affordable deck organizer for smaller boats

[centerline]

I went to the local marine supply store and as usual, it was painful to pry the dollars out of my wallet to pay for what i needed. not because im cheap or dont have the money, but because the stuff is just ridiculously over priced. I wanted a couple of 2sheave deck organizers for my cabin top but as much as I know they would serve my purpose perfectly, i just can not justify the price.... so I made my own.
im sure there are others who have the same reservations about giving their hard earned money to the high dollar store when there are alternatives.
and, I know,.... it isnt always the store, but the manufacture who has the price jacked up. but the point is, its just too expensive sometimes....

I needed 2 sheaves but I ended up making room for a 3rd line....
on a smaller boat this should work great. its just a piece of 1" starboard material with a stainless strap over the top to help stabilize it on its mount.... like the cost, its very low friction and it looks good.... the cost as shown was 8 dollars for the pair.... plus an hour and a half of labor, verses the 204 dollars for a pair of double line models at the rigging store....

 

[Duke]

The organizers look good, will do the job, saved a couple $, and no doubt, the project has given you some personal satisfaction.

 

[davenlynn]

Bravo, sailor! You've expressed the feelings of a great many of us in the sailing community. Not everyone is as handy as you, but there are still a few places (sites) that are relatively inexpensive. I suggest those who are looking try: riggingonly.com and marinepartdepot.com, just to name two I have dealt with and that have saved me money. Defender.com also has some decent prices.
Like you, I make some of my equipment and have saved hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Keep up the good work.
If anyone else has site suggestions, please feel free to suggest them.

Dave
S/V Trial and Error
San Diego

 

[DeniseO30]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Deck Organizers[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]30-DO-DB[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]length:[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]5-1/8[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]width:[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]2[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]weight:[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]12 oz.[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]shackle:[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] sheave diameter: 2

Made with ball bearing sheaves.

$46.00

[/FONT]http://garhauermarine.com/catalog_process.cfm?cid=33

affordable (no I don't work for them) [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/FONT]

 

[catsailor]

Nice. I have one due for replacement that would be amenable to a similar fabrication.

Also consider buying captive sheaves from Harken and fabricating side plates to suite your specific needs. That can be easy, effective, and economical. I've done that a few times when I wanted something different... and cheaper is always nice.

 

[Don12364]

I don't see any 'sheaves' at all in your organisers.

I tested my own deck organisers which do have 1½" plain bearing sheaves and found the line having to make 2 right angle turns resulted in a 50% increase of pull required on the tail of each line.
I replaced these sheaves with ball race ones to good effect but eventually took the vang and topping lift out of the organisers altogether and ran them in free air over the cabin top where there is no friction at all.

 

[centerline]

Denise, that is what i was looking for, and its more affordable that what i had previously found

catsailor, I considered buying the sheaves and making the cheeks for them, but to also answer Donalex,....
on a small boat the lines dont hold a great amount of tension and i thought the need for sheaves was unnecessary. with the starboard material and the poly line, there is so little friction that even a hard 90 degree turn is very doable (im about a 20 degree angle).... these arent "running" lines, but static (halyards, vang, reefing line, ect).... and the organizes sit so close to the cleats/clutches that the line isnt working too much in it and causing unnecessary chafe.
so, a ready made unit with sheaves would have been easier, I think for the price and usage here, it was a bit of overkill... an unnecessary luxury when a piece of scrap starboard will work just as well....

 

[DeniseO30]

Marine salvage and consignment shops are best for used gear. Out here on the right coast, I go to Bacon sails .com they have tons of stuff.. but most of it is not online.

 

[centerline]

thats a great idea!... I dont know of any salvage or consignment shops here on the left coast... in my general area.

 

[Charles Erwin]

Other variations

Very difficult to find organizers at resale shops in the NW. Possibly the best resale shop is Second Wave in Seattle.

Meanwhile here are a few more items one can make for under $5 each
Break strength greater than 2000#

Charles

 

[Dave Groshong]

This Spinlock is pretty inexpensive:

http://shop.hunterowners.com/prod.php?13911

 

[Merlin Clark]

Very difficult to find organizers at resale shops in the NW. Possibly the best resale shop is Second Wave in Seattle.

Meanwhile here are a few more items one can make for under $5 each
Break strength greater than 2000#

Charles

Great work!

 

[Duke]

Very difficult to find organizers at resale shops in the NW. Possibly the best resale shop is Second Wave in Seattle.

Meanwhile here are a few more items one can make for under $5 each
Break strength greater than 2000#

Charles

With a 2000# strength, what type / size line did you use?

 

[kenn]

Some great ideas here. It's always satisfying when you can fabricate something that performs well.

As Denise has shown, careful shopping plus trying the lesser brands often yields some lower-cost but still dependable hardware. I love Harken stuff, but I've also deployed Ronstan and Bluewave blocks, and some other budget line from the UK whose name escapes me. DWO or something like that.

When I led our halyards back to the cockpit I found that buying individual Harken cheekblocks was cheaper than a "deck organizer" and gave me more control over position and angle. But I only have 2 lines led to starboard, and one to port.

 

[Charles Erwin]

Duke

The line for the loops and soft shackles is Samson 1/8" Amsteel Blue - break strength is 2500# average minimum #2300.

Loops and soft shackles are usefull all by themselves - and you can get the line right here in the SBO store.

For more information have a look at http://l-36.com/soft_shackles.php. He has very good instructions - and reports about testing the soft shackles.

Charles