Conference unifix::sailing

>    	Is there a way to approximate the load these
>    	blocks will be under based on sail area? 

A somewhat simpler approach to this problem is to size the turning blocks
to be stronger than the breaking strength of the halyard. If the blocks
turn a 90 degree angle, the block will be taking a load aprox. 0.7
times the pull on the line.

--RS

    NICRO of Australia has a comple catalog and some subsets that
    really cover your questions. I'll see if I can locate mine from
    last spring. In the meanwhile you might check with a Harken
    dealer for catalogs with design aids.
    
    I have several books on sails & rigging. They cover such a broad
    range of sail types, from sunfish to Maxi's tha I've given up
    trying top figure loading, etc.
    
    The US Boat catalog gives a good bit of information by lumping
    size of boat/rig to various types of blocks. You can select
    turning blocks, vangs, sheets, etc adequately.
    
    I like that idea of bringing head sails down with the line from
    head to cringle to clew-----etc. When I single hand I usually
    stick to my small club jib, which is clubbish acting! Seems
    everytime I get back to the point to drop the sails, the wind
    picks up and I'm usually glad not to have my Yankee or Genoa
    up.  
    
    Does anyone have experience with that set up. What are the negatives>
    ?
    
    Don

    Another question if I may...
    
    My maine uses track and slides. It is a rare time that all of
    it just drops when the halyard is released. I have to go forward
    and yank some portions of it down. A mess when single handing,
    especially when a sea is running.
    
    Yes, my track is in pretty good shape and the slides individually
    run free. No, I don't use any lubricant. 
    
    I probably have 38 or so feet of luff.
    
    Help anyone?
    

re .0:

Our halyards are led to the cockpit through Schaefer sheet stoppers. We 
use one winch for the mainsheet and main halyard and a second winch for 
the two genoa halyards and the staysail halyard. With downhauls on the 
headsails, the jibs can be raised and lowered from the cockpit. However, 
I am less certain of the benefits of bringing the main halyard aft. Yes, 
it does allow raising the main from the cockpit, which is nice. But, you 
still have to go on deck to gather in the lowered main, and unless the 
main halyard is carefully flaked, it tends to jam at the sheet stopper 
(I'm assuming singlehanding here) as the main comes down. Moreover, you
also have to go on deck when reefing for two reasons: to tie in the reef
points to hold the foot of the sail and to attach the reef tack to the
gooseneck. Yes, there are ways to reef the main from the cockpit. For 
example, running a line from a padeye at the outer end of the boom up
through the reef clew, back to a block at the outer end of the boom,
forward to a turning block, up to the reef tack, down to a turning block
at the deck, and back to the cockpit). This line is long enough that it
will stretch and chafe under load. Other ways may work better, but the 
number of blocks and stopper involved makes the whole business a little 
expensive.

re .1: Well, the breaking strengh of 1/2" dacron is about 8500 pounds. 
Schaefer recommends, if I remember correctly, a working load of 20% of 
the breaking strength of the block, and the recommended working load on 
rope is about 20% of breaking strength. Actually, I don't think that 
this helps much. Halyard size is most likely chosen for easy handling 
rather than needed strength.

Another approach: Barient winch numbers are (or used to be) .01 times
the maximum load the should be placed on the winch, eg, a #19 winch
shouldn't have a load exceeding 1900 pounds. The load on a block turning
a line 90 degrees is (approximately) 1.4 times the tension (load) in the
line. That is, for a 1900 pound tension, the block load is roughly 2700
pounds. A block with a 2700 pound working load is expensive. However, 
halyard tensions are much less than 1900 pounds for most boats. We've 
used Schaefer turning blocks (90 degree turn) with a 1750 pound safe
working load for sails over 300 sq with no failures (and using Barient
19s for halyard winches). Schaefer (and others) give recommended block
sizes based on sail area. These recommendations have a minor problem --
the manufacturer doesn't want to be sued if a too small block fails, nor
does the manufacturer want to recommend too large a block (cost to the
user). See also the Nicro catalog (ask and they'll send you one). 

re .3: Try some lubricant. Our mainsail (37' luff) comes almost all the 
way down under its own weight with well lubricated slides (using some 
spray teflon stuff). With no lubricant, the sail mostly stays up. 

>>    	Is there a way to approximate the load these
>>    	blocks will be under based on sail area? 
>
>A somewhat simpler approach to this problem is to size the turning blocks
>to be stronger than the breaking strength of the halyard. If the blocks
>turn a 90 degree angle, the block will be taking a load aprox. 0.7
>times the pull on the line.

The load will be 1.4 times the pull on the line rather than .7.
                 ---

Al

    re .4
    
    Spray teflon stuff.... could you be a bit more specific...
    

    re .1:
    
    I have to go with .4 on this one.  Halyards are sized primarily
    to reduce stretch and for easy handling not breaking strength.
    Blocks are sized for strength and line diameter/type.   I would
    guess that for a given line size there is probably a minimum block
    strength (provided you stay away from junk).   My concern is more
    related to the method of attachment and THIS strength should be
    based on the expected load plus safety factor.  I have a wooden
    boat with a keel stepped mast so these blocks are either going to
    pull up (@45 degrees) on the deck or up (@45 degrees) on my wooden
    mast.   If I knew the load I could determine an appropriate attachment
    method.  My suspicion is that I will end up with a block and halyard
    capable of several thousand pounds load that is only carrying a
    few hundred pounds of tension.

    re .4:
    
    Alan, how are your headsail downhauls rigged?

re downhauls:

Actually, I don't use headsail downhauls much. With a crew of two or 
more, someone goes to the foredeck. When singlehanding, the autopilot 
steers and I go to the foredeck.

When I use a downhaul, it is a 1/4 inch line tied to the headsail head 
cringle, led to a turning block at the base of the stay, and then led 
aft to the cockpit through a fairlead or two. There are various ways to 
drop the headsail onto the foredeck. One is to winch the sheet tight, 
tack so that the headsail is backwinded (it is now positioned over the 
deck), release the halyard, and pull the sail down with the downhaul. 
The sail comes down, but it is in such a large heap that visibility
forward is often retricted. When the sail is up, I just pull the 
downhaul tight and cleat it off. If it is run through the headsail 
hanks, there is a substantial amount of friction when pulling the sail 
down. If there is any possibility of taking water over the bow, you have 
to go forward to tie up the sail anyway. One advantage to a downhaul is 
that you can control the halyard (assuming that the halyard is led aft) 
while pulling the sail down. If you pull the sail down from the 
foredeck, you have to be sure that the halyard doesn't have any kinks 
before you go forward.

Fortunately, rigging a downhaul is inexpensive. I'd suggest you try 
using one and see if you like it. Taking a headsail down while sailing 
downwind works well for me, and since I'm going to the foredeck anyway, 
I usually don't use a downhaul. Another problem with a downhaul is that 
it is another line cluttering up the cockpit. This may not be a problem 
for a sloop, but with the way my cutter is rigged, I have some 17 lines 
in the cockpit without any downhauls.

Even though I've said it before, I'll say it again. The most essential 
piece of equipment for single or shorthanded sailing is a good 
self-steering system.

    re .8 It sounds like my only investment will be to put a cringle
          in the Yankee & Jib, a small turning block and a fairlead
    	  or two. I'm going to give it a try. I'll tell you what I 
    	  think is the best aspect of it is that it draws the clew
    	  and head together and will serve to keep the sail from
    	  flailing around in wind and sea.
    
    	  I expect to have to go forward anyhow. I have wheel steering
    	  so I can lock it. However I would be able to reduce the
    	   time needed to be spent on the foredeck. I would be able
           to get the sail down with the halyard under control from
    	  the cockpit, and at my convenience go foreward and bag
    	  or lash it down.
    
    	  And the extra line would only be in place when I single hand
    	  it.
    
    	Don

    I don't go singlehanding but I do sail with inexperienced
    crew/children.  In this situation I have found myself (in nasty
    conditions) turning over the helm to less experienced people while
    going forward to reduce sail.  What usually happens is that as soon
    as you let the halyard run, the boat changes balance and the helms
    person is slow to correct or confused etc.
    
    I thought a downhaul would be convenient in that it would allow you
    to reduce the number of things going on at once (this usually reduces
    panic).  Thus , you could drop the sail into a (temporarily) safe
    condition, stabilize your new point of sail, then go bag it when
    things are calm in the cockpit.
    
    It also could reduce the danger of going forward with dacron all
    over the deck if it clumped it all up to the stay.  I have a very
    fine entry coupled with a lot of stuff on the foredeck so this is
    an important safety feature.

Try taking down your headsails on a very broad reach. This will minimize 
both the apparent windspeed and boat speed. It will also minimize the 
motion of the boat. Since the headsail(s) will be in the lee of the 
mainsail, there should be little change if any in the heel of the boat 
and little if any change in the helm. If you sheet the headsail in 
tight, it will come down mostly on deck. This has worked quite well for 
us.

re .12: 

Oh yes, be sure to use a preventer on the main boom in case your
inexperienced crew decides to try a jibe. 

    Maybe a racing sailor has a bit of advice here.  If you decide to
    lead your halyards aft I would recommend the following.  Use a seperate
    winch for the main and leave the halyard wrapped on it (no stoppers).
    Even the main winch should be on the deck, not on the mast.  The
    blocks should also be on well backed padeyes on the deck, not the
    mast.  As for genny halyards I would recommend one winch and stoppers.
    Go for the Lewmar Spinlock brand.  They are easily released under
    extreme load and will not chew up your lines.  They are not cheap,
    but well worth it.  Remember to back these up as well as you would
    a winch carrying the same load!
    
    Dave

RE: -.1,

>>>   The blocks should also be on well backed padeyes on the deck, 
>>>   not the mast.  

For some vessels, it's important to check the deck construction around the 
mast -- not all can take the high local uploads this may generate.  For 
them, a mast-mounted cheekblock may have to suffice, as it's sometimes 
easier to make strong enough than deck mounting.

>>>  Go for the Lewmar Spinlock brand.  

I second that, based upon my limited comparative experience on Alan's
Valiant and on a Condor 40 with many Spinlocks.  My favorite features of
the Spinlocks are the ease with which they release under load (while
keeping your fingers, sometimes gloved, well away from the line under
strain), and the positive open position you can set so they won't close
and grab unintentionally.  Of course, for optimum results, always use
non-kinking halyards, too.  ;-), 

J.

Why, if one isn't racing, shouldn't one use multiple stoppers and a 
single winch for all halyards? After all, a Spinlock lists for $70 and a 
winch for $200 to $500. 

    RE.15  I believe that a mainsail should be on a winch for several
    reasons.  First, I'm surprised a cruiser type would trust a stopper
    for such an essential job as keeping the main up.  I wouldn't. 
    When we re configured our deck layout we got rid of four winches
    and rreplaced them with stoppers.  Tremendous weight savings.  BTW,
    those winches are Barients and are for sale at very attractive prices.
    However, we still opted for the main on a winch.  Secondly, with
    a guy at the mast to reef, it helps to have the main halyard right
    there so he can do the whole job from there.  Third, halyard tension
    on the main should be changed to meet conditions and it is easist
    if the line is on the drum full time.
    
    Dave

re -.1: 

Our stoppers are the old fashioned won't release under load Schaefers. 
$40 discount. They slip virtually not at all when taking the load from
the winch, cause no line wear at all, and have kept all our sails up for
nine years with nary a slip. I could hardly ask for better reliability
than that. The big drawback is that the halyard has to be retensioned on 
a winch before the stopper will release. 

As for retensioning: Yes, it is more awkward than leaving the halyard on
a winch, but as a lazy cruising type I only readjust the halyard tension
for big changes in wind speed, which is one of the reasons my boat is
slow, right? 

:-)

    
    
    	In owning your own boat, you get to set it up the
    	way you feel comfortable with. I own an O'Day 272 and
    	it came with reefer rolling, for the genny. The main
    	sheet and main haylard are both run through a multi-line
    	cheek block (3) to a three gang sheet stopper to a winch
    	on the starboard cabin housing. They are standard
    	equipment with the boat.
    
    	What I added was a red colored line that runs from a second
        reef point I had added to the main sail down through the first
    	reef point on the main sail through a turning block located at 
        the base of the mast through the starboard cheek block in through
    	the sheet stopper.  The main haylard is white, main sheet is
        blue, and the reef line is red. They are wrapped up and held
    	on the cabin bulkhead by a teak 3"x6" board with buggie cords.
    
    	I added the same configuration to the port side with a red
    	reefing line attached the end of the boom and first reef
    	point run back to the cockpit. I ran the vang through a
    	turning block, back through the cheek block and three gang
    	sheet stoppers to another winch added to the port side. I also
    	ran the topping lift aft the same way. The reef line is red,
    	the vang is green, and the topping lift is white. They are held
    	by buggie cords also.
    
    	The last thing I had done was to modify the main sail with
    	full battens and a lazy jack system. When I go to lower the
    	main sail I stand in front of the starboard cabin bulkhead
    	and let the white main halyard out while pulling in on the
    	red reefing line that is attached to the second reef point.
    
    	This way the main folds down nicely and is close to 50% down
    	before going up to the mast to pull the rest of it down. In
    	having to reef under heavy weather I have found that I do 
        not have to go on deck at all, everything is done from the
    	cockpit.
      
        In the main reef points, I keep 2' of line through the 
    	reef points all the time, so tie down of the main is easy
    	and I am not looking for extra lines all the time.
    	
    	I have found this setup works well for a new crew (color
    	lines) and for just my self. The reefer rolling is done
    	from the cockpit, reefing is done there also. I have found
    	the full battens to work great and the lazy jack system
    	to work excellence in rough weather. I made one mistake
    	which I'll will correct on my next boat.
    
    	When I installed the lazy jack system, I put the tie down
    	clet on the boom up near the mast, this means if you have
    	to adjust the lines at all you have to go forward. The next
    	time I'll put on the stern end of the boom. All in all
    	I feel comfortable with this set up, hope it helps.
    
    	richard	
    	

RE: .18,    

>>>  I own an O'Day 272 and it came with reefer rolling....

Usually one finds this feature only on the Acapulco Gold 36.  
Didn't Jimmy Buffett sail one of those, long ago...?

;-),  J.

    I don't see any reason to keep the main halyard on a winch. On the
    New  York  36  I  race  the  main  halyard shares a winch with the
    starboard  wing (spinaker) halyard. Since we don't like to rely on
    stoppers  for the main halyard, it goes from the stopper to an old
    fashioned  cleat.  That  way,  if the stopper fails, the main will
    drop  6  inches  or  so. Enough to foul up the sail shape, but not
    enough to do real damage.

    Since the  winch  is  next to the line, it's quite easy to adjust,
    but  we tend to adjust the cunningham first, so we only adjust the
    main halyard once or twice on a typical leg.

--David

    Right, the cleat will work just fine, especially for a cruiser.
    And as Alan said, a lot cheaper!  For racing, I still disagree.
    If your main is sharing a winch with any other halyard, topping
    lift, outhaul etc., you will be less likely to adjust it when needed.
    The example that comes to mind is right before the leeward mark
    when the main needs to be retensioned (having been eased way down
    at the windward mark) at the same time as the jib needs to go back
    up, outhaul needs to be put back in, and the person flying the chute
    calls for the pole to be raised to help keep the chute full into
    the rounding.  If the main is sharing all that you will end up with
    a very busy pit man or a main that looks like doo doo going into
    the windward leg.
    
    The other time is when the main needs to be eased down.  It needs
    to go onto a winch before that can happen, too.  Can't do that from
    a stopper.  Cunninghams are nice, but can only adjust so far.
    
    Dave

    I agree with the reliability of sheet stoppers.  Good quality stoppers
    correctly installed would be very reliable.  I would worry more
    about someone inadvertently releasing the main halyard, especially
    on one of the stoppers which can be released under tension. As usual,
    human error is the greatest danger.  If you do use a stopper for
    the main make sure you go overboard in labeling it.  I've seen the
    wrong halyard released a number of times. This isn't a disaster
    usually but dropping the main to the deck unexpectedly could be
    nasty.
    
    							Bill

    
       In looking over my winter job list, there is 1 task I see no
    discussions on in this notes file. That being the running of lines into
    the cockpit.
    
        My mast has only the jib and main halyards that cleat at the mast.
    So does the downhaul. All are external. Although this is fairly clean
    for racing, it makes single-handing a lot more work. I do a lot of
    lone-sailing, so being able to douse the genoa and start to lower the
    main while still in the cockpit appeals to me. I intend on scrapping
    the wire/rope halyards for all rope halyards in the process.
    
        I am looking at getting one of those base plates that Defender
    sells that attaches around the mast and attaching my blocks to this.
    All 3 lines will go to the port side, route through a 3 line deck
    organizer and then to a triple 3/8" stopper before a lewmar winch.
    
        Some of the questions I have include:
    
    1. The the mast base, am i better off to use one of those plates, or 
    mounting plates? In either case, I will through bolt.
    
    2. Can the line organizers be mounted higher using shims, for do they
    need to be on the deck. My concern is having clearance for the sliding
    deck hatch while under load. Or would it be better to use 3 blocks on
    spring mounts? I am trying to keep clutter to a minimum as I intend to 
    continue to race next year, and people will be moving on deck after
    dark at times.
    
    3. I intend to use standard sheeve blocks as I don't see a need for
    ball bearings. I am trying to set this up with 90 degrees being the 
    maximum turn at any point. Any advice or pointers on how to set these
    up? I have been looking at boats at docks, but usually lines running
    aft is not available on anything less than 30 foot.
    
    4. How far from the stopper should the winch be mounted ? How far to
    the outside of the hatch should it be mounted?
    
    5. How large of a backing plate should I be using for each peice of 
    gear? The cabin top is solid fibreglas (ie no coring). Would those
    backing plates the size of the mounting plates do the job? I figure
    the load to be less then 2000 lbs, at which point I would expect the
    line to part first.
    
    6. Should I remove the mast cleats/winch, or leave them there for backups.
    Anyone have problems leaving them there before?
    
    7. How close should I mount the turning blocks off the mast. I am a bit
    concerned with: 
      a: being so close the 2 external halyards wrap around the steaming
         light or each other.
      b: the mast is step mounted. Consequently, down below is a hugh steel 
         beam taking the load   ---  that could get into the way if I get
         too close.            |   |
    
    8. Can I expect the effort to retighten the halyards to be easier with
    this setup?
    
    9. The sheeves are for wire/rope. Should I change to all rope or can I
    leave them alone as long as I use a non-kelvar line.
    
    10. How much longer should the lines be. I am expecting to add 5-8 feet
    to each line to allow for swapping/reattaching the snap shackles.
    
       Thanks for any insight you might have.
    
    
       Regards
    
        john

	...invite a yard to make you an offer for
	the work and have them sell their ideas to you.
	Pick their brains.

	I would expect that they would do the work very quickly
	and so the offer might be substantially a price
	for the hardware.

	Mike

[reformatted to correct line length -- The Moderator]

          <<< UNIFIX::DISK$AUX_SYSTEM:[NOTES$LIBRARY]SAILING.NOTE;1 >>>
                                  -< SAILING >-
================================================================================
Note 995.25               Sailhandling from the cockpit                 25 of 26
PCBUOA::MWEBER "The wind is free. Use it."           48 lines  15-NOV-1994 11:56
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John, you and I think alike (even bought similar boats :-) ). I, too, am
looking at running my lines aft. Presently, I have only one winch on the
mast for the jib halyard -- I haul the main by hand and tighten it with
the Cunningham (not a good solution because the main weighs as much as I
do). 

Halyards will be run inside the mast (I have dual sheaves at the mast
head so running over only one will take care of things at the mast head)
and exit at the base of the mast. (Sailing back from P'town in stiff
wind I lost the jib halyard to the breeze -- what a mess!) I will have
two winches on the cabin top where they can be reached easily from the
cockpit. Lines will run through deck organizers and through stoppers
before reaching the winch. Blocks to redirect lines to the deck
organizers (for, say, the vang) will be throughbolted to the cabintop
with backing plates. 

Left winch    Jib halyard    Spinaker halyard (which I use as a spare
jib halyard 'cause I don't have a spinaker) 

Right winch    Main halyard    Vang    Downhaul 

Right now, I'm undecided as to using all rope or wire and rope halyards.
Too, I'm undecided as to leaving the cleats on the mast or taking them
off after all is done. I'm also looking for a way to simplify my jiffy
reefing lines. 


Your questions: >> Can the line organizers be mounted higher using shims
... having >> clearance for the sliding deck hatch while under load On
my Catalina I will be mounting the organizer a little forward of the
mast so the lines can go around the hatch. I keep my feet pretty clost
to the deck and wouldn't want to trip over a high line in the dark. 
 
>> How far from the stopper should the winch be mounted ? I will be
allowing enough space between the stopper and the winch for someone to
step between. This will certainly be enough for any set of hands and
will prevent twisted ankles. 

>> How large of a backing plate should I be using for each peice of >>
gear? The cabin top is solid fibreglas (ie no coring). The size of the
backing plate should be commensurate with the load placed on it and the
material it is attached to. I err on the safe side almost always making
mine 'too big'. Consider a single large backing plate for all of your
throughbolted blocks. On my Catalina, I have a structure that resembles
a roll-bar on a Jeep to take lateral loads on the mast. A big
determanite is how thick is the fiberglass where you will be
throughbolting. 

Much of this advice comes from the rigger who is helping me on
"Latitude". 

Michael "Latitude" 
    

    Thanks Alan. I looked under aft and halyard, but didn't find a thing. 
    Honest!!!   
    
    This note has some interesting comments in it. 
    
    Re .25  Yup Mike, it is getting scarry. You ought to think about rac'n
        next year. There are LOTS of boats like ours out there on a thursday
        evening.
    
    
    I am trying to keep it to the port side for 2 reason.
    
    1. Cleaner cabin top. Sheets only on 1 side, and it is the opposite of
       the reefing hook and reefing lines, so there is less to trip over.
    2. The compass is mounted on the starboard side. I don't let anything
       get near it, much less the mass of a winch.
    
    
    I am going with rope halyards just to forsake the meathooks. I really 
    hate getting salt water in cuts. I can also end for end them when they
    wear a bit. 
    
    I will look this weekend to see how far forward I can place the line
    organizers and if it will miss the hatch. Push come to shove, it
    probably really doesn't matter if I can't get the last 3-6 inches of
    the hatch slid open while I am under sail.
    
    re .25   Good idea, but there are a few problems with me trying to have
    the yard look at it.
    
    1. The boat came home last week. It is 50 miles to the ocean, so there
    are not too many marinas around. Cost for their time to quote me will
    be expensive. Guess I should have asked this question a couple of weeks
    ago while she was bobbing at the marina.
    
    2. The labor will be up there because of the need to remove/reinstall
    the headliner. This is an old boat with a cloth headline with lots of
    little teak strips attaching it. For me, it's idiot work.
    
    3. I already have the winch and stopper. I got them at a great price
    used at a Marine Exchange end of season "get this stuff outta here" sale. 
    The most expensive part of this whole setup will be the new halyards at
    80% of the total cost. As you can see, it is doubtful "Erna Ann" will be
    using Harken Airblocks as part of the rigging.
    
       Keep those ideas coming folks. I was on a Sabre 32 this year where 
    everything but the anchor line came to 2 sets of stopper/winches. A
    little overkill for me.
    
    john

John,

I dont know the boat you sail but some general comments.


On racing boats here in NZ halyards are generally led
aft to the starboard side as most mark roundings are to port
and staying on the weather side is always a nice idea, from
a performance point of view and the crew generally find it
easier to work. This assumes that Gybe sets are rare at the 
top mark.
Swapping to all rope is a really good idea - Kevlar or spectra
should be used on a racing boat to minimize stretch.

You do not mention the spinnacker halyard, but a having a jammer
on the mast for this eases the job on hoists at the mark, 
the slack can be taken up later. Topping lift and downhaul come 
aft.
Having jammers at the mast on any other line would complicate the 
issue.

On all the boats that I sail, all lines lead to the cockpit.
my 2c worth

Cheers
revel

    Hi,
    
    I hardly ever agree with Revel but this time I have too :)
    
    As he says in NZ its common to have the set up he mentioned. I have
    added to mine a system for the outhaul, cunningham and vang so I can get
    at them from both sides. It makes life easy for the crew and keeping the
    crew weight in the right place. 
    
    The topping lift is not done this way as I don't really ever use a
    downhaul because have I put tweakers on the kite sheets on each side. This
    allows for easy fine adjustment of the pole height rather simply. The
    tweakers have a carefully positioned knot so that the pole can't fly.
    
    I had for a while the problem of someone letting the main come down so
    actually moved it to the other port side. That way the onlt halyards
    that get let off under race conditions are the jib and kite ones.
    
    My way (not the right way)
    
     

    I have all of my halyards and reefing lines cming back to my cockpit 
    on my Morris 36. 
    
    Regarding your questions. I tried to get as much distance between the
    stopper and the winch as possible. This makes the lines lead better
    when under pressure.
    
    Concerning the backing plates - My winch plates were maybe a 1/2"
    bigger in diameter than the actual winch. The turning block on the
    deck was also about the same size as the actual block itsself. ( I used 
    schaffer line organizers both single and double level). I suggest you
    ask John or Kevin at Marine exchange for their opinion.
    
    I would leave the winches and cleats on the mast unless you cannot
    lead the lines away from them.
    
    Another issue you might not have to deal with is halyard force on the
    deck. If your mast is deck stepped, no problem. If your mast is through
    the deck then you have to stop the deck from lifting from the force
    of the halyards. Basically I tied the deck to the mast with a
    turnbuckle which was mounted below deck.
    
    Another problem is controlling the halyards while you are lowering the 
    sails. Mine always seemed to jam unless they were lead straight aft
    from the stopper and no kinks were allowed to occur. 
    
    Anyways leading halyards, outhauls,reefing lines, cunninghams, and
    downhauls back to the cockpit makes life easier for the short handed
    skipper, (I always have to do the heavy work when just my wife and I
    are sailing), but it is tough for a non-sailing guest sitting forward
    in the ockpit.
    
    One other benefit, a tight halyard makes a great jackline on the cabin
    top when tying in reef points.