Clutch lever spares??

[wingcommander]

A bit heavy handedness resulting in a streamlining of my starboard clutch assembly. Fortunately no immediate need to reef the main lol.
My question is can I purchase spares, any idea of make . I had noticed on previous occasions the main halyard clutch was easy to operate 90 % of the time, yet occasions when it became tight. Is it common for sheets and halyards to bunch in the core thus increasing the resistance to compress.
Awaiting a response saying..time to swap out those lines aswell as those clutches ...

 

[PaulRainbow]

A bit heavy handedness resulting in a streamlining of my starboard clutch assembly. Fortunately no immediate need to reef the main lol.
My question is can I purchase spares, any idea of make . I had noticed on previous occasions the main halyard clutch was easy to operate 90 % of the time, yet occasions when it became tight. Is it common for sheets and halyards to bunch in the core thus increasing the resistance to compress.
Awaiting a response saying..time to swap out those lines aswell as those clutches ...

The two on the left look like Spinlock XA and the two on the right are Barton DO 550

If you need to replace the Spinlocks, i have a spare pair of Barton DO550s that i never got round to fitting on my last boat.

 

[wingcommander]

Edit i have noticed on my recent web searches the modern replacements claim " fixings as industry standards " . Hopefully this means no additional holes ?

 

[XDC]

If Pauls aren’t suitable I found this company helpful:

Spinlock Replacement Clutch Handles @Technical Marine Supplies

 

[DownWest]

I bought some off the web. About 5min work (XAs)

 

[DownWest]

Just to clarify, it was 5mins to find them on e-bay, but a bit longer to change the bits, as you have unbolt the body from the cabin top. One lever and two endplates.

 

[PetiteFleur]

I've never had any problems with Lewmar clutches which have come out best in tests. And use decent rope, not cheapy.

 

[dansaskip]

A bit heavy handedness resulting in a streamlining of my starboard clutch assembly. ... . I had noticed on previous occasions the main halyard clutch was easy to operate 90 % of the time, yet occasions when it became tight.

I have found that instead of "forcing" the clutch handle down your sometimes need to lift up with your thumb the smaller lever under the main handle. Not a lot of help in replacements but might help prevention of a repetition . Yes they do look like Spinlock XA levers

 

[laika]

They do look like xa clutches and 10 days is, I think, recent enough to hijack this thread rather than start a new one. I too am looking for xa clutch handles (sa16 I believe). I replaced some of mine a free years back after one of my worse sailing accidents where the main halyard pretty much exploded into my hand causing a particularly nasty gash. The rest look like it's time to do something before someone has a similar accident. However spinlock seem to have stopped doing spares for the XA clutches. The handles for the XAS clutches don't look compatible. The link XDC gives seems to only have XAS not XA handles. There's a guy in Spain on eBay 3D printing them but with postage to the uk it's over £40 and more once you've added in VAT and duty. Is the only realistic option replacement with XAS or similar? I've read those are a couple of mm wider although it's not obvious from the specs for the XASes vs my tape measure on the existing XA but I have a couple of doubles right next to each other so millimetres do count.

 

[sailoppopotamus]

I'm 99% sure the holes for XAS and XA are the same. The XAS might be wider because they've beefed up the part of the case where the pin goes through. And for good reason, because the XA was weak there and the casing cracked. In fact OPs XA is one of the very rare specimens of an XA that *isn't* cracked there.

 

[laika]

I'm 99% sure the holes for XAS and XA are the same. The XAS might be wider because they've beefed up the part of the case where the pin goes through. And for good reason, because the XA was weak there and the casing cracked. In fact OPs XA is one of the very rare specimens of an XA that *isn't* cracked there.

Holes, sure. It's the bodies I'm concerned about...

 

[penfold]

There's only one hole in the handle and the geometry looks a close enough match that I'd risk £12 to buy an XAS one speculatively.

 

[laika]

There's only one hole in the handle and the geometry looks a close enough match that I'd risk £12 to buy an XAS one speculatively.

Spinlock are telling me that the cams and bases form the xas spares will fit the xa, but not the handles. They're pointing out that they ceased production of the XA clutch in 1999. I could get spares 5 year ago and I suppose 20 years is a reasonable support period.

I’ve bought an xas double. Will report back on how widths compare. I note spinlock says to use silicone for bedding these and not pu. I thought accepted wisdom was that silicone on a boat is evil?

 

[chris-s]

If anybody has an old usable xa that they no longer need send me a pm pretty please.

 

[wingcommander]

I bit the bullet in the end , and bought the Barton from Paul . Figured if one lever goes brittle with age then the other may soon follow. I will keep the old one as spares, as I still have a serviceable XA double in use on the port side.
I did search for a replacement lever , and found every out of stock / discontinued etc

Good luck hunting one down .

 

[laika]

Update on the dimensions question: XAS double dropped right in to the holes + space of the XA, so if they’re wider it’s not by much. They are slightly longer front to back but that shouldn’t be an issue with most installations.

Now to service the old XAs so I’m not so worried about the handle breaking…

 

[Never Grumble]

Broke an XA clutch handle yesterday by any chance anyone have one they want to sell me.