Track stop and pigtail

Posted By: Greg CM26 Seattle CLM005771173
Date: 1/13/08 12:16p.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: Hey Greg, I checked the HIN (pic) (Russ)

Hi Russ, I'm going to have to gently nudge you into exploring the archives. All of your questions have already been answered there, all you have to do is think up some appropriate search words. There is one shortcoming, in that older posts no longer have their photos. Anyway, regarding the track stop: yes, the pin is well below the boom. Remember, this photo shows the gear working, as in under sail. Where the boom is in the picture is about where the boom rides when the main is all the way up. The sail itself, actually the luff of the sail, is what holds the boom up when the sail is raised. The way it works is usually this: haul in the main halyard until the main is all the way up, then push down on the boom to get the proper luff tension, and set it by engaging the cleat with the downhaul. The stop is there to keep the gosseneck from falling out of the slot when lowering the sail: the luff goes slack and the gooseneck slides down. The gooseneck comes down to the pin (or a slug) and can go no farther down, and therefore can't get to the open slot. You only need to access the open slot when hanking the main on or off and attaching or removing the boom. The rest of the time you want the gooseneck to stay above the opening, and that's what the pin does. As for keeping the aft end of the boom up, there are various ways to do that. Probably the most common, as related to all sailboats, is what's called a topping lift, which is just a line from the top of the mast that attaches at the aft end of the boom. What I'm showing you in the labeled photo is a short piece of wire rope that is permanently clamped onto the backstay at about 8 feet above the cabin floor. It has a snap hook that engages the little loop at the aft end of the boom, and is also used to hook the free end onto the backstay when it's not needed for the boom, i.e., when the sail is up. I've heard this short piece of wire rope called a pigtail. I think it is factory equipment, but don't know that for sure. Some people don't like the pigtail because it's so easy to forget to either hook it on or take it off. In the first case, the boom invades the cockpit when the sail is dropped, usually without damage; in the second, you find yourself wondering why the boat is acting strangely until you notice that the boom can't swing to where it should be because the pigtail's still attached. Believe me, it happens a lot. Thanks for the photo. No arguing with evidence like that, I love it!