Self tailing winch conversion

[Jackdaw]

I thought "tailing" was just adding a slight bit of pressure to the sheet until it could be cleat not for the long haul.

'Tailing' is the act of adding pressure on the wraps on the drum so friction develops between the two so the line will not slip while trimming. On a simple winch this has to be done by hand, pulling to keep the 'tail' taunt. A self-tailer uses the wiper and jaws to maintain the pressure.

 

[timebandit]

I agree but at what point is tailing designed to hold the line forever?

'Tailing' is the act of adding pressure on the wraps on the drum so friction develops between the two so the line will not slip while trimming. On a simple winch this has to be done by hand, pulling to keep the 'tail' taunt. A self-tailer uses the wiper and jaws to maintain the pressure.

 

[Jackdaw]

I agree but at what point is tailing designed to hold the line forever?

A ST winch will hold a line secure (Self Cleating?), but not at the same level that say a clutch or for sure an actual cleat will. It is after all simply wedged into the jaws. I would not describe that as a 'forever' hold, and would not use it on a line that had catastrophic effects if it slipped out.

 

[thinwater]

As jackdaw said, ST's are good, but can slip. It's unusual, but for example, you would not leave it in the jaws for a halyard.

In gusty conditions I will also take the rope out of the jaws. A cam cleat is much faster to release. Finally, if you are actively trimming (in and out) the ST is clumsy, since release is slow. Again, a cam cleat and manual tailing is handier. I actually added several more cam cleats after this photo was taken, because I had more tails and some of the cam cleats were poorly positioned (like the un-used one in the image).

 

[cb32863]

The BOGO sale at WM is now through the 11th.

 

[Ron20324]

.... I would not describe that as a 'forever' hold, and would not use it on a line that had catastrophic effects if it slipped out.

If leaving ANY line in the winch jaws, I add another loose wrap around the winch to the line. This also gives you some extra response time if the crew reaches for the line by mistake.

 

[907Juice]

I think you get what you pay for. I have only ever had st winches on chartered boats. Had winchers on a smaller boat and cut them off, and now I have them on my larger boat and I’m keeping them. They work great for coastal cruising, but, I wouldn’t leave them unattended for hours. Honestly, the best advice I received a while ago is, wrap your winch drums to their max and there will be almost no slippage. And that is attended with almost no pressure. Four wraps or so on a winch and your 5 yo can hold the lines...

 

[Hayden Watson]

West Marine is having a buy one get one free sale on Lewmar winches.