigger challenge. When raising the main the top two battens may get stuck underneath the lazy jacks at a much higher point. Why does this location seem like a bad idea to you? You might want to tighter the nut on the main halyard sheave before stepping the mast.

Jim D

[R. Bush]

It seemed like a bad idea to me because that would mean the wires are wrapped around the mast, and it seems like they would constantly be chafing against the carbon fibre. I don't know how tough the mast material is, but they aren't metal like most, and I was worried they might get worn down with the constant rubbing.

If that is where they are supposed to go though - then that is where I will attach them.

I found the wires, but my next challenge will be to try and figure out the rest of the setup from the jumble of old ropes I found in the cockpit locker. Have most F25 owners kept with the original rigging setup, or have people tended to get rid of the lazyjacks and install boomkickers or mast crutches to hold the boom up when raising and lowering sail? I sail mostly alone, and the lake I sail on can have the wind go from 2 to 20 knots in 10 seconds. I need a system that will let me reef and lower the mainsail from the cockpit quickly without ending up tripping over a boom and a pile of sailcloth in the cockpit. Before I start replacing the old lazyjack system I was wondering if owners had come up with a better solution over the years for single handed sail and boom handling?

Thanks for all the newbie advice!

[shaka2]

My present lazyjack arrangement workds great. Infrequently a batten gets jammed. The real advantage is how nicely the main lowers for reefing or to completely lower. I do wonder how such a whimpy looking arrangement does such a good job.

Joe

[peaceandfreedom]

I suggest you sail your first season with the standard setup. I think it would be hard to come up with a simpler setup. Make sure your mast track is clean and all the slides well lubricated and the sail will drop like Venetian blinds in between the lazy jacks. If you replace the lazy jacks with a rigid boom vang, the sail will drop on the deck. Reefing is very easy with our single line reefing. Rig some kind of tiller lock, and you will be able to reef without any problems. You can handle it all by yourself without leaving the cockpit.
Scratch the line I had about the battens getting stuck on the lazy more if you were to attach them to the top of the mast. My old wingmast boat had them attached to the top of the mast and it did not create a bigger problem than my current round mast boat, but the cables were also longer, making the triangle at the bottom about the same size for both boats. The cables for your mast are most likely sized for using the eyelet just above the spinnaker halyard. The main trick to not catching the battens is to be dead in the wind and time your hoisting so the two first battens stay between triangles of the lazy jacks.

Jim D

[unfetteredalexandria]

Regarding both alternatives for mast attachments and boom kickers, check out this thread from last winter:

http://www.freedomyachts.org/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=9996

You can also find it by searching on "boomkicker" or "F25 boom support."

[R. Bush]

Yet another dumb commissioning question from someone with no local source of information - On an F25 round mast, what keeps the mast from rotating as the boom swings around? I was looking at my mast step, and it appears that you simply lower the round hole onto the round peg. Simple, but there is nothing to keep the mast from rotating around on the peg that I can see.

I also seem to remember reading somewhere on this forum that you have to remember to stop lowering the mast before it is completely down so that you can attach the mast grounding wire. I do not see anything that looks like a grounding wire, or even a place where one may have been in the distant past. My mast seems to be nothing more that a long tapering round tube - period. Was I immagining the grounding wire bit? It would seem to make sence for a metal mast, but does carbon fibre even conduct?

Thanks for the advise on all the newbie quesions I have been posting here. It is much appreciated.

[shaka2]

Small Axe;
There should be a SS "L" bracket with 2 bolts to mast and one to a solid mast foot base of your boat. The mast fits tightlly into this base,which I'm sure helps for anti rotation. The "L" bracket really seals the deal.
Coming thru the mast base are a "grounding wire" masthead lite, VHF and Wind Speed wire.
Careful when lowering the mast. I suggest blocking the mast while you fish your wires out.

Joe
1982 Freedom 25
"Louise B"
Bear Island,NH

[R. Bush]

Interesting. There is no sign of any SS "L" bracket attached to the mast base. I see a couple of holes where one might have been in the past, but they aren't exactly lined up one above the other. The "L" bracket couldn't have been very large or it would make it impossible for the mast to be lowered thru the deck.

My mast has a two strand wire for a masthead light, a multi wire cable for the wind instruments and a coaxial cable for the VHF antenna. There is no sign of a ground wire coming down from the masthead, and no sign of an attachment point at the base if there had been one in the past.