Windtherapy wrote:I'm confused even more now. My jib sheets do not cleat at the CB housing top, they cleat right after coming in through the teak (or mahogany or whatever it is). I hate it for you obviously have to reach over a tad to get them to release the sheet when tacking or gybing. It's crazy so I will have to figure out something else but would love clear pictures of what others have. I think cleating at the CB housing top would be much better.
I've sailed in boats (not DS) that were rigged to have the cleat on the
windward (not leeward) rail. That's really convenient for crew that sit on the rail or hike out.
For a setup like yours it's a matter of angles. If you need to pull the jib sheet forward to release, that can get really awkward when you single hand, but crew sitting in front may not necessarily have an issue releasing from across the boat (if all else fails, a well-placed "kick" will release the sheet).
The setup I have (I hope you find the pictures clear enough), releases with any tug on the jib sheets (if crew is sitting anywhere on the windward side) and, importantly, will never "auto-cleat": in fact, if you sit on the rail, you'll need to place a foot on the jib sheet to push it low enough to engage the cleat.
Most conditions you'd want to cleat the jib and not touch it, other than throwing it off for the tack, or if a gust is strong enough that throwing off the mainsheet isn't enough. For situations where you might want to "play" it, I installed ratchet blocks, so it's easier to hold it without cleating it, and in those conditions, it's really important that you don't have to fight a cleat's tendency to cleat a sheet when that is not wanted.
"Captive" cleats do have the unfortunate tendency to grab a sheet that's running out and cleating it unasked.
Anyway, you can see, different setups have different advantages and disadvantages.
PS: for plugging holes, you could try getting a piece of comparable wood and using a plug cutter to cut plugs and glue them in place with a waterproof wood glue like Titebond III, but perhaps that's overkill.