Fairlead Adjustment

May 17, 2004
2,099
Other Catalina 30 Tucson, AZ
It's summer in Australia -- right now it's not so much like summer in the North East, but have heart as summer will be there soon.

A couple of years ago we were in Sydney at this time of the year. While enjoying a "leg of lamb" at a local restaurant, a couple noticed my Catalina 30 polo shirt and engaged my wife and I in a conversation. Turned out that Darrell & Deborah were new Catalina 34 owners and that conversation was the start of a long distance sailing friendship. I'm sure many of you have encountered the same situation. We didn't have time to enjoy a sail on their new C34 but over the past 3 years I feel like I've been on their boat a million times by way of numerous emails and phone calls.

I tried to sell Darrell on the Garhauer adjustable fairlead system but money is tight for them now so they're struggling with the "pin type system" and are having problems adjusting their jib for 100% efficiency after each tack.

I provided Darrell & Deborah with a simple adjustment method I use based on how the jib "breaks" but I told them there are probably many other ways (maybe better and easier) that sail trim forum listers use to adjust their jib after each tack and that I'd post the topic and see what methods other sailors have developed. We hope to get back to Australia but the 13 -15 hour flight from LAX is sure a killer!!
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Well if you cannot adjust under load, there really is no 'simple adjustment method', as any such method would require moving the car under load, which can't happen.

While shear can also factor, the biggest factor in adjustment is wind speed. So I would mark the deck next to the pin for a default 'typical breeze' position, and what what wind speed you move back, one, two then three pins.

'All three sets flying' is the goal in normal breeze, once the breeze come up, twist induced in the sail (pin back) will have the top ones streaming all the time. Once you're at that wind speed, you trim for boat speed and keeping the boat as flat as possible.
 

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
7,999
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
Here's a good explanation I found on another forum that describes a method similar to one I used to use before upgrading.

Simple CHEAP way for occasional adjustment is a relieving line. Can be just an old spare hunk of line with an eye hook (cunningham hook works well) tied to the end. Put the hook in the clew cringle, tighten to take the load of the genny sheet, adjust the car, release the relieving line and adjust the genny sheet.
 
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drdanj

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Jun 15, 2009
44
Hunter 290 Channel Islands
I have had occasion to adjust under what I'll call medium load, as a big guy with big feet, it can be done. Carefully of course, with a bit of good nautical cussing.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
The big problem with pins is of course that they are so rough in their adjustment. Normally an inch is all it takes to get it right, and 6 inches between cars seems like a MILE.

If your closer pins, great.

A good thing to look at for the budget-limited is seeing if you can convert your existing setup by removing/disabling the pins, and adding a way to tow the cars forward with a small block system. I know several boats that have done this.
 
May 17, 2004
2,099
Other Catalina 30 Tucson, AZ
I don't think I was clear on what I was talking to Darrell about and I"m sorry I threw Jackdaw off. Adjustment was the wrong term. It was the initial setting a sailor would use going from one tack to the other -- a setting to get him in the ballpark. It's a ballpark because the wind is ever changing but he has to start somewhere. So, when I start out both fairleads are pretty much in the same position and we're probably only dealing with about 6"to 9" of adjustment anyway. I know the number pin hole I'm in (they used to be numbered until I converted to the Garhauer adjustable system) so depending on the way the sail "breaks" I know whether I have to go forward or backwards on the next tack to get me in the ballpark. Stepping on the sheet might be necessary to make the final adjustment -- I never liked that method but it was my only option until I purchased the Garhauer system, which happened to be 3 weeks after I bought the boat.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Ah.

The starting point is to have your sheet almost bisect the headsail. This will give an even telltail 'break' in most wind conditions.


A clever idea is to mark this line on your clew. Many sailmakers will do this for you, but if not you can mark your own with sharpie, or with strips of sticky-back dacron sail tape. Like this.



Back about here to de-power.
 

Nonsly

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Apr 14, 2014
4
Montgomery 17 Duxbury
A clever idea is to mark this line on your clew.
Would that line still mark the correct angle on a furling sail as it is furled: i.e., after the tell-tales have disappeared into the furl? If so, that would be very clever indeed.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Would that line still mark the correct angle on a furling sail as it is furled: i.e., after the tell-tales have disappeared into the furl? If so, that would be very clever indeed.
Of course not. Its a guideline, a starting point. Nothing more.

Once you're telltails are rolled up, you're trimming blind.
 
Sep 20, 2014
1,320
Rob Legg RL24 Chain O'Lakes
I've thought about adding a second sheet that goes straight down. Then the primary jib sheet car could be all the way back, and you just tighten the one that goes straight down until the sail shape is right. Yes, it would be an extra line every time you tack, it make adjustment on the fly much easier.
 
Nov 9, 2012
2,500
Oday 192 Lake Nockamixon
I've thought about adding a second sheet that goes straight down. Then the primary jib sheet car could be all the way back, and you just tighten the one that goes straight down until the sail shape is right. Yes, it would be an extra line every time you tack, it make adjustment on the fly much easier.
Personally, I think remotely adjustable cars would be a far easier solution. More expensive, yes, but far easier to replicate on each side, and to adjust as necessary. Adjusting your proposed solution for every tack would be unnecessarily fiddly, compared to remote adjustable cars. Though, if you aren't racing, and you sail on large bodies of water where you don't need to tack often, and the wind speed is very consistent, the fiddly-ness is probably worth the low cost of your solution. I think you might also be able to do this with a low friction ring over the sheet, down to a second jib track car and block at the forward end of your track. It would essentially be a twing, able to pull down on the sheet, removing twist. So, I guess you'd set your pin-stop cars for more twist, say for higher puff wind speeds, and for lulls or decreasing wind speeds, gradually pull twing on to reduce twist? This would certainly be easier than having to move the pin-stop car forward. But, again, if you are routinely trimming with these twings, you'd so much rather have remote towable cars...

Thanks for letting me think out loud on this.
 
May 26, 2015
10
Catalina 30 & 22 Kemah
Jackdaw,
The designed sheeting angle is a straight line perpendicular to the luff that passes thru the clew, extending to the deck. Your picture was good.

As for sheeting in furling sails, as the sail furls the line perpendicular to the luff thru the clew also moves forward shifing the correct car position much faster. The Sea Scouts and other customers I race with have all started putting that Garhauer system on (it's just so darn affordable vs Harken).

Additional note on partially furling headsails. Your sail is a 3d shape and when you roll it up around a flat mandrel, the shape is not taken up but shoved back into the remaining sail deepening it's camber and can actually increase the power in the sail. General rule of thumb is you can roll it up 15-20% and still have 'decent' shape. Anything more than that takes a rope/foam luff (and get rope not foam, ask me if you're interested why). So at that point just roll it all the way up.

K
 
Dec 18, 2012
143
Hunter 37.5 Annapolis
I've thought about adding a second sheet that goes straight down. Then the primary jib sheet car could be all the way back, and you just tighten the one that goes straight down until the sail shape is right. Yes, it would be an extra line every time you tack, it make adjustment on the fly much easier.
I'm with Daveinet on this. Low friction adjustable jib lead cars are really far down on my priority list, but I have most of the tackle needed to try this. This would be a variation on the inhaler used on modern race boats. I'd set the jib car at the aftmost position for the sail, then set the downhauler at 90 degrees to the sheet when close hauled, and lead the line back to the stern cleat. The load on the down haul may be low enough to adjust by hand. I think this would be fun to try. Can't wait for spring!
 
Sep 20, 2014
1,320
Rob Legg RL24 Chain O'Lakes
OK, I just deleted my whole post as I rethought this one more time. Originally I was picturing tying the extra sheet directly to the jib, but that looses some leverage. If one puts a pulley right at the end of the car track, and then have the extra line go straight up and attach to the jib sheet directly above the pulley, it would pull down on the jib sheet, the same way the car does. Since it is midpoint in the line, it shouldn't take much extra force to pull it down. Not only that, but the time when you need the most twist is when the wind is the lightest, so it should be easier to pull down.
 
Aug 1, 2011
3,972
Catalina 270 255 Wabamun. Welcome to the marina
The Garhauer EzGlide cars were one of the best investments on the boat. Clay is spot on - an inch sometimes is too much travel.
DSC00494.JPG
 
Dec 18, 2012
143
Hunter 37.5 Annapolis
OK, I just deleted my whole post as I rethought this one more time. Originally I was picturing tying the extra sheet directly to the jib, but that looses some leverage. If one puts a pulley right at the end of the car track, and then have the extra line go straight up and attach to the jib sheet directly above the pulley, it would pull down on the jib sheet, the same way the car does. Since it is midpoint in the line, it shouldn't take much extra force to pull it down. Not only that, but the time when you need the most twist is when the wind is the lightest, so it should be easier to pull down.
This is the setup I was thinking about if you ignore the inhauler. I stole the pictures from a google image search.
low_friction_rings_twing1.png
low_friction_rings_twing2.png
 

Ted

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Jan 26, 2005
1,254
C&C 110 Bay Shore, Long Island, NY
The designed sheeting angle is a straight line perpendicular to the luff that passes thru the clew, extending to the deck. Your picture was good.
svquest, your statement is incorrect. The illustration that Jackdaw posted was a method to establish a starting position for your genoa lead car on a beat. In most instances, the proper average genoa lead position would not be perpendicular to the luff. The illustration shows the starting point of the trim line on the luff at 45% of the luff length from the tack. Project a line from that point to your clew and you will have your average genoa lead position. What you described is the method of measuring the luff perpendicular (LP) of a headsail.
 
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Apr 4, 2016
201
Newport 28 Richardson Marina
If you want to go on the least expensive side Pac is on the right track. They are variously called barber haulers, tweeters, lead goddamits and other salty terms by region, but all have the same net result of changing the sheet lead. A block on the toerail, a block on the sheet and some spare line to connect it all and a place to cleat it off. If you are cruising and are not trying to squeeze every fraction of a knot out they will work fine. You need to let off on them BEFORE a tack and make them up afterwards to reduce loading but will give you what you need by digging through the boat spares in most cases. Many a racer use them to increase spinnaker control.
 
Sep 20, 2014
1,320
Rob Legg RL24 Chain O'Lakes
PAC- I didn't quite picture it in that great of detail, but now seeing the pics, what you show is even better. I didn't get the slip ring part, but now having seen it, that means one does not need to adjust it every tack. There is also a little leverage built in with the multiple wraps of line. I've already got a loop closer to the clew, so all I will need is an extra jam cleat next the to jib sheet jam cleat. Should be cheap and easy.
 
May 26, 2015
10
Catalina 30 & 22 Kemah
svquest, your statement is incorrect. The illustration that Jackdaw posted was a method to establish a starting position for your genoa lead car on a beat. In most instances, the proper average genoa lead position would not be perpendicular to the luff. The illustration shows the starting point of the trim line on the luff at 45% of the luff length from the tack. Project a line from that point to your clew and you will have your average genoa lead position. What you described is the method of measuring the luff perpendicular (LP) of a headsail.
Actually, my mistake was trying to answer a technical question a 2 am. You're right the angle is roughly 45%. What I forgot to add was to take that LP line and the line of the leech and draw a line thru the clew that bisects that angle. Which will give you the designed sheeting angle (the 45% of luff can be off due to the height of the clew or having a very low clew).

At least that's how we make them.

K