And so begins my third year of ownership of Lil' Maggie, and, based on the poor performance of the old (original equipment) jib and mainsheet cleats, it came time for a replacement...first the old:
and now , the new:
I used the original mounts for the old clam cleats...took the cutting wheel/grinder to them, then drilled, sanded and polished (some) and installed Schaefer clam cleats and a Harken 40 series sheave with a stand-up spring...no more floppy sheaves. I really wanted a hexa-ratchet but couldn't find one in "Harken classic" schwag....I'm not too keen on the look of the new carbo-sheaves.
Also on the upgrade, say good bye to wire-rope/line halyards and say hello to New England Ropes, 1/4" double braid, I did my own splices and recycled the old shackles after almost getting a heart-attack when I saw the price of the new stuff; oh! and a new 5/16" mainsheet too!...all in all, and a couple hundred bucks later I think I'm done with the "boat" improvements for now (still pending a new rudder foil). Next (and I already have the stuff to do it) is replacing the trailer axle..I re-did my bearings this spring and found that the spindles were pitted wit rust, especially around where the bearing seal makes contact...plus the old axle was a C-channel, not fully boxed...just waiting for that NY minute to do it...well that's all for now... I'll post more pictures of the axle job when it's done
Cheers
Mike
This was taken Memorial day before our first trip of the 2014 season: