Mast Clutch

[Craig Illman]

Ok, this one certainly isn't for everyone, so I don't expect suggestions about ball bearing sheaves, etc.

I get out often single handed or short handed with my spouse and even with all the blocks and sheaves upgraded, getting my full batten mainsail up from the cockpit is an effort. I tried the Milwaukee right angle drill with the "winch bit", but I don't want to carry it along.

Consequently, I put a second Spinlock XAS clutch on the mast just below the exit. Yes, it adds more friction from the cockpit, but it seems to be a good compromise for me. A secondary benefit is when dropping your main, it's easy to stop and get things straightened and flaked.

Excuse the dim pictures taken into the sun. I'm on a mooring buoy and I don't want to try and scull the boat 180 degrees.

[Stu Jackson]

Craig, that's a very neat idea.  I employed the same concept, but chose to use a small cleat I mounted on the mast below the line of the boom.  When singlehanding, if I choose to not try raising the main from the cockpit, I position myself at the mast, haul the main up 99% of the way, tie it off to the cleat with a couple of easy round loops (not the traditional cleat over-under), go back to the cockpit to pull in the pile of halyard that's on the deck, then go back, un-cleat the line, and return to the cockpit to use the winch to haul it the rest of the way up.  Did you tap the holes or use sheetmetal screws?

"Excuse the dim pictures taken into the sun. I'm on a mooring buoy and I don't want to try and scull the boat 180 degrees."  The pictures came out great, but i thought all ya did was lower the ladder and kick it around with your feet in the water! 

[Craig Illman]

Stu - I tapped the holes. The XAS side mount kit comes with three very long metric machine screws. I spent much more time agonizing about the alignment that the task actually took. It was about a thirty minute job.

Craig

[dgill]

Hi Stu and Craig,

What I did was to install a cam cleat.  This allows the hoisting of the main and the use of one's body weight to pull the halyard ~ away from the side of the mast for leverage, cleat it off, return to the cockpit and pull in the slack, then finish the hoist with the winch if necessary (as the halyard will pop out of the cam cleat when the winch is used.  I did drill and tap the screws for the cam cleat attachment.  It works well.   

[Craig Illman]

That's sounds like a better solution than what I did, thanks for sharing. A picture when you have a chance?

Craig

[Stu Jackson]

What I did was to install a cam cleat.  ... ~ away from the side of the mast for leverage, cleat it off, return to the cockpit and pull in the slack, ...as the halyard will pop out of the cam cleat when the winch is used. 

dgill,

That's a very interesting idea.  Is it a "captive" cam cleat with a lead on it or just freestanding?  It appears to be the latter.  You also mention a cleat.  Is this referring to the cam cleat or another cleat?  If another "regular" cleat, was it there already or did you add it?  If the cam cleat is holding the halyard, what purpose does the cleat serve, since it appears that when you pull in the slack, and then winch the halyard, the halyard pops out of the cam cleat anyway?  That would require you to go forward again, whereas the cam cleat idea makes a lot of sense if you can avoid going forward the second time. How far below the cam cleat is the "regular" cleat (if indeed there is one, I may have not understood because of the double use of the word "cleat")?  Sounds like a great solution to having to go forward again.  I like this!

[Michael Shaner]

kinda related...an "old salt" in our marina overheard me wining about friction in the mast slot a couple years back. He came with a couple cotton balls and a can of Sailkote lubricant. Saturate the cotton balls, push them in the mast slot above the main headboard and raise the main. Works like a charm...   

I like the clam cleat / spinlock ideas...I've got nuthin' up there at all... 

[Stu Jackson]

Cam or Clam

This is from: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,2417.0.html

OK, I, too, have had the fun of figuring out the differences.

Here's the definition:

CAM cleats have two movable jaws.

CLAM cleats are fixed usually plastic line holders under pressure from the standing end.

JAM cleats are offset regular cleats, usually used in Europe that have absolutely NO place on a boat - I think they're dangerous, because if improperly used, with the standing or bitter end on the lower edge, they will not release without unusual pressure, which "ain't good."

[Gary Brockman]

I used to race on a Santana 30/30 where we had a "lance cleat" on the mast about a foot below where the halyard came out of the mast so that you could jump the halyard to get the sail up as fast a possible and you would slid the halyard under the cleat half. After you had cleared up the tail, the halyard automaticaly poped out of th cleat half when you started to use the winch to finish. The lanch cleat we used was limited to 3/8" line an dhad a working load of 500lbs. I don't know if anyone makes a larger size that would be useful on our boats but it is a very simple and useful cleat.

- Gary -

[Hawk]

I use a small horn cleat as Stu does and works fine. I like the cam cleat idea if I was starting from scratch, though.

Hawk

[dgill]

Stu,

I have only the cam cleat (non-captive) attached on the starboard side of my mast.  Sorry for the use of the word cleat without the cam...  So, yes once the mainsail is up, the halyard is inserted into the cam cleat and then I go back to the cockpit to finish the hoist with the winch if necessary.  If you single hand at all and have the auto pilot then this task is really easy.  Hope this clears it up.   

[Stu Jackson]

Thanks, that's helpful.  Just to confirm, when you pull in the slack from back in the cockpit, the halyard pops out of the cam cleat, and you don't have to go forward again, right?  I'd love to avoid that extra step, although I very often forget to re-rig my lazy jacks, so I have to do it anyway.

[dgill]

Hey Stu,

Correct.  The main halyard pulls out of the cam cleat when you do the final hoist from the cockpit.  So no need to go back to the mast.  It really does allow you to single hand efficiently.