Cape Cutter 19 Association Forum

This is the first in a series of questions about basic rigging issues. In most cases I will already have searched the forum, and followed up on the references I was able to find.

Yes, I've reviewed several times the recent thread on "Bowsprit Fittings".

1. The CC19 manual refers to "Bobstays" with "Bobstay Lashings". Some of you are using the term "Bowsprit Shrouds". Am I correct in concluding that those are two terms for the same thing? (I will use the term "Bobstay" below to refer to the ensemble of steel cable and lashing).
2. How much tension is correct for the Bobstays? Is "snug, no slack" sufficient?
3. I would have thought that a small turnbuckle would be a better option than the "Bobstay Lashing", though I get that using the lashing may facilitate/accelerate the loosening of the bobstays for regular raising and lowering of the bowsprit (which I will be doing). Has anyone replaced the lashing segment with a turnbuckle? How did that work out?
4. What knot/knots are you using if you still use the lashing? One option (Opt 1) is to put a bowline, halyard knot, or buntline onto the forward shackle, then run the lashing several times between the forward and aft shackles, and then tie it off with half-hitches. Another (Opt 2) is to put each loose end through the shackles, run them around each other a time or two, then tie them off with a square knot and tuck the loose ends. This is how my boat was rigged when I got it, but in trying these two options (I'm sure there are others), I did not feel that Opt 2 gave me as much tension as Opt 1, but Opt 2 seemed like it might be more effective in distributing the load on the lashing. I'm in search of something that will 1) enable me to get the best tension on the bobstay, b) not slip, and c) be easy to untie (or loosen) when the bowsprit has to come up.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Hi Norman - my boat has turnbuckles on the hull end of the bobstays. It's OK, and I suppose looks neater, but doesn't work well when raising the bowsprit. If the jaw is attached to the plate directly, you need to slacken off the stays or else the jaw bends. I added a shackle so that the jaw is rotated 90 degrees and pivots up more readily.
Justin

Justin Greig wrote:Hi Norman - my boat has turnbuckles on the hull end of the bobstays. It's OK, and I suppose looks neater, but doesn't work well when raising the bowsprit. If the jaw is attached to the plate directly, you need to slacken off the stays or else the jaw bends. I added a shackle so that the jaw is rotated 90 degrees and pivots up more readily.
Justin

Thank you, Justin. I've already added a shackle to the plate, so I'm halfway there, and the turnbuckle seems like the way to go from a structural integrity perspective.

For the foreseeable future, I'm only going to have to be fiddling with the bowsprit on a limited basis. I have obtained space - on land - in a local marina that will enable me to trailer and untrailer the boat without lowering/raising the mast. I do have to partially raise the bowsprit, however, so that it clears the back side of the shell on the bed of my truck. I discovered this morning that by placing a fender in the groove for the bowsprit, it will raise enough to clear the shell, and does not require any loosening, untying, or removal of the bobstays.

My question remains for others who have have not adopted - for any reason - the turnbuckle solution. Are you able to get enough tension on the bobstays by hand-rigging with good 5mm cord to make that arrangement solid? I have experimented with the two methods of hand-tying I outlined in the original post, and find that using a bowline (or similar) around one of the two shackles, followed by a couple of tight loops around the two shackles, followed by 2-3 half-hitches, seems to be snug. Not as snug as a turnbuckle, but not loose and floppy, either. Whether that changes after the load of the bowsprit under sail remains to be seen..

S.