Halyard going back to cleat?

[John Stevens]

I was wondering why there is a cheek block leading the halyards about a foot back to the cleats. Why not just have the cleat on the mast?

When I rigged the other day I stepped on the cabin top to raise the main and had to reach back to cleat it. It seems like removing the cheek blocks and cleating the halyards right on the mast would be easier on a small boat.

Any thoughts? Has anyone done this?

TIA,

John

[shawn]

Hi John,

I had the cleat on the mast which was kind of a pain because you had to get out of the cockpit and stand on the cabin top. I have since switched to the cheek blocks on the mast and installed cleats on the cabin top and now I can raise the sails right from the cockpit...great for single handing!

[John Stevens]

Shawn,

One other thing I should mention, I have a bolt rope main. So... I need to go to the mast to feed it anyway so I'm already there.

John

[Baysailer]

John,

You might want to try a sail feeder

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?pat ... &id=204007

Or go to slugs.

I've used mast mounted cleats and the jib sheet would occasionaly get fouled in the cleat during tacks unless I paid attention to the sheet slack while tacking.

Fred

[GreenLake]

My DS1 came with cleats on the mast. Never occurred to me to change them. I don't find the need to stand on the cabin top for anyting other than attaching the jib. (Like John, I have a boltrope main.)
Yes, one does have to watch for the jib/jibsheet so the don't hang up on the cleats and bunched halyards, but I also have a mast hinge there that's even more likely to grab the sheet, so the cleats aren't the root of that problem anyway.