Are spinnaker winches out of fashion?

[jonjo]

The last time I did any serious racing, a 33 foot yacht with any racing aspirations would be equipped with six cockpit winches:

2 on the coach roof
2 main Genoa
2 spinnaker.

It seems that spinnakers winches have been designed out of the cockpit formula of modern racer/cruisers such as the Maxi 1100, J109 and X-Yachts.

I don't see how a crew can hoist a spinnaker and then drop a Genoa with only 4 winches?

For my new boat the agent says he could fit spinnaker winches in a conventional location but this would involve fabricating a leg to extend the base for each winch beyond the coaming. I am loath to go down this apparently unfashionable route as obviously I have lost touch with modern spinnaker handling procedures.

Double handed passage racing is my main objective so a furling Code-0 is likely to be the 3rd sail ordered once I have got to know the boat.


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[kruithof]

Hi,

one reason for not mounting spinnaker winches is obviously for saving cost.
Our boat, a first 31.7 doesn't have spinnaker winches either, but we have 2 alternatives:
1. using the separate 'cleats', placed in front of the genoa-winches, for holding the genoa sheets while setting the spinnaker
2. using the coach roof winches

We normally use the coach roof winches, since the cleats don't work too well. Additionally the coach roof winches give the spinnaker sheet a better angle to the spinnaker trimmer, and make life slightly easier for the guy doing the winching.


rgrds,
Andries
S/Y Lady Stardust

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[peterb]

Our Jeanneau has jamming levers on each of the turning blocks (two on each side). Theoretically, that means that we can jam the genoa sheets, take them off the genoa winches, put the spinnaker sheets on to the winches and adjust them, then jam them while we take down or furl the genoa. Theoretically, because I'd hate to have to do that under race conditions!

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[charles_reed]

Self-jamming blocks

are what have transformed the situation.

Have a look at the harken and seasafe ranges and you'll see waht I mean.

I've got a couple for the spi sheets and seldom have to leave them tailed to the winches - and my sailing is single-handed.

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[Keen_Ed]

Winches are heavy things....

Well, the current method is to use the winches on top of the coachroof as joint halyard and spinnaker sheet winches. The primaries are used for the spinnaker guy.

Assuming the spinnaker halyards are crossed in the mast - so the leeward halyard exits to windward, then the windward coachroof winch is for the spinnaker halyard, the leeward one is for the spinnaker sheet, and the windward primary is for the spinnaker guy. The leeward primary is for the genoa sheet.

Lewmar and Harken (quattro) even make special winches for the coachroof, with two diameters of winch barrel. The large barrell is for the spinnaker sheet - can give large line speeds, while the small barrel is for halyards.

At the leeward mark, you use something like a deck organiser or Spinkock winchfeeder to cross the genoa halyard to the spare coachroof winch if necessary (you clear the spinnaker halyard off the winch before dropping).

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[kruithof]

Peter,

jamming lever was the word I was looking for when I wrote 'cleat'
But, as I wrote, I don't like using them. If the genoa sheet goes slack they don't jam properly, and the sheet slips out. The winches on the coach roof are much better for spinaker sheet and guy. I rarely use them for the spinaker halyard; during the hoist there shouldn't be much tension on it since the spinaker is not filled yet. Anyways the guy at the mast also needs a proper workout

rgrds,
Andries
S/Y Lady Stardust

<hr width=100% size=1>S/Y Lady Stardust