TEST (daysailer-test.org) Day Sailer Forum

Hello All
Launched my "new to me" 1980 DSII, last weekend and got a chance to single hand her last night. I am in love with my new boat but there a couple of things I want to add or change.
The jib sheets seem to lead the wrong direction for my liking and looking at jib track and cars I don't see how I can change this direction with out upgrading to another manufacture. The sheets lead into the fairlead and then thru the clam cleats and run towards the cuddy bulkhead.
I have removed the cleat from the car and tried swapping port and starboard hardware to no effect.
Is this common for the DS ?
Thanks for information I have already gained from this forum!

Kevin,

Hi Kevin,
Any way you might possibly post a picture of what you are talking about?

one particular design has the jib sheet going through the fairlead and block as you mention, then to the top of the cb trunk where a pair of opposing cam cleats manage each of the sheets.

seandwyer wrote:Hi Kevin,
Any way you might possibly post a picture of what you are talking about?

Sean,
Your going to make me learn how to use this site I see. I probably wont get out to the boat untill this weekend but I will bring the camera with and take a couple of shots.
It would make it much easier to single hand if I can solve this.
Thanks for the reply.
Kevin

The instructions for uploading pictures are found in the Sticky: Posting Images thread under Website Info.

Kevin,

I also have a 1980 DS II and I have the same complaint. I almost always sail solo and I find that the jib cleat is obviously angled toward a second crewmember who would be sitting very far forward (almost against the cuddy). For me the easiest solution was a long hiking stick on the tiller and sitting forward of the mainsheet. It's still a reach to cleat the jib sheets, but I trim the jib once and then adjust the course according to the telltales on the jib.

I have a 1974 DS II which has a slightly different placement for the jib cleats, but I think there is an easy solution for single handing with your later boat.
If you look on the top of the CB trunk, just behind the cuddy are 2 flat areas which are angled up to the combing. This is where the DS II originally had cam cleats and fairleads for the jib sheets. Your boat has the cam cleats mounted to the jib car I believe. At some point, a previous owner of my boat installed clam cleats aft, and in line with the jib track. They then eye-spliced about 18" of thin line to a single block, leading the line through the jib sheave and running the bitter end through the clam cleat. My jib sheets are lead through the single block and I use the line in the clam cleat to adjust the slot. It's a different take on barber-haulers, but it works. It would actually be easier to do this with your jib blocks as the cam cleats are already there, and, I think your jib sheets are lead through a bullseye fairlead rather than a block.
Net result is by adding cam cleats and fairleads to the the top of the CB trunk you would have better position for single handing, added benefit of barber-haulers, and your sheets would work smoother in the blocks rather than the fairlead.

seandwyer wrote:Hi Kevin,
Any way you might possibly post a picture of what you are talking about?

Photo posted, View is from the rear of the boat looking forward as if at the helm. Notice how sheet would run and require to be released from the front.
Thanks for your interest.
Kevin

What you show in your picture doesn't look like it could be modified easily to be operated from further back.

As noted, a common solution has the cleats not on the jib cars, but on the CB trunk, with just single blocks on the cars.

From that position, the jib can be operated when single handed, if you sit far enough forward (using a tiller extension). You would want to sit forward a bit anyway, for reasons of balance.

One thing that you could try is to see whether you can source jib cars that only have blocks, and which you could use on the existing tracks.

You could then mount a pair of cam cleats on the CB trunk. My setup (for a DS1) looks like this.

your CB trunk may differ. One thing that I need to change for mine: The jib sheets are not level as they come across, and that means they pull out of the cleats too easily. To fix that I'd need to put in some of those wedges that angle the cam cleats.

Or, you could spring for new tracks and cars.

I had to upgrade my tracks when a screw pulled out of the coaming and allowed the track to be bent, which broke it. I still have the old cars, as they don't fit the new track. The old track looked like what you show on your picture (3/4" wide, about 1/8" clearance).