Experience With Ball/Keyhole Trapeze System

Has anyone had good or bad experience with this system as offered on Murray Marine and also Layline's latest catalog? I need to order a new trapeze harness and have been considering this system for the new harness primarily to prevent hook damage to the boat when recovering from a capsize.

Thanks for any feedback.

Bob Hodges
A-Class USA 230

Bob,

I've got it on my A2. It works well, but takes some getting used to. It doesn't have that "click" that the hook and ring give you when you are hooked in. Otherwise, I like it.

-Mike

It works great.
No problems at all.

It works great.
No problems at all.

Hello,

I put them on my I-17 2 years ago.

Nice system, Works everytime.

I like that the ball stays in place even when out-of-tension, [ one can tweek this by putting tape under the ball , to your liking]

Yep. went on a budies Fox[ hook system], and 'holed' the darn thing with my hook,...makes a real nice hole fast!

regards,

Bruce

St. Croix
USVI
I-17

I've had this on my Tornado for ~1 year now. Got it for the exact reason you state...I'd had 2 cases of the crew putting the hook through the deck/hull in less than 1 year. If you get the system, pay for the Carbon units, not the plastic (Alum is OK, but quite a bit heavier than the carbon).
Also, most trap buckets will take the system, but some (like the Gul Nappy style) have a sewn in lower strap, so you've got the rip out the stiches to remove the original hook and sewn in the keyhole unit.



Mike.

Bob, I have used the Murrays No-Hook Trap System Bar & Rings system that has a ball on the Can't miss ring for three seasons. It works well in all conditions, from out on the wing.

Caleb Tarleton
H-17 #6446

I'm sure we have these trapeze systems right here in our catsailor.com On-line Marine Store. We have thousands of items in our store and are adding new ones every day, so when you are looking for something, please check here first.

Every time you buy something through our store you are helping to support this web site and these forums.

Thanks!

Bob, have used the captive ball system for 3 years on one of my cats. It does feel a bit different but has worked very well. Planning to order another set for my new boat for the same reason (avoid hull damage and catching the hooks).

Sail fast, Tom G

Thanks for the feedback guys. Looks like it will be worth trying.

Bob

Bob:

From what I have seem in the forums over the last 6-8 months. Go with the carbon fiber spreader, the plastic has problems with breakage.

Doug

I would like to try them. The lightweight and flat profile for ease of re-boarding are certainly plusses.

On the one hand, if you do wind up underneath the boat, there's one less major thing to snag on anything... on the other hand, if something else on your personal gear snags, and you can't move in the direction of your head, there's no QUICK-RELEASE feature to UNHOOK you from the trap line, and let you move in the direction of your feet.

Probably as this system evolves and gains popularity, a QR version will emerge.

In the meantime, I will have to cobble up a waterproof electronic sound-effects gizmo, which will emit a simulated metallic "clink" when the plastic ball goes into the carbon slot, LOL.

Bob,

Tommy Granger uses this on his Jav. and really likes it. He found the stock ball component a little heavy and made some new ones using synthetic line threaded through a small diameter hose for abrasion resistance with the ball at the end.

He added a disk half way up the component made of CF and foam. You grab this with two fingers to positively locate the ball into the slot in your harness. Worked well all last season and I'm sure as a fully fledged A Cat junkie you want to keep weight to a minimum.

If you ask nicely he might make you a pair.

Chris.

I have the "heavy" aluminum ones (little lighter than my old SS spreader bars). I added a back plate to prevent clothes/drysuit from bunching up behind it and preventing the ball from going in. I think it sometime takes a second longer to hook in, but the "stay-hooked" feature might make up for that in puffy conditions where you can come in and out and not worry about the ring falling off the hook. The ball also hurts less than the ring when the skipper lets his fly into the crews head. I also added extra balls on snap shackles for both crew; with this setup you have nothing to hook the righting line onto, and getting a H20 up is not a lean out-up she comes 5 second deal; your arms get tired quick :-) The snap shackles hook over the righting line, balls go in, and you can lean back and relax. The crew can pick them off the line after the boat is up (they typically wash to the back); or you can just leave them attached for next time :-)

I have used it for a year on 2 A-cats and am pretty happy with no more hull damage from the hook. Disadvantage is slower hooking up (balling up?) on roll-tacks (racing tacks) as about 3 more seconds are needed to find the keyhole.

Another disadvantage- You may have seen me at the first windy race in Islamorada hanging out over the front of the boat- still on the wire. Trying to avoid the lee boat (Jay Glaser) just after the mark while still on the wire, I lost it and swung out wide. It is a Helpless feeling hanging there, waiting an eternity for the boat to go over frontwards. It would have been the same with a hook- pretty hard to get off it, up in the air and caught around the port forestay.

PS: The plastic plates are crap and break right away.

Otherwise, it may be good for large sail-persons to climb back onboard at the rear crossbar to avoid hook damage: Get your heel up on the hull, back of your arm over the rear crossbar to hold onto a hiking strap, then lever on board Belly Up. Try it- easy and quick. I had a bad shoulder then and it helped.

I started doing this after putting a few dings inside the hull at the front cross bar. It works well and you can keep the boat rounding up by grabbing the rudder arm as you climb aboard.