Mainsheet Blocks/Cleats

L

LeCockeman

New Member
I recently purchased a holt block/cam cleat configuration as pictured below (at 25% off :p) in the hope that it would work as a replacement for my current mainsheet block, which is very similar but ageing rapidly!

DSC00238.JPG

As it turns out, the block was not suitable, and i have been refunded for the purchase.

Having also bought the 30 year old boat itself relatively recently, i haven't had much experience at using it, and have had no experience with deck mounted cam cleats, seeing as these were broken when i purchased the boat, and had to be removed (Yes, the boat had both deck cleats and a cleat on the Main block?!).

In short, i want to know if anyone has any personal preferences - deck cleats, block mounted cleats, or no cleats, and the advantages/disadvantages to each method.
And if anyone has any recommendations for any particular blocks/cleats, that woudl be greatly appreciated!

Many thanks.
 
As a former sailing instructor I recommend no cleats at all -- too often someone learning the boat will have the sheet cleated when they should be adjusting the sail and they end up going for an unexpected swim. I think it also makes it a little harder to get the feel for the boat. Once you're pretty comfortable on the boat in most conditions then it's a matter of personal choice whether to use them. Many people don't use mainsheet cleats at all.

I'm not sure if a mainsheet block mounted cleat would work because of the angle -- I've never seen one rigged that way so my guess is there's probably a pretty good reason why that is. If you tried you could probably make something work, and if you didn't intend to do any class racing it wouldn't matter much if it was allowed in the Class Rules.

If you go with deck mounted cleats keep in mind that you will spend a certain amount of time sitting on them and they can be a pain in the butt! Go for the low profile at least.
 
I only use mine going downwind, where we sail it is so gusty that if you cleat the main when going up wind or on a reach, you go over!
 
Thanks for the advice Sorosz, all very helpful!

I would definitely consider myself a beginner, and as such i think i may follow your advice and get rid of all things main cleat related! Would you be able to recommend a block i could invest in to replace my current? Should i order straight from laser?

No doubt if i keep the block i'm using i'll use the cleat out of impulse, and end up getting wetter than i already do.
I'm on a relatively tight budget, and will not be using it for anything more serious than club racing, so i don't necessarily need to conform to class rules.

Cheers.
 
hi All. It seems like the cleat/no cleat question is quite open. Where can I buy a mainsheet block with a cam cleat? Thanks
 
I posted this same question a week ago or so and got roughly the same response. This past Saturday I raced in my first Laser regatta and can offer the following:

Unless you are in very good shape and can hold the main sheet, steer the boat and adjust the sail shape with your other free hand, get a cleat of some sort. I understand that over time you will probably adapt to no cleats physically, but the trade off of not being able to rest your arms and hands is worth the risk of possibly capsizing. For the record, I have yet to capsize and have over 50 hours in on a very shifty inland lake with gusts to about 18 knots.

I too looked into the cleat that swivels around the main block. As a converted cat sailor, I am familiar with that setup and its easy for me to snap the main in and out of the cleat. I asked a few of the better sailors this weekend about the swivel cleat and got a mixed bag of reasons not to use it. One was that your knee may get into the cleat during jibes or tacks. I can see how that might happen but I find that I have to shift my body aft in the cockpit when doing either maneuver to clear the boom and don't see that as an issue. Granted, I'm no pro, but I've also been sailing for over 30 years one way or another.

I think it has a lot more to do with where you are as a competitive sailor than it does with anything black or white, right or wrong. The only time I need the cleat is going to weather which is when everyone says not to use it. Hiking, trimming and steering on the most physically demanding leg of the race with no opportunity to rest my arms was tough to do.

My boat came with deck cleats that were installed too far back so I removed them for this weekends regatta. When I returned home, just after washing my boat, I reinstalled them in the right location. At least for the foreseeable future, I won't race again without them.

ML
198278
 
In my first Laser, which I owned from '76-84, I also had a swivel cleat. At the time, I couldn't even figure out why other Laser sailors didn't want one. Having one made a lot of sense to me, and once I got the angle figured out, it was pretty easy to cleat and uncleat as needed. And I really liked it when I was flying on a reach and my hands were getting tired. (okay, so I ended up capsized once in a while!)

My current boat, picked up a couple of months ago, only has a ratchet and I've considered once again mounting a swivel. I'm also a cat sailor and very comfortable with this setup. However because so many others have opted not to have one, I thought I would leave this alone for a while and see what my experiences are.
 
Many thanks for all the advice.

It would seem from the responses that it's all down to personal preference. I sailed a dart for a short while, and swivel cleats seemed to make sense. The only issue i encounter with my current set up is a difficulty with cleating off when hiking out. I would hazard a guess at this being due to the angle at which the cleat sits on the block, or maybe some lube would sort out the crappy cams. I could fix that.

I'l adjust my current cleat, try that out and see how i fare! If it all goes t*ts up i'll give deck cleats a try. Any particular recommendations?
 
The angle of the mainsheet to the cleat when hiked out hard was also my main issue. I had to take a few shots at it, adjusting as I went along. I eventually got to the point where on a reach, I would lean in [super] fast, lock the sheet in place and then back out. Of course, sometimes I would miss and not know it, loosen my grip on the line and kaboom! swimming when I plunged over backwards!
 
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