Lashing the fiddly bits

[Scooter]

Looking for suggestions on how to tie off all the various ropes and wires hanging from the mast when you're on the road. Bungees, straps? Would a 1/4" line with a clove hitch around the mast be safe enough? 

[Wolverine]

I use those large "twist tie" thingys I get at Lowes. The large ones secure the mast to the biw and stern rail, and the shrouds and halyards to the mast. The smaller ones are used to hold the shrouds/stays up so as not to rub on the deck.

[Spot]

I got some hook and loop (ala Velcro) straps out of the construction trade from the big-box store.
Other than the orange color fading they are holding up well to being outside. I use them to hold the stays to the mast while trailering/

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[Captain Kidd]

I always used my topping lift line. It's always free so I just spiral it around the mast  which hold the halyards and when it gets to the cockpit, I take all my standing rigging and gather it into loops and strap it to the mast with what's left of the lift line. Always worked and not too complicated.

[Brian N.]

Although my road time is minimal (marina just 5 minutes down the road) here is what I do on my P165:Take the shackle of the halyard and adjust it so it sits about two feet up on the mast while the mast is still up. Run the free end around the cleat and up through the shackle, then back down and cleat off as usual, maintain good tension. I tuck the bitter end under the line. This method require mast mounted cleats.
Gather up the shrouds onto the cabin top and use a small thin piece of line to tie them together using a square
knot. Repeat with another small line. This has worked for 17 years and is very simple.


 

[Charles Brennan]

Scooter, It's more a matter of tasks, than specific bungees, straps, or lines.

If you start off with the questions:
1) What will fall off the boat on the way there?
2) What line can get loose and flog itself to death, all the way down the road?
3) What can get too tangled to sort out at the ramp?
4) What metal bits can chafe the mast, the hull, or themselves flapping at 55 knots?
The over all pattern will emerge.

I don't just use Bungee cords, or Velcro straps, or lashings, I use ALL of them in different places.
I want the minimum amount of setup time possible at the ramp.
To that end, a lot of my boat is (gotta keep remembering I sold it!) was always pre-rigged.

A bungee cord holds the mast to the mast crutch.
The main sheet shackle that will attach to the boom when rigged, holds the mast crutch down.
(Can't bounce off the gudgeons going over railroad tracks.)
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Inside, you can see the main sheet at right, coiled around the mainsheet block and secured with a Velcro strap so the end doesn't blow over the side.
To the left is one of the jib sheets, coiled over a winch and similarly secured with a Velcro strap.
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Nothing moves while on the road and when I get to the ramp, I undo the Velcro straps and the boat is rigged; no dragging jib sheets and mainsheets from below, to start rigging the boat.

To keep the rigging sorted, I gather up the shrouds on the port side and lash them to the mast with a Velcro strap. Then I repeat on the starboard side. 
Why not combine both sides and lash with a single strap? 
Because it's a MESS, to try and keep track of all the folded shrouds at once.
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At the bow, I have a Bungee cord that wraps over the mast to hold it onto the mast crutch. Note that both the stern Bungee cord and the Bow Bungee cord are permanently attached to their respective crutches; no loose parts to mix up or get lost. That way, I never have to think about where I last left the Bungee cords.
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You will also notice that the main and jib halyards have the ends coiled and stuffed between the mast and the halyards, hard against the cleats and need no further securing.

The bow line is already in place on the bow cleat and doesn't have to be fetched from below and attached.
That Bungee cord running around the inside toe rail and held in place by hammock hooks does double duty to hold down the jib on the deck, when over-nighting. When I get to the ramp, I simply pop off the Bungees and the bow line is ready to use.
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Every where I have more than a few inches of "rigging sag" I add extra Velcro straps.
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I may have as few as 3 straps for local jaunts, or as many as 6 or 7 for long hauls as the pic below, shows.
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The fore stay goes over the forward mast crutch roller and is secured to a purpose-made bracket, so the rigging doesn't vibrate loose, get lost or snag on anything when getting ready to step the mast.  I also have another Velcro strap around the turnbuckle, so that I arrive at my destination with all my hardware intact. 
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On arrival, I remove 3 Bungee cords, between 6 and 12 Velcro straps (depending on the length of the trip) and I am already mostly rigged and nothing tangled.

Hope this helps,
Charles Brennan

[Scooter]

Thanks everyone. I aspire to someday be 10% as organized as you Charles, amazing. I got by with velcro straps, some odd lengths of line an one bungee. Next time out I have some re-organizing to consider.

[Riley Smith]

I feel like the loner here because I don't have to deal with those damn STAYS. I hated the Victoria because of them, and never developed a system to manage them effectively. Of course, that boat got as much use as a nun's....oh, nevermind. We won't go there. Just to say that wire rope and me didn't get along.

Conversely, the catboat is easy to rig and unrig, especially with two people. Even with one it isn't much, but I'm older and slower and know the drill. And it's all nice feeling rope and not wire. They're all double-half hitched around the mast in order, and installed as they're undone, although I do the halyards as a pair. Simple, easy, and quick. No rig tuning either. Slam it in the hole, hook all the lines up and go. I do have a couple of wedges. Most modern boat sailors have absolutely no idea how to use them LOL. And so it goes.

Here's to the rigging up! And a tip btw...I found some lengths of Velcro and they make excellent lashings! I also rescued some nylon straps (or was it liberated?) from a shipping crate, pretty much like the ones on a ratchet strap, that make excellent tie-downs. I think I even have one Charlie Jones gave me, among 'em. I reserve the two red ones I've got for the sail and gaff lashing, which have to be removed before hoisting. Easy to see, sorta like an aircraft pitot cover.

[Scooter]

Unstayed ftw! Jealous here. Found out that there's a velcro (clone?) that sticks to itself. You can get a roll and just cut it to length without worrying about matching up hooks and loops. It's probably not as strong as the original stuff but it worked for me.

[Noemi - Ensenada 20]

Rather than lash to the mast, I used bungees to pull stays aft where that fit, anchoring them to aft stanchions, and forward where it made sense, anchored to stanchions or the bow cleat.  Kept them from flogging and was easy to undo.

I love that two-sided velcro and use it all over the place!