[C320-list] jam cleat replacement

[Jeff Hare]

Warren, 

Checkout the www.catalina320.com website. I posted a quick article with a picture that shows the purpose of the red gate on the clam cleat. 

That red "keeper" isn't for running a line through!! 

Here's how you use it:

1) Remove the line from the jam cleat.
2) Flip that red thing up and it sits down over the top of the jam cleat and *prevents/blocks* the line from accidentally dropping in and jamming. It's the opposite of a keeper. 

It's a lockout device. 

It's a safety feature! 

Cheers!
Jeff

Warren Updike <wupdike at hotmail.com> wrote:

Quite a story, Fred. One thing I did was to remove the red keeper over the
jam cleat. This lets me easily transfer the sheet from the cleat to the
winch. If the sheet is in the cleat and wind picks up, I just transfer the
tail to the winch, give a crank, and the sheet pops out of the cleat and is
tended on the winch. With the keeper intact, you can't do this.

Also, furling, reefing, life jackets, jack lines, etc.: rule is the first
time it pops into your mind, that's the time you should do it. Any time
later is often too late, or much more difficult. 

Warren & Pattie Updike
1994 C320 #62 "Warr De Mar"



-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Sulewski [mailto:rsulewski at bex.net] 
Sent: Monday, November 28, 2011 11:14 PM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] jam cleat replacement

Fred,

I second Warren's practice of using the cabin top winch to control the
mainsheet in higher winds, especially for a single line early 320 model. I
learned my lesson on Lake Erie that is notorious in the spring for rapidly
kicking up some challenging northeasterly wind and wave action along the
shallower region of the Western Basin. 

My jam cleat (clam cleat) learning experience came on my first higher wind
trip on our then, newly christened 320. Having locked the mainsheet in the
jam cleat well before the true wind rapidly went from the mid teens to over
32 knots, the higher wind speed made it impossible to clear the jam cleat so
I could ease the traveler or shorten the mainsail with my traditional boom &
single reef set.

The wind was also shifting while I was taken off guard and off course.
Because I was unable to release the tension on the main, I got busy furling
the headsail and punching course adjustments into the autopilot to remain
close hauled and nearer the edge of the wind. After I furled the headsail
and reduced hull speed and heel, I had no other option but to wait out the
blow.

We plowed along while the first mate was hanging on with her white knuckles
securely locked to the lee side companionway handle(s) I had installed
earlier in the day. As we proceeded close hauled, leaping up and then over
those sharp edged waves. By the end of the blow we were in 8 footers. The
bow was leaping out of the water before the hull crashed down the wave
picking up speed only to plow into the middle of the next wave and resulting
in water coming over the topsides and pouring into the cockpit. The entire
thrill ride lasted for almost a half hour and several miles off course. The
blow finally subsided to the lower 20s and the wind shifted again so I could
begin a course heading to my destination island. When the wind subsided I
released the mainsheet from the jam cleat and began using the cabin winch to
control the main (ever since).

Had I been using the cabin winch all along instead of the jam cleat to
control the mainsheet on that particular day, I could have eased the main,
eased the traveler and eventually shorted the mainsail to find a more
tolerable wind/wave angle and hull speed to enjoy the high wind experience.
Instead, I was thinking how much longer can we continue to remain off
course, rolling and pounding away while watching the standing rigging take
those high load shocks again and again each time we ran up, over, and down
into the waves..... all the while wondering if I should reach for the claw
hammer or a crow bar to release that mainsheet jam cleat. 

I learned to begin to reef much earlier and even added an additional set of
reef points at the end of that first season. The other lesson I learned from
that jam cleat experience is that my 320 can stand up to anything I am ever
going to give it because the boat's limits are far more than conditions I
may ever sail in! 

Rick
My-Ria #277

-----Original Message-----
From: c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
[mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Fred LEcuyer
Sent: Monday, November 28, 2011 5:58 PM
To: Catalina320list Catalina320list
Subject: Re: [C320-list] jam cleat replacement


Thanks, Warren. I trust the jam cleat so little that I always use the winch
(both in my case) to secure the mainsheet. The only time it comes off is
when we are furling or unfurling the main and need the winch. It's when the
wind starts to really rev up that I most need to rely on the jam cleat and
that's exactly when I don't trust it.

Fred

> From: wupdike at hotmail.com
> To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
> Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:52:03 -0500
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] jam cleat replacement
> 
> Fred, someone else mentioned it, so I should emphasize that when winds are
> strong I use the cabin-top winch to manage the main sheet. On these older
> hulls the main sheet is a single feed (stbd side) not a dual feed as on
> newer hulls. Still, I find it no problem to use the cabin-top winch.
> Warren
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Fred LEcuyer [mailto:fred.lecuyer at live.com] 
> Sent: Saturday, November 26, 2011 9:34 PM
> To: Catalina320list Catalina320list
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] jam cleat replacement
> 
> 
> Thanks, Warren. Given all the comments, I'm wondering if my first step is
> to wash the mainsheet. It doesn't seem to hold well currently.
> 
> I've had it release while furling the main in heavy winds.... not a fun
> thing!
> 
> Thanks for the advice!
> 
> Fred
> 
> 
> > From: wupdike at hotmail.com
> > To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
> > Date: Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:45:34 -0500
> > Subject: Re: [C320-list] jam cleat replacement
> > 
> > Fred, my slip-mate is a Hunter 35.5 named "First Light." 
> > My locking tab was broken years ago. I thought about replacing it with
a
> > clutch; but, decided to wait. I no longer feel I need to replace it.
> It's
> > easy to use and easy to let go. In 7 years, the number of time the
sheet
> > has let go unexpectedly are few. Just make sure you properly set the
> sheet
> > in it by pulling forward. One benefit is that I can take the sheet aft
to
> > the wheel and control a gybe single handedly. 
> > 
> > Warren & Pattie Updike
> > 1994 C320 #62 "Warr De Mar"
> > 
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Fred LEcuyer [mailto:fred.lecuyer at live.com] 
> > Sent: Friday, November 25, 2011 10:48 AM
> > To: Catalina320list Catalina320list
> > Subject: [C320-list] jam cleat replacement
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Has anybody replaced the jam cleats for the mainsheet? The locking tab 
> > on our 2003 First Light has broken off and I was never very happy about 
> > secure the line was going through the jam cleat. 
> > 
> > Has anyone changed that to a rope clutch? Thoughts about it?
> > 
> > Fred
> > 
> > First Light
> > #926
> > 
> > 		 	 		 
> > 
> 		 	 		 
>