Small Boat Jacklines

Conventional jacklines down the sides make sense on larger boats. They can be far enough inboard for safety and still allow mobility. The bow and stern are still problem areas, but stopping them ~ 5 feet short of the ends solves that. You can clip the bow rail with the 3' when working there, leaving the 6' tether on the jackline.

Smaller boats require a different aproach. The jacklines end up being really short, from the front of the cockpit to 5-7 feet short of the bow, depending on deck hatches. Dedicated anchor points are required, a good idea anyway. Then a pair of hard points in the cockpit secure that area; but keep them off the floor due to tripping problems.

To move to the bow you start with the 6' arm on the cockpit hard point. You clip the 3' leg to the windward jackline, then the 6' leg (both), then move forward in a crouch or crawling. When you reach the end of the 3' leg, unclip staying on the 6' leg and move forward until you can clip the bow rail. You are never unclipped. You also never move from 6' radius to 6' radius hard point, which requires unclipping.

May examples are possible. I use a variation of this on my Corsair F-24, with the jacklines rigged along the inside edge of the tramps.

MacGregor 26D
Red lines are jackline range of movement
Blue lines are are point range of movement