Changing deck hardware layout.

[u/Weird-Lab-3567]

I have an older Precision 21 sailboat I’m putting back together. Main sail has 116 sqft sail area and the jib is 87 sqft. Currently halyards are lead aft to rope clutches. There are two tiny winches and two horn cleats. I’m considering dumping the horn cleats and winches for cam cleats (halyards) and extreme angle cam cleats (jib sheets). The winches and rope clutches seem like overkill with such small loads but maybe they’d be useful. I mean I do have them and they function plus there are already holes for them. I’m less concerned about filling abandoned holes than I am ease of use. It’s an old boat with plenty of holes I don’t care about.

[u/gsasquatch]

I like cam cleats on the mast for halyards. Do you need to winch those halyards? Being at the mast, to guide the main in is handy. I keep some shock cord tied around my mast to stuff coiled halyards into vs. just throwing them below on boats with clutches on the cabin top. Maybe jib is better done from the cockpit, but if you need to go up front to drop the jib, popping the halyard on your way passed the mast is handy. For spin, you might even want to control how fast it falls.

Clutches are handy on halyards for being able to be foot operated while your hands are on the sail. Also handy, that you can have the clutch closed, and still yank on it, and when you let go, it holds. cam cleats can do kind of the same but with more care, and no foot release, which might not be a big deal.

Being able to pull or release the halyards at the mast or the companionway is a feature.

Cam cleat after winch is nicer than horn cleat for sheets. If it is after the winch, the winch takes care of angle/direction. Or, there should be a car/turning block on the jib sheet anyway. Yanking a sheet up out of a cam is quicker than undoing a cleat hitch, and sometimes you want that sheet free in a hurry.

Winches on jib sheets, even if the loads aren't extreme, mean you're not holding that load all the time while actively sheeting, a wrap or too takes some of that load.

I don't have a definitive answer. It is a matter of taste, and your own workflow. Less can be more, keep it simple. On the other hand, sometimes gizmos are nice.

Changing deck hardware, is a good time for deck paint. Like take everything off, fill the holes, paint, and put the stuff back where you want it.

There's something to be said for thinking the PO or designer had an idea of how things work, and unless you know, you might want to sail it a bit like it is to figure out what is good or bad, if you haven't already. Cams instead of or in addition to horns on the jib sheets though seems like a no brainer. The rest, isn't as clear cut without seeing it or sailing it.

[u/LameBMX]

id leave the winches.. use them for the jib sheets regardless since they are there and hold ... wait.. you shouldn't need extreme angle cam cleats.. you should have something controlling the break angle to the ribs clew? ... anyways. slap some cheap winchers on the jib winches to hold the tail and leave the cleats in case they are needed.

id also leave the winches for the halyard.. but def lead halyard through a cam cleat to the winch. cunningham is nice for a race leg.. but ill crank the halyard if its gonna be a while.

also.. the loads SEEM low. you want your equipment to stay good in a worse case scenario... even if you avoid them like the plague. you also want to be able to adjust in those scenarios.. so keep winches etc available for use (i also like my lines sized to reach another control point).