As the vessel had never been finished, one area which was outstanding (one of many) was the deck fittings. The vessel had only the hatches installed and a few bollards for attaching mooring lines. This means that all the sailing hardware had to be decided upon, purchased and then installed.
Winch Selection
There are several winch manufacturers to select from, but having used ARCO winches on my previous boats, and never had any problems with these beautifully engineered winches. The winch manufacturer selection process was easy.
The ARCO winches are also covered by a lifetime warrantee. A company with that much confidence in their product wins me over.
The next step was how many, where, and what type and size. Being a cruising vessel, I was determined to have a sail and rigging plan which was as straight forward as possible. A simplified sail plan will reduce the number of control lines, clutches and general clutter in and around the cockpit.
Self-tailing winches on the headsail sheets was a must, with two speed gearing of suitable ratio to enable a small statue person handle the full headsail. After looking at several similar size boats, I decided on decided on the ARCO 40 two speed self tailing winches. This size/type selection also lined up with that suggested size on the ARCO website.
To assist with short-handed sailing, having all the control lines coming into the cockpit area will mean that reefing and adjusting sails ccan be done without leaving the cockpit.
Two coach house winches will be needed for the sail control lines (reefing lines, outhaul, halyards, topping lift).
Self-tailing winches would free up a hand, which always seems a bonus when adjusting sails.
The coach house on either side of the companionway is not very wide. On an older 31 foot boat, the width of the cockpit is typically not exceptionally wide. With a dodger in place, the winch handle in a coach house mounted winch would not be able to complete a full circle. Using single speed winches would mean that the handle could be rotated backwards without load. The ARCO 30 single speed self tailing winches were selected as a balance between speed and mechanical advantage.
Rigging
The mast which came with the vessel was originally a mast from a racing Cole 31. The mast utilises wire/rope halyards, which I dislike with passion (having sliced hands open on several boats which had wire halyards in the past).
The wire/rope halyards will be replaced with 8mm Spectra rope. Using the Spectra means that I can still use the same exit slots in the mast (just replace the blocks), but more importantly, it will be possible to use standard rope winches/clutches/deck organizers.
The headsail will be on a furling system, and as it will be on the furler for the majority of time, will be cleated off at the mast. The main and MPS halyards will be returned to the cockpit, as will the two mainsail reefing lines, out haul, and spinnaker pole topping lift. This means a total of 6 control lines need to be returned to the coach house winches, 3 lines per side.
Rope Clutches & Deck Organizers
Triple Rutersgen rope clutches, (one on each side) will be placed in front of the coach house winches for the sail control lines. Between the mast and the rope clutches, the control lines will need to turn through an angle of approx 70 degrees after exiting the mast base. These deck mounted blocks are often called deck organizers, and will also be from the Rutersgen line of products.
Headsail Tracks & Cars
Again Rutersgen was selected for the headsail tracks and cars. Most of the Adams 31 CCs looked at have 3m sections of tracks, however only the back 1m section apprears to have ever been used. The headsail will be on a furler resulting in the foot and clew being high off the deck, it is pointless to carry the track forward of the mast even at 50% sail, so 2m sections were selected.
Storm sails should always have the sheets attached. Separate anchore points and blocks will be used for the storm jib.
Installation Begins
Once you have the fittings, there becomes an eagerness to install. A boat without deck hardware looks very bare, so as soon as possible the bits and pieces would be installed.
Many of the bolts fastening the deck hardware would be coming into the main saloon area, dome nuts would be needed. The dome nuts not only make them appear more presentable, but also safer (no sharp threads left exposed). Once the locations for the winches were determined and marked out, the holes were drilled, bolt lengths measured, and the appropriate fastenings purchased.
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| First winch base mounted on Starboard side |
On my previous boats, I have had varying degrees of success with Sika-flex and silicon based sealants. After speaking with several shipwrights, I am convinced that the Selleys' Mastic is a better option, as it will re-seal if there is any movement.
The winches were the first to be installed, starting with the headsail sheet winches. The winches were mounted in the middle of the cockpit coaming to allow for the sheet to be fed from either forward or aft. Placing them in the centre also allows the helmsman to reach them by just reaching around from behind the wheel. This will be good for single handed tacking.
Placing ample sealant around each of the holes, and coating the bolt threads before inserting them through the holes will hopefully provide a good seal. The port winch was a one person job, as I could reach and turn the nuts on the bottom through the lazarette while at the same time hold the bolt heads from the top. With the starboard winch however I needed the assistance of another pair of hands.
Mounting the fittings on the coach house, either side of the companionway, it was possible to reach both the bolt heads and nuts at the same time, making the installation a one person job. The rope clutches for the sail control lines were installed quickly thanks to their design. The design provides for the base of clutch to be detached for mounting onto the surface. This design has the added benefit of allowing the rope clutch to be maintained in the future, without disrupting the sealant.
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