November 2002 -
There was one result that I didn't like. The aft 12"
of the cabin top is not cored, which is fine when the hardware is stressed parallel with the centerline of the boat. However, by pulling my halyard through the Harken block and bending it over to the winch, an enormous strain is placed 'sideways' on the structure.
It didn't feel right when grinding hard, and while you couldn't actually see any flex I think it was.

I want to service the winch anyway, so I pulled it off. As a side note, I really think that you can't get at the inner pawls on the Barient 19 Two speed ST without pulling it, due to the tiny split ring on the very bottom of the winch. So I made a 1/4" pad for the winch and used that to seal lots of caulk around the screw holes, and didn't caulk under the winch base itself. This will make it easy to pull off and service. I also took this opportunity to shift the winch around so the winch points in the right direction. (Compare with the picture at the of of this page.)

Underneath, I used oversized fender washers everywhere (sliding them through the big holes and over to the bolt so that I wouldn't have to cut out too much of the liner.)

Wow! There's now nothing left to add or rebed on the cabin top, and I can put the headliner back on!
It's been a year and a half!

All the clutches, cleats and blocks are set on fiberglass pads. (See Deck Layout for more details on construction.)

This let me use polysulfide caulk between the pad and the deck, without letting any caulk touch the clutches (which are polycarbonate plastic.) Polysulfide caulk makes polycarbonate plastic brittle, and it will crack in a couple of years if the two remain in contact.

You can see where I messed up around a bolt on this clutch -- but soon after this picture I took the bolt out and cleaned with mineral spirits, then flushed with water. After that error I used masking tape to keep the clutches clean. Between the bolts, pads and clutches I used Silicone, as recommended.

I had wanted Reef One on the port side of the boom, and Reef Two to starboard, and figured that for the second reef I'd just heave to and go cleat it down at the mast. My Rigger kinda put them the other way around, with Reef One falling to starboard, so after dealing with the lines on deck I pulled both reef sets into the cockpit, which might turn out to be nice, or might turn out to be a big mess. Time will tell. I don't know how often this boat will need a second reef.
(The main has a third set of reef points I didn't even rig.)

The clutches have some "spare" ports. There was just no way to pull the topping lift over from starboard without making some Rube Goldberg mess on deck, so it's left at the mast for now. There's room both in the deck organizer and the clutch for the second Jib Halyard and the Spinnaker Halyard -- both of which are tied off at the mast right now. I don't need them at the moment, so why clutter up the cockpit. Also, the triple clutch on the right has a spare port since I didn't rig the cunningham. There wasn't a clean way to lead the line across the Reef One lines. I probably don't need it anyway, as there's more than one way to move the CE and flatten the main.

Originally, I'd planned to lay the cabin top lines out from left to right: Topping Lift, Main Halyard, Reef One Tack, Reef One Clew, Cunningham, Vang, Main Sheet.

With Reef One and Topping Lift
on the right side of the boom and mast, it ended up: Main Halyard, Reef Two Tack, Reef Two Clew, Reef One Clew, Reef One Tack, Vang, Main Sheet.

A few people have looked at me sideways when I explained what I was planning with the Main Sheet.
Personally, I think it's cool.

It's hard on the right hand side of the cabin top, next to the companionway and dead center, because it's what I'll be messing with all the time. The clutch will "live" open all the time, so it is on the side and easily reached, and minimizes the chance of something else getting tangled in it and popping it closed. I set the clutch as deep into the dodger as possible while still making the handle easy to reach, in order to allow the sheet to be led to the cam cleat or the winch.

As a casual sailor, it's no big deal to head up until the main luffs, sheet it in and cleat it down easy, then fall back on track. There are ball bearing blocks on the main sheet to make it easier. This way I can handle the main while standing all the way back at the helm.

The Main Halyard heads into this really cool Harken block. You can put any line from the triple clutch into it and get a good pull on it from the
center of the cockpit.

There was a winch right at that same spot, but it couldn't be used because the dodger blocked the handle. Somebody wasn't thinking...
Rather than mess with the dodger right now, I bolted this block on.

It also leads fairly
over to the self tailer.

The cool thing about this block is that the back is on a spring, so you can pop lines in and out of it fast and easy.

Sooner or later I'll be replacing the dodger, but not for a while since it works, and it really
fits the lines of the boat well.
It's just, well, it's WHITE!
Tough to keep clean.

The reef lines are all clutch mounted. There's a space between the clutches so the lines can be fed back out of the way without falling over onto the Halyard clutches or the
Vang/Main Sheet clutches.

I want them handy, but out of the way.
Sure hope it works out!

Update June 2002:

Everything on this cockpit layout works perfectly according to plan.
I gotta say, it's very sweet.
I singlehanded the boat last weekend in a stiff breeze and had no problems handling the sheets and lines while manning the helm.
Pleasing.

Naturally, there are times when you have to grind it down.

The way this is set up, the horizontal lead from the clutch to the cam cleat is about 3 degrees. The lead from the clutch to the winch is about 7 degrees. Both are within tolerances. The clutch itself is set on a 7/8" pad so that the vertical lead to the winch is about 5 degrees. The cam cleat is on an identical pad so that the lead to it is level.

You can grind the main down, pop the clutch to hold the sheet, then flip it over to the cam cleat and open the clutch. Mainly I'm thinking about single handing the boat -- I want to be able to snap the sheet loose fast when I'm back at the helm, so don't want to leave it on the winch.

Here's just a picture of the guest bathroom turned into a painting shop, with the pad for the cabin top being finished up.

Below, a close-up of the pad under the Harken block, with little notches in it to ensure water drains out.