OK, here¡¯s another question for the group: ?Suggestions for an appropriate cleating device for the outhaul in my last post? ?What I think I need is, at least functionally, a pair of visegrips with rubber jaws, to easily and readily clamp or release a piece of straight 8mm line, so it can¡¯t move either way, In or out. ?It has to mount on the boom and not be a head-knocker, and not be too big; and be weatherproof.
My son and I got ambitious and moved forward with the project. ?It was a bear, but I think we¡¯ve succeeded. ?The system is basically two separate multi-part purchases, joined together by their running parts: ?The outhaul itself is Dyneema, running from the clew, into the boom, running forward internally, where it is spliced to the becket of one of two Harken three-sheave blocks, the little mini ones. ? The other ¡®side¡¯ of that 6:1 purchase is a reciprocal Harken mini, with its becket anchored to the gooseneck internally. ? So far, nothing unusual. ?But then, the running part between those two blocks, the part you¡¯d haul in or let out to control the outhaul, is then spliced to 8mm Salsa line, running outside the boom, coming out of the boom thru one exit box and re-entering the boom thru another. ? That¡¯s the only part In this system external to the boom. ? So what that means is, on the lower starboard side of the boom, running from about above the companionway, to about 15¡± in from the end of the boom, or about 7¡¯, is this Salsa line. ? If you pull it from forward to aft, it takes in the outhaul, 6:1. ? So it takes 6¡¯ of Salsa to move the outhaul 1¡¯. ? If you pull it from aft to forward, you¡¯re pulling against the shock cord take-up, but that allows the outhaul to pay out, again, 6:1.?
All of this cumbersome description leads to the question: ?what sort of cleating device can anyone suggest for that Salsa line? ? It runs fore-to-aft along the boom, and its slack is automatically taken up, so at all times it¡¯s just a straight piece of line, but pull-able, either way. ? You can pull it forward; you can pull it aft. ?Either way it¡¯s just a straight tensioned piece of line. ?What I hadn¡¯t counted on was this: ? with no cleating device, if you just let it go, the shock cord take-up system goes to work, tensioning the outhaul and pulling it tight. ? I had expected to have to cleat it against pull from the sail, not the pull from the (opposing) shock cord. ? ?Now, in heavier weather, I WILL need to cleat against It being pulled OUT from the force of the main. ?But in calmer weather, it seems that I may have to cleat against it being pulled IN, by the shock cord. ? So I think what I want is some sort of small, non-head-smacking gripping device, ?Mounted on the boom above the cockpit, so I can open it easily, adjust the outhaul, and then close it, cinching the line both ways, so it can¡¯t be either pulled out by the sail or in by the shock cord. ? I¡¯m thinking of something like that Tiller-Tamer. ? ?Any ideas? ? Thanks!
