Decoding old hardware

[Gene Neill]

My Albin Vega has some cockpit hardware on the starboard side, the purpose of which is at least largely unknown to me. Pics:


First, here's the port side. Nothing unusual here, except for the eye strap/fairlead just aft of the jib cleat. Can't figure out why that's there ...

And here's the starboard side. The boat had a furler and a spinnaker, neither of which I have ever used, so I ASSUME all this stuff is related to that. But I'm far from certain.

And here's a side view of the starboard, showing all the mystery hardware. Sorry it's blurry, but I think it'll do:

I'm pretty certain the cheek block and the black fairlead above it are related to the (now removed) furler. There are a row of those same fairleads running forward on every stanchion base. But if the furler line ran here, I wonder where it went after going through the cheek block and the black fairlead? Did it not have to be cleated?

Then there's that same eye strap/fairlead which you see on the port side. Still a puzzle.

But what puzzles me most is the aft winch, and the cam cleat, which don't seem to be related to one another. The angle of the cam cleat doesn't seem to make it suitable to cleat the furler(?) line, OR whatever line ran around that winch.

Can somebody edjucate me, please??

 

[kloudie1]

Interesting.. I dunno.. Spin pole usually has an uphaul (topping lift) and a downhaul Could be the fairleads are for the downhaul on one side and the furler on the other? Spin may have been set directly off winch but more likely off a car on the track... Dunno
Are the cam cleats for lashing the tiller?

 

[Justin_NSA]

That sure is a lot of hardware. Hopefully they have solid backing. Maybe stepping back with the photos would make it easier to get the perspective

 

[Ted]

Any chance you can track down the previous owner and ask him/her about how this should be setup? What you have does not seem to follow conventional rigging layouts.

 

[Jackdaw]

Well the aft winch and horn cleat in front of it are clearly for a spinnaker. The turning block for the sheet was probably is mounted to the stern pulpit. All the rest of the hardware is, as my British friends would say, a 'dogs breakfast'.

 

[rgranger]

I had to look up "A dog's breakfast".

 

[capta]

Perhaps some of the fairleads and cleats were used to secure the tiller, or part of a sheet to tiller steering system.
One would definitely want to cleat the roller furling line when the sail was rolled up, or there would be nothing to keep the sail from unfurling. We keep ours cleated with a tiny bit of pressure even when the sail is unfurled to keep the line from becoming loose on the drum or having a sea wash it overboard. Learned that one the hard way, in a gale between Newport and Bermuda. Couldn't furl the sail as the wraps on the furler drum had become loose and over rode each other, so we had to drop the sail in 60+ knots of wind! Wished we had hanks that night!
Ain't yachting FUN?

 

[Gene Neill]

Well the aft winch and horn cleat in front of it are clearly for a spinnaker. The turning block for the sheet was probably is mounted to the stern pulpit. All the rest of the hardware is, as my British friends would say, a 'dogs breakfast'.

Sweet looking Vega!!

Yeah, the odd thing is that this dog's breakfast is only on one side! But, oh well ... less of it to remove.

I think I'll keep the cheek (turning?) block for a jib downhaul. But the two fairleads, cam cleat and winch will probably disappear soon.

Thanks everyone. I'm glad I'm not the only one stumped by this!

 

[Roland5048]

Could that eye-strap have been used as as a connection point for a bimini strap although it does look a bit too forward? As was mentioned above, a pic from further away might give a better view of all this.

 

[Gene Neill]

Could that eye-strap have been used as as a connection point for a bimini strap although it does look a bit too forward? As was mentioned above, a pic from further away might give a better view of all this.

Hmmm, could be ... I'll post a full-cockpit photo this weekend. We're out on the C22 at the moment, be home Friday.

 

[rpwillia]

I had to look up "A dog's breakfast".

Ditto. Then did a LMAO. Well done Jackdaw.

 

[Gene Neill]

Okay, here's that full cockpit shot. It was hard to photograph under a canvas carport, so part of the dog's breakfast on the starboard coaming is hidden behind the mystery winch. But you get the idea:

 

[kloudie1]

Interesting.. even more confusing !
I didn't pick up that there was only one winch on stbd.. I figured spinnaker set and assumed two winches on both sides..
I have convinced myself that the cam cleat is for the roller furl line..

 

[justsomeguy]

Interesting.. even more confusing !
I didn't pick up that there was only one winch on stbd...

My thoughts exactly. Odd, yes?

 

[Meriachee]

Who needs two winches if you only have one spinnaker sheet. "Nah, we don't need to go on the other tack."

 

[Gene Neill]

Like a sailing version of NASCAR?

Yeah, there's nothing mysterious at all on the port side other than the eye strap/fairlead just aft of the jib cleat, which is found on both sides. I guess I'll remove those also, just wipe off all this mess at once and be done with it. She's getting ST winches, but I may leave the sheet cleats for docklines and such.

 

[rgranger]

...I have convinced myself that the cam cleat is for the roller furl line..

Yeah maybe... but wouldn't you put the turning block and fair lead in line with the cam cleat?

 

[Ron20324]

This is like another thread where someone suggested throwing a cotter pin on someone's deck then watch them go crazy trying to figure out where it came from.