Genoa Leads/Blocks

[Capri]

See attached photos. I have a 1982 O'Day 22. I've never sailed a boat with a head sail. I use the stand up blocks where the mast shrouds connect to the deck for what I assume is a Jib sail.. it's hidden in photos. It's smaller than the sail i have that is labeled 150 Genoa. I wrap the sheet around the winch and then cleat it. Now I understand the track is called a Genoa track so I assume I only use the Genoa sail with this? But if you look at the track it doesn't seem like the block would be move able to the back while wrapped around the winch. Or does it never slide that far back? It looks like once I winch it the block could be behind the winch and cleat.

 

[Davidasailor26]

What you want is for the line from the block to the headsail clew to bisect the angle of the sail's foot and leach. You may want to make minor adjustments based on sail cut and wind conditions, but that's a starting point. My guess is that unless your genoa is unusually big you would want the block somewhere in the front or middle of that track. You could use the car on the back of the track, bringing the sheet through it then forward to the winch, but that's likely only necessary for a spinnaker. For the smaller headsail, you'll probably use the block either all the way forward on the track, or use the one on the deck. That just depends on the size of the sail, which determines how far back the sheet needs to go to bisect that angle.

 

[Joe]

Because the winch drum is 360 degrees, the sheet can exit anywhere you decide. It is up to you to decide the type and location of the cleat. Since you have no preference... simply use what's there... it will work but not as well as a jam, cam or clam cleat. The cleat in your picture looks like a deck cleat for mooring lines.
I'd change that out for sure... one of these types are the most popular:

You always position the cleat so the sheet will enter it fair from the drum.

As David mentioned, the position of the lead block... jib or genoa... depends on the sail's clew location. The sheet should bisect the clew... draw a line on it if it helps... this is called the neutral position where the foot and the leech of the sail are under equal tension. Owning a basic sail trim guide would help you understand a lot of this.

You can use the jib on the genoa track..... a genoa is simply an overlapping jib...the track is placed on the toe rail so the sail can wrap around the shrouds.

 

[JohnVTX]

You can run both headsails to genoa track. you can also add self tailing to the top of the winches instead of jam cleats on coaming.

 

[Sunbird22358]

Cleat shown is for jib sheet, but I suspect it was factory-located for the working jib, and positioned based on the sheet coming from the stand-up blocks located on the side decks. You could still use them for the larger genoa with the sheet run through a block on that track..... it will be a bit awkward, but will work. I've posted a few pictures from the 1978 brochure, I was surprised to find many pictures from various years that usually show the 22 with 2 jib sheet cleats per side (factory original) one forward of the winch, one aft, even when the genoa track is not installed. As you can see in the pictures, that doesn't seem ideal, since the unused cleat seems to get in the way..... but still interesting!

 

[wing15601]

On my 1981 O'Day 28 the genoa sheet goes through a block on a track like yours then aft to a cheek block before going back forward to the winch.