Smaller arm Harken swivel mainsheet cleat

205 is still listed in their brand new catalogue that I got from the boat show last week :)
(Although for many years now, there’s been no picture of it anywhere for some reason.)

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Picture of a Harken 205, I was curious:

https://www.harken.com/en/shop/cam-cleat-bases/standard-low-profile-cam-base-swivel/


product_82132daa-682b-4b39-a2ac-6a53da3cfd66.jpg




Standard Low Profile Cam Base — Swivel

Part No. 205

Maximum line Ø (mm) 12 mm

Maximum line Ø (in) 1/2 in

Minimum line Ø (mm) 3 mm

Minimum line Ø (in) 1/8 in

Use with 57 mm/Big Bullet/Dinghy/2.25"/small ratchets
 
Tops said:
Picture of a Harken 205
Click to expand...
Nope, that’s the 144. The swivel arm is noticeably shorter on the 205 (I have one on my Lightning). Inexplicable why Harken doesn’t show the actual fitting even on its own page.

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LaLi said:
Nope, that’s the 144. The swivel arm is noticeably shorter on the 205 (I have one on my Lightning). Inexplicable why Harken doesn’t show the actual fitting even on its own page.

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Click to expand...
Harken shows the same picture for both part numbers online, good to know there is a difference.

harken_swivels.jpg
 
OK. I will buy a buy a 205 base; I already have a newer Harken ratchet block that will pair nicely with this base,

Related: It is possible to put the cam cleat on the bottom of the arm, lead the sheet through the slot on the arm and pull "up" to cleat and "down" to uncleat. If this were not so counterintuitive, I might try it as it might be easier to uncleat from a hiked out position. Has anybody done this?

Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY
 
Never done that on the 144 or 205 base, it may work, but with upside down you may be accused of being a catamaran sailor with all their main cleating in the pull-down fashion to uncleat, so it seems that folks can get used to that action.
 
Alan S. Glos said:
It is possible to put the cam cleat on the bottom of the arm, lead the sheet through the slot on the arm and pull "up" to cleat and "down" to uncleat. If this were not so counterintuitive, I might try it as it might be easier to uncleat from a hiked out position. Has anybody done this?
Click to expand...
I don’t remember anyone ever doing exactly that, but I did have the cleat mounted ”upside down” on top of the swivel arm of the 144 on my 505. You just need some spacers between the cleat and the arm so there is room for the sheet to run freely. Worked absolutely beautifully on an upwind-planing boat, where you need to play the main fast when hiking out. The body movement will actually feel very natural after a little training.

HowEVER... I would not do it that way on a Sunfish/Laser type of boat, because I want to pull the sheet upward when going downwind (not hiking, that is), and let it fast out again without having to uncleat it in between. In a 505 or 470 you don’t need to do that as it’s the spinnaker you’re playing.

On a Sunfish it might work if you cleat the sheet at a max-loose position downwind, and then play it straight from the boom block. The upward cleating would still be awkward in light air.

The 205 could be just fine in its ”factory” configuration, but you wouldn’t lose anything by testing a ”flipped” cleat, either. If I were you I’d try it.

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Good points. I may try it and see how it works. It should be easy to reconfigure from the stock factory mode.

Alan Glos
 
I tried a Harken 205 on my Sunfish and did not care for it. It was clunky when I tacked and would sometimes not swivel around, causing more issues than it helped with. It may work ok if you sit further back in the cockpit.
 
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