Line Stoppers Rope Clutches

[redbopeep]

Anyone know of a source (besides this one) for bronze or "traditional" looking rope clutches/line stoppers?

http://www.lvjwinchesusa.com/accessories.htm


http://www.lvjwinchesusa.com/accessories_files/image001.gif

[Don Z.]

While you're out in San Diego, take a ride up to Minney's in Costa Mesa. He may or may not have that in stock... but if he does, it's guaranteed to be far less expensive than that catalog.

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

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Hh'mmmm.... I'm always wary of those "line-stopper" gadgets, cam-cleats and the like. They can create a good deal of wear on the line (especially if the nip doesn't vary much each time you belay,) and in addition you're required to take the whole line tension yourself before you can get the darn things to let go -- no surging round a cleat so the cleat takes some of the strain.

What's wrong with a good old jam cleat?
.

[redbopeep]

.
Hh'mmmm.... I'm always wary of those "line-stopper" gadgets, cam-cleats and the like. They can create a good deal of wear on the line (especially if the nip doesn't vary much each time you belay,) and in addition you're required to take the whole line tension yourself before you can get the darn things to let go -- no surging round a cleat so the cleat takes some of the strain.

What's wrong with a good old jam cleat?
.

I've gotten spoiled with some rope clutches on the main and jib halyards on my (fiberglass) boat. Would like the same here. Pretty much used them to hold the line when scrambling to get the main up short handed. Works great. After getting the main up, I always released the rope clutch because the load was then on the cleat.

[redbopeep]

.
Hh'mmmm.... I'm always wary of those "line-stopper" gadgets, cam-cleats and the like. They can create a good deal of wear on the line (especially if the nip doesn't vary much each time you belay,) and in addition you're required to take the whole line tension yourself before you can get the darn things to let go -- no surging round a cleat so the cleat takes some of the strain.

What's wrong with a good old jam cleat?
.

I love jam cleats and generally would prefer them. This is for a very specific need for halyards (see previous response).

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

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Ah. Well, for halyards you want a plain horn cleat (or a belaying pin,) not a jam cleat. The very fact you can surge round it means that by swigging on the halyard you'll get more tension on it than you can get any other way except with a winch.

Take a turn with the halyard round the cleat, hold the tension with one hand, then pull the halyard out away from the mast as far as you can with the other hand. This puts a bit of extra tension in the halyard. Then take up the slack you've thus created in the halyard by surging a little extra bit of line round the cleat as you let your second hand come back into the mast again. Hold the tension on the cleat again while you repeat the process. Do this for an many times as you need to get the halyard tension you want. Then belay.

Trust me, better than line-chewers.

Mike

[redbopeep]

.
Ah. Well, for halyards you want a plain horn cleat (or a belaying pin,) not a jam cleat. The very fact you can surge round it means that by swigging on the halyard you'll get more tension on it than you can get any other way except with a winch.

Take a turn with the halyard round the cleat, hold the tension with one hand, then pull the halyard out away from the mast as far as you can with the other hand. This puts a bit of extra tension in the halyard. Then take up the slack you've thus created in the halyard by surging a little extra bit of line round the cleat as you let your second hand come back into the mast again. Hold the tension on the cleat again while you repeat the process. Do this for an many times as you need to get the halyard tension you want. Then belay.

Trust me, better than line-chewers.

Mike

Its the "hold the tension with one hand" HA! that I don't/can't do. On my fiberglass boat, all lines led back to the cockpit including halyards. I used a halyard winch and relied upon the rope clutch on the cabin top to hold the line as I was raising the sail. After the sail was up, I would then cleat off the halyard and release the rope clutch. Worked fine--and regarding line chewing--I suppose it could do that, but the fellow who owned the boat before us had put the halyards on about 10 years prior (and used the rope clutch as I did) and the lines were fine. We didn't notice any "rope chewing" while we owned the boat but did replace the main halyard due to age and chafe in another area.

Yes, I've done the same method you recommend when raising a sail while standing at the base of the mast. But, I see that our schooner originally (1931) had some of the halyards running back to the cockpit--and I'd like to use a line stopper/rope clutch in much the same way as I know works on my other boat. The main halyard does not run back to the cockpit, though.

[wtarzia]

I think a line clutch/cam cleat is useful in a small boat with a few sheets to manage --in my case, a cat-ketch rig. I find that, when I cleat off the mizzen sheet just right in relation to where the main sail should be, something changes too soon (especially while lake sailing in brisk weather) and I have to do too much multi-tasking at a bad time. Yesterday I was 3 miles out to sea on my 16 foot outrigger when NOAA's "seas one foot or less" forecast became waves coming in as steep 3 and 4 footers, a real theme-park-ride for a small boat. Changing course and sheeting for best drive (or doing mizzen choreography to tack, or to sheet in mizzen hard to lay head-up for a breather) was much complicated by the need to untie the mizzen sheet and re-tie with one hand, while sitting on the tiller and gripping the main sheet. (If I had had a jib sheet to care for too, oh my! ;-) So in some contexts, a quick clutching thingie might be good. A horn cleat can (and should) always be there too for backup or more sedate conditions. --Wade

[redbopeep]

I think a line clutch/cam cleat is useful in a small boat with a few sheets to manage --in my case, a cat-ketch rig. I find that, when I cleat off the mizzen sheet just right in relation to where the main sail should be, something changes too soon (especially while lake sailing in brisk weather) and I have to do too much multi-tasking at a bad time. Yesterday I was 3 miles out to sea on my 16 foot outrigger when NOAA's "seas one foot or less" forecast became waves coming in as steep 3 and 4 footers, a real theme-park-ride for a small boat. Changing course and sheeting for best drive (or doing mizzen choreography to tack, or to sheet in mizzen hard to lay head-up for a breather) was much complicated by the need to untie the mizzen sheet and re-tie with one hand, while sitting on the tiller and gripping the main sheet. (If I had had a jib sheet to care for too, oh my! ;-) So in some contexts, a quick clutching thingie might be good. A horn cleat can (and should) always be there too for backup or more sedate conditions. --Wade

yes, when there's a lot going on, that's when the rope clutch helps. My other boat is a 30' sloop with no autohelm and sometimes jumping back and forth when putting up sails is a little much for one person.