Snubbing winches

[zoidberg]

It's an olde-worlde concept, not much seen these days, but Harken and other high-end deck gear manufacturers offer various 'takes' on the idea. One related practice is the redirection of a sheet to a winch at t'other side of the 'pit.

Do folks find much use for this kind of kit? Are they worth the bother.... or the money?

 

[William_H]

not quite sure what a snubbing winch is. My only understanding being a winch drum with pauls but no way to turn it with a handle. So useful a bit like a cleat. Certainly much more useful with a hole in the top for a handle.
Now on my little quite tender 21ft boat used al;most exclusively for club racing, yes we have tried running jib sheet across to windward idea, after it goes around the leeward winch. It does work. However with small jibs (fractional rig) it seems easier to have a man on the low side for a quick pull in the jib then back to the high side.
We have a choreography where one man sits up on gunwhale managing the traveler the other sitting aft of him. Moving balast. When we tack the sitting man goes over to release the jib sheet then climbs up on the gunwhale, while the man up on the gunwhale looking after traveler turns around and pulls in the jib. He then becomes the spare moving balast. It works well with no one getting in anyone else's way. So yes we can bring the jib sheet across but just don't do it. ol'will It is a 1,2,both switch for forward hands.

 

[Neeves]

If this is the same as 'cross sheeting' - do it all the time.

Our headsail tracks are on the cabin roof but we only have one winch for the specific headsail sheets and a turning block on the other side. It is easy to tack using the AP and tend both sheets, release one tension the other - all from one location. We also cross sheet to alter screecher (Code Zero) shape - using one winch in the cockpit as the primary, using its base to turn a second sheet and take across the cockpit to the other winch - as a fine trim. Seems daft having a big cockpit and not filling it full of rope

Jonathan

 

[RJJ]

It's an olde-worlde concept, not much seen these days, but Harken and other high-end deck gear manufacturers offer various 'takes' on the idea. One related practice is the redirection of a sheet to a winch at t'other side of the 'pit.

Do folks find much use for this kind of kit? Are they worth the bother.... or the money?

Used to use one all the time. Benefit is you can keep a winch loaded while still working other ropes from the same bank of clutches.

E.g. gybe set. You can winch the spi halyard and pole uphaul crossed over from port side to stbd side; leaving the port side winch free for the soon-to-be loaded spi sheet.

Or if your clutch is slipping, you can keep a halyard winch loaded.

Or you can reef more efficiently by having both halyard and leech pennant drummed-up at the same time; saves that few seconds to load/unload a winch.

 

[DanTribe]

You just need to say "you're a useless bit of kit, you don't even have handle".
That's a snub!

 

[thinwater]

You would think people would Google before posting:
Harken Snubbing Winch

Basically a cross between a ratchet block and a plain winch without the handle in it. They make certain operations faster on a fully-crewed racing boat, but don't mean much to cruisers in general.

 

[zoidberg]

You would think people would Google before posting:
Harken Snubbing Winch

Yes. It was finding that item in the online catalogue while looking for something else that triggered the OP.

 

[Neeves]

You would think people would Google before posting:
Harken Snubbing Winch

Basically a cross between a ratchet block and a plain winch without the handle in it. They make certain operations faster on a fully-crewed racing boat, but don't mean much to cruisers in general.

So the same as cross sheeting, but instead of installing another b it of kit use what you already have.

You just take the sheet, say, round the base of an existing winch already in use and loaded and take to the opposite empty winch. They do have use on a cruising yacht if you care about sail trim as you can use the first winch to coarsely trim the sail and the second winch can allow you to alter its shape.

Cross sheeting is much, well a bit, more self explanatory

J

 

[dunedin]

You would think people would Google before posting:
Harken Snubbing Winch

Basically a cross between a ratchet block and a plain winch without the handle in it. They make certain operations faster on a fully-crewed racing boat, but don't mean much to cruisers in general.

Well, yes and no. If you read further, this Harken “snubbing winch” was invented primarily as a specific enhancement for a specific boat, the J70 - whose rules require a snubbing winch, but most crews never use it and sail with it entirely taped over and padded. The new Harken SnubAir is lower profile so less of a hindrance - but probably still taped over and not used.

 

[zoidberg]

Interesting device.

I could see it in use on the coachroof for reefing lines and the furling line for a furling inner headsail. I'm wondering if it could function with retro-fitted Barton Winchers.

 

[DanTribe]

I used to crew on a heavy old clinker open boat, possibly a National 18. This had Tufnol snubber set centrally on a post to control the jib sheets.
Generally known as the debollaker.

 

[dunedin]

I used to crew on a heavy old clinker open boat, possibly a National 18. This had Tufnol snubber set centrally on a post to control the jib sheets.
Generally known as the debollaker.

Ouch! Possibly why the J70 crews wanted an alternative to their double-debollakers