Main Sheet Hardware

D

Diddy

Member
For those times when you need a third hand, I'm looking for deck hardware than can hold my main sheet, briefly. I have the hook on the face of the cockpit and am thinking of putting cams on the deck, port and starboard of the cockpit, that I can jam the sheet into.

The hook will hold the sheet down so it should stay flat against the deck in the cam until I release it. This seems preferable to a hexratchet that requires, as I understand it, you to push a button to release the sheet. Or a jam cleat that takes that extra second to release.

Thoughts on the whether this idea of using cams makes sense?
 
Diddy said:
Thoughts on the whether this idea of using cams makes sense?
Click to expand...
After quite a lot of trying different block and cleat combinations and researching forums, I stumbled across a sailor who had the following set up... on this Sunfish forum. I like this block and cam cleat combo so much, I now have 3 of them on each of my Sunfish.

Here's a link to the product.

It takes some fine tuning to get it to work just right. Here's a video I did about what I learned about tuning this set up. You'll notice that I've got the cam cleat flipped over, facing upright... another tip from the Sunfish sailor on this forum who's set up I copied. In contrast, in the product photo the cam cleat faces downward.

- Andy
 
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Diddy said:
The hook will hold the sheet down so it should stay flat against the deck in the cam until I release it. This seems preferable to a hexratchet that requires, as I understand it, you to push a button to release the sheet. Or a jam cleat that takes that extra second to release.
Click to expand...

You misunderstand how a hexaratchet block functions. You can turn the ratchet function on (higher wind) or off with a button or a slide. Other than that, it's just a block to make it easier to handle the sheet. And a whole lot better than that hook!
 
Hi, I hate to disagree with folks on the board, but I think the center-mounted Harken with a clam or cam cleat on each of the side decks is the best approach. I have seen many people flip excessively with Andy's setup - when the boat starts heeling, it is almost impossible to uncleat. He may have a solution that he can fill us in on.
 
beldar boathead said:
I have seen many people flip excessively with Andy's setup - when the boat starts heeling, it is almost impossible to uncleat. He may have a solution that he can fill us in on.
Click to expand...
I wholeheartedly agree with Beldar. If you are fully powered, hiking hard and have to reach all the way inboard to the centerline of your boat and grab the tail of the mainsheet to uncleat, you've got problems. Often very wet problems. In contrast, with Beldar's set up... that is... with the main sheet cleated on the windward deck right next to your hand, it's very easy to uncleat rapidly. In fact, this is the exact set up I have on my Laser.

So, what's the solution if you got a center mounted block and cam cleat arrangement? Well, let's look at it from different levels of risk when it comes to a potential capsize. First, the safest method. You are sailing along, with your fancy, shmancy, center mounted, Harken block and cam cleat combo. And you are uncleated with what we'll call a "fully loaded" main sheet in your hand.

You decide it's time to tack so you tack, using the Shirley Robertson, "Steering Behind Your Back While Passing The Mainsheet" tacking method. Click here to see a video of her doing this. You complete the tack and now have the mainsheet in your new forward hand. And once you are settled sailing on the new tack, you cleat the main on your center mounted cam cleat. By the way, this is exactly what you'd do with Beldar's set up, except you cleat the main on the deck mounted cam cleat next to your leg on the new windward side of your boat.

So, now that you are sailing along on your new tack how do you stay safe from capsizing with the main cleated away from you at the centerline of the boat? You do that by keeping the unloaded mainsheet "tail" in your hand or nearby laying on the deck. Within easy reach. My experience has been that this is quite a bit easier to accomplish than I had thought it would be when I started sailing with this center mounted block and cam cleat combo. So, let's take it up another notch in the risk department.

This time you are sailing along with the mainsheet cleated at the centerline of your boat with your combo block and cam cleat and it's time for another tack. You do exactly the same thing as last time, except you don't uncleat the main sheet. Instead, you simply bring the unloaded tail of the mainsheet in your forward hand across the boat with you. And when you are on the new tack, you place the tail somewhere nearby within easy reach.

Remember, when I'm sailing my Laser I have Beldar's set up and therefore when tacking have to uncleat the main, bring the loaded main sheet across the boat with me and then re-cleat it on the other side. What I like about the center mounted arrangement is I don't have to uncleat and re-cleat on every tack. I just have to make sure I have that unloaded mainsheet tail nearby.

Ok, here's the most risky method. We'll call this one "Defcon 5". That's tacking in strong winds with a center mounted cleating arrangement still cleated and not bothering to take the unloaded tail across the boat with you in your hand when you tack. With a Defcon 5 tack, you have to make sure your rudder and tiller work is spot on because if you flub your tiller hand finesse and head off too much on the new tack, you are toast. In this video, I do a Defcon 5 tack at 1 minute, 20 seconds in the video.

Anyway, to be honest I like both cleating set ups. That is, Beldar's which I have on my Laser and the center cleating arrangement on my Sunfish. Each for their own reasons. Beldar's for strong winds and the center cleating arrangement for light and medium winds. But I must admit I really do very much like not having to uncleat and re-cleat on every tack when it's light to medium winds. Hence my trying a center mounted arrangement on my Sunfish.

Great point Beldar! :)

- Andy
 
andyatos said:
After quite a lot of trying different block and cleat combinations and researching forums, I stumbled across a sailor who had the following set up... on this Sunfish forum. I like this block and cam cleat combo so much, I now have 3 of them on each of my Sunfish.

Here's a link to the product.

It takes some fine tuning to get it to work just right. Here's a video I did about what I learned about tuning this set up. You'll notice that I've got the cam cleat flipped over, facing upright... another tip from the Sunfish sailor on this forum who's set up I copied. In contrast, in the product photo the cam cleat faces downward.

- Andy
Click to expand...
I have this set up on my Starfish and enjoy it.
 
take the ol' hook off and mount a Harken 150 cam cleat on the cockpit lip.
img0187_070.jpg
 
revisiting this older thread... IF you don't sit on side mount cam cleats, why not have 3 installed... One like above where the hook was and then the two on each side? ...and keep your ratchet block too. Would seem to cover all wind conditions and not having to un-cleat in lighter wind, when tacking.
 
I wear an old football helmet when I sail (it's modified to fit my cone.) I have a cleat mounted on the side of my helmet so the cleat is always nearby. Works great!
 
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