This could be confusing, as what is commonly referred to as a rope clutch here in
this region is also called a jam-cleat.
> BTW what is a fiddle block?
A fiddle block is a long block with 2 sheaves, the upper being larger than the
lower.
> There are 2 main reasons for chosing a clutch over a camcleat. Clutches hold
> the ropes more securely; they can't be accidently released as easily as
> camcleats.
Yes and no. It depends on the quality of the clutch and camcleat. Normally
speaking, they should be nearly equal in grip on a horizontal plane. It is their
grip once you leave the plane that make the difference here. Given that, it is
logical to assume that the camcleat would then weaken considerably as you left the
horizontal plane, by design.
> So your high tension lines like your main halyard belong in
> a clutch, not a cam-cleat.
Perhaps on a larger boat they do, but we're talking Potters after all. The Potter
15 and Potter 19 don't HAVE to have rope clutches, but some have a PREFERENCE for
them. And, given the wild differences in prices, I'd be inclined to steer away
from rope clutches unless I absolutely needed them for reasons other than
"pottering". The cheapest rope clutch in the M&E catalog is almost $46 for a
Lewmar rope clutch, versus around $19 for a Ronstan cam cleat.. For that matter,
I used to race my lateen rigged P15 and would fly a headsail on it now and again,
and I, being on a budget, used clamcleats to control the headsail and lock down
other lines. Never had a single problem, and I sailed my P15 in about as nasty an
amount of stuff as anyone has here on the East coast with a P15.My point is, you
don't HAVE to spend exorbitant amounts of money to get good use out of your boat.
> Please remember there is a very reliable and cheap alternative to a clutch -
> an ordinary old-fashioned cleat that you wrap the line around. It can't be
> accidentally released, can hold a very large load, and you can use any size
> line with it.
Now this sounds more in line with a Potter sailor.. However, you'll want to be
careful in how you mount the cleats. I mounted two aft on the cabintop on my P15,
close to the corners, and I didn't use a large enough backing plate underneath in
the cabin.. I got spidercracking after only 6 weeks of use, radiating from the
corners.
> The other place where I consider a clutch to be worth the extra money is your
> main halyard. There is quite a high load on the main halyard and I wouldn't
> trust a camcleat on a P19.
Judy, there are numerous folks here on the East coast who have this setup (and on
P15s too) and it hasn't presented a problem.
> There's a very high load on the main halyard.
The load on the halyard depends on the other gear you have that is also presenting
and exerting a downward tug on the main..
> cabintop winch to tighten it and using really low stretch (vectran aka
> Vizzion) for your main halyard.
I agree in principle but disagree in the practical application for Potters. Is
this REALLY necessary? For some it might be but I don't see many P19s or P15s
struggling with getting significant tension on their halyards here on the East
coast.. My opinion is that more gear means more work, which detracts from the
enjoyment of sailing. (Granted, you've indicated you like more work, but not
everyone is of that opinion.) We're still talking about West Wight Potters,
right?
> Spinlock has just come out with a mini-clutch ( the PX-406) that works well
> for small diameter lines, has a lever action release that's more secure than a
> traditional cam-cleat, but still has a working load capacity closer to that of
> a cam-cleat.
But, its working load doesn't exceed the load capacity of a good cam cleat, and
here, they are more expensive than a cam cleat.
> PS A fiddle block has two sheaves in it, one above the other. That's distinct
> from a double block, which has two sheaves side by side.
...and the upper sheave is larger than the lower sheave...that is key to defining
a fiddle block.
-- "Sea" ya!--Lars S. Mulford, President East Coast Potter Association (ECPA) Come visit us at http://members.tripod.com/~SpeedSailor "Forgive, and live. Life is worth the challenge of living." --LSSM