Yup--Not recommended.I think that it can be used on a Sunfish, but would not recommend it for the reasons Beldar, you and LaLi mentioned.
Your original block is period-correct for the '70s.So, last winter, before the pandemic hit us, I found this piece of hardware at an estate sale. I picked this up for 4 bucks. View attachment 37359View attachment 37360View attachment 37361
Im not sure of its correct nomenclatur, but as always, could use some expertise.
I’m not even sure it can be used on the sunfish.....but for that price it was worth purchasing it and seeing what could come of it. Now that I’m locked up in the house these days - it seems that I have some time on my hands and thought it might be time to tackle a new project.
My old, fair lead cam cleat (if that’s what it is called?) has been a trusted friend on my boat. I enjoy adjusting the sail for the conditions, then setting the line in the cleat to ease the pressure off my arm, then readjusting as needed. I’m not a racer. I’m a lazy sunfish enthusiast that enjoys sailing with my music and taking the easy way out! (Or ”take the long way home”, Supertramp reference). I’ll get there when I get there - and that’s just fine by me!
As the below pics indicate, I’ve got some spider web cracking around my old cleat. I understand that typically means the fiberglass below has been compromised somehow. Although the present cleat is still super stable, if I can put on this new swivel ratchet block cleat thingy, I may as well fix all that spider web cracking. Pics below:
View attachment 37362
View attachment 37363Questions for our illustrious community:
1) what is the name of this hardware I bought for 4 bucks?
2) can I add it to my sunfish?
3) should I add it to my sunfish (I’m a lazy sailor).
4) has anyone here done this project before? How extensive is it? Any documentation or videos?
5) will this new hardware negatively affect my fond sailing, musical adventure?
Warm regards to you all,
Whitecap
as usual, your inputs are valuable. If the spider cracks are cosmetic, and not structural, then I’ll leave it as is.
I can attest to the inability to uncleat in a timely manner leads to turtle. And it happened so quickly.That doohickey serves the same purpose as the thingamabob you have on the boat now. The benefit is it has a Harken Ratchet that you normally set to only rotate when sheeting in. It does not rotate when sheeting out, which helps ease strain on your hand. However, they can be hard to uncleat when you most need to uncleat, leading to capsizes. But some people love them. $4 was an unreal deal!!!!