Rigging a Topping Lift

[BadgerJuan]

Hello from Wisconsin!

This season I would like to rig a topping lift for my boom. I've seen plenty of methods and pictures of how to make the connection at the boom. However, I have not seen any method of attaching it to the top of the mast. Since my boat is still in storage and not accesable, can anyone share some insite or a picture of how to make the top connection?

Any advice would be appreciated.

"Waiting for the ice to melt"
Jim Moravec
Middleton WI

[kuriti]

i have a simple shackle to the the mast head. I tie a bowline to that and run the line to the boom. The boom height adjustment is made at the boom by cleating it at different lengths. I have a bracket where the backstay attaches and that is where i put the shackle. In theory, you could use it as a jury rig backstay should something very wrong happen.

the down side to this system is that you can't adjust the lifts on most points of sail since the cleat is at the end of the boom and thus often not hanging over the boat. if anyone ties directly to the boom and runs a line through a block at the mast head and then cleats on the mast or in the cockpit (allowing adjustment on the fly), i would be interested in hearing about it. i can't remember why i didn't do that but there was probably a reason.

[BadgerJuan]

I ended up providing a snap hook to attach the topping lift to the boom. I then ran a line thru a small block that I installed to the casting at the top of the mast. The line runs down the mast and is cleated at the base of the mast. After a summer of use, everything worked fine. Much better than clipping the boom to the stay, especially when dropping the main!