J80
Class
Page Tuning
Guide Kerry's
Boat Pricing
In sailing J-80s it was very apparent to me that crew weight and boat
trim were very important. The boat likes the crew weight to windward to
help keep the boat flat. With that in mind most of the crew systems were
altered to make the boat easy to trim from the weather rail. In the mainsail
we have a spreader window so that we can see the leach of the Jib in relation
to the spreader tip from the rail. Our jib sheets we altered so that we
used the windward winch to trim the jib sheet. First we added Harken ratchet
turning blocks for windward sheeting of the jib. We rigged these a little
different than the class standard. We added the ratchet blocks just forward
of the mid station of the boat, on the deck near the rail. By mounting
the block on the rail we were able to bolt the block onto solid Fiberglass
with no core. Then we added Harken Cleats for cleating the jib. These
cleats are not in line with the winch and we used to hold the jib sheet
tight until the crew had the time to get on the rail, wrap the jib sheet
on the windward winch, and add a winch handle to make the final trim on
the jib sheet. So that when we trimmed the sheet on the windward winch,
we uncleated the sheet from the cleat on deck. This makes the flow of
tacking much easier when using a windward trimming system. When tacking
most of the jib sheet is trimmed and then just cleated. The jib trimmer
can then just get on the windward rail and finish the fine tune of that
sheet on the rail with the winch. The system works fast and easy. Plus
with the sheet on the windward winch the tension can be adjusted to the
changing conditions. Without the crew coming off the rail. After sailing
a few regattas with this system I realize that there was a lot of pressure
on the Jib sheet. In looking at the megels 24 and E22 class I realized
that they used 2:1 on there Jib sheet systems. By adding a 2:1 system
we would cut the tension on the jib sheet in half. We thought that it
was worth a trying so we added them to the boat. The 2:1 advantage is
added right at the clew of the Jib. This is achieved by deadending the
jib sheet on a slide car and adding two light blocks to the clew of the
jib. We used Harken 40 Carbon blocks for light weight and strength. The
system worked well. In all conditions the jib sheet in a tack could be
trimmed and cleated without the help of a winch. The jib trimmers job
became easier and faster.
The Jib halyard is a critical control on the J-80. We felt it needed to
be easily adjusted in any condition. The class had strong rules in place
that only allowed us to use a winch for mechanical advantage. So we added
a Harken 6B on the cabin house, and a few turning blocks to lead the halyard
properly. This added only a few pounds to the boat, but allowed us to
tighten the halyard easily with the jib trimmed in.
The next thing we added were line bags, 2 on each side. The aft ones are
for the Spinnaker sheets. The forward ones are for the spinnaker tack
line, pole outhaul, roller furling control line, and water bottles. They
just help keep the boat clean and neat. In the companionway we added a
large bag for spinnaker takedowns. This made for easy fast takedowns of
the spinnaker. On either side of the gooseneck we added cleats to hold
the tail of the spinnaker halyard tight against the mast. Free from windage
and fouling around the spreaders. We used the standard spinnaker halyard
arrangement, but added an additional cleat on the mast for fast hoist.
By adding this cleat the forward crew could stand on the windward side
of the mast and quickly hoist the spinnaker. This cleat was mounted on
a Harken pad for easy flat installation. We installed the cleat 1 foot
down from the mast exit and off center so that we could change back to
the standard cleat after the set. This allows the person letting go of
the spinnaker halyard to control the tack line, and pole as well. It also
allows that person to help with stuffing the spinnaker in the bag.
On the stanchions for the spinnaker ratchet blocks we added a Stainless
steel eye for the ratchet block. On older boats the stanchion base broke
from the strain of the block on the weld. This eliminates this problem.
We used the standard tiller extension provided. It is a Forespar telescoping
tiller extension. I found that it tended to un-telescope at the wrong
time, so we bolted it in to one length. I also didn't like the width of
the additional foam on the metal so I cut it off, and taped a few knobs
on the aluminum for easy grip.
cont...
