Sheet Ratchet Block or What?

U

usbritinusa

New Member
Newbie to sunfish and sailing: just learnt to sail and just bought a sound '87 sunfish. Replaced lines, bung and fixed up rudder and dagger-board. This sunfish has an old Harken ratchet block on a swivel plate with a compression spring but the ratchet does not work. I like the ratchet block idea but also the cam-cleat system. Is there an inexpensive combo set-up I could employ?
 
I use a Harkin 2625 57 MM Carbo Ratchamatic. It about a $65.15 item plus tax and/or shipping. I also purchased a Harkin 205 little swivel base with standard cam-matic cleat ($83.55 plus T &/or S) but I never got around to install the 205 yet. Not sure that I will. I bought it because I was always used to a cam cleat of some kind. I had trouble handling the main sheet the first windy day without the cam cleat but after talking to a long time racing sunfish sailor, I learned what I was doing wrong and found the ratchet block to work out just fine. I am eventually going to install the 205 for my sister who just can't figure out the ratchet block only.
For about $50.00 + Tx &/or Ship you can get a Harkin 241 Swivel base and carbo cam. No ratchet with this arrangement, it has a "bulls eye" guide but maybe this arrangement is more in line with your budget.
 
Thanks Offramp. I'm not opposed to simply replacing the block with a similar kind - I guess I need to appreciate how to use it properly. What was the advice from your long time racing sailor friend?
 
I had trouble after I pulled in on the mainsheet. Now what do I do in order to get another bite of sheet and pull that in? The ratchet block releases the mainsheet if you let up on the slight pressure that holds it in the block. I struggled badly that day because the winds were 15 to 20 mph. Anyway that day was supposed to be the first race day of our season, but since I was a newbie to the fleet, nobody called me to let me know that is was cool and rained that morning so they cancelled the race, but I was noticed out on our lake looking for our start and bouys and I received phone calls from two of our most active fleet members. Frustrated, I asked our fleets racing leader how in the world he ever learned to like a ratchet block over a cam cleat. He asked me if I kept the tiller extension in front of me or beside me. I told him the only way I was taught or knew to sail was with the tiller extension to my side. He told me that if I kept the tiller extension in front of me, all I had to do was pull in the main sheet, then use my tiller hand to hold the main sheet while the other hand got a new grip of the mainsheet at the block.
The next day out I learned pretty quickly how to make the transition and it has worked well for me since.
 
Thanks again Offramp for your invaluable advice. I learnt sailing on sunfish with either nothing to feed the sheet through except the "hook" at the front of the cockpit or a simple block. When I asked what to do with the line when I wanted to sheet in, I was advised to sit on it or hold it under my foot. When I came across a boat with the bullseye and cam-cleat on a swivel, I assumed this was the preferred method. I might just replace the existing rachet back with one that works and persevere. Thanks again.
 
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