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Outhaul   Total Page Hits: 863

Post Type: Technical/Project

Boat Part: Mainsail

Date Modified: 12/15/2021 10:33 PM

Details

An easily adjusted outhaul is important to properly shape the mainsail for different conditions and points of sail. There are many possible configurations, ranging from super simple to overly complex. I kinda went the latter route. I already had most of the blocks and hardware in my junk box so it didn't cost me much.

Three single blocks are cascaded to create a total purchase of 8:1. I know, I know this is way overkill for a 17' boat but it works smoothly, didn't cost much, and it makes me smile.

The system is a combination of the two Harken illustrations. I ran it inside the boom rather than let it hang down on the outside. Two moveable bullet blocks are inside the boom with the third attached to the clew of the sail. This last block is not necessary but I had it on hand so what the heck! I also used two mast exit blocks, one to bring the tail out of the boom to a clam cleat and the other for the working (clew) end. I used spliced Dyneema lines everywhere.

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