Moving Jib Sheet Leads from Inboard Track to Outward (Bulwark) Rail?...
 

I'm in the process of refitting my 39 foot professionally-built, center-cockpit, double headsail steel ketch that displaces about 30,000 lbs. When the boat was built in Holland in 1986, the ship yard bolted the aluminum cleast, mainsheet track and 12 foot jib sheet track to the deck, put nuts on the bolts on the under side of the deck and then insulated and installed the overhead in the boat. I would like to eliminate as many holes as possible in the deck and have been wracking my brains out trying to come up with a workable solution.

316L stainless mounting plates that would have been welded on to the deck and drilled and tapped on the topside to screw the aluminum track to are cost prohibitive.

I could eliminate the jib track completely, weld shut the holes and install pad eyes on the bulwark rail at a 90 degree angle to where the cars would have been had the track remained. At the aft end of the track, the outer rail is only 6" outboard. At the forward end of the track, the bulwark rail is 18" outboard of the track. My question is - "How much would moving my jib leads that far outboard affect the boats windward performance?",,, Some say not much - after all it is a cruising boat. Others say that it would completely destroy any windward ability. Any thoughts/suggestions/ideas?...

Thanks!


Cap'n Kirk

jib sheet lead
 

Hi Cap'n,
Moving the jib sheet lead outboard that much will not "destroy windward ability", but it may affect it some. It will likely improve reaching sail shapes. The inboard jib leads have been very popular with the racing fleet because windward - leeward courses are very popular with the racing fleet. They are either hard on the wind or running downwind.
For cruising, even if your destination is dead upwind you likely do not need to be sheeted and pointing as high as possible, if it interferes with comfort!
If you go with just a pad eye, as you suggested, final sheet lead trim can be made by moving the sail up or down to get it just right.

But, if you're worried about holes in the deck. Weld them shut, make a bunch of 1 inch segments out of S/S pipe, weld a nut into one end of segment, screw track to segments and then weld assembly to deck. Voila! No holes through deck! If you can do the work yourself it will cost very little.

Cheers, Russ L