# Reaching hooks for Spinnaker sheets?



## blackflagsailor (May 18, 2013)

In one of my sailing books, I have a few small sailboat rigging diagrams. Both of these show something that looks like clamcleats mounted near or at the shroud/turnbuckle chain plates. Although I'm not sure as it's a line drawing image and smaller details are a bit unclear. These have something to do with the spinnaker sheets, but I'm not sure exactly what they are or how the are used. Can anyone tell me what a reaching hook is? I thing this book may have been originally publish in the UK so there may also possibly be a different term in the US for these.


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## tommays (Sep 9, 2008)

In the old days we had a reaching strut which was a small pole mounted on the mast to help keep the sheet and guy off the shrouds when well reaching 

It did require some lines to keep it in place and not whack you 

I don't see them much anymore on smaller boast (35')


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

A reaching strut holds the clew of a jib out when going downwind. The go from the clew to a fitting on the side of the mast.

The cleats you describe are likely for twings that hold the spinnaker guy down. There should be a floating block on the spinnaker sheets - pull down the one that is the guy and ease the one that is the sheet.


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## blackflagsailor (May 18, 2013)

tommays said:


> In the old days we had a reaching strut which was a small pole mounted on the mast to help keep the sheet and guy off the shrouds when well reaching
> 
> It did require some lines to keep it in place and not whack you
> 
> I don't see them much anymore on smaller boast (35')


Hi! 

You mean a Gaff Hook? I don't think these are for something like that. They honestly look like clamcleats that the spinnaker sheets are run through. I'll see if I can photo some pics from the book.


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## tommays (Sep 9, 2008)

Reaching strut

https://www.google.com/search?q=spi...arsATU-oDIAg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1440&bih=783

various twings to control the guy


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## blackflagsailor (May 18, 2013)

tommays said:


> Reaching strut
> 
> https://www.google.com/search?q=spi...arsATU-oDIAg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1440&bih=783
> 
> various twings to control the guy


Thanks for sharing!  I've never seen something like that.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

blackflagsailor said:


> In one of my sailing books, I have a few small sailboat rigging diagrams. Both of these show something that looks like clamcleats mounted near or at the shroud/turnbuckle chain plates. Although I'm not sure as it's a line drawing image and smaller details are a bit unclear. These have something to do with the spinnaker sheets, but I'm not sure exactly what they are or how the are used. Can anyone tell me what a reaching hook is? I thing this book may have been originally publish in the UK so there may also possibly be a different term in the US for these.


Sounds to me like you're describing 'twingers'....

See post #6 here:

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/racing/77915-j-29-spinnaker-setup.html


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## blackflagsailor (May 18, 2013)

Here's a few images:


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## blackflagsailor (May 18, 2013)

Faster said:


> Sounds to me like you're describing 'twingers'....
> 
> See post #6 here:
> 
> http://www.sailnet.com/forums/racing/77915-j-29-spinnaker-setup.html


I think you may have solved this great mystery!


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## capttb (Dec 13, 2003)

I'm not familiar with the term "twinger" how does this differ from a "Barber hauler"?


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

capttb said:


> I'm not familiar with the term "twinger" how does this differ from a "Barber hauler"?


Barber haulers pull sheet leads inboard or outboard... twingers (used on spinn sheets) effectively change the lead angle similarly to moving the lead blocks without having to actually do so by pulling down on the normal sheet/guy lead.


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## capttb (Dec 13, 2003)

I'll be darned, I've been rigging a "twinger" on my assy for reaching and calling it a "Barber Hauler".


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## SHNOOL (Jun 7, 2007)

Twinger, Tweakers, and barber haulers are all kind of the same thing.

But looking at his pictures, I think the purpose is more directly related to the reaching strut, except in lieu of a strut they are just using a fairlead/cleat. We're talking a really small boat, and when reaching with the symmetrical (given the width of the bow), the guy would likely hit the shrouds... Again given the shape of the boat in question, and the pictures.

Twings/tweakers/barber haulers are shown here as "snatch blocks." Unless I have been calling these things wrong all along (could be!)


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## Stumble (Feb 2, 2012)

Shnool,

Things and what in your diagram are called snatch blocks... Well they acomplish the same thing but in different ways. 

The goal is to be able to adjust the spinnaker pole position, which requires the guy to be attached just aft of midship. Depending on how you rig the spinnaker changes how this will be done.

1) you can use a seperate sheet and guy on each side of the boat. This requires the guy to be led to a midship block which is permanently in place. 

2) you can use the same line for both the sheet and guy. This requires a turning block at the back of the boat, and a twing where the midship block was. When you jibe the new sheet side twing is released and the old sheet side twing in pulled in (bringing the lead to midship). 

Twings are typically used on smaller boats, but not necessarily. They do allow slightly better sail trim options since they can also be used to pull down on the sheet to change lead angles on the spinnaker. Which has the same effect on the spinnaker as moving the jib car forward.


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## zz4gta (Aug 15, 2007)

A reaching hook is just that. A hook used while reaching on a small boat. Here's a picture:








Instead of using a block on a dinghy, when you heat it up to a reach you push down on the guy, and hook it in the reaching hook. This keeps the guy off the shrouds when you ease the pole foreward.

it is NOT a:

Barberhauler - are used to pull in or out on a jib sheet. Barbers usually outward pull, inhaullers are usually inward pull.

Twing - are pulling down on spin sheets.

Reaching strut - but closely related in function. Hook can't take the load on larger boats, so you use a strut.


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## Alex W (Nov 1, 2012)

blackflagsailor said:


> In one of my sailing books, I have a few small sailboat rigging diagrams. Both of these show something that looks like clamcleats mounted near or at the shroud/turnbuckle chain plates. Although I'm not sure as it's a line drawing image and smaller details are a bit unclear. These have something to do with the spinnaker sheets, but I'm not sure exactly what they are or how the are used.


Those sound like they are used when the sheets are being changed to guys. This is a common setup on older 505 dinghies for instance.

On keelboats the more common solution is to have twing lines run to that point, which can pull in the spinnaker sheets. That setup is also used on modern 505s.


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## Alex W (Nov 1, 2012)

blackflagsailor said:


> Here's a few images:


These images look like they are for a 420, but the rigging is very similar to my early 70s UK 505. Those "reaching hooks" are the equivalent of a twing and are used for the guys.


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## PaulinVictoria (Aug 23, 2009)

We run tweakers (or twingers if you prefer) on our J24. They allow not only adjustment of the spin sheet lead angles, but we don't have a downhaul on the pole so they also help to keep the pole under control. When we gybe we release one and bring the opposite site in. It's the alternative on a lot of smaller boats to using seperate guys and sheets for the spin. Saves a lot of line and fiddling around during a gybe.


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## blackflagsailor (May 18, 2013)

Lively topic!  I should explain why I'm asking about reaching hooks I guess. I have a C-Lark 14 that I am researching rigging a spinnaker for. There isn't much info on spinnakers for my boat. I even have another topic on here.


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## Alex W (Nov 1, 2012)

I think I suggested this in another thread, so if I'm repeated myself I'm sorry.

There is a really good dinghy rigging book called "Rig Your Dinghy Right" that is all about rigging dinghies and it goes heavily into spinnaker rigging options. It is out of print, but I bought an old copy on Amazon for under $20 and it helped me out a lot.

If you aren't planning on racing the C-Lark with the spinnaker in any sort of one design race you might also want to look at asym options. There will be many less lines and with a small bowsprit it'll be easier to jybe.


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## blackflagsailor (May 18, 2013)

Well hey! I gotta check that out! Thanks for the tip!


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## jameswilson29 (Aug 15, 2009)

capttb said:


> I'm not familiar with the term "twinger" how does this differ from a "Barber hauler"?


Twingers, twings, tweakers are an application of the general mechanism of a barber haul to a spin sheet and guy. A barber haul might also be applied to a jib sheet or other line on a sailboat.

For the OP, look at this video to see the use of twings. The higher the wind speed, the lower the blocks when running downwind (especially solo when it is critically important to limit spinnaker head oscillations which might result in a broach; on a reach some believe you should release the sheet twing to let the sail "breathe" - let air release from a flattened, not cupped, leech:






Adrian Johnson, winner of the 2010 Singlehanded Transpacific Race to Hawaii, always demonstrates masterfull twinger use on his Olson 30 videos - you can see them snubbed down to the deck at higher wind speeds:






,,,and here, too, one of my favorites (skip to 5:00 or 7:00 min marks for skillful twings in action):


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## blackflagsailor (May 18, 2013)

Okay, so it looks like the book I have uses a 470 for many of the diagrams and a lot of the pictured examples throughout the book. For those who are wondering, those pictures came from "Small Boat Sailing" by Bob Bond and Steve Sleight.

It looks like what I'm talking about might be a set of clam cleats placed near the shroud chain plates. I think these are used on a boat with spinnaker bags (non-shoot boat). It sounds like the ends of the sail are pulled out of the bag and cleated so the sail is ready to be raised.

Here is a small description from the book I found on another page:

"The two clews and the pouch, and the halyard is fastened under the reaching hook if the spinnaker is to be hoisted again soon.


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## Classic30 (Aug 29, 2007)

Sorry I'm late for this party, but if it helps, reaching hooks were something I looked into for racing whilst we had the Hartley - before deciding that, although seemingly a great idea, they weren't at all suitable on anything larger than a sportsboat.



blackflagsailor said:


> Okay, so it looks like the book I have uses a 470 for many of the diagrams and a lot of the pictured examples throughout the book. For those who are wondering, those pictures came from "Small Boat Sailing" by Bob Bond and Steve Sleight.
> 
> It looks like what I'm talking about might be a set of clam cleats placed near the shroud chain plates. I think these are used on a boat with spinnaker bags (non-shoot boat). It sounds like the ends of the sail are pulled out of the bag and cleated so the sail is ready to be raised.
> 
> ...


Here's a pic of the 'reaching hooks' you're referring to in the 470 diagram:










These ones are kind-of a combination of cleat and hook and take a bit of getting used to if you don't want the spinnaker sheets to get jammed up on you. Yes, as the book says, you can hook the halyard into the windward one to have it within arms-reach ready for the hoist.

The regular variety 'reaching hook' is the one that zz4gta posted - you simply push the guy under the hook as you tear madly off downwind (no need for tweakers, twings, barber-haulers or any of that stuff). What many people don't like about them is that they aren't locking - by that I mean that if you hit a wave and the load comes off the guy it can pop out of the hook. IMO, a better arrangement is called a "deck hook" or a "brace hook" (the same thing):










What you use is entirely dependent on what kind of boat you have and what sort of sailing you do.

EDIT: I missed that you had a C-Lark 14 - if so, reaching hooks will be very suitable.. but what style you use will depend on how you want to use the kite. If you're an experienced go-fast racer, by all means use the clam-cleat one, otherwise maybe try a couple of deck hooks (the hook part points outwards) and see how you go.


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## RichH (Jul 10, 2000)

Reaching hooks are commonly used on ILYA Scow (symmetrical) spinnaker class boats. 

Such boats usually use the 'two sheet' (sans foreguys) spinnaker control line method. This arrangement is to control 'down' pressure' on the windward corner of the symm spinnaker using such small boat end-for-end gybing technique. Usually there is a reefing hook (or more commonly an open sheave) mounted to the base of the cap shrouds. To use, the twings are are pulled fully down and the foredeck crew simply puts the (now lazy) spinnaker sheet under the hook/sheeve). No need for 'foreguys' as the lazy sheet now becomes the foreguy when held by the 'hook' or sheave roller. 
This is quite standard on M20 and I20 ILYA scows.


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## blackflagsailor (May 18, 2013)

I've been thinking about getting new rigging. It's old and probably needs replacing. I've looked at shroud adjusters and was wondering whether to keep with turnbuckles on the boat or going with adjusters. Either way, I might just use those spinnaker guy pins that look like open sheeves. Less holes to be put in the boat.


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## overbored (Oct 8, 2010)

twing pulls the sheet in towards the hull the barber hauler pulls the sheet out to the gunnel


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## aloof (Dec 21, 2014)

A twinger running rigging that allows a spinnaker sheet to become an afterguy. The afterguy is pulled to near the deck somewhere forward to better keep the pole tip down. Common on boats less that 35 feet. Your "reaching hook" may be the same function but not running rigging, just a hook to lead the line low and forward.


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