Correct lead for genoa sheets on a 1983 O’Day 25
- Thread starter CaptainCr3ative
- Start date
Interesting, from the photos, it certainly looked like the sheet would rub against the coaming.
It does but I never saw any wear on the gelcoat other than some very light scuffs. I usually left my genoa blocks pulled aft too (more pressure on the coaming due to the angle)
I'm little late to this discussion, I'll try to be brief. Lead blocks are for controlling sail trim. The winch's location is not considered when positioning the lead block, the sail determines lead block position. You can easily determine optimal lead block's fore and aft location by drawing an imaginary line that BISECTS the corner angle of the clew. Geometrically speaking this line is defined by finding the midpoint on the sail's luff and extending a line from that point down through the clew terminating at the deck. This will be the neutral, or balanced, point where there is equal tension on the leech (sail's trailing edge) and the foot (sail's bottom edge). Moving the lead block forward or backward will thus unbalance the tension changing the shape of the sail. If you regularly use more than one headsail, it can help to mark each sail's neutral point along the track for quick crew reference.
As far as locating the headsail winches (which are usually the largest pair, and called "primaries"), you'll normally see them on the cockpit coaming so the sheets will be able to have a fair entry to the winch drum, (I'm thinking that's around 10-15 deg rise. However, of equal importance is their proximity to the people who'll be working them. On a boat with limited crew you'd definitely want your primaries accessible while sitting at the helm. That mandate will mean that some sheets may not have a fair lead to the winch because their neutral lead block location may be way forward, or way aft.... For that reason if is very common for sailboat to have "turning blocks" that can be installed between the lead block and the winch. A turning block is located for better winch operation, whereas the lead block is located for sail trim.
So here's what you do. Using the method described in the first paragraph, find the neutral points on deck for each sail (yes you can use a protractor) Next, use the marks to set your leads, hopefully the track is long enough to use what you have, Otherwise, you may want to install an extra 2-3 foot track section. Once that done you'll know the sheet length required for each sail. I recommend having at least two sets of sheets.... that allows you to run the sheets ahead of time making the sail change easier, even if it's going to use the same set of leads. BUT... it's not mandatory....let your budget be your guide... just make sure they can accommodate all three sails. Uh.... if the third sail is a spinnaker that's for another discussion. This one is for headsails only.
Finally, if your track is on the toe rail, run the sheets outside the lifeline around the shrouds for everything but your smallest jib. If you want the sail tighter to boat's center line, set up a simple "Barber Hauler" rig for that. Google it, it makes sense when you see a picture. Final, final.... since you're sorta new to this I have to give you some advice....... Use TWO SEPARATE sheets... tie them to the sail with bowline knots. Do not use one long sheet folded in half with a cow hitch knot for the sail. Nope, that's very lubberly, And it makes changing sails incredibly time consuming. Do not store the sheets in the same bag with the sails (you will destroy the sail). Sheets always coiled correctly and stowed separately so they can dry out. If you change cleats, NO CLUTCHES of CAPTIVE cleats. i.e no fairleads. No cleats between winch and fairlead, When you tack you must be able to lift the sheet vertically to throw it off the winch, and not cause any resistance to the sail as it moves across to the other side. Okay..... that's enough,,, that was way longer than I intended, sorry. Have fun... if you want to have more.. get a copy (doesn't have to be new) of John Rousemaniere's "The Annapolis Book of Seamanship"
Oops, forgot to mention, your question about the "risers" for the winch cleats.... the reason he put those in was to lower the chance of "over-riding" the sheet when releasing it. I have cam cleats on risers for my sheetwinches. I like the method so much I left it unchanged when I switched over to Self Tailing winches a few years back. It much faster to put on just 2 or 3 wraps and use the separate cleats on risers when making a lot of tacks than having to load up the drum with more wraps and then use the cleat ring on the winch. Much much faster.. trust me. especially single handing.
As far as locating the headsail winches (which are usually the largest pair, and called "primaries"), you'll normally see them on the cockpit coaming so the sheets will be able to have a fair entry to the winch drum, (I'm thinking that's around 10-15 deg rise. However, of equal importance is their proximity to the people who'll be working them. On a boat with limited crew you'd definitely want your primaries accessible while sitting at the helm. That mandate will mean that some sheets may not have a fair lead to the winch because their neutral lead block location may be way forward, or way aft.... For that reason if is very common for sailboat to have "turning blocks" that can be installed between the lead block and the winch. A turning block is located for better winch operation, whereas the lead block is located for sail trim.
So here's what you do. Using the method described in the first paragraph, find the neutral points on deck for each sail (yes you can use a protractor) Next, use the marks to set your leads, hopefully the track is long enough to use what you have, Otherwise, you may want to install an extra 2-3 foot track section. Once that done you'll know the sheet length required for each sail. I recommend having at least two sets of sheets.... that allows you to run the sheets ahead of time making the sail change easier, even if it's going to use the same set of leads. BUT... it's not mandatory....let your budget be your guide... just make sure they can accommodate all three sails. Uh.... if the third sail is a spinnaker that's for another discussion. This one is for headsails only.
Finally, if your track is on the toe rail, run the sheets outside the lifeline around the shrouds for everything but your smallest jib. If you want the sail tighter to boat's center line, set up a simple "Barber Hauler" rig for that. Google it, it makes sense when you see a picture. Final, final.... since you're sorta new to this I have to give you some advice....... Use TWO SEPARATE sheets... tie them to the sail with bowline knots. Do not use one long sheet folded in half with a cow hitch knot for the sail. Nope, that's very lubberly, And it makes changing sails incredibly time consuming. Do not store the sheets in the same bag with the sails (you will destroy the sail). Sheets always coiled correctly and stowed separately so they can dry out. If you change cleats, NO CLUTCHES of CAPTIVE cleats. i.e no fairleads. No cleats between winch and fairlead, When you tack you must be able to lift the sheet vertically to throw it off the winch, and not cause any resistance to the sail as it moves across to the other side. Okay..... that's enough,,, that was way longer than I intended, sorry. Have fun... if you want to have more.. get a copy (doesn't have to be new) of John Rousemaniere's "The Annapolis Book of Seamanship"
Oops, forgot to mention, your question about the "risers" for the winch cleats.... the reason he put those in was to lower the chance of "over-riding" the sheet when releasing it. I have cam cleats on risers for my sheetwinches. I like the method so much I left it unchanged when I switched over to Self Tailing winches a few years back. It much faster to put on just 2 or 3 wraps and use the separate cleats on risers when making a lot of tacks than having to load up the drum with more wraps and then use the cleat ring on the winch. Much much faster.. trust me. especially single handing.
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