Two groove headstay

Abstract

A double-groove headstay for sailboats, the grooves adapted to receive and retain jib boltropes so that a second jibsail can be hoisted while the first is still set. The second sail can be set and the first sail taken down, thus permitting continued drive while changing sails. The stays can be in lieu of conventional stays or provided with holes and clipped or threaded onto existing forestays.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: 
     
       1. A jibstay assembly for a sailboat comprising a longitudinal member extending and supported between the bow portion of the boat and the upper portion of the boat mast, said member being .Iadd.torsionally resistant, .Iaddend.generally rounded in cross-sectional shape and having two grooves inset therein, each of which is adapted to slidably receive and release and to hold a bead at the luff of a jib sail.[...]. .Iadd.and facilitate the changing of jib sails. .Iaddend. 
     
     
       2. The combination of claim 1 above in which said member is attached between two swivels, the bottom swivel being provided with means to rotate it and said member through at least 180° in at least one direction. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said member is elliptically shaped in cross section with the major axis running in the fore-and-aft direction and has two opposed grooves therein at the opposite ends of the major axis of the ellipse, the grooves being round in cross section and inset in said member a distance slightly less than their radii so as to receive and retain the bead at the luff of jib sails, the .[.stay.]. .Iadd.member .Iaddend.having sufficient moment of inertia, strength and rigidity to resist torsional twisting forces said .[.unit.]. .Iadd.member .Iaddend.having a minimum twisting moment yield strength of 2000 inch-pounds. 
     
     
       4. The jibstay of claim 3 above of corrosion-resistant aluminum alloy which is an aluminum extrusion. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said member is shaped in cross section like half an oval and has two side-by-side grooves in the aft portion which are adapted to receive and retain the bead at the luff of a jib. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said member is oval shaped in cross section and has two grooves therein, the first groove being aft and to one side of the other groove, each groove being adapted to receive and retain the bead at the luff of a jib. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said member is a rounded triangular shape in cross section and has two side-by-side grooves which are abreast, each groove being adapted to receive and retain the bead at the luff of a jib. 
     
     
       8. A jib stay assembly for a sailboat comprising a stay from the bow of the boat to the top portion of the mast,   a plurality of units mounted on and supported by said stay to comprise a longitudinal member, said units together providing two grooves in said member adapted to slidably receive and release and to retain the bead at the luff of a jib, and   means fastening together and aligning said units to form a continuous .Iadd.torsionally resistant .Iaddend.member providing two substantially coextensive jib luff receiving grooves substantially throughout the length of said stay.   
     
     
       9. The assembly of claim 8 in which the plurality of units are elliptical in cross section and have two opposed grooves therein at the opposite ends of the major axis of the ellipse, the grooves being round in cross section and adapted to receive and retain the bead at the luff of jib sails. 
     
     
       10. The assembly of claim 8 provided with means adjacent to bow to rotate said plurality of units. 
     
     
       11. The assembly of claim 8 in which said units are comprised of two interfitting pieces which assemble and interfit over the stay. 
     
     
       12. The assembly of claim 8 in which said units are provided with holes passing longitudinally through them for receiving the stay on which to mount and support said units. 
     
     
       13. A torsion-resistant stay for receiving and retaining the beads on the luffs of two jibs simultaneously, comprising: an elongated, extruded aluminum, generally oval-shaped member having a pair of oppositely disposed longitudinal slots through each of which the beads on the luffs of said sails can extend, a pair of generally arcuate outer surfaces connecting said slots, and first and second inner surfaces, each of said inner surfaces meeting each of said arcuate outer surfaces in a pair of slot-defining surfaces;   said first inner surface generally defining a portion of a cylinder and a first longitudinal axis of curvature;   said second inner surface generally defining a portion of a cylinder and a second longitudinal axis of curvature;   said generally arcuate outer surfaces having a maximum perpendicular separation of at least 11/2 times the diameter of the larger of said cylinders;   and said first and second axes of curvature being substantially parallel, and separated by a distance at least 11/2 times the diameter of the larger of said cylinders, such that when the first of said sails is in use, said stay can be rotated and the second of said sails hoisted and trimmed while said first sail is still in position, thereby preventing a loss of power during the changing of sails.   
     
     
       14. A jibstay assembly for a sailboat comprising: a first swivel member at the bow of the boat,   a second swivel member attached to the top portion of the mast,   a .Iadd.torsionally resistant .Iaddend.longitudinal member attached between said first and second swivel members, said member having two rounded grooves therein which are inset from the surface of the rod a distance slightly less than their radius and are provided with entrance slots defined by rounded flanges which retain the boltropes of jib sails, the diameters of the grooves being slightly larger than the boltropes of the jib sails, and   means to feed the beads at the luff of jib sails into said grooves.   
     
     
       15. The method of changing from a first sail to a second sail while sailing, so that there will at all times be a sail properly set, said method comprising the steps of: providing a stay having at least first and second longitudinal slots and mounted for rotation generally about its longitudinal axis, said first sail having been hoisted and set in the first longitudinal slot;   rotating said stay such that said second longitudinal slot is facing the direction in which said second sail will extend;   hoisting and setting said second sail while said first sail is still in operative position;   rotating said stay such that said first longitudinal slot again is facing the direction in which said first sail extends;   lowering said first sail; and,   rotating said stay such that said second longitudinal slot again faces the direction in which said second sail extends, thereby changing to a more appropriate sail without a loss of power during the change.   
     
     
       16. The method of claim 15 wherein said longitudinal slots are oppositely disposed. 
     
     
       17. A torsion-resistant forestay for a jibsail, especially suited to receive and retain the beads on the luffs of two jibsails simultaneously, comprising: an elongated, generally oval-shaped member having a pair of oppositely disposed fore-and-aft longitudinal slots through each of which the beads of one of said sails can extend, a pair of generally arcuate outer surfaces connecting said slots, and first and second inner surfaces defining said slots;   said first inner surface generally defining most of a cylinder substantially coextensive with the forestay;   said second inner surface generally defining most of a cylinder substantially coextensive with the forestay;   said cylinders being substantially parallel with their longitudinal axes separated by a distance greater than the diameter of the larger of said cylinders, each of said inner surfaces further defining the above-said fore-and-aft, jibsail bead receiving longitudinal slots.   
     
     
       18. A torsion-resistant stay for receiving and retaining the beads on the luffs of two jibs simultaneously, comprising: an elongated, extruded aluminum, generally oval-shaped member having a pair of oppositely disposed longitudinal grooves through each of which the beads of one of said sails can extend, a pair of generally arcuate outer surfaces connecting said grooves, and first and second inner surfaces, each of said inner surfaces meeting each of said arcuate outer surfaces in a pair of entrance slot-defining surfaces;   said first inner surface further generally defining a portion of a longitudinal cylinder substantially coextensive with the forestay;   said second inner surface further generally defining a portion of a longitudinal cylinder substantially coextensive with the forestay, the longitudinal axes of said cylinders being parallel to each other and to the longitudinal axis of the forestay, said inner surfaces thereby defining the said longitudinal grooves.   
     
     
       19. A jibstay assembly for a sailboat comprising a stay from the bow of the boat to the top portion of the mast,   a plurality of units mounted on and supported by said stay, each individual unit having one groove therein adapted to slidably receive and release and to retain the bead at the luff of a jib, and   means fastening together and aligning said .[.unit.]. .Iadd.units .Iaddend.to form a continuous .Iadd.torsionally resistant .Iaddend.member providing two substantially coextensive jib luff receiving grooves substantially throughout the length of said stay. .Iadd.   
     
     
       20.  A jib stay assembly for a sailboat comprising a conventional wire or rod stay from the bow of the boat to the top portion of the mast, a plurality of units mounted on and supported by said stay to comprise a longitudinal member, said units together providing two grooves in said member, and   means fastening together and aligning said units to form a continuous torsionally resistant member on said stay, said two grooves being substantially coextensive throughout the length of said stay and being adapted to slidably receive and release and to retain the bead at the luff of a jib. .Iaddend. .Iadd.   
     
     
       21.  The assembly of claim 20 in which said units are comprised of two longitudinally interfitting pieces which assemble and interfit over the stay. .Iaddend. .Iadd.22. The assembly of claim 20 in which said units are provided with holes passing longitudinally through them for receiving the stay whereby said units are mounted and supported. .Iaddend. .Iadd.23. The assembly of claim 20 in which the plurality of units provide two side-by-side aft grooves. .Iaddend.