Hi, I have no idea how to set up the blocks for the jib/yankee, I have read that they are somehow lashed to the bullwarks but this does not help much.
Can anyone please give guidance? Pictures would be awesome…
Thanks
Matt
sv Fiddlers green 1978 bcc 28
Shaula (1981, #59) came from Sam with a pair of snatch blocks. A loop of webbing, we use 1" Dacron, is looped around the bulwarks. It can be moved but we don’t bother. The snatch block can be opened to change sheets which we did before we installed roller furling and were using both a yankee jib and a drifter. Now days it’s too much bother to change sails and we’ve cut down the drifter. We do carry the yankee down below. We use some light shock cord from the block to a life line to hold the block up.
Some BCCs use 2 strapped blocks on each side. Have you looked at the BCC pictures in the Gallery?
Hi, I have looked through all the pictures that I can find online but have not seen any direct shots of the jib lead blocks in action. The blocks that are onboard Fiddlers G are teak snatch blocks with swivel snap shackles and hd shock cord loops that I suppose were the deal but being used to real hardware to guide the sheets back to the usual cheek blocks then forward to the primary’s, it seemed wimpy for such a heavy boat…
BTW I would love to recondition the blocks, the teak cheeks need replacement from being so neglected. Do any company’s service them?
Yes, old school with strops around the bullwerks. Look for a little trident on your snatchblocks. This would be Merriman, very strong and well made and pretty much state of the art to this day. The teak can be bleached with oxalic acid to take away the discoloration. I’m partial to these blocks as bronze will deform before breaking, unlike stainless which requires inspection. South Coast modernized by replacing the teak with neoprene which really hasn’t changed much to this day. Yours should be just as strong, only prettier.
These blocks can be undersized as they are there to “tune” your sail. They are only deflecting the jib sheet something like 30 degrees to lead it to your winch which takes the bulk of the force. My old friend has a small pair of these on his 40’ racing sloop in SF Bay. She has been racing and using these blocks since the '30’s and are like new. He is very careful to store them in a special place down below so they don’t get stolen.
Hi, thanks and yes a little trident,the teak cheeks are worn away from weather, the cheeks need replacement.
Matt
BTW I would love to recondition the blocks, the
teak cheeks need replacement from being so
neglected. Do any company’s service them?
On re-building a Merriam wooden block, see: http://dorade.org/2015/02/09/re-building-a-wooden-block/
For Baltic Boat Works, which was mentioned in 2015 rebuilding Merriman wooden blocks, try: Redirecting...
To inspire you to do the annual maintenance for each wooden block, watch the first 100 seconds of: "Blocks, Spars, Checks" - winter maintenance of Schooner Amistad's rigging - YouTube
I found these pics of the jib/genny sheet block setup in the Gallery. No closeups but you can get the idea.
http://samlmorse.com/forum/gallery3/index.php/events/album67/dsc_0064
BCC Lightfoot
http://samlmorse.com/forum/gallery3/index.php/bcc_boats/album01/Heading_for_Mexico BCC Satute
http://samlmorse.com/forum/gallery3/index.php/bcc_boats/Resolute/Resolute_9_001 BCC Resolute
On the BCC Salute image you will see the snatch block tied to the lifeline. This was to prevent the block 1. beating the hell out of the gelcoat and the deck when the wind eased, and 2. Keeping me awake at night!
Thanks Guys, There are also some loops tied into the aft hawse holes (dont know what else to call them), I was assuming for turning blocks to lead genoa or spinnaker sheets forward to winches, do you have these?
Matt
I didn’t use a strapped block, just led the sheet through the hawse fitting which is quite smooth. Don’t use a spinnaker any more (I’m too old and never was good at it!). The genny sheet leads to the strapped snatch block at the gate.