J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Cabin Top Layout redesign

My boat is already modified so much that future one design hopes are unlikely, so in keeping with my usual abnormal post topics I thought I'd present my planned cabin top reconfigure to the board for comments and advice.
1. I'm buying new deck organisers and adding a stronger clutch for the main halyard.
2. I removed my exterior handrails during the rebuild and have no intention of replacing them in the near future.
3. my buddy has a J29 parked next to mine and his deck layout is very similiar to the one I drew.

The original deck layout has the line coming from the mast to the deck organisers and taking a more or less 40 degree turn then paralleling the seahood/ cabin lines to the clutchs and camcleats. It also has dedicated barient 10's that serve as halyard winches. The secondaries are close to the corner of the aft cabintop and can be used for halyards as well as secondaries.


I want to;
- Forego the remount of the 10's (might be for sale),
- Remount the secondaries slightly more inboard on the cabin top.
- Remount the clutchs fairleads and camcleats so that they are angled more toward the corner of the cabin top.\

This will serve a couple of purposes.
1. It allows the deck organisers to see a reduced sustained working load(sheaves.
2. Angles the clutches inline with the winch allowing the lines less friction when using the winch.( no angle from clutch exit to winch).
3. Lets me put less holes in the boat and reduces clutter and weight in that area.


I asked the J29 owner if he preferred a set up like our original with the dedicated winches, over his and he said he'd never felt a need for them. He also races the hell out of that boat.

Now, some fairleads are going to have camcleats/jammers farther forward due to the angle (i.e. foreguy) however,

Would anyone consider this a doable set up if you could reconfig your boat?
If pics don't load click hyperlinks.

[img]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_AaupVk266k0/SJuU8AWLLII/AAAAAAAAATc/6UDwx5CeiB8/s1600-h/deck+layout.bmp[/img]
[img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_AaupVk266k0/SJuU8aAUjWI/AAAAAAAAATk/VwD6pu_b_MY/s1600-h/deck+layout2.bmp[/img] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_AaupVk266k0/SJuU8aAUjWI/AAAAAAAAATk/VwD6pu_b_ MY/s1600-h/deck+layout2.bmp
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_AaupVk266k0/SJuU8AWLLII/AAAAAAAAATc/6UDwx5CeiB8/s1600-h/deck+layout.bmp
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_AaupVk266k0/SJuU8aAUjWI/AAAAAAAAATk/VwD6pu_b_MY/s1600-h/deck+layout2.bmp


[This message has been edited by MangoMadnesss (edited 08-07-2008).]

[This message has been edited by MangoMadnesss (edited 08-07-2008).]

The hand rails are a good safety item when you are traveling fore and aft with any sort of seas, rolling and pitching. I know the teak is a pain, but you could do stainless or plastic.

Agree removal is a bad idea.

I use my secondaries for sheets/guys. It's nice to have a halyard winch to get some tension on the jib before dousing the chute, although the current single speed winches are worthless. Also, if the wind increases during the race, I will frequently retention my main halyard while going downwind, using the halyard winch.
I would probably ditch the current halyard winches and add one more substantial halyard winch to service the main/jib halyards. Also, I would as you illustrated move the foreguy to the base of the mast. I offset mine 4" or so off center of the mast to improve lead angle and keep the mast from interfering. When I moved mine, I put a double block with a cam at the mast base so the bow guy can adjust the downhaul. This makes double handed gybes easy.

mango, did your primaries have teak blocks under them before you pulled them off? They are there to prevent overrides when easing the headsail..ie the winch needs to be even with or higher then the jib lead. Just a thought.

My primaries never had anything under them except soup for balsa core and plywood backing. My halyard winchs did have teak risers under them however.

I hesitate to advise people who start modifying one-designs when 500 boats are working reasonably well, but I'll take the bait. (This assumes you sail with more than one other person.) Keep your handrails if you expect to get the crew across during a tack. It's class legal to move the foreguy padeye to a position between mast and hatch. The angle makes it so you don't have to adjust as often, but you still want the foreguy 2:1, double-led to cam cleats on either side near the secondaries. That way the guy trimmer can control it, particularly from the high side when you are reaching. That said there are boats in the class that ignore the foreguy and depend on their twings to keep the pole down. But we're not among them.

A few boats (of doubtful legality) have removed their deck organizers and angled their clutches to use the secondaries. Unless you have some other means to cleat the guy, I don't know how you expect to get any jib halyard tension without a winch. True the Barient #10 halyard winches are not strong enough to add tension upwind, but they work well enough for both main and jib off the wind when the secondaries are busy.

I appreciate the insight, honestly, thats why I pose some ignorant sounding questions. I will probably remount handrails, the pro's out way the con's, although they won't be teak.
I plan on upgrading the cam cleats to mini jammers.hyperlink http://mauriprosailing.com/Merchant...Product_Code=SP ISUA2&Category_Code=

I also plan upgrading to jammer blocks for the chute sheets, hyperlink http://mauriprosailing.com/Merchant...roduct_Code=S PIBRS63&Category_Code=
I race every thursday night, for the past year or so on a friends boat, with a similar set-up, and he never has to use his secondaries for anything but halyards and mainsheet (cabintop traveler).

Does anyone else do this? (locking block to change sheets off primary)

[This message has been edited by MangoMadnesss (edited 08-11-2008).]

Spinlock Jammer Block is new to me. These might work as 90 degree turning blocks attached to the stanchion base near the secondaries. 240 lbs seems a bit light, but I've never found a reliable way to measure spinnaker sheet loads.

We use rachet blocks outboard of the secondaries that lead the sheet/guy to the secondaries - when it is blowing you can still easily hold the sheet so I think a good ratchet block is better than the locking type. I have the harken ones that are auto ratchet so when it is light they do not engage.

David
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