Line Clutch....

[NYSail]

I am in the market to purchase a new 3 line, line clutch. I have a couple questions again that I need answered from the experienced here on this site.

1 - The clutches show strength in terms of pounds? Also, this is used when looking at lines, rode etc... Where does one go to find out how many pounds of force a main sheet, jib sheet, hallyard, or boat at anchor etc... would have.

2 - Any recommendations as to the type of clutches people use. I was looking at Spinlock, but saw many others as well... pro's cons?

Again, I am a cruiser, day sailor, type sailor... no formal racing, but like to push on occation.


Thanks as always!

Greg
P36-2

 

[Ed Schenck]

Me too, need two doubles. I won't worry about the rating. If they are the right size for my 7/16" lines then they have to be strong enough. More to be concerned about is the anchoring to the coach roof I think. This link does have some load info though: http://www.pyacht.com/lewmar-rope-clutches.htm .

 

[PrincessoftheLake]

I have had Lewmar and Spinlock clutches and have been happy with both. If you size the clutch to the line size you should be fine with whatever it is rated for working load. Most important is the mounting with a sufficient backing plate. I typically over size the backing plate but that's just me.

POTL

 

[Tim R.]

I installed new Lewmars on my last boat a couple of years ago. I liked them best and seemed to be gentlest on the lines from a wear perspective. I think PS also rated them best. I did not like the Garhauers. Personal preoference thing. They appeared well made though.

Size them for the lines and note that holding power decreases with small than spec lines. Beefy backing plates are a must.

 

[Steve Dion]

Greg:

I have Garhauer clutches on my Hunter Vision 36 and really like them they are very strong (no plastic parts) and can be released under heavy loads. They are also very reasonably priced and can be configured to just about any number of clutches in a single cluster.

Their newer units have double springs which make their gripping ability much better than their older ones (single springs on my original ones). We had some slipage on my original ones so I purchased a new set. They also come with a 10 year warranty.

www.garhauermarine.com

 

[JohnShannon]

Harken web site if you root around has some formulas for loads based on wind and sail area. Also Lewmar site has some good info. If you are just replacing something, you might be able to get the old spec, then you use that or stronger.

 

[Rick Sylvester]

Hi Greg. We're going to go with the big Garhauers.

We looked at them at the last show and the Admiral really liked the extending handle that gives her weaker hands more leverage. As with all things Garhauer they seemed well made.

I would imagine any of the current brands properly sized would do just fine. As Tim says, it becomes a personal preference thing.

 

[Ed Schenck]

I was looking at those Steve. The doubles are $50. cheaper than the Lewmars here on SBO. That's a $100. savings even though I would like to buy from here.

 

[bria46]

I have a double mounted on the Port side cabin roof, and a triple mounted on the starboard side cabin roof. The starboard side was installed by the origonal owner 25 years ago and continues to function properly. Although I did have to replace a broken latch release handle a couple of years ago. I used SS Fender washers and acorn nuts on the interior. Both units have never leaked. The O'Day 272 has a solid roof-no inner glass liner. Brand? Spinlock

 

[DannyS]

I second (or third or fourth) the Garhauer. They're not as sexy looking as Spinlocks or Lewmars, but they work well and you can't beat the price.

 

[Deadhead]

Practical Sailor has reviewed rope clutches in the past couple of years. You may want to check their archives.

 

[Joe]

I put a pair of aluminum garhaurer doubles on each side for the halyards...... love 'em....

Here's a tip: take it easy on pulling the line through the closed clutch... to minimize abrasion to the fiber.

 

[Blitz]

I love my Lewmars - but they replaced some older Easylock's from the 80's so not sure if this helps. No abrasion after three years of use; there aren't any teeth to do any abrasion. You can also ease the line out and not release the load all at once. Just my opinion

 

[robertsapp]

What are you replacing? You might want to stick with the same brand if the holes match up. We replaced an old worn out Spinlock triple XA with one of the newer XAS models because the hole spacing was identical and didn't require any new holes to be drilled for mounting. Other brands and models had different mounting hole patterns, which would have turned an afternoon job into a weekend job due to the need to fill the old holes and drill and tap new ones.

 

[Sandy Stone]

Line clutches

I had Lewmars on a previous boat and Splinlocks on my last one. Don't know if it was because the loads were higher on the Spinlock boat, since it was bigger, but chafe on the lines seemed to be more of a problem.

 

[stephen Penny]

I installed Lewmar clutches on my 1987 Hunter 31 last year. They work really great. My 2004 Hunter 386 came with Spinlock clutches and they also work great. Both are great options.

 

[stephen Penny]

I relocated the clutches aft so they would not foul the new dodger I installed. I drilled new holes to install the new clutches and then filled and sprayed the old holes to make them disappear.

 

[RichH]

Garhauers are the best price, very well made, but are the champion ROPE EATERS .... very abrasive vs. clutched lines.
If you have the $$$ go Harken.

 

[Steve Dion]

The older Garhauer's with single spring were rough on lines. The newer ones with double springs to not appear to have this problem.

 

[DianaOfBurlington]

I go with what Ed S said and add to what Princess said about backing plates. Remember that line clutches, like winches, are in shear, not in tensile loads. That means, to be strong, the backing plates should be bonded to the underside of the deck (and completely disregard the cabin top liner; it is not structural enough to support a backing plate or to be relied-upon in lieu of one). Using 5200 to adhere the backing plates is a must. A loose backing plate may be fine for tensile (load pulling up) but not for shear (in which the bolts are being asked to not shear in half sideways). The deeper the stratum the bolts go through, the stronger in shear. It's just more bearing surface for the sides of the bolt shanks.

Installing these backing plates is not hard. Dry-fit the whole thing. Add one small (#8) hole in the middle somewhere and when you apply the 5200, screw the backing plate to the deck with a SM screw in this one hole. Then when it is dry clean out the bolt holes and install the hardware with 4200 or Boatlife, to hold out water and to be easily breached when you paint or change/rebuild the hardware. Consider the backing plate a permanent part of the boat, not something that ever has to be removed. The same goes for backing plates of cleats, cheek blocks, winches, halyard-lift blocks, foot/turning blocks (most especially!) and anchor windlasses.