Adjustable Trapeze Lines

bungee goes to the "other bitter end" of the line that goes to the can't miss

Here is what $120 will get you from Murray's:
http://www.murrays.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=MS&Product_Code=01-1130&Category_Code=

Bought these, put em on, had a friend on the wire...fail ... 1/2 hour single handling my 5.8 in 15+/4' waves trying to find/retrieve him. Back to beach, put old hardware back on and these are now in the bottom of a parts bucket. Check those factory knots. Frankly, simple is best. My wife also hated them.

lawrencer2003 wrote: Bought these, put em on, had a friend on the wire...fail ... 1/2 hour single handling my 5.8 in 15+/4' waves trying to find/retrieve him. Back to beach, put old hardware back on and these are now in the bottom of a parts bucket. Check those factory knots. Frankly, simple is best. My wife also hated them.

So I'm curious, what failed on the system? It looks like all the knots need to be tied by the user since the rings don't come with it.
I totally agree about simple is best. Still seems nice to be able to adjust on the fly, without messing with rope locks.

I LOVE mine.
when there is a wave headed for me... i move my butt up 2'
when the wind is not enough to fly the hull , but every time i move in.. it flies... i move my butt up 2'
when i have crew on, they may not be comfortable hanging at the deck line ... up goes their butt

when the wind heats up and my sails are set perfect, ... I move down so i dont have to sheet out or travel out

Drawbacks:
expensive
more gear to fail/replace
hurts pretty good when you get hit in the face with this gear (but dog bones and can't miss handles will take out a tooth too)

my last capsize was due to the double block (in my adjustable setup) failing on me. It dumped me exactly where i saw a shark 24 hours previously... I was diligent to keep my finger and toes (shark appetizers) out of the water

This was preventable since i had carried new double blocks in my gear box for months... meaning to replace my bent out ones (new ones pictured above are rigging taped together to reduce the chance of bending)

I also had a capsize last year, solo, on the wire, in the gulf because my "Can't miss" rusted through the cable inside the handle (where it wasn't visible). i no longer use those

Edited by MN3 on Sep 06, 2011 - 03:56 PM.

FYI - can't miss handles are garbage. I've seen at least a dozen failures, including one when I owned a H17. I made some dogbones out of 4mm dyneema and plastic tubing. They work great, lightweight, and best of all the crew doesn't get knocked out when I unhook.

Headhunter - can you post a picture of your dogbones? thanks.

Sure. I don't have anything more close-up though. It's just an 8" piece of line tied in a hoop, covered in plastic tubing. Got everything from APS for under $20.

Does the tubing last? I'm thinking the clear tubing you find at any hardware store is pretty soft, & the hook on the harness would cut through it quickly.
It seems like a good idea. When I have non sailors on board, just out for a cruise, I worry about them, especially kids getting hit in the teeth.

I made them in March '10, sail the boat every other weekend on average, and they're still in-tact without any signs of abrasion or cracking. The project was prompted by my significant other who took a stainless dogbone to the cranium.

Sorry for the crazy background.

These came off my '77 5.2.

lawrencer2003 wrote: Bought these, put em on, had a friend on the wire...fail ... 1/2 hour single handling my 5.8 in 15+/4' waves trying to find/retrieve him. Back to beach, put old hardware back on and these are now in the bottom of a parts bucket. Check those factory knots. Frankly, simple is best. My wife also hated them.

What are factory knots? Cant miss are very common, failure would seem to come from age and lack of inspection. This is how most trap wires get replaced. After a failure. I like the 4:1 posted by gcamick. they look similar to the Holt-Allen Vang on pre-XT Lasers.

gcamick, I assume the fiddle block end attaches to the wire by the use of a shackle. How about the other end? Does the trap ring attach with a shackle? Where does the shock cord attach?
Thanks!

gcamick, I assume the fiddle block end attaches to the wire by the use of a shackle. How about the other end? Does the trap ring attach with a shackle? Where does the shock cord attach?
Thanks!

eric, click on my picture ... it's all there

Andrew,
The diff I see is that gcamick's rig is missing the double block. Your trap ring line goes through the double block. Could the double block also be part of gcamick's rig, he just isn't showing it?
Thanks!

gotcha, with his set up you shackle right to the dog bone, and tie the bungee in the same part of the dog bone.
he has eliminated the black plastic adjuster (which isn't really needed since you do still have the ability to adjust)

Andrew is right. Shackle fiddle side to wire, shackle dogbone/can't miss to other end, tie bungee to dogbone end.

Headhunter-
I was looking at the picture you posted and I have one question- What trapeze wires? 😀

klozhald wrote: Headhunter-
I was looking at the picture you posted and I have one question- What trapeze wires? 😀

You mean there's a boat there?

The dog bones used to beat up my last crew until I bought some of the two-sided velcro strips intended to hold computer wiring together and sewed one around each dog bone at the middle. When we are not using the trapeze, with a wrap, the velcro keeps the dog bone attached to the line from the shock cord so it doesn't swing around. I may have a picture of this somewhere...
So far I have kept it simple with the stock dog bones and adjusting the length to the crew's comfort level. I have had two of the nylon stoppers break in just the last couple of months, and I'm wondering if there is a better type of stopper.

klozhald wrote: I have had two of the nylon stoppers break in just the last couple of months, and I'm wondering if there is a better type of stopper.

I've had really old ones break, but never a reasonably new one. I've seen where some of the big boys stack two together with the line run the same as using just one. That might be worth a try.

Jeez- good point.
Two decades in the heat in nylon time is like a hundred years.
Hello Murray's!!!