Plastic Classic Forum

I sailed an older (1978 era layout) boat I bought last season with the rigging that came with the boat..

Basicly Jib sheet runs to track block mid ship then back to a fixed block...from there to the winch and then I tied it off to stock cleat with cleat hitch...worked fine, but a bit cumbersome for the "new crew guy" on a windy tack...

I did mount an open cam cleat to backup the stock cleat/winch thinking it would be easier to jam sheet into cam and then tie off bitter end on cleat



I also picked up some larger swivel cam cleats that I was thinking of replacing the stock cleat with...but am having second thoughts with the bullseye and loop on cam becoming additional/unneccessary movement...



What do most of you guys use for Sheet Cleating...?

Not sure, but I think that would be a good spot for self tailing winches.

IMHO cam cleats are fine for smaller one design dinghys but for head-sails on larger boats I prefer self tailing winches.

I would replace the standard cleat with a jam cleat (one side has a tighter "V" under the horn so that you can just do a 360 around the cleat and pull it tight. For release, it is just the opposite. My Sea Sprite had Schaefer Bronze jam cleats on the cockpit coaming about 1 1/2 to 2' aft of the winch.

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/us ... 3&type=pla

The cam cleats should do just fine- wouldn't if it weren't for the winch, but once wrapped around that several times, very little load on the cleat. Even on a BIG boat, you can hold the sheet load with two fingers with three wraps on the winch.. I was doing just that two weeks ago short tacking on a rail down Westsail 32.

Self tailers are nice, but VERY expensive

As you were told on "Ask All Sailors", DO NOT use those cams with the Bullseye loop. You need to be able to yank the sheet out of the cleat and lift it straight up off the winch, when tacking, or in an emergency up off the winch.

On my boat(s) I have horn cleats, and just take a second turn, without the half hitch - Works pretty much like a jam cleat..