Fairlead Adjustment

[svquest]

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.

Another option is to put a block where the ring is to remove friction against the sheet. Use something like these :

You can put two of them hooked to each other. One goes on the sheet the other is the return loop for your tweaker. To get the right size it will have about the same load as a genoa car so you can use the formulas at Harken's website to get the loads and get the blocks of your choice that will work for you.

We do this a lot with the Sea Scout ships that we volunteer with.

K

 

[Jackdaw]

Many new boats with non-overlapping rigs will have in addition to remotely adjustable cars, both inhaulers and outhaulers.

Part of this is due to the very high aspect ratio of the sail, which puts a high value on good lead angles.
The other reason is these boat fly a single (jib) headsail, which makes the setups practical.

The next phase, in particular for sporty boats designed to reach, is to get rig of the track altogether and just use haulers that position a low-friction ring in 3-dimensional space. The Pogo 12.50 I sail on does this, and so will the upcoming J/121. Once you get used to these systems you can really dial-in your headsail. Zoom!!

 

[flynhi4u]

That looks pretty slick with a wide range of adjustment. Does it add 4 lines to the cockpit? Are they led to winches?

Sam

 

[Jackdaw]

Well the haulers + track adjuster can add 3 control lines, plus the sheet.

On boats with non-overlapping sailplans, the choice of what hauler you really need is determined by where the track is. If the track is ABOVE the window (like BlueJ) your windward angle is good and you need an outhauler to reach. If you track is BELOW the window, like this Elan S3, then you need inhaulers to point for sure, and probably outhaulers too! You can see the inhaulers and LF ring along the companionway. The headsail is off so no sheet. Normally they are on 2:1 or 3:1 purchase.

The floating ring just adds two control lines. Same deal 2:1 or 3:1, usually done via loops.

 

[svquest]

Remember the days when we just had 5-6 different tracks mounted on the deck.

You figured out what in or out you needed for the next tack/gybe and moved the cars from track to track.

Wish we'd had any of these setups back then

 

[jwing]

I'm far from an expert on sail trim, but I do know this: The probability of me gaining knowledge of setting the jib fairleads from practical experience was nil with pin stop fairleads. So, I added towable cars, some blocks, cam cleats, and control lines that reach back to the tiller.
I did not use the Garhauer kit - too expensive. I just bought the individual parts and cobbled them together for about half the price. It works great and with a small boat, I can instantly feel the effect of moving the fairlead, right or wrong. Best way for me to learn.