I was hoping someone could help me with the question below. I recently purchase a 1994 Nacra 5.7 and have been having problems with the windward jib sheet getting caught around the mast as I come about. The jib sheet does have a small pulley attached near the sail, then a larger/stronger jib sheet runs back to the tramp. As I am comming about I seem to always have to reach up and remove the jib sheet as it entangles with the mast and the mast connection ball.

Have I been settinging this up improperly? Any suggestions would be most helpful.

Regards,

Sounds correct. The solution to this problem is to mount a bunji chord in one of two possible configurations.

Configuration A) mount a small eyestrap (if not already) to the front of the mast approximately 12 to 18" up from the base. Tie a 1/8" to 1/4" bunji from this eyestrap forward to the meeting point of the bridle wires and the forestay. It should be taught enough to form a straight line but you want to leave it plenty of room to spring. Your jib sheets should go overtop of this bunji with one on each side. During sailing, the bunji will not interfere with the sail and during tacking, the sheets and sail must go up over the bunji which prevents them from hanging out around the mast base and rotator bar.

Option B you can take a bunji mounted to the front of the front beam at one hull, up through the bottom of the diamond wires, around the front of the mast, back through the other side of the diamond wires, and finishing at the opposite outboard end of the front beam. This forms a triangle and does the same thing by keeping the sheets elevated during tacking and away from the mast base.

Yeah, what Jake said works great. I had the same problem on my Hobie 18sx a few years back. The bungee solution is the best way to go.
Trey
N20 314
Layline Rigging
www.velocitysailing.com

Many, many thanks for your help. I am looking forward to trying both A and B.
Regards,
Eric

Hmm--that happens to us all the time with our Nacra 5.8na. Is there an illustration somewhere on how to do this correctly?

CatWoman,

The CRAM N5.8NA fleet all seemed to use Jake's "Plan B". By attaching the end of the bungie at the hull, going through the diamond wires (around the front of the mast) and to the other hull forms a triangle above the main beam with the peak at the mast.

CRAM has lots of sailors that own or have owned the N5.8NA. Bring yours to Benton Harbor July 23 - 24 and ask for help. There will be lots of people who can help. If you can't wait 'til July, CRAM's first regatta is at Higgins Lake May 21 - 22. For sure, don't miss the Cat Fight August 19, 20 and 21 at Muskegon State Park. Racing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, legendary parties, and near 100 boats! If you only did one regatta a year, make it the Cat Fight!

BTW, Mark Biggers of the Cathouse (cathouse1 at speednetllc dot com) attends and races at CRAM's regattas, has great advice, and usually the parts you want. He is probably the reason there are so many Nacras in CRAM. It has been nice having the dealer at regattas. When I break something (way too often ), he can usually get me back on the water quickly and the weekend of racing is not lost.

What is the reason to use a bungi? I use plan B, but just with a cord.

I used option B on my Hobie 18 for years, and liked it.

I used option A on Hobie 20, and now on my 6.0.

I really like option A better, mostly because in light air when the crew needs to go forward to the lee hull it's one less thing to crawl through/around/avoid entanglement on...

Of course, on the 18, having the rotation limiter where it is probably meant the option B route would be the only one to work to avoid getting caught there - that happened all the time before I added the preventers.

here's an image of the setup on my 5.2

On our Hobie 18 I always used Jake's Plan B, but I didn't attach the bungie to the beam at each side -- I attached it to the dolphin striker on each side with a clove hitch, about a third or quarter of the way in from the hull. That seemed to be the best positioning for the bungies to keep the jib sheets from catching on the mast rotation bar. When the bungies were all the way to the hulls, that left the triangle too wide open, and the jib sheets could still sneak in there.

The reason for using a bungie instead of a cord is because the bungie gives -- if your jib clew blocks or pigtail or bowlines or whatever you use at the clew gets hung up on a cord instead of a bungie, it may stay hung up.

And even in the unlikely case where it might stay hung up on the bungie, it is very lightweight bungie cord, so it will stretch enough so you can still sheet in your jib on the new tack, and the process of sheeting will end up making the bungie let go.