Thoughts on winch placement?

[Petedd]

My Pearson 424 has both primary and spinnaker winches on the coaming with the spinaker winches mounted aft. A sistership, without spinaker winches moved the primaries aft so they are abeam the steering pedestal making them more appropriate for single handing. Any thought on have the less used spinnaker winches forward of the primary winches? Or reasons not to move the primaries more aft?

Thanks,

Pete

[Jim Fulton]

A lot depends on how you use the boat, how many crew you usually have, cockpit size and layout, and personal preference. Do you intend to race or cruise? Will you be singlehanding or sailing with crew? Will the person on the helm also trim the main? Is the best place to trim the spinnaker forward or aft of the helm? If you haven't sailed the boat much, I suggest waiting a while before making any changes. At some point, you'll realize either that the layout is fine the way it is or that you want to move some things around.

Jim Fulton

[Ian McColgin]

You say that the spinnaker winches are aft, presumably of the jib winches, but don't tell us their relation to the helm.

If they are in reach of the helm and if you recognize that there's nothing sacred about a winch's use - always assuming a fair lead - then since you're likely to not use the 'chute while shorthanded, why not just use the spinnaker winches for the jib - as so very many folk already do?

G'luck