GP14 Sailing Forums Forum Foresail fairlead location

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    • #12313
      warsashod
      Participant

      Hi,

      I’ve just fitted one traveller/fairlead on the side deck as per my previous post (I was heartened that they are in the right place as there are a series of holes plugged with possibly factory blue gelcoat).  As I was doing this a chap who races a new Wayfarer suggested that I put them on the seats as is now done on Wayfarers as it gives a better sheeting angle.

      I have read the CA Rules and it doesn’t specifically cover this other than:

      “Foresail fairleads may be fitted anywhere on the side decks but may not overhang either inboard or outboard.

      It is not specifically excluded but does “may be fitted on the side decks” mean “must”?  I’ve looked at photos of new boats & can’t work it out.

      Many thanks

      Jonathan

       

       

    • #12314
      Oliver Shaw
      Moderator

      An interesting interpretation.

      I suspect that this will have to be determined by David Rowlands,  Chairman of the Technical & Rules Committee.

       

      Oliver

    • #12399
      steve13003
      Participant

      Jonathan,

      The rule is as it says that the foresail fairleads MUST be fitted on the side deck, if as with modern boats and conversions applied to older boats the fairleads or the first turning block is under the side deck it still complies with the rule to be fitted on the side deck.  The jamb cleats may overhang the inside of the side deck and if fitting under deck sheeting the cleats are sometimes fitted to the thwarts.  Fitting the fairleads on the thwarts may be ok for Wayfarers and other boats that do not have overlapping foresails as these can be sheeted inside the shrouds but the overlapping genoa used on the GP14 needs to be sheeted outside of the shrouds.  If you are using a midi genoa or one of the original jibs thes can be sheeted inside the shrouds and you would need to fit a second inboard track for your fairleads if you want the option to use either type of foresail, or you could just fit a track as close to the inboard edge of the deck as is possible.

      One other point to note is that it is essential that the foresail tracks are bolted through the decks with a piece of wood under the deck to spread the loads.

      Steve

       

    • #12449
      warsashod
      Participant

      Steve,

      Thanks for this.  It did half occur to me that the Wayfarer had a jib rather than a Genoa & what about the shrouds but it didn’t really crystallise.

      I have fitted these now, possibly sub-optimally a bit far out  as the track is about 15mm in from the deck edge which puts the cleats about in the centre of the deck.  I have used  aluminium angle backing plates salvaged from an old GP which had Tufnol tracks.  Aluminium must be better than hardwood.

      One thing I don’t understand is that if the variable position of the fairlead is advantageous, what is the bigger advantage of dispensing with this gain, to have the sheet disappear down a (fixed-position) hole in the deck, as modern boats do?

      Regards

      Jonathan

    • #12450
      warsashod
      Participant

      Position: how bad is this? Is it worth moving them inboard?  I can’t see that you can reduce the sheeting angle as it has to go round the shrouds.

      Thanks

       

    • #12783
      Oliver Shaw
      Moderator

      With through deck sheeting it is still usual to have the fairlead or first turning block mounted on a track,  which gives a degree of adjustment.

      And very belatedly I realise that your query whether MAY in “may be fitted on the side decks” should be interpreted to mean MUST is academic.   There is a specific provision for through deck sheeting,  via a slot cut within the deck,  but other than that the key thing is that the position may not overhang inboard of the decks (or outboard,  for that matter).   So in order to meet this requirement either the fairleads have to be actually on the decks or they have to be vertically underneath the deck and with a (rule compliant) slot cut in the deck;   otherwise the deck would get in the way!

       

      Oliver

    • #12797
      steve13003
      Participant

      Thanks to Oliver for his thoughts, when I retro fitted my last series 1 boat with through deck sheeting I was very careful to satisfy the rule that states that the fairleads and associated cleats must not overhang the outboard or inboard side decks.  I was so what surprised when I later saw that the modern Production boats from Speed, Boon and Winder all have the jamb cleats in board of the side decks.  When I asked how this complied with the rules I was told that’s how they are built, seems one rule for deck mounted cleaning and another unwritten one for under deck systems.

    • #12798
      Oliver Shaw
      Moderator

      Steve’s point about the jam cleats of modern production boats:    I don’t know for certain,  but my guess is that the rule applies to the actual fairlead,  since it is that which determines the line of the sheet,  and that the jam cleat is regarded as not an intrinsic part of the fairlead and its position is not specified.   That would seem to be at least a sensible possibility.

      In times past it was quite usual to have fairleads and jam cleats as entirely separate fittings,  and the “modern” tendency to combine them into a single fitting arose only when sliding fairleads appeared on the market,  which I think was in the sixties.   Certainly in the sixties both systems were commonplace,  and from what I remember of sailing dinghies in the fifties the jam cleats and fairleads were invariable separate.

       

      Oliver

    • #12799
      warsashod
      Participant

      Thanks everyone for your advice.  What I’ve installed is an improvement over what was there (separate fixed items as Oliver described).  As I’m not planning on doing any serious racing I’ll stick with that.

      Cheers

      Jonathan

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