Sunday, September 18, 2011

Jib sheet handling

The stock cleats were not working well for me. Even though I remounted them to get a better angle, it was sometimes hard to cleat the sheet due to my position in the boat. It also seemed like the jib would set better with the sheet led more aft. The cleats were also very hard on the line.

I went looking for a solution and again Ronstan had it. They seem to be the only manufacturer that makes cleaver stuff for small boats. I found the best price at  http://www.apsltd.com/c-1257-series-19-c-track-system.aspx The order arrived in a couple days directly from Ronstan.

The RC81943 is for a pair of cleats so the price is not as outrageous as it first seems. I ordered 18" of track and cut it in half. 4 end caps completed the outfit. (Note: I just noticed that RC8142 is swivelling style at same price. Might be a bit better especially in getting out of the way on the windward side.)

The results exceeded expectations. Even though the cleats do not swivel as I thought they would, the line can be set and released easily and reliably from anywhere in the boat. I'm awaiting some decent wind to experiment with the lead adjustment. I will also have to demount the system to fill the holes left from the old cleats.

1 comment:

  1. Appreciate the ideas and the pointer to the Ronstan stuff. I remember seeing your halyard block and thinking it would be nice to have on my boat as well. One of these days. But that looks like a inexpensive way to get jib tracks on.

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