Trap stopper

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Ropes deflected onto several trap stoppers on the cabin roof of a small sailing yacht. The associated working winch is attached below the picture.
A trap stopper for two ropes during dismantling

A halyard stopper is a fitting that is used on sailing ships to fix traps and straightening ropes under tension.

In most modern sailing yachts , all the halyards and ropes for operating the sails - main halyard, spinnaker and headsail halyard, reefing lines , outhaul, boom repetition, and others - are diverted to the cockpit for convenient operation. There they typically end to the left and right of the companionway, where a work winch is available. If the line is not on the winch, it must be possible to fasten it. Historically, cleats were used for this , on which the line was laid. Today, trap stoppers are used for this, and sometimes curry clips are still used on small boats .

The halyard stopper consists of a passage for the rope and a lever that presses a toothed claw against a counterpart on the lower side and thus clamps the rope. Models with brands such as "Easylock" or "Spinlock" allow the rope to be pulled through without opening the lever. The stopper only needs to be opened to loosen the rope. There are models in which two or three stoppers are combined in one block. A sailing yacht typically needs 5 or 6 stoppers on each side. They are available in different sizes for different thicknesses of ropes and workloads. Halyard stoppers are screwed to the cabin roof with long screws.

The rope is pulled through the halyard stopper when rigging and behind it secured against unwanted rushing out with an eight knot . If the rope is to be fetched (pulled), it is either pulled through by hand or placed behind on the winch and thus fetched. The rope can then be removed from the winch so that it is free for other tasks. The lever must be opened to release the rope. Lines with a lot of load, such as the main halyard or a reefing line, should be pulled up a little with the winch to relieve the halyard stopper before it is opened to protect the line and mechanics. If the latch stopper is opened under load, it also requires considerable force and there is a certain risk of pinching your fingers.

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