Jib Car Adjustment Kit

[YVRguy]

My H34 doesn't have any lines to adjust the jib cars - just a pull-pin to lock them in place. As a result I rarely adjust them as half the time there is too much tension on the jib sheets. Sometimes I can put my foot on the sheet to relieve the tension but clearly it would be much easier if I had a line and pulley system running back into the cockpit. Is there a kit I can buy and install for this? Any tips are appreciated.

 

[Rick D]

What I Used

http://garhauermarine.com/catalog_process.cfm?cid=37

 

[Claude L.-Auger]

I do it like you with my foot on the sheet however if I am smart enough to think ahead then I adjust the car on the lazy side before tacking or gybing. I have worked with an adjustment system on the boat I race on in Florida but it is also set-up with small winches as even with the system the pressure on the sheet is high enough that you cannot pull it by hand when wanting to move the car forward.

The kit you are refering to is offered by Garhauer:
E-Z Glide Adjustable Genoa Car System
E-Z G-2UB
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]length:[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]width:[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]weight:[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]shackle:[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]1-1/4" t-track standard duty. Before ordering we need thickness of top t section. Safe working load: 2,800 lbs. Optional swivel cam on slide available for $100.00 each set

$302.50 [/FONT]

I figured that for that kind of money ( $300 + added to $100 for the swivel cams, + 2 small winches) since I do not race the boat I will continue using my foot or setting up the lazy side. Good luck with your decision

 

[Don Guillette]

YVRguy: I don't know what you paid for your Hunter 34 but $300 or so is probably a drop in the bucket compared to the whole scheme of things -- you've probably spent that in dock lines and fenders.

From your topic it seems you realized the difficulty of adjusting your pin type fairleads by stepping on the sheet and want to get it right but since most folks will do what's easy and not what's difficult, the fairlead setting you sometimes decide to stay with is right for one point of sail and wind condition and wrong for all others -- like the broken clock!!

Follow my good friend Rick D's advise and check out the Garhauer system. Tell Guido or Mark that Don G and Rick D told you to call!! Incidently, there is no difference between racing and cruising trim -- there's only a right way and a wrong way to trim your sails. The adjustable fairlead system is one of the best mods you can make to your boat. It allows you to "dial in" the correct setting for 100% efficiency, which is impossible by using your foot stepping on the sheet.

 

[chuckwayne]

I agree with Don! after studying the issue we installed the garhauer system on our 356 and it makes a huge difference-no winches needed, the tackle on the adjusters is fine with our much larger than standard jib

 

[Claude L.-Auger]

"From your topic it seems you realized the difficulty of adjusting your pin type fairleads by stepping on the sheet and want to get it right but since most folks will do what's easy and not what's difficult, the fairlead setting you sometimes decide to stay with is right for one point of sail and wind condition and wrong for all others"...

..."Incidently, there is no difference between racing and cruising trim -- there's only a right way and a wrong way to trim your sails. The adjustable fairlead system is one of the best mods you can make to your boat. It allows you to "dial in" the correct setting for 100% efficiency, which is impossible by using your foot stepping on the sheet.[/quote]"

FWIW Don, I totally agree with you. And I had provided info Re the EZ Glide system. However, more than 30,000 miles of cruising and racing have shown me that whether you have a fairlead system or not, when cruising there is more of a tendency to let things be, i.e. not trim the sails, longer than it should than when racing where every second of poorly trimmed sail is very costly. You are right that the $300 isn't much on the overall picture. I like using the fairlead system but I have also found that without winches, being able to move the car forward under pressure is next to impossible, much like stepping on the sheet with your foot. Consequently you have the added cost of 2 small winches and the optional swilvel cams if you really want to use the system to its full potential for being 100% dead on with most effective sail trim. So, even when considering 2 used winches in good condition you are bringing the project somewhere between 750 & $1,000. Still not a lot...if indeed you are going to use it to its full advantage. Which brings us back to your comment "since most folks will do what's easy and not what's difficult"...
Thanks for your always helpful comments and suggestions.

 

[YVRguy]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the advice. My first learning is the most obvious: Think about the tack before you execute it. If I did that I could easily adjust the lazy car as Claude says. With that said it seems like the EZ glide or similar kit is a good investment.

FWIW, I also find that my sailing experience varies a lot depending on who I have in the boat. Lately I've had someone very new to sailing and a rather large golden retriever in the cockpit. Not exactly conducive to proactive sail trim. I'm actually finding it frustrating because more often than not I don't have a motivated crew to help with the work so I end up plowing along poorly trimmed until I can get someone to take the wheel.

 

[Don Guillette]

Fairlead placement came up recently on the sail trim forum and perhaps not many listers on this site happened to see it. Here's how I explained it and I think it's especially helpful to mates with the pin type set up.

Here's how it works. When the boat is tacked and at some point (it varies by boat) just before the boat comes head-to-wind the sail will "break". Where it "breaks" tells the jib trimmer on the lazy sheet where to place his fairlead. It's the responsibility of the trimmer on the loaded sheet to "call" the break. For example, if the foot flutters, bottom luffs or the bottom telltales break first he calls to move the fairlead car AFT. If the leech flutters, top luffs or top telltales break first he calls to move the failrlead car FORWARD. How far forward or aft -- it depends on the boat, wind condition etc. How do you check it while practicing to determine if you have the right spot? Easy, just bring the boat almost head to wind and see if the sail breaks evenly from top to bottom. If it does then your perfect for the conditions UNTIL they change. When they change, that's when the Garhauer system comes into its own.

The Garhauer system has a block & tackle that allows you to move the car forward so no additional winches are needed and I had no trouble adjusting a 150 on a Catalina 30. I also wanted to be able to move the car aft so I installed a small block system that allowed me to do so because the Garhauer system is designed so the car seeks the correct position and it does - ALMOST. I obtained better results if I moved the car slightly aft. To picture my set up think of a mini traveler system.

Anyway, I hope you guys found the above info helpful and I didn't mean to barge in on your site.

 

[Stretch]

Hey Doug, I think your PHRF is 141.

 

[YVRguy]

PHRF

Hey Doug, I think your PHRF is 141.

Ha! I have no idea what you're talking about but it doesn't sound good.

Actually, a funny thing about this discussion. I was sailing with a lady friend and she asked me after a while while I kept messing with the trim and interrupting our relaxed conversation. I told her that getting that extra knot of boat speed is every sailors obsession. She laughed and said considering all the power boats do 15 - 20kts, the difference between 5 and 6 kts is kind of academic so I might as well just relax and enjoy the ride.

I was a bit miffed at the time but she has a point

 

[Caribbeanknight1]

It's all about percentages. A powerboat doing 25 knots means one extra knot is a measly 4 percent boost in speed but for a sailor doing 5 knots that extra knot is a whooping 20 percent faster.

 

[heart of gold]

Is that EZ Slide system for 300.00 for both sides or just one? It isn't clear.

 

[Don Guillette]

The price includes a system for both sides. If you decide to purchase the system, pay attention to the installation label on the car. In other words, don't take the car off the shipping track at home and especially on the boat until you're ready to install it on your track. The reason being you'll have ball bearings all over the place. You might ask how many people would do that -- you'd be surprised as many do!!

 

[heart of gold]

Thanks for the heads up. I think I am going to get a set of these, it really is a good investment.