Thanks Joe,Yes The mast is big enough for both halyards.I was thinking I might later try an asymetrical chute that I could use that front mast sheave for.Actually That is what I first thought it was for.Silly me,external halyards, how vintage.
I like your setup.Do those clam cleats hold well?Aluminum ones I assume.what is the horn cleat used for?
That bottom picture,is that the mast head?Thanks,Barry
Barry,
The clam cleats are metal. The way it works is: You pull on the halyard to get the Mainsail up. Then take three wraps around the mast winch and while standing in front of the mast without stepping on your hatch, you pull the sail up tight and with your left hand move the halyard into the clam cleat and continue holding it while you pull the wraps straight out off the drum with your right hand and cleat the halyard off on the halyard cleat. The same operation will work with the Jib halyard. The clam cleats are mounted a little off center from the exit plates and cleats so that the halyard can be let off without catching in the clams.
The clam cleats are only used to hold the tension of the halyard just long enough so that you can cleat the halyard off on the horn cleat.
When you go to let the halyard off you untie the halyard at the cleat, take three wraps around the winch drum and pull the halyard to get it off the clam and let the sail down. The winch handle is not needed. In fact, I never have a need for the winch handle for my Gennie winches.
These clam cleats are great on a boat.
I have a large plastic open clam cleat behind each of my Gennie winches which are on the combings.
That bottom picture is the mast head. You can see the halyard inside the mast just under the mast sheave. I replace that sheave a few years ago and used a stainless steel bolt with a lock nut for the axle. The sheave turns on the smooth surface of the bolt. The original pin was pressed into the mast head, hense the bolt.
If you think hard enough, you can make almost anything work on these boats. I just built a mast plug out of Trex and PVC Foam Board last month and mounted it on my mast. I know it's going to work because I built a similar mast extrusion out of Trex last summer and sailed my boat for weeks.
It will take a little figuring on your part, but I think that you could set up your mast similar to mine.
I think that Rudy has all the hardware that you need like the exit plates and the Jib sheave block.
http://www.drmarine.com/
I bought a Jib sheave block off him a few years ago and installed it myself. It has a metal sheave and I had to cut a small square hole in my mast with a Dremel Tool and bend the tabs on the block to fit the curvature of the mast. I drilled and tapped the holes for threaded machine screws to hold the block.
I only use this Jib Halyard for raising/lowering my mast as my CDI Roller Furler has it's own built in halyard. I put a lot of strain on that sheave block and it's held like a champ so far.
Joe
