power clutches

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Louis

I want to replace my horn cleats near the winches with powerclutches this winter. I have researched the archives and found some good ideas. I want to use a double on the starboard side for my main halyard and jib and a single on the port side for my jib. Will use some teak under them and was wondering is there any support built in under the horn cleats for fastening the clutches? I haven't taken the winch access panel down yet to look. Has anyone just gotten rid of the winches and used clutches in there place. Have a tough time single handling in heavy weather with the Hunter set up. Also my main has slipped out of the jam cleat on a couple occasions and now I just secure it to the horn cleat its much safer.
 
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Rick Macdonald

cleats or clutches?

I'm not sure if you're talking about PowerCleats or clutches or both. You can't use the PX PowerCleats for halyards, only for sheets. (IE nothing winched!). You wouldn't want to use clutches for the jib sheets as you can't release them from a distance. Unless your 23.5 is different from mine (1995) you have a winch and a horn cleat on each side for the jib sheets, plus a double _clutch_ (with levers) on the starboard side for the main and jib halyards. The jam cleat (sometimes called a clam cleat) on the starboard side is for the centerboard uphaul so not normally used while sailing. You used that for your main halyard? Yikes! There are details galore about the powercleats replacing the horn cleats in the archives from the last 5 or 6 weeks. I asked a ton of questions before making the change. The installation took a fraction of the time I spent typing and reading! Under the horn cleats perhaps embedded in the deck itself is a tapped metal plate that the 1/4" bolts go through. No nuts are required underneath. You can at least feel the ends of these bolts by removing the coverplate under the winches. I didn't try to look as I didn't have a flashlight handy (or a real reason to see anything). My 1995H23.5 did not need any teak risers under my PowerCleats, and I can release and set them from my stern rail seats, just as promised by others on the forum here before I made the switch. From pictures that I have seen, some Hunter boats have the horn cleats further foward of the bulkhead and likely needed risers for that reason. They are quite close to the edge on the 23.5.
 
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Frank Ladd

Main coming down

I had the same problem with my main coming down I replaced the jam cleats with Ronstan plastic jam cleats that have better gripping teeth. Alos i had to raise the cleats up off the deck on a 3/4 inch block to improve the angle of the line leading to them. A simple block about 4.5 inchs on a side and 3/4 inches thick did the trick. For the sheets I'd recommend spinlock power cleats. if you plan to sail in heavy weather without using the winches, you need to lead the sheets though block at the clew of the sail to cut the pull of the sheets in half.
 
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Louis

1993 23.5

Rick I apolagize I made a mistake my hunter is a 93.I don't have the clutches just jam cleats.
 
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Frank Pratt

backing plate

I replaced the ones on my 93 23.5. I used the front holes filled the back ones and drilled and tapped the aluminum plate that is sandwiched in the fiberglass.
 
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