Help!! Need to place my jib track (Boat Back from the Dead)

[Penny Can]

Hello all:

A few weeks ago I posted about my new boat, a mid '60s C-Lark 14. I have been working on its problems and I am just inches away from getting it sail-ready. I have water tested it and I know it won't immediately sink. Time will tell if I have to do any hull repairs although there are no obvious cracks.

I took the advice of the forum and found a used set of sails for it rather than going the poly tarp route. However, I did not get a jib quite the same size as original; it's a bit longer at the foot. Almost like a genoa. I'll have to reattach the track for the jib block at a different location, and I do not for the life of me know where to put it.

Point: The foot reaches just past the shrouds. Should I place the track outside or inside this? Also, where do I locate the cam cleat in relation to the track/block?

Thanks for the help!

 

[FourPoints]

Re: Help!! Need to place my jib track (Boat Back from the De

for a genoa, the track should always be outside the shrouds. you can have the track inside the shrouds for a jib, but is it not often done.

the cam cleat would be aft in an unobstructed straight line from the block within reach of the helm

 

[Tim R.]

Re: Help!! Need to place my jib track (Boat Back from the De

Add tracks for both. Inside the shrouds will give you better pointing ability with the smaller sails.

 

[Penny Can]

OK, Outside it will go as I only have one set of tracks.

Where in relation to the sail should the track go? Leading edge of track forward of jib clew or aft? I want to position it so that I have some room to adjust back and forth after it goes in. I also assume a fairlead of some type is good between the block and the cleat as the cleat has none on it. Am I wrong?

 

[FourPoints]

Re: Help!! Need to place my jib track (Boat Back from the De

The track never needs to extend forward of the clew of the head sail in use, however depending on the cut of the sail (high clew, vs low clew) it may not even need to go that far forward. If you haven't already checked it out, I suggest you check out Don Guillette's book on sail trim (available on the store here I believe) as it will explain where the jib/genoa sheet car needs to be, which ultimately determines where the track needs to be.

 

[Joe]

Re: Help!! Need to place my jib track (Boat Back from the De

Draw an imaginary line from the clew to the midpoint on your headsail's luff... if you like you can lightly mark these points so the line is easier to visualize. Now, hoist the sail and extend the clew over the approximate track location. The line will point to the lead block's median or neutral position ... so make that the mid point of your track.

As far as cleat location...I've pictured the ideal fitting below.. they are about $65 apiece..so if that's out of the budget... just locate the cleat in a logical position that will allow you to handle the sheet from the windward side of the boat. A simple clam cleat... around $10.. is more than adequate. http://www.clamcleat.com/home/default.asp

The angle between the boat's centerline and a line from the lead block to the tack fitting will give you the sail's lead (or sheeting) angle. If you desire a smaller lead angle for this sail you can move the track inboard or rig a "barberhauler". Chances are you will be happy with the lead angle as it is though, but it's good to know that it can be adjusted without rebuilding the system.

 

[RichH]

The track never needs to extend forward of the clew of the head sail in use, however depending on the cut of the sail (high clew, vs low clew) it may not even need to go that far forward. If you haven't already checked it out, I suggest you check out Don Guillette's book on sail trim (available on the store here I believe) as it will explain where the jib/genoa sheet car needs to be, which ultimately determines where the track needs to be.

Disagree.
The track should extend far enough forward so that the fairlead car can be moved forward as the jib/genoa is sailed more 'off the wind' (for long periods). If the car cannot go further forward than the normal 'beating' position, when the clew goes forward (and out) the fairlead car will be too far aft which will cause the head of the sail to have the incorrect shape (too much twist and will be 'stalling at the head' plus the foot of the jib/genoa will usually be overtrimmed (too tight). For proper trim when the clew is eased, the fairlead car 'should' go forward ... to follow the correct airstream flow across the sail as 'seen' by the tell tales.

 

[FourPoints]

Disagree.
The track should extend far enough forward so that the fairlead car can be moved forward as the jib/genoa is sailed more 'off the wind' (for long periods).

I agree with you in everything except that my statement was wrong

I said the track will never need to be forward of the clew. So hypothetically, according to you, if you were to set the car to be directly under where the clew cross the track with it stretched fully out, and sail off the wind, you're saying the car would still need to be moved farther forward?

I don't think that would ever result in correct headsail shape. I stand by my statement that (for a given sail size) the track / car would not need to extend forward of the farthest aft point of the clew. The only case that might be different would be a particularly large head sail like a drifter

 

[Musing]

Re: Help!! Need to place my jib track (Boat Back from the De

Hi Penny,
I just bought the same boat this spring. If you need photos or measurements on anything, just let me know.
My boat is in pretty good condition, just needs some cosmetic tlc and we just did a soap bubble leak test and determined we have a small leak where the centerboard hinges.