Well if you really want to slow things down, then winchers are the perfect addition. They will not work as self tailers because they will not strip the line off the drum. They will self tail for perhaps 1/2 turn, and they will not even do that unless the drum is fully loaded which is more than 3 turns. It's more like 4 or 5. The biggest similarity they have to a self tailing wnch is they have the jaws on the rim that can be used to cleat the line. But that's pretty much it. Now, especially on a 26 foot boat most of your sheet handling is going to be hand stripping in the line as you bring in the slack while the WIND pushes the sail across the foredeck, So putting the winch handle in ahead of time is literally a waste of time, The only time I winch in the sheet on my 27 footer is when I'm fine tuning the trim as I settle the boat on it's desired course.
So, my suggestion is to learn the proper way to tack your boat and just keep thje handle handy for when it's needed. If you put it in ahead of time the handle will spin in place while you;re hand stripping in the line. NOT good form.
Never try to pull the sail cross the deck with the sheet. When you begin the tack, ease the sheet 6 to 12 inches,.. let the sail back wind a bit to push the bow around, This is the sign of an experienced crew, he is helping turn the boat, which requires less rudder action by the helmsman keeping boat speed up.
When the boom comes across, the crew releases the sheet by pulling it straight up, off the winch completely,. the new sheet can be cheated in to remove slack just be fore full release, but once release, the crew on the new side can hand strip the sheet in much more quickly while there's no load. A winch handle becomes a serious obstacle when doing this. If you have self tailers the handle will impede your motion to load the jaw ring..
Rather than spending money on winchers, I suggest installing cam cleats on risers about a foot behind the winch. This allows you so easily release the sheet from across the cockpit if you're short handed. It also keeps the line at a higher exit lever from the drum, improving efficiency when cleating and uncleating. Finally, and this is really important, for proper headsail handling, NO fairleads or captive devices on the cleats, and absolutely no cleats or fairleads ahead of the winch between the jib lead or turning block and the winch. The sheet must be free to run when it is released from the winch.... good luck.
.... we have accepted that what works for one sailor may not work for another/ However, the differences of opinion always lead to productive discussions on sail handling and other interesting, valuable topics. The original question here, about when to install the winch handle, quickly evolved to a very informative discussion ..........showing again why these forums help us all become better sailors.
