Roller furling jib line tie off where??

[Beavertailskiff]

Where to tie off furler? Add cleat to mast? Seems important to keep on centerline of boat?? This 1982 SC17 has a furler but no cleat.

[gahamby]

My cleat is a plastic jam cleat out at the front corner of the tramp. I put one on each side just cause I was into it that day. A lot of boats have a cleat on the front crossbar. I wouldn't recommend one on the mast. There's enough going on there already and mast rotation might give you a problem.

[Matt Haberman]

The roller furling cleat was installed on the starboard side of the boat along the flat section of the tramp track. The forward hole in the cleat shared forward tramp track screw. Depending on the type of cleat that was used, some people found it helpful to route the line under the forward beam and then into the cleat. Routing this was reduced the probability that the rope would come un-cleated on its own.

[T Peterson]

My cleat is on the tramp track on the starboard side. It's a jam cleat. The first one was worn so I replaced it to get a better grip on the line.

One piece of advice, from experience:

Never rely on this cleat except for brief periods when you are near the boat. Use the cleat, but then tie off the excess line - like to a hiking strap - or better yet, carry a short piece of line to wrap around the jib a couple times and then knot it.

Mine worked loose once in a wind and over a couple days the jib beat itself to near death against the mast...

[Matt Haberman]

Tom,

That is a very good point.

To add on that, if your going to leave the jib furled and on the boat for extended periods of time we strongly recommend you cover it with a jib snorkel. This will protect the jib from the UV rays of the sun. Without the jib snorkel I would next expect a jib to last much longer then one, maybe two summers before it pretty much rots away from UV exposure.

[Jonathan Levine]

Not that I should have to add this, but my boats will never get a whiff of a plastic jam cleat. I don't know why those things even exist, since they're destroyed by a rope burn. Aluminum only.

[gahamby]

I have a snorkel. Definitely tie off around the jib. I've never had a problem with a plastic jam cleat getting rope burn. They don't chafe the line, they're light. inexpensive, and don't hurt near as much if you get thrown onto one. That's why they exist. That's why I use them where I see fit.

[Jonathan Levine]

I'm the cheapest bastard on the face of the planet, and the price difference is still meaningless to me.

If the weight difference is an issue, urinate before sailing, as the delta is grams (milliliters).

And they hurt exactly as much as Al when you bang into them.

[gahamby]

I can agree with one part of your statement.

[Jonathan Levine]

Lemme guess: The "cheap" part.

You funny guy.

[gahamby]

Just after that part.

[Jonathan Levine]

We don't know each other well enough for that.

[Jonathan Levine]

The roller furling cleat was installed on the starboard side of the boat along the flat section of the tramp track. The forward hole in the cleat shared forward tramp track screw. Depending on the type of cleat that was used, some people found it helpful to route the line under the forward beam and then into the cleat. Routing this was reduced the probability that the rope would come un-cleated on its own.

Do you have a suggestion as to which cleat to use? I dug out a Clamcleat CL268 - one of the racing micros, line up to 3/16", thought it'd be about right - but it mounts with a #4 screw, much too small for the existing tramp track screw. And I'm assuming that this is going to mean drilling my first hole in this hull for the other screw...

[Matt Haberman]

Jonathan,
I know people have used CL241 or the CL 258 because of their low profile is little more pleasant to sit on.