Jib Cam

[Cal]

After a frustrating day single handed, I read the posts on moving the jib sheet cams to the CB. Question - has anyone taken one apart and flattened the forward bend? Or even put a little aft bend into the base? Or are they still so far forward that doesn't help?

[Cal]

Or, looking at my fairlead/cam, what about removing the fairlead block from the base, sawzall the ss base along the bend, file smooth, and the block and the fairlead goes back on the track. Replace the cam pivot screws with longer screws and attach to cb trunk.

[GreenLake]

Cal,

I've read your posts and tried to understand what you are talking about, but I can't figure out what you are after. What's the "bend"?

[Cal]

Skippa's reply on 6/21 has a picture of the combination fairlead and cam.
http://forum.daysailer.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3705

The base plate they are mounted is bent about 30 degrees, between the fairlead and the cams, with the idea that a second crew person sitting by the cuddy will handle the jib sheets. Pulling the sheet from mid or rear cockpit does not engage the cams. Or maybe my arms are too short to hold onto the tiller and stretch enough to get a jib sheet between the cams. I know, I need a tiller extension.

Others have bought new slides, added a pulley to the slide, and put cams on the cb trunk. I was wondering if removing bend would let you engage the cams. Or cut it in half, at the bend, and put the fairlead half back on its track. The other half, with the cams, could be used on the cb trunk. Saves about $70 of new hardware.

[GreenLake]

Cal, thanks for the clarification. Here's the image again, from the other thread.
[thumb=848]
I think the angle is necessary for these to work in the first place. I suspect if you were able to effectively change it, then you might find they no longer engage or release as easily.

Taking them apart looks feasible based on the configuration, but cutting stainless steel isn't a picnic. Other than that, you would replace the screws that mount to the base currently and use them to mount the cleat including the base to whatever holder you construct.

My mounting bracket for the cleats looks like this:
[thumb=712]
The precurser was done in aluminum, which would be easier to manufacture.

I'd still upgrade the track cars to use blocks or ratchet blocks eventually.

One question I have for you: where do you sit when single handing? The DS cockpit extends pretty far aft, suggesting a rear seating position. However, if you do that, the transom is immersed more than necessary, and this slows you down.

So, normally, you'd want to use a tiller extension and sit fairly far forward. Is that what you are doing?

[Cal]

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8 ... directlink]

A different view of the problem showing the forward bend in the cam baseplate. The blue line (demonstration only), at that angle, crosses the cb trunk a few inches forward of the cuddy. If the plate was straight, and the cam base parallel with the fairlead side, then it would be sheetable from elsewhere in the cockpit besides sitting at the cuddy. Bend it 5-10 degrees the opposite (aft) direction and it would be even easier to use.

Or seperate along the bend and the fair lead still works on the track and move the cams to a cb bracket.

I like to sit midships, opposite the main sheet pulley on the CB. Is my home made tiller too short at 40 inches from the pivot bolt to the end? Hopefully another birch will lose a thick enough limb.

Somewhere I have an adjustable hiking stick/extender from a Hobie 18, just need to find it.

[GreenLake]

A longer tiller isn't the answer, because it makes movement in the cockpit very difficult. A tiller extension, whether purchased or home built would help you sit further forward.

There have been some drawings and discussion of possible homemade universal joints for tiller extensions. The length of the extension would be a bit short of 48", longer ones can't fit in the rectangle defined by boom, cockpit / seats and mainsheet.

About the bend in the fittings: I believe the bends are optimized so that the cleats work best this close to the fairlead. I could be wrong, but you don't want to be in a situation where the cleats don't disengage promptly when needed....

[TIM WEBB]

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/82ulXlg6hEdL6TB-4K4Yf2pVW13mnye4VOO704w8wd0?feat=directlink]

Mine ('79 DS2) don't look like that at all! The angle is 90 degrees: the sheet comes through the fairlead, turns 90, and goes through the cleat. In other words, the bracket is flat. Someone has either bent yours into that position, or mine were bent back, one or the other???

I've thought about something similar, cutting them and leaving the fairleads on the track, while moving the cams to the CB trunk. There are already angled lands molded into the CB trunk for them. But they just don't give me enough trouble singlehanding the way they are to justify the sheets cutting off the forward cockpit legroom. 'Course, being 6' 2" with long arms helps! Oh, and I do use a tiller extension that's about the same length as the tiller itself.

I *did* change the existing metal-and-plastic cams to carbos tho ...

[Alan]

Mine (1980 DSII) have the same angle as Cal's, but they're facing the opposite direction - angled away from the cuddy, not toward it.

Might be worth a try to turn the fairlead-cleats around. All you'd need to do is remove the clevis pin that attaches the unit to the car, turn it 180 degrees, and reinstall the clevis pin.

[TIM WEBB]

Not sure that would work either, as the sheet would then be coming through the fairlead backwards, wouldn't it?

Maybe just flattening the bracket or even angling it the other way is the answer. Not sure how badly that would stress the SS tho ...

[Alan]

OK, I was confused, probably not for the first time...

My cam cleats are actually angled the same way as Cal's, which was apparent once I thought to put the laptop with his photo on it in the boat next to one of my jib cars.

Cal: My cam cleats are at a 35-degree angle to the fairlead (I measured with a protractor). Yours look in the photo to be at a slightly different angle, and there's what looks like an extra fold at the bend, which mine don't have, and which suggest that someone might have tried to change the bend.

My jib sheets uncleat easily with a tug aft, and then the line runs freely through the fairlead, but to set the cleat, you have to tug forward, so the cleat has to be within arm's reach.

[Cal]

The new slide, pulley, and cams arrived from Duckworth yesterday so I decided to experiment. Disassembled the original combination (Schaefer?) and a few taps of the hammer eliminated the bend. Easy to straighten, I thought the ss base would be stronger. Put them back on the DS but last night's 7pm high tide was glassy smooth.

FWIW, the originals seem to be better quality than the Racelite from Duckworth, especially the cams, but Duckworth was very nice to deal with.

I tried to reverse them last year and found it didn't work. Cutting may still be an option, the original slide has a bigger loop and heavier metal than the Racelite slide. I like the idea of a pulley rather than a fairlead and the Racelite pulley comes with its own pin attach to go on your old slide.

Also added my Hobie hiking stick. Right now wind is 9G16 and almost enough tide to launch the dinghy for the row out to the DS.

Cal

[Cal]

Short sail this evening and the flattened base plate made the difference. Now I have some extra hardware.

Cal

[GreenLake]

Cool.