Currently, the only boats that will make the so-called 'best' choice to NOT to have self-tailers are fully crewed race boats. On these boats you always have a 2nd person to tail, and without the wiper on top the line is much easier to strip in a hurry.
For all other boats, the only reason not to have self-tailers is cost. The smallest STs I know are Lewmar 14s, at $1000/set. That's serious money on a boat that might only be worth that. And I can also see someone saying that they would rather send the money on other systems. That's fair, but still about cost.
Old boats often did not have STs, but that's just about them being old.
So don't let anyone tell you it's dumb. Just because they don't want to spend the money on their boat does not mean you should not. Standard winches were designed for two-person operation. These days when there are often only two people on the boat, STers make a huge amount of sense.
For all other boats, the only reason not to have self-tailers is cost. The smallest STs I know are Lewmar 14s, at $1000/set. That's serious money on a boat that might only be worth that. And I can also see someone saying that they would rather send the money on other systems. That's fair, but still about cost.
Old boats often did not have STs, but that's just about them being old.
So don't let anyone tell you it's dumb. Just because they don't want to spend the money on their boat does not mean you should not. Standard winches were designed for two-person operation. These days when there are often only two people on the boat, STers make a huge amount of sense.
Last edited: