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Reptile Smile

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...in helping fudge a solution to this one.
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These are the jib fairleads/cars that run on 25mm tracks alongside the coachroof on my 'new' Copland Foxcub. One is fine, and the other, clearly, isn't.

A trip to my local Force 4 today generated the donkey-choking quote of 45 quid. I'm loath to spend 10% of the cost of the boat on this, so thought I'd ask on the forum whether anyone had any better ideas.

It's marked as a Barton. More than that, I know not. I don't even know what I'm searching for on eBay... The understand on the knackered one is countersunk, but it's not a screw head on the good one (on the underside) - it's just where the track has marked it.

Any ideas, anyone..? How can I sort either a replacement or a fudged 'repair'?

Cheers
 
Go to your local stainless shop and get a countersunk headed bolt that fits more or less flush on the underside of the car. Buy a couple of spare nuts & washers as well, the length of the bolt should be maybe 1 1/2in.
With the threaded bolt sticking up you are in a positon to improvise most things, perhaps a block from a boat jumble.
 
You could consider using a stainless eye bolt and peening the end of The thread over before filing it flat underneath the track car.
 
parsifal said:
Why not buy one of these and attach it to the track slider ?

http://www.jimmygreen.co.uk/item/619/barton-bullseye-fairlead
Click to expand...


Just watch it you are already 1/2 way to the price your local chandler has quoted, some times its better to bight the bullet..

At times this can be heart braking the costs of simple spares (lavac toilet hinges :eek:) can be extortionate, so do not break anything* :D.

As for ebay try search for "sheet"&"track" or "sail"&"track" you could try replacing "track" with "slide" or "car" could be dinghy or yacht**.

* Easier said than done last time out it was aboat hook :o

** I am not responsible for any random non boaty results such searches could raise or any purchase caused :D
 
Just get a u-bolt secured bullseye, get the saddle welded to the car. If getting stainless welded is trick just use mild steel. Keep it painted.


Saddle

saddle.jpg

I do have some tracks and cars from an old boat, but they only have an eye on them, you'd have to clip a sheave on yourself (more money)
PM if interested.
 
I think I would use a countersunk bolt with an eye nut not an eye bolt. I think trying to make the eye rotatable would be over ambitious, so I would just tighten it down as much as possible at a suitable angle, file down the bolt end where it sticks into the eye and then give it a whack with a punch to lock it (assuming no welding gear). Then grind the nut head down to just about level before finishing it off with a file.
 
Fairleads

My fairleads have pulleys for the actual rope to pass through. This makes for less friction so easier to tension the jib. So I would go for countersunk screw from under neath to attach a saddle onto which is shackled a pulley of suitable size. A pulley with swivel built in would be best. Mine have a ss spring set around the saddle pulley attachment so that it tends to stand up when not in use.
What you have to be careful with this idea is that the sheet must be kept low enough departing the fairlead to arrive at the sheet winch from below the winch level. If not low enough you get over rides. This may be the reason they went for bulls eyes rather than pulleys. good luck olewill
 
I wouldn't use a metal eye for a sheet. The plastic bullseye fairleads are much lower friction and kinder to the sheets.

No need for swivelling. I'd still go for welding the saddle onto the car and bolting the fairlead to it.

(I moved my winches further aft as the mainsheet gets in the way of headsail sheeting when sailing single-handed. Also the outboard sloping winches are more difficult to flick the sheet of than the upright winches when mounted on the coaming. I put an extra bullseye fairlead to place the sheet at the right angle to prevent it sliding off the winch drum onto the base.)

mainsheetleads.jpg
 
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I would use a csk machine screw, making a new base for the fairlead if needs be. If the fairlead changes the angle of the sheet by much, consider changing both to pulleys?
If the angle is small, the load is not huge, you might get away with a non-u-bolt fairlead.
 
If it was me, i would use an eye nut and countersunk bolt as previously stated and lash a barton high load eye to it with dyneema. Would be ale to articulate and find its own level. 3mm Dyneema is about 1 pound a meter and high load eye about 15 quid so probably not much advantage cost wise but much better system than original bullseye. You could use a large ss thimble if money is that tight.
 
The headsail on a Foxcub is not big.
Loads are very low. The bullseyes are fine. You can sheet without the winches until the final grunt.
 
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