Sighted aboard HEDGEHOG is this orange line, a valuable piece of running rigging that can increase off the wind boat speed significantly. 95% of the fleet has probably never heard of it or seen it in use.
solosailor knows what it is. Do you?
Beginning with
BobJ, congrats to all for recognizing part of HEDGEHOG's simple and efficient outgrabber. Notice I did not say "as used on a spinnaker." Just "can increase off the wind speed significantly."
Outgrabbers led near or to the boom end and clapped on a symmetrical spinnaker sheet, can be pulled well outboard, spreading the spinnaker as well as stabilizing it, so the boat is easier to steer downwind in breeze (and likely faster, as the helmsperson or auto pilot tires less easily.)
In this case outgrabbers double as a preventor, eliminating one onerous piece of line. Accidental gybing with an outgrabber is much less serious than with a preventor which can hold the main aback and pin the boat on its side.
Outgrabbers from the end of the main boom also have the effect of moving the lead outboard, opening up the slot for asymmetrical spinnakers and making the possibility of staysails more efficient.
Outgrabbers can also be used on high clewed reaching jibs variously called Yankees, Jib Tops, JT's, Blast Reachers, etc.. And are especially valuable when reaching, even broad reaching in breeze where singlehanding with a spinnaker and autopilot may seem less than prudent over the long term. Again the outgrabber can potentially add speed on a reach, rather than sailing with a jib than curves back into the hull when sheeted to the rail or inboard lead on deck, thereby making the sail resemble an air brake.
However, outgrabbers aren't commonly used when they could be. First off, they create all sorts of potentially hazardous "slingshot" leads. For example, bigger boats like SURPRISE and GREEN BUFFALO probably need a winch somewhere in the set up to tension or release an outgrabber under strain.
Outgrabbers also highly load and twist main boom goose necks. Most goosenecks, unless all stainless steel,.
are not designed or built for this extra load.
Properly fitted, an outgrabber needs a snatch block on it's outer end. On a smaller boat like HEDGEHOG, a Holt/Allen snatch block works a treat. Here's HEDGEHOG's Holt/Allen snatch block doing double duty as a twing (afterguy downhaul)
But on bigger boats, larger snatch blocks on the outgrabber can take your head off during a gybe if left unsecured.
If sailing SHTP 2020, an outgrabber is something to consider. But should not be left late in the program as an afterthought, "I'll figure it out when I need it." If you are going to do that, the best outgrabber is one of the ship's clew reef lines unled from the main leech cringle. Not perfect, as there is going to be chafe.
"Outgrabbers," "twings," "Smart Pigs," "Making trees." "Prods," "Barber haulers,"A-3's", "Code Zeros," "Li-On," "jibesets," and "Quick Stops." My girlfriend prefers not to hang around sailors when they're talking boats...ours is an incomprehensible language
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Speaking of incomprehensible, can anyone explain what is happening here?
