Typhoon Jib Tracks - Calling all Typhoon Sailors!

[bhartley]

My Typhoon is in the serious reassembly stage with a launch in the works before the end of the month if possible.

My question is: How often do you use the jib tracks on your cabin top? Our Ty came with both a working jib and a genoa.

When preparing to reinstall the black plastic jib tracks on the cabin top, I found that one track has 6 holes while the other has 5. The spacing between the two does not match and the holes seem to have been hand drilled as the spacing on each one is rather random.

There are only 5 holes (I can see the originals from inside the cabin) on each side and one of the holes on the 6-holer was not used.

If money was no object, I would just run out and buy new tracks BUT this almost free boat has already had plenty of unnecessary money invested in it.

I hate to install the existing tracks and have everyone who comes on board point out that there is a screw missing (the holes in only 1" from the hole at the end of the track) -- especially if I end up never using them!

If I need to replace them, any sources for economical 3' track? I can only buy 2' or 4'. Three feet is all I need!

Thanks in advance!

Bly

[Dick Villamil]

I also redid an old Typhoon and dutifully replaced teh jib tracks even though I have a roller furler. Perhaps it is wise to save the jib tracks because someday I might want to use a working jib. Just install with the 5 screws. If you find out where you can get more genoa tracks I would like to get some to replace the short ones already on the rail on my Ty. I also saved the old forestay so I could remove the roller furler and reinstall the old forestay for sone heaview wind fall saililng.

[Oswego John]

Bly, If I understand you correctly, I don't think you need them. I don't use them on my Ty because I don't have them. Never did.

My working jib sheets come back past the shrouds to cleats on the coamings, or possibly a winch and then a cleat . A genoa sheet would come back even farther astern. I believe in KISS.

Good luck with your progress.
O J

[bhartley]

Having never sailed my little Ty before, I really don't know how the working jib leads (or can lead). If OJ says I can get away without them, I'm going to forgo their reinstallation.

Do you just use the cleats for the genoa or do you have an additional pair of cleats?

Thanks for your advice!

[Oswego John]

Bly,

What I think is that cleats at mid coamings with/with out a winch is okay for working jib. The Ty is small enough to forgo fairleads. My Ty has an adjustable car on a track opposite of the cuddy to position the jib. The jib sheet passes through a block on the car and then to the coaming horn cleat.

The genoa has much more area, catches a lot more wind and with a good breeze, might need a winch to control it, especially for a lady. Because it is larger, the genny sheets should be secured farther aft on the side decks.

Some people use a block on a car aft for the genoa. The sheet can pass through the block and come forward to a cam cleat then to a common winch.

Life is about to get very interesting shortly.

Good luck, you're gonna do fine.

O J

[bhartley]

Does your Ty have cleats on the deck in addition to the cleats on the coamings? Miranda only had the cleats on the coamings (as does our SS23).

I'm going to reanodize the genoa tracks this week before reinstalling them on the spanky new toe rails. It took me a while to start drilling holes in my beautiful new decks -- the Bolt Depot order arrived on Friday and out came the drills.

The 95 degree daytime temps have made it a bit unpleasant working in the boat shed, but it's time to get her in the water. The blazingly hot weather is accompanied by zippo wind so there is less incentive to go off and sail a boat that is already functional!

Fair winds,

Bly

[Oswego John]

Bly,

I have one coaming cleat on each side. They are mounted about half way up and about in the middle, fore and aft, of each coaming. They are mounted on about a 45° angle.

Yes, I have one cleat centered on the fore deck for mooring purposes. I also have one cleat on either side of the aft deck. I usually use them for spring lines and/or mounting fenders.

Good luck,
O J

[Serge Zimberoff]

Bly,

It would be hard to do without the fairleads that are on the tracks on the cabin top. The working jib comes well inside the shrouds when working to weather. The adjustment fore and aft is needed because all jibs are cut slightly differently, although once set I find I rarely make changes.
I would think Dick's suggestion to use 5 screws makes sense. Can you cut the long track cleanly so that it matches the short one?
There should be good backing inside the cabin for these as they handle a lot of vertical tension. The sheet goes through these, once around the winch then to one of the cleats on the coaming.

Hope this helps.

Serge

[bhartley]

Just so you don't think I'm a total nitwit... The tracks are the same length. One just has six holes! One hole (the one I circled) has never been used.



The tracks seem to be original (everything else on the boat was). I haven't been able to find any similar tracks that use a friction fitting rather than sliding fittings that go into a dimple between the screw holes like the genoa tracks do.

[bhartley]

How often do you actually adjust the position of the fairleads? Our Sea Sprite has fixed fairleads for the working jib. Is the track used or can I just install a standard fixed fairlead?

[Serge Zimberoff]

Aaargh...me thinks it is time to get new tracks. While you are waiting for them to arrive you can fill the old holes. Get some with rounded tips (sometimes sold separately) so if you should ever send someone past them barefoot they won't totally open up their foot.
Fixed fairlead would be tough. Once you found the point for your jib, it would change as the jib stretched or you would want to tweak it when racing (no...none of us ever race another boat) etc.
However if you promise never to use a working jib, and to never sell the boat to someone who might...you could leave them off (just kidding).

Just my 2¢.

Serge

[Oswego John]

Bly, Serge and all,

Hmmmmm, Serge's last post on the subject got me thinking, so I went to the boat to reaffirm my thoughts. Here's what I noticed.

My Ty was built in the end of the first year of Ty production, 1968-69 era. It is hull #42.

Serge's Ty is #1700, 1984

My Ty has a bronze track with a bronze car and block on each side of the cuddy, starting at the forward end of the coaming/cuddy bulkhead and running forward.My Ty is strictly stock, as it came from the factory.

It also has two cleats that I didn't mention in an earlier post. There is a cleat on either side of the cuddy roof, midway between the hatch and the roof curve downward. The cleats are about 6" forward of the cuddy bulkhead. They sit on a raised 1" block of teak.

Serge's Ty, and I imagine many more of the newer models, have plastic tracking for fairleads on top of the cuddy roof.

In retrospect, I have never had any trouble pointing to windward with my setup. If I wanted to be super close hauled, I suppose that I could use the roof cleat for the jib sheet but I never had need for that. In my mind, if I had roof cars or fairleads set for a compromise position, they would be fixed toward the rear of the track, about approximately where my roof cleats are.

So, we can readily see that there have been many changes between the early Tys and what they have evolved into in latter years, mostly for improvement

This thread interests me greatly.

Best regards,
O J

[Mike Wainfeld]

I agree with Serge-the working jib should be sheeted thru the cabintop fairleads. I always fly the working jib, so I always use them. A Genoa will be sheeted thrun blocks onthe toerail. Sail choice all depends on what your local conditions are. Here are some photos from a previous related post. http://www.capedory.org/board/viewtopic.php?t=18034

[Serge Zimberoff]

Mike...a picture is still worth everything. I remember that thread but evidentally didn't watch it to the end when you posted that shot of the neat mount of the cam cleat and with track showing clearly. That is what every later Ty I've seen (without the cam cleat) had. Thanks for the homework.
OJ...your note of early vs late may help in other threads too sometime when it all seems totally ambiguous.
Bly now should have all options covered.
Serge

[Lang]

I took our my old jib tracks because they were always stuck and a pain to use when jib is pulling. I ended up never using it.

Now I use a fairlead and a cam cleat. I choose the position that I like the fixed fairlead to be on the track, then I mark a spot about 3" behind the fairlead. I mount the fairlead and cam cleat in a straight line on a 3" by 4" teak block, then mount the teak block onto the spots that I marked on cabin top. I am really quite pleased how these worked out.

BTW, after installing the fix fairlead, I made the dodger. With a track, the dodger design would be different. I also removed the old cabin top cleats. It looks much better now.

This is my 1st time trying to load photos, hope it works. Wished I had better pictures that shows the teak block, but these is all I have right now.

[img]http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/henglanla ... pg&.src=ph[/img]
[img]http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/henglanla ... pg&.src=ph[/img]

Cheers,
Lang