Spinnaker winches

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With the headsail sheets on the cabintop, the single set of Lewmar 16STs on the First 260 do reasonable triple duty. They manage the halyards and control lines, they control the genoa sheets, and the also trim the spinnaker sheet and guy.

This is normally manageable due to careful placement of lines, winches and the sheet-lock. But there ARE times when a dedicated set of spin winches would come in handy!

On BlueJ we normally race with a crew of 4. This works great but it is VERY busy in maneuvers. In this setup, during a gibes and douses the driver steers with the tiller between in legs, and runs the sheets and guy, timing so the foredecker can manage the big kite. In this model, the cabintop winches are very hard to use. You can see in this video the basic steps of our maneuver.



We have found that a 2nd pair of small Lewmar ST winches, mounted on the side decks make for the best solution. In our application, we have a set of Lewmar 14ST winches mounted on 1.5 inch risers, situated in the middle of the side deck, and mounted so the aft end or the winch is in line with the forward hinge of the lazerette, as shown in the photo below


We debated between Lewmar 16 and 14 winches, and in the end went with the smaller of the two. The extra wrap afforded by the 16s would have been nice, but we felt the lower profile would be more comfortable for the crew when sitting on the sidedeck. But either would work and its a personal call.

For the riser we used a disk of HPME plastic, cut the same diameter as the winch. Some might (perhaps rightfully) the this material is too plastic for this application, but to date it has worked fine. We used butyl tape to waterproof the holes, and simple disc washers as backing plates.

Two years on, the winches have been a great success. They give us lots of flexibility on sheet placement during spin work, which is a huge help in heavier airs. And the placement works well with crew sitting on the side deck,

A very valuable addition.

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 23, 2019 at 12:32 PM

    Season here in Finland is just starting. I put in Harken 15ST winches for the spi.
    (Lewmar winches were hard-to-find here).
    Full bottom redo made, all new halyards (dynema), new sail set incl. asym and sym spi and carbo spipole; boom kicker installed,

    Cold machine installed, as you described - all new interior mattress. Bow rail "opened" from the middle part, Hella NaviLed navigation lights installed to bow rail sides and white light in the stern.
    Steaming and anchor lights (Led) installed, original tricolor at masthead was broken, so I wanted "real navigation lights" as bigger boats use.
    New VHF. New waterline and qunwale taping.

    Bought boat (2003 model)for 19 000 euros couple of months ago, now spent 22 000 euros for redo and updating.
    Funny part is that I haven't never sailed First 260 before :).

    Have owned 4 sailboats before, including new First 21.7 and some older and bigger ones.

    Always wanted 260/25.7 'cause of its habitability and easy handling...not too big for single handed or not too small with friends or family.

    Hard to find these boats from Finland, as I know, only one other 260/25.7 here.

    After spending +40 000 euros, I'm sure I have an equipment for a nice and reliable sailing without problems this summer :).

    There is a diesel Webasto heater in the boat, so cold/humid air is not problem if spending nights in boat.
    Still have to get a soft solar panel for the battery charging while on the dock/port/haven. 50Watt panel is powerful enough for cooling machine and charging during sunny days w/o need of engine usage or shore supply.

    Thanks again for your blog. Lots of updates and save lots of time and thinking when updating and putting First to better-than-new condition.

    Best regards,

    -Pertti Koskinen-

    ReplyDelete
  2. YouenJuly 2, 2020 at 12:35 PM

    Hi
    I am a New owner of a First 25.7 in France,I learn a lot about our boat reading your blog.Please can you tell me how thick is the shim under the spinaker winches ans where do you put the crew in light winds.Do you know how much tension in Kg you put on your rigging (capshrouds ans losers)
    Best regards
    Youen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. clayJuly 2, 2020 at 3:54 PM

      Hello! Its 1 inch (254.mm) disk, and works well. Light airs are the bane of the boat.. but for sure on the low side and centered. The transom HAS to be out of the water. When I drive on the low side in the light, I sit as far as I can forward, with the extender fully out.

      Delete
  3. YouenJuly 3, 2020 at 10:21 AM

    Hi
    Thanks you for your Quick reply ,is the deck solid laminate where the spinnaker winches are fitted?Your blog is a marvellous source of tips!
    Best regards
    Youen
    PS:my home port is Loctudy in the west part of France,name of my boat is Eon Gwen

    ReplyDelete

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