BLUEMOMENT

I need to reduce the angle at which my genoa sheet meets the clew of the sail. (See Airflow over me genny)

The conventional solution would be to move the position of the slide further aft by fitting a longer track. However this would require extending the track aft of the winch and as well as filling and re-drilling of holes for a new track would probably also entail moving the winch and cleat.

I am considering fitting stand-up blocks on the tracks which would achieve the same result by raising the turning point rather than moving it aft. As a side benefit this would also greatly imrove the angle at which the sheet meets the winch which is currently far too steep (with the slide at the aft end of the current track) and sawing lumps out of the gelcoat below the winch.

However commercially available stand-up blocks for my 25mm track aren't tall enough to make much difference. I'm thinking of making my own by mating a single block to the old bullseye slides with a strop (perhaps a few turns of something thinnish and strong) led through a piece of plastic tubing to help it stand up and reduce tangles. I should be able to raise the turning point by 4 or 5 inches like this while still keeping the sheet rising to the winch.

Whadya think?

Sounds good to me. I have a number of blocks tied on with laniards like this so that I could try out angles before investing in something more permanent - and some have been so attached now for several years! A slight refinement to hold them up better would be to use a stainless spring rather than rigid pipe - or maybe a bit of endwise compressible corrugated plastic pipe...

Thanks for that Dave.

I've now been experimenting with this for the past few days and it works beautifully though I haven't bothered with any kind of a stand-up device, just 2 blocks and a couple of metres of string. It's like having a new genoa.

What is really distressing is how long it took me to come up with the idea particularly if Avilion is festooned with such devices!

Thought I'd post these two (somewhat fuzzy) pics since so many people have taken an interest.

Jings - stripey purple string - there's dear!

Specially purchased with no expense spared!

I was concerned about the loading. In the event the angle of the sheet where it passes through the block is now so small (well you know what I mean) that the upward pull is also small and the car position can be adjusted easily under load.

This angle was previously nearly 90 degrees and the lead to the winch was terrible. The reduction in friction also means that I use the winch handles a lot less too.

You could probably hang the whole boat off 4 turns of 5mm Excel Pro.

PS - Did you notice the nice new sheets? I've torn up the maintenance budget for the season and might even get that new sprayhood I've been thinking about for 4 years. Any recommendations?

Our spray hood is magnificent. Its a plasticky material - not acrylic but sits very tight on the frame. The perspex window is very clear and distortion free.

I wouldn't like to comment on just how much this cost! Luckily we bought the boat with it already fitted.

Donald

Easing back to the blocks whilst at the same time not wishing to cause offence by not remarking on the overall beauty of Aja, the sprayhood and 50% of the crew, Silkie - if you really wanted to get into adjustability and fine tuning, then why not adapt your strops to develop them into barber haulers. Who knows, this might even give you another mile between us and give you yet more to crow about - whilst acknowledging the sporting spirit of Claymore in freely opening your mind to this development - knowing that it could be himself would bear the brunt of disadvantagement by making the suggestion?
http://homepage.mac.com/socrates4718/Ra ... rbHaul.jpg

I got the Martex "semi kit" and have been quite pleased with it. It has more stainless tubing about it than most, which makes it pretty rigid. It's an interesing process: You select a frame size to suit your boat. You are then sent the frame which you fit to the boat and take a couple of vital measurements. Armed with these Martex makes up the hood and sends you it. You fit it on the frame and finish off the bottom edge. This last bit is time consuming - particularly if you hand sew it. You have a choice of fasteners - I went for "lift-the-dots" so that I could re-use some of the attachments of my old sprayhood, but there are nicer looking options available. I got some extra material for adding a few extras, like haliard bags, but I haven't got round to this yet! I did make up a transparent cover for keeping rain out of the companionway while sailing downwind which I have found worthwhile.

Very sporting of you to try and keep on thread. Sheena is also very upset that you don't rate her beauty.

Donald

his is what our popular green sprayhood looks like and is doing what it is designed to do. It didn't come in a tin.

That was a very interesting idea, when I eventually found it, wedged between the convoluted preamble and the extended summing up.

I had considered something of the sort as an additional refinement but then wondered why boats bothered with tracks at all if you could achieve the same result by adjusting the turning point vertically rather than horizontally.

You sure I couldn't persuade you to come for a sail on Silkie?

Look the Biz.

Multiple coils of a thin cordage are much neater to tie off and yet are still strong. If the blocks were in need of replacement, then you use use ones with beckets so that they could be bungied up onto the guard wire to keep them vertical when not under load. I think that I'll be doing this to mine as with very light winds they tend to flop over and increase the resistance on the lazy sheet when tacking.

BTW - I assume that your photos are taken when the winch is not actually in use. I used to think that winches were sold in pairs and were 'handed' ie one turned colckwise and one anticlockwise. My winches both turn clockwise so the lead of the port sheet means that it cuts a groove in the GRP and now is starting to cut a groove in the webbing of the new sprayhood - this is despite an extra block near the winch.

Ash

ash wrote:BTW - I assume that your photos are taken when the winch is not actually in use.

Indeed, although I'd been expecting some wag to say that I had the worst riding turn they'd ever seen.

Most modern winches seem to winch clockwise but Silkie's ancient and presumably original Tufnol winches are handed. Having finally got around to servicing (hah!) them last winter I reckon they're designed to be able to work in either direction by re-arranging the internals.

I don't know if this is the case with more modern designs.

Silkie wrote:wondered why boats bothered with tracks at all

Only because we want to use Genoas with low clews.

Ash

Aja wrote:This is what our popular green sprayhood looks like and is doing what it is designed to do.

Nice windae.