Gauhauer EZ G2

[Joe Mullee]

Don,

I recently purchased the EZ G2 jib cars for my Hunter 34 and have a question about adjusting them. In some of your other posts I think you mentioned that they are self adjusting "almost". Can you explain what you mean by that statement? Is it that they don't need to be cleated/held in place and that they will just find their correct/best position by themselves based on the point of sail? I'm not sure what you mean.

Thanks for the clarification.

Joe Mullee

 

[Rick D]

Not Exactly

Don,

I recently purchased the EZ G2 jib cars for my Hunter 34 and have a question about adjusting them. In some of your other posts I think you mentioned that they are self adjusting "almost". Can you explain what you mean by that statement? Is it that they don't need to be cleated/held in place and that they will just find their correct/best position by themselves based on the point of sail? I'm not sure what you mean.

Thanks for the clarification.

Joe Mullee

The force will tend to pull the car aft which is why you need purchase to move it forward. When it comes to moving it aft, the force would tend to make the car move aft, thereby mitigating any need for an aft pull. However, I have found as have others that help is sometimes needed. So I put an aft haul line to give the car some help. I simply purchased a mini block and becket and attached it to the cam assembly and led it to a jam cleat on the deck side

 

[Don Guillette]

Joe: First, all boats are different and what I'm talking about is my boat - Catalina 30. I really don't know how the system knows where to set up but it does -- probably Rich H has the scientific explanation.

Anyway, my set up is the same as Rick D's. In other words, I can move the fairlead car forward and aft. It works like a mini traveler. How I know it's slightly "off" is because I tested it and it's a very simple test. Once I completed the tack I secured the car so it couldn't move. Then I came up almost to "head to wind" to see how the jib broke. In my case, and other boats may be different, the foot fluttered and the bottom telltales broke first so I knew I had to move the car back and added the system to do so. To find the right spot I just moved the car aft a bit and tested it again until I found the spot where the jib broke evenly from top to bottom. In my case, about 4" to 6" got me in the ball park every time for every wind condition.

 

[Joe Mullee]

OK fella's, let me be sure I got this. I'm still trying to visualize how you guys carry out the tack as it relates to setting the car on the new side.

Before you actually make the turn are you leaving the car on the new side loose? Not set in any particular position? Then once the tack is made and the car sorta finds it's comfort zone do you then make the adjustment that Don writes about?

What I've been doing is setting the car in place before the tack and then adjusting it after the tack. I like Don's test and will give it a go next time out. My basic question is are you leaving the car loose/not set before the tack?

I hope I'm making sense. Thanks.

 

[Don Guillette]

Joe: Your second paragraph is correct and so is your third -- both work and see below.

.There are two fairlead systems -- one is the fixed pin type. With that set up the trimmer on the loaded sheet is calling the break so the lazy side can be re positioned, if necessary. The second system is the stock Garhauer or whomever adjustable system. Unless it's modified like mine and Rick D's it loose to float around and seek it's own position. With the modified setup, the car is locked, like a mini traveler, but you'd loosen it before the tack. If the loaded trimmer called the break the lazy trimmer could re set the Garhauer car and lock it if he wanted to as he knows where the position is going to be by the break call. Hope I haven't confused you to death.

Obviously, you can't just install one of these system and the same day learn how it works in 10 minutes. You have to fool around with it but most owners don't -- they just let it float around, which is fine. That's much better than the sailor with the pin type who never, ever moves the fairlead.

 

[Joe Mullee]

OK, that clarifies it for me. I get out weekly but almost always solo so I'm both the loaded side trimmer and the lazy side trimmer. I didn't like leaving the cockpit to move the pin type cars especially on the windier days. After reading some of your posts I decided to go with the Gauhauer system about a month ago. I like it a lot. It's very easy to move the cars forward and aft on the track but I was setting it before I went thru the tack and then adjusting it after. I'm going to try leaving the car free and then adjusting based on your system. Thanks for the explanation.

Joe Mullee

 

[RichH]

The force will tend to pull the car aft which is why you need purchase to move it forward. When it comes to moving it aft, the force would tend to make the car move aft, thereby mitigating any need for an aft pull. However, I have found as have others that help is sometimes needed. So I put an aft haul line to give the car some help. I simply purchased a mini block and becket and attached it to the cam assembly and led it to a jam cleat on the deck side

Instead of a cam cleated control line to move the EZ glide car aft, just use a bungee to keep tension to promote any 'aft' movement. Just replace the bungee cords every year.

 

[Don Guillette]

Rich H: How does that car know where to set itself? Is there some scientific explanation? A couple of times I tried to fool it -- I noted where it ended up on one tack and I then tacked and then tacked back but this time I tightened up the jib sheet. The car went to the same spot as before. I wonder how it does that?

 

[Rick D]

I Did That, But...

Instead of a cam cleated control line to move the EZ glide car aft, just use a bungee to keep tension to promote any 'aft' movement. Just replace the bungee cords every year.

... found the elastic lines deteriorated so much so fasy it was a PITA. Besides, on a run or broad reach, I bring then all the way back, so I was hauling on the slastic lines anyway.

 

[RichH]

Rich H: How does that car know where to set itself? Is there some scientific explanation? A couple of times I tried to fool it -- I noted where it ended up on one tack and I then tacked and then tacked back but this time I tightened up the jib sheet. The car went to the same spot as before. I wonder how it does that?

The bungee pulls the car back to the limit of the multi-block control line. It keeps the control line taught. Even without a bungee the control line will dictate how far back the fairlead car will be.


Rick - The 'trick' with bungee cords is NEVER use a white cord as white absorbs much more UV than black/'dark'. Same with sails as white is destroyed faster by UV than 'tanbark' sails. Of course, the 'rubber bands' inside the bungee wont last more than a long season.

 

[Don Guillette]

On another subject regarding a bungee cord, which do deterioate, especially in Fl. A friend was using it as a preventer, why I don't know because a bungee cord won't prevent anything. Anyway, I told him it wasn't a good idea but he didn't believe me.

About 3 weeks later, off Fort Myers, FL that sucker let go. I heard it snap and it went over my head and almost hit him in his eye. The bungee metal bent end did stick in his temple like a fish hook. It looked funny but no one laughed -- until later!! To this day, every time I think of my friend I picture that bungee cord metal end sticking in his head. It left a nice scar too. When we get together I always ask him to explain to sailing folks gathered how he got that scar!!

 

[LuzSD]

Rick - The 'trick' with bungee cords is NEVER use a white cord as white absorbs much more UV than black/'dark'. Same with sails as white is destroyed faster by UV than 'tanbark' sails. Of course, the 'rubber bands' inside the bungee wont last more than a long season.

Yep, we found out a few years ago that there is bungee cord that lasts, and bungee cord that does NOT. We found some great solid Black cord that's very tightly packed and lasts just great, we are on year 2+ now and not much wear. (much if not all of it rests under canvas when not sailing).
We got it at Marine Exchange in Pt. Loma, it is hard to find.

 

[Joe]

You can find black shock cord at Fast Lane Sailing in mission bay. Stores that cater to small small sailboats, kayaks, windsurfing and other such animals will most likely have a better selection of UV resistant elastic cord.

The easiest way to prolong the life of your shock cord, and running rigging in general, is to remove it when the boat is not in use. On my EZ glide system, I have simple snap hooks on each end of the shock cord that allow me to quickly connect it up.... the adjusting line connects to the control block with a small caribiner. I remove the gear when I leave the boat for the week....it takes 5 minutes to put it back on just be fore sailing. The elastic cord, control line and headsail sheets are all over ten years old and in great shape because I take a few minutes to remove and stow them inside before leaving.

Finally, in order for the elastic to even remotely help in pulling the car backwards, the jib sheet must leave the car on a level plane with the track, instead of angling upwards directly to the winch. This means another turning block, or foot block, somewhere behind the car is needed to eliminate backward resistance and redirect the sheet to the winch.

The EZ glide jib car system is a great, affordable tool if rigged properly. It gives you the convenience of adjusting your jib lead block's position while the sheet is loaded up.... allowing you to change your headsail's twist immediately and accurately. Luffing up, tacking over, or using a second sheet to ease tension on the primary sheet, is unnecessary to make a jib car adjustment.... and this convenience will encourage those changes to be made more often.

 

[Meriachee]

Kudos to the commentary about the cars being close on their own. I installed lower tracks on my C270, as the 155 that I bought is a couple of inches too big for the top track. I moved the EZGlide cars to the lower track, and it's utterly fantastic the difference. What Don said about tells is spot on, it's also so easy to get the sail 1/4" from the top spreader and razor straight in the leech in the bottom third. It's uncanny how little the cars need to be moved to make these adjustments, and how darn near impossible it is without them.

I use a piece of bungee with the hooks on each end and they come off when not in use.
Cheers
Gary

 

[Meriachee]

Maybe we should get Guido at Garhauer to whip up a dual cam cleat version of the SJ-1. That would allow an even higher degree of finesse.

 

[Meriachee]

Here's a couple of shots of the new car assembly with the EZGlide hammers for fore and aft. The large one with the fair lead is for the forward sheeting and the smaller one is to hold the car and pull it back ( not that you really need to)
I will post more pics as it progresses.
Cheers
Gary

 

[Meriachee]

Joe,

Almost suggests that the car will almost find the right spot. That almost is based on a balance of tension forward and aft, which really only applies to the balance on the sheet. This balance, however, is very close to the right trim for the sail. The car will, usually, need to go forward just a touch.
Try this:
Let the car find its balance, and lock it off.
Trim the sail so it's almost touching the top spreader, or sheeted in respectably tight.
Look at the bottom third of the sail on the leech, are if its straight
Move the car a little bit forward and watch the relationship between the top spreader and the bottom third.
If you don't have a spreader up there, pick a point that you can reference.

I have a dual spreader rig, and what I see is that I haul in the sail till it just touches the top spreader, the bottom third is slightly rounded
I move the car a few inches forward, the bottom third goes razor straight, and the top moves off the spreader a few inches, and suddenly the tells are moving and you can feel the boat go.

The almost is good for the sheet, but not quite for the sail.
Does this make sense?

Cheers
Gary