Mike Gillum wrote:The Jib Sheet runs from the 40mm Ratchet to a Bullseye with SS Insert bolted to the thwart and a Harken HK 150 Cleat bolted to the thwart with a riser and wedge under it to achieve the proper angle.
How much of a wedge do you need? more than the standard wedges that are sold with the cleats? I use those wedges, but without the the bullseye, so mine are tilted the other way. That does require some downward pressure on the sheet to cleat it - usually applied with a foot - but I've been thinking about doing something more in line what you describe, because it's too easy to uncleat the jib accidentally the way I have it.
Mike Gillum wrote:A couple of years ago I spliced a SS Thimble into a couple of pieces of 1/8" Spectra for the Barberhaulers to reduce weight. It took only a couple of tacks for my wife to determine that I was switching back to the Harken Big Dinghy Block on the Barberhauler as there was so much friction she couldn't pull the Jib all the way in 6-8 knots.
Thanks, Mike. You saved me the trouble to experiment with that. And, given the size and weight, of my monster-jib sheets, that would not have been the best point to save weight.
Which brings me to a related question. While we are discussing jib sheets, what diameter and type of rope are you (and others) using? At 3/8" mine have the advantage of not cutting into your hands, but the cover is very smooth. While that helps with gliding through barber blocks, it also requires a firmer grip. And the rope is very heavy - even for its diameter (no, it's not actually lead filled
). Don't know what kind it is, it's something I picked up as a remainder for some other purpose and it was just the right length when I needed a jib sheet.
Has anyone experimented with splicing some Amsteel into double braid to have a lighter section of the sheet near the clew?
Also, do you use a continuous line for the sheet, or two separate sheets. K.C.(?) mentioned recently he has an Amsteel tail spliced in to connect clew to a continuous sheet? I use a soft shackle for the same purpose (it's 18" long when open, which is just long enough to make a Prusik knot around the sheet.