Posted by sgaber@…> (sgaber@…>)
Dave:
Do you have to stay with the same deck organizers? Have you considered upgrading
and modernizing?
I installed Garhauer gear for all sail-handling duties: standup blocks, deck
organizers and halyard clutches, mainsheet, traveller, vang much less
expensively than the usual bbrands. Garhauer’s triple 30-DO-T deck organizer
with three 2" dia. sheaves cost me $29.70. I have one on each side of the
cabintop. On the starboard side are the main halyard and two reefing lines. The
port side has the topping lift, Genoa Halyard and boom vang. Each leads from
the mast through standup blocks placed around the mast, then to the deck
organizers and through the rope clutches and finally to a pair of Andersen 12ST
winches. The Garhauer standup blocks cost $26.40 for the 30-Series (2000 pound
Safe Working Load) and $39.60 for the 40-Series blocks (2800 pound SWL). The
Garhauer triple 11-13S rope clutches cost $105.60 each. For less than $450
(except for the winches) I have all the sail control lines led back to the
cockpit. I can raise, lower and reef the mainsail without leaving the cockpit
(except to hank on the halyard, remove the sail ties, etc.).
Garhauer is a great company that makes superior gear at a fraction of the prices
for Harken, Lewmar, etc. (I don’t work for the company. I just admire it and its
products.)
Of course, in order to mount all this gear on the cabintop, I had to cut
substantial holes (4"-6", depending), remove the balsa and plywood in the core
and fill the holes with many layers of unidirectional and woven roving
fiberglass, finishing with a layer of random matt for smoothness. You have to
look very closely to see where my repairs were made. The whole job, including
mounting the winches, took about a month working on it part-time. But the
project made the boat much more easy to handle by myself. It also increased the
resale value and the utility of the boat for a prospective buyer.
BTW, I bought all the Garhuer stuff from Mr. Felgenhauer himself at boat shows.
Also at the St. Pete show a few years ago, I got six one-piece welded Garhuer SS
double lifeline stanchions for $30 each, plus 24 stainless 1/4" x 3" carriage
bolts for $24. If you buy the standard double stanchions from, say, West Marine,
they’re gonna charge you $52 for the stanchion and $60 for the base. Plus, the
stanchions are held in the bases with two little Allen screws. I never liked
that system. You ever lean on the lifeline and have the stanchion feel like
it’s gonna pop out of the base? Fortunately, I only had the top of a stanchion
pop out of the stanchion once when I was leaning on the lifeline. One-piece
welded ones are much safer. And at that price, how can you justify buying
inferior stanchions from West Marine?
Sorry for the rant. West Marine is the Wal-Mart of boating, but without the
benefit of low prices. I do my best to stay away from both.
Steve Gaber
Sanderling, 1967 C-31 #77
Oldsmar, FL
---- dppat2000 <DPPAT@…> wrote:
Hey Steve,
Thanks for those as well. I did looked at both of those and called
Schaeffer and Rigrite. Rigrite said that the deck org’s looked like
they were custom made probably by MetalMast. They had the sheaves but
were very expensive, had no bronze bushing and I needed 20 so I
decided to go with the Zephyrwerks. He custom makes them, the price is
reasonable and the quality is great.
Good sailing!
Dave
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