Hi 170 sailors, My wife and I were sailing the 170 on Sunday and had full tension (decent & puffy breeze/jib sail close-hauled) on the jib, when the active sheet (port tack) slipped out of the port cleat's grip! Man, that sheet popped out of there with some serious force- and the boat immediately leveled down off of heel. I'm wondering if anyone has had issues with their Harken cleat claws slipping? Could the claws be wearing down? Could the jib tails be the culprit (they're original 1999 vintage, but still in apparently good shape)? Any experiences/thoughts in this area would be really helpful. Best, Mike G. -s/v Lil Sport Alachua, FL
Jib sheet slipping/ clamcleat grip
- Thread starter gball
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Angle of Sheet?
The angle of the sheet may have pulled it out of the jaws. It should come straight in, parallel to the jaws. Maybe the heavy wind pressure and the angle of the sheet from the full sail weren't lined up properly?
The angle of the sheet may have pulled it out of the jaws. It should come straight in, parallel to the jaws. Maybe the heavy wind pressure and the angle of the sheet from the full sail weren't lined up properly?
Sheet angle
Paul, thanks. I agree. Then I get to thinking --the down angle from the jib's clew to the fairlead (before the sheet is fed through the cleat) is horrifically steep (inherent to the 170's design-- no fairlead car, no way to vary the attack). This might also play a part- so much down pressure on the sheet. I'm still suspicious about the sheet's age too- when the mainsheet was wearing out on my Laser, I couldn't get it to jam to save my life- albeit few Laser sailors ever exercise that option for long! Mike
Paul, thanks. I agree. Then I get to thinking --the down angle from the jib's clew to the fairlead (before the sheet is fed through the cleat) is horrifically steep (inherent to the 170's design-- no fairlead car, no way to vary the attack). This might also play a part- so much down pressure on the sheet. I'm still suspicious about the sheet's age too- when the mainsheet was wearing out on my Laser, I couldn't get it to jam to save my life- albeit few Laser sailors ever exercise that option for long! Mike
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