Jib car tracks

[thomasglossop]

Has anyone moved the jib car tracks to the top of the cockpit coamings? Do you know if there is wood underneath? I assume their current location has wood as there is no access to the backside.

I won't be racing so I'd like to get them out of the way of my "cruising guests."

[talbot]

The jib car tracks on the DS II are backed with plywood that is strapped to the inside of the seat back with fiberglass. I wish they had not strapped the wood in place, because I have not idea how we can replace it when it rots out. No, there is no reinforcement in the top of the coaming.

I would install an inspection port in the seat back so that you can get in there to work. Ports across from the jib cleats on the CB trunk would give you access to the jib track backing, and would also let you reinforce the coaming for oarlocks. I would replace any rotten plywood with a fiberglass plate, or maybe aluminum, if you are not worried about saltwater corrosion.

As for whether it's a good idea to move the leads, I say no, at least if you want to convert to the system where the cam cleats run on the cars. (That was the last system O'Day used before they went under, and the system sold today by D&R.) Having the cleats on the CB trunk makes it easier to keep the sheets in hand, particularly when sailing solo. Having the cleats on top of the coaming keeps them out of the cockpit (more room, less clutter, etc.). However, in my opinion, you WANT the sheets belayed in the cockpit so you can reach them. If you are hiking out on a close haul and drop a coaming-mounted jib sheet, there's no way you can recover it without going to the lee side of the boat (risking a capsize), or heading up to stop the boat while you recover the line.

[ChrisB]

If you are hiking out on a close haul and drop a coaming-mounted jib sheet, there's no way you can recover it without going to the lee side of the boat (risking a capsize), or heading up to stop the boat while you recover the line.

I always tie both jib sheets together with a sheet bend. I can always reach the jib sheet by grabbing the end at the windward jib car. It's another idea I stole from my Hobie 16 days. The Hobie used a single jib sheet tied to a snap shackle at both ends. The snap shackle was clipped to the clew of the jib.

[talbot]

Sounds like a good solution. It which case, coaming-mounted jib cars might be fine. I retract my objection. The leads would be slightly outboard from the old seat-back mount, but barber haulers would take care of that.

The inside of the coaming is a little awkward to reinforce (that was the last question in the thread). The fiberglass is thin and the space is narrow, so there is no room to put in a backing plate the same width as that used in the seat back. The inner surface is also very uneven, with lots of lumps and voids. Based on my struggles to reinforce the coaming for oarlocks, I would suggest mixing up a batch of structural reinforcing resin/fiber, troweling it onto a fiberglass or metal backing plate, and skooshing the whole mess up into the space. (I'm assuming you have already cut an inspection port through which to reach the coaming.)

West Marine's polyester structural reinforcing putty sets quickly enough that you could hold it in place to set. (Wear thick gloves; it gets really hot.) With slower-setting epoxies like G-Flex, you'd need to prop or screw the plate in place. The point of the the resin and fiber is to fill the voids on the uneven inner surface. Otherwise, a rigid plate might actually concentrate the force on a few points rather than distributing it over a broad area.

[GreenLake]

For a jib car track, the situation is a bit different from oar locks.

If you take the entire length of the track, it's actually well distributed, compared to the more compact size of an oar lock.

Instead of using a resin-based filler, why not a gap filling adhesive? This might finally be the killer application for the friends of 3M 5200 (because the alternative, resin-based filler, would be equally non-removable from that location ).

Edit - there are other adhesives than 5200 that are gap-filling (usually squeezed out of caulk gun).

[TIM WEBB]

Roger Conrad put his gunwale/coaming access ports inside the cuddy on the aft bulkhead. (Properly credited) pics in my gallery ...

[jeadstx]

I'm having to fix my jib tracks as well. They started to come off on the Texas 200 this year. I have also been wondering about mounting them on top of the rail.

John

[thomasglossop]

I added the tracks to the coaming as seen in the picture. After cutting the inspection ports I was able to cut a narrow piece of the 1x8 plastic wood trim I used to make the spar carrying system out of (no rotting with this stuff) and used it as a backing plate. The inside surface was pretty smooth and based on the attachment of the original tracks (which I left in place) it should hold just fine.

Had one sail so far in about 15mph and for the "cruising" sailing I do it is perfect! It clears the seating for my wife or a guest to relax and enjoy. Added benefit, the sheets in the new hardware run like butter. I also replaced my original 3:1 mainsheet system with a D&R 4:1, highly recommended. That also runs like butter.

[talbot]

Nice. I note that your tracks are mounted a little aft of where the coaming-mounted tracks on the last O'Day DS III models were positioned. Any problem with the angle of the sheets when close hauled? Any problem with the sail requiring more strength to trim because of the shallower angle through a fairlead rather than a sharper angle through a block?

[thomasglossop]

Remembering that I'm not racing with this setup so the angles and their affect on sail twist etc are not an issue for me. Trimming took no extra effort in fact it seems easier to me. I left the stock tracks in place so I could easily switch back to the stock set up.

[Alan]

thomasglossop,

Thanks for the report on moving the jib cars to the top of the coamings. It's now on my must-do list. It was one of the first things my crew mentioned. Her solution, to put a pillow over the jib sheet cleat and lean back against it, is not exactly conducive to good boat handling.

I found the jib cars and tracks on the D&R website but I can't find the end caps for the tracks. Are they on the D&R site somewhere?

Thanks,

Alan

[Alan]

Having looked around on line, I'm pretty sure that those are Ronstan Series 19 cars and tracks. I'll order them from Rudy, and if he doesn't have the end caps they're available from Mauri Pro Sailing.

[thomasglossop]

Rudy does it right, the end caps came with the tracks. Good luck!

[Alan]

Included? I'm impressed with D&R, once again.

And again, thanks for posting the info. I've been thinking about moving the jib tracks for the six years I've had the boat, but I've worried that it might cause handling problems more serious than a loss of speed. It's really reassuring to know that it works.

[K.C. Walker]

Alan,

I realize that it's entirely a matter of sailing style, however, having the jib track on top of the side deck would not work for me. When I sail single-handedly I sit right there approximately 80% of the time. I actually want to be sitting there ( or have my crew sitting there) with toes in the hiking straps most of the time. Unfortunately, there is not always that much wind.

The reason I bought the UPS was so I could sit there even more of the time. I even added mini-cell foam padding to that spot so that it would be more comfortable. Just something to think about…