Mast winch placement

[Don K.]

The mast on my 26' does not have any winches now. I have a good single speed winch to install but where? Main or jib halyard?

 

[Rick Webb]

Why?

Why not just use the jib winch?

 

[Dave]

Pads??

Don,Does the mast have flat pads already in place on which to install a winch. You will have to drill and tap holes to match the mounting holes on the winch you want to use or buld up pads using teak or a plastic construction material like StarBoard. As to which halyard to use the winch for.....Which sail is the most difficult to raise and tension properly????

 

[David Foster]

Cabin top by the Cockpit

And lead the line(s) aft from blocks at the foot of the mast through an organizer.It's more work, but you will end up with a good start for single handing, or just raising the sail(s) from the cockpit.The rig is:Turning blocks at the foot of the mast. These can be on the mast, or better yet the boot fixture is possible.An organizer on the deck at the corner of the hatch when it slides forward.A rope clutch where you can reach it from the cockpit.A winch on the cadin roof beside the hatch withA cleat just behind it.Ours is rigged for two lines - the main and the spinnaker halyards. (Our headsail is roller furled.) Once you are doing it, going to three or four is just as easy (if your have room for the turning blocks at the bottom of the mast.) Other candidates are the vang, single line reefing, or the cunningham hole.Be sure to drill/fill/drill any mounting holes unless your have ready made mounting plates. That means drill a large hole, fill it with epoxy, and drill the smaller mounting hole after the epoxy hardens. This prevents water from getting into the deck core and rotting it.DavidLady Lillie

 

[John Dawson]

jib halyard

Good suggestions, there's a lot to be said for lines run aft to a single multi-tasking winch on the cabin. However, the probable explanation you desire is that a jib halyard winch might be more useful because the main is often raised to maximum height and then the luff is tensioned at the bottom by a downhaul (assuming a slide fitting) and/or a cunningham. On the foresail, the tack is fixed and the only tensioning is from the halyard aloft (which may be an unhandy wire rope). If the main is difficult to raise (unlikely on this size) you can possibly use the same winch for hoisting the main first, belay off the winch, and then crank up the jib to desired tension. Depends alot on how your masthead sheaves are arranged.